Closed-Loop Cruises: Everything You Need to Know

Table Of Content

• Limited time cruise deals
• There are plenty of wonderful sailings you can take that don’t require a passport, including to foreign countries.
• Cobranded Cards
• Ever Heard of a Closed-Loop Cruise? Here’s What to Know About These Unique Sailings
• Sign Up for Special Offers
• You’re our first priority.Every time.

In addition, if you reside in Florida, you may get significant discounts or benefit from other promotional packages. With its all-year-round sunny tropical climate, friendly locals, and fantastic beaches, the Bahamas are the perfect destination for scuba diving adventures and brightly colored cocktails. So, if Hawaii sounds like the perfect destination, you can choose between two closed-loop cruising options that vary in length. Carnival cruises are ideal as they cater to families with budget-friendly rates. Although, should you be willing to spend a little bit more for better amenities and fun activities, consider booking a cruise on the Royal Caribbean or a Disney cruise. Royal Caribbean’s seven-night Northbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas, for example, departs from Vancouver and disembarks in Seward, Alaska.

Limited time cruise deals

Virgin Islands, and other Caribbean islands, provided you’re on closed-loop cruises, meaning your journey starts and ends at the same U.S. port. That is cheaper than a passport book, can get you on the ship but are valid for entering the USA by land and sea only. If your ship is not returning to the same port—for instance, if you are eyeing a one-way Panama Canal sailing from Los Angeles to Miami—you do need a passport. You will also be limited on some Caribbean itineraries, as select islands such as St. Bart’s and Martinique do require a passport, which means your cruise line will require a passport before you board the ship. Cruises without a passport are a great way to see the world without having to worry about getting a passport. There are many different cruise lines that offer closed-loop cruises to a variety of destinations.

There are plenty of wonderful sailings you can take that don’t require a passport, including to foreign countries.

Even though the US Government doesn’t mandate that you need a passport, it is always advisable to double-check as some locations along your cruise journey may have various requirements, including having a visa. Residents of the East Coast have several choices when it comes to homeports, which include Baltimore, Bayonne (Cape Liberty), Boston and New York (Manhattan). Additionally, Miami, Norfolk, Charleston and Orlando (Port Canaveral), sometimes offer one-off cruises to Bermuda. A number of East Coast and Gulf Coast homeports offer round-trip Bahamas cruises. They include Baltimore, Bayonne (Cape Liberty), Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Galveston, Jacksonville, New York (Manhattan), Miami, Norfolk and Orlando (Port Canaveral).

Cobranded Cards

It is recommended that passports are taken with you on the cruise as you may need them at a foreign port of call. Additionally, vacation planning for guests booking round-trip flights is also made easier. For cruise passengers driving to their port, their vehicle will be available when they disembark. It allows U.S. citizens to go on closed-loop cruises without needing a valid passport.

Ever Heard of a Closed-Loop Cruise? Here’s What to Know About These Unique Sailings

Everywhere You Can Travel Without a Passport Right Now - Thrillist

Everywhere You Can Travel Without a Passport Right Now.

Posted: Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

There are a lot of options when it comes to visiting Caribbean islands. If you’re looking for culture and history in the northeast, cruises that depart New England for parts of Canada are a great option. For many people without or in between passport applications, it can be disappointing to have to ignore last-minute deals. That’s no longer the case when you take advantage of cruises you can go on without a passport. Sue has been writing about cruising for 20 years and is lucky enough to have sailed all seven continents. She lives in London, where she is cruise editor of The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers, as well as a freelance contributor to magazines and websites worldwide.

How do I know if I can sail without a passport?

While LPRs are not required to have passports, other destinations may contain different rules. Passengers should also note that for some ports, you may require a passport to gain entrance. Therefore, always make sure to know whether you need your passport or not before going on your cruise.

However, there is often a west coast cruise itinerary each year, like from San Diego. Enhanced Drivers Licenses (EDLs) are state-issued enhanced drivers licenses that provide proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. They are issued in a secure process, and include technology that makes travel easier. EDLs are a low-cost, convenient option for entering the United States from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean through a land or sea port of entry, in addition to serving as a permit to drive. U.S. Customs and Border Protection offers a comprehensive list and details the criteria for taking a cruise without a passport, including what constitutes a government-issued photo ID. The second acceptable piece of identification must be a government-issued ID with your photo, full name, and date of birth.

Closed-loop cruises depart from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego. There are also cruises that originate in Honolulu and tour the other islands. Celebrity Cruises’ 12-night New Orleans & the Caribbean cruise departs from and returns to Tampa after stops in New Orleans, Key West, and Honduras as well as Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Destinations You Can Visit Without a Passport on Major Cruises - Business Insider

Destinations You Can Visit Without a Passport on Major Cruises.

Posted: Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

You’re our first priority.Every time.

WHTI passport cards are convenient and affordable because you don’t have to travel with your birth certificate and ID. From urban destinations like Boston and Halifax to picturesque destinations like Bar Harbor, Maine, and Saint John, New Brunswick, cruises like these trade palm trees and sunscreen for evergreens and rain jackets. This itinerary on Celebrity's Celebrity Summit ship doesn't require a passport because of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Cruises to Bermuda are almost always closed-loop sailings from a U.S. port, save for a few transatlantic trips. This means you can visit the British territory without the worry of having a valid passport.

Voter registration cards and Social Security cards are not considered proof of citizenship. Every voyage on a ship that’s not U.S. flagged, departing from and returning to a U.S. port must, according to maritime law, visit one foreign port of call. This is why you’ll find Alaska cruises stopping in Vancouver, or Western Caribbean cruises calling in at Cancun.

From the beaches of the Bahamas to the wilderness of Alaska, these are the greatest place you can visit on a closed loop cruise without a passport. Closed loop cruises have “closed” itineraries, meaning that they start and end in the same U.S. port. On the way, however you may visit some other destinations, whether within the United States or in other countries. All closed loop cruises are round-trip cruises from the same port in the United States.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was launched in 2009 by the United States government. This was implemented to clarify what documents guests require for traveling on a cruise ship. This site focuses on small-format cruises and ship-within-a-ship concepts on large cruise ships, including special cruise experiences you can enjoy during your next vacation. Imagine, for instance, that something goes awry, and you need to fly back to the United States from a foreign country for a medical emergency.

If an emergency arises, only an official passport will allow you to fly home quickly from a foreign port. If you end up stranded in another country because of unforeseen circumstances, you do still have options, but it will take more time and effort to get home with only a birth certificate and photo ID. There are great cruising opportunities from Cape Liberty to Bermuda. You can take a  trip as short as 3 days and 2 nights on board to Bermuda, an idyllic island in the North Atlantic.

Caribbean cruises to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico are a safe bet for those who don’t have a passport. You can cruise Alaska either on closed-loop sailings from Seattle that stop in Canada along the way, or fly to Alaska and take a cruise that remains within the state. The majority of closed-loop cruises to Alaska originate and return to Seattle. However, American Cruise Lines’ Southeast Alaska cruise boards in Juneau and returns to the same port after visiting Glacier Bay and several Alaskan towns.