New Passport Requirements

Travel requirements for U.S., Canadian and Bermudian citizens have been eased effective June 1, 2009 on all sailing that both originate and terminate in the same U.S. port - “closed-loop” cruises, i.e.,

This means “closed loop” cruises are not limited to cruises that travel only to contiguous territories or adjacent islands but also ports in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Belize will also be exempt from the passport requirement.

If a cruise begins and ends in different U.S. ports or begins and ends in a foreign port (such as our Alaska and Hawaii cruises), a valid passport or other recognized WHTI-compliant document is required. A valid passport is required if you are traveling on any of our Europe cruises. ALL guests need proper proof of citizenship in order to travel and failure to present a valid document at check in will result in denied boarding and no refund will be issued.

U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card (see previous blog), an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all Carnival cruises.

Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Having a passport will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event they miss their scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if they need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.