3 Reasons to Renew Your Passport Before Your Next Cruise

If you are cruising to the Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean

, you may not need a US passport. For example, per the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), American citizens traveling to these regions on a "closed-loop" cruise, one that begins and ends in the same US port, can get by using a government-issued photo ID, like a driver's license, and a certified copy of their birth certificate to prove that they are US citizens. If you're traveling by sea to these regions and you're not on a closed-loop cruise, you can use either a US passport book, a US passport card, an enhanced driver's license (only available in some states) or a "trusted traveler" card like a NEXIS, SENTRI or FAST card.

That said, here are 3 very good reasons to renew your passport (if it's expired) before you next cruise:

You Might Miss Your Departure:

It's easy to think it can't happen to you: You're a responsible adult, so of course you'll be there when the cruise ship is ready to depart, right? But anything from an auto accident on the way to a delayed flight to the port of departure could lead to the ship leading without you. If you have a valid US passport book, though, you can usually catch a flight to the next port of call and meet the ship there.

You Might Get Left At Port

If you book all of your shore excursions through the cruise line, you don't have to worry about this. They will wait for you to get back. However, if you're exploring on your own and you don't make it back on the boat in time, you'll need a valid US passport book to either fly home or fly to the next port of call.

Illness or Family Emergencies

Whether you just can't get your sea legs or you're suffering from a particularly bad bout of Montezuma's revenge, if you're really sick and not getting better you may decide that your best option is simply to fly home. Alternately, if a family emergency comes up while you're cruising, you'll want to be able to get stateside again, ASAP. The best thing to do is to renew your passport and carry it with you before the cruise-that way you have the flexibility you need to deal with the unexpected!

The moral? Make sure to renew your passport and have it hand before you cruise. Better safe than sorry!

3 Reasons to Renew Your Passport Before Your Next Cruise

By: Alison Kroulek

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