Passport Information

Passports required to enter the United States

Effective December 31, 2006 the U.S. Government's Intelligence Reform Bill requires passports for all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

What this means to you:

• Guests sailing in mid December 2006 whose itinerary transits or ends its voyage in the United States on or after December 31, 2006 will be required to present a valid passport during ship check-in formalities.
• Guests sailing on or after December 31, 2006 will be required to present a valid passport during ship check-in formalities.
• Guests not holding a valid passport should apply for one as soon as possible.
• Guests holding ARC/Green Card are exempt.

This will undoubtedly cause a backlog in getting passports as these rules take effect, so please obtain or renew your passports early. For information on obtaining or renewing a passport, visit the State Department’s web site at http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

• You should avoid the rush and the possibility of not being able to travel where you wish without a passport.
• A passport can open the doors to travel you may not have considered before, such as cruising in Europe, South America, Australia and Asia.
• Passports are valid for ten years and if you are a repeat cruiser or a frequent traveler, the initial price of that passport ($97 for a new passport and $67 for a renewal) is amortized over time. If you take two vacations per year, the cost of the passport per vacation is less than a frozen drink with an umbrella at the pool.

Non-U.S. Citizens

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM
Guest citizens from the Visa Waiver Program countries of: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunel, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom seeking to enter the United States will be required to have in their possession a machine readable passport valid for the duration of the voyage. A machine readable passport is one having an alpha-numeric code on the bottom of the picture page.

Visa Waiver Program travelers arriving in the U.S. on or after October 26, 2005 with passports issued on or after this date must present passports with a digital photograph. Visa Waiver Program travelers arriving in the U.S. on or after October 26, 2006 with passports issued on or after that date must present a biometric passport or obtain a visa for entry into the United States. Passports required to enter the United States.