Category: Passport

Cruising with or without a passport

10/2/2019

A passport really is the best form of ID to have when you travel but if you do not currently have one you shouldn't feel like you do not have options for your next vacation.
Did you know that there are a lot of cruises you could take without a passport? If you are looking at a closed loop cruise out of a US port you can cruise without a passport. Any cruise that starts from a US port and returns to that same port is considered a closed loop cruise.
That means you can cruise Alaska without a passport as long as your ship leaves and returns to WA or CA and not Vancouver.
You can also cruise Hawaii either by choosing a cruise that leaves from CA or there is one cruise line that does just Hawaii.
You can leaf peep and cruise around Canada/New England as long as your cruise is a round trip and not a one way.
It is very easy to visit Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and just about all the Caribbean islands since there are so many US ports offering round trip cruises to these destinations.

There are reasons people might be looking for travel options that do not require a passport.
- Maybe your passport just expired or you just don't have a passport yet and you found a great last minute deal on a cruise.
- Maybe you do not want the extra expense especially for kids since those passports are only good for 5 years.
- Maybe you tend to lose things or forget things so knowing that you could still cruise even if you misplaced or forgot your passport makes you feel better.

It is important to also be aware of the downside to not having a passport.
- If you do choose to cruise without a passport be sure you know that there might be some ports that won't allow you off the ship without a passport, such as Martinique.
- If something were to happen and you had to cut your cruise short due to an emergency you would not be able to fly home from another country.
- If for some reason the ship had to change itinerary and return to a different port at the end of the cruise you could have issues.

You can check out - https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative -- for all the latest info on traveling without a passport and what you will need in its place.

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Traveling after you say I Do

5/1/2019

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Though more women are opting to keep their maiden name after marriage the knot reports that roughly 80% still take their new husband's last name. I can say from experience that the name change process can be exhausting and seem never ending. I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary and I admit I am still working on changing my last name on things.   I do have a few tips for newlyweds to help with traveling after you say I do.

#1 - Do not book your honeymoon with your new last name. It can take much longer than you think to get important things like your passport changed so for the honeymoon please make reservations with the name as it appears on your current ID. Your travel agent can note that you are celebrating your honeymoon so you won't miss out on any of the special Mr and Mrs moments. Most destinations expect that honeymooners will not have the same last name on reservations yet.

#2 - Start with the big ones first. You cannot change your passport until you change your social security card. Once you have those 2 life gets easier.

#3 - Airline Frequent Flier and Hotel rewards programs are more work than you would think. I thought these would be an easy log into my account and update my profile, but no they are almost as hard as changing your passport. I have read that some women choose to just lose anything they accumulated to just start over with a new account since it was easier than doing all the things required just to change your last name. Take a look at what you have saved up and decide which makes more sense for you. I am the type of person that signs up for any and all rewards programs so I think there will be some where I really haven't earned much so I will just let it go.

#4 - Make lots of copies of your marriage certificate as you are going to need it more than you think.

#5 - Don't try to change everything at once. Depending on how many things you have set up in your previous last name you could get overwhelmed with all the places that require changing. Some things can wait and be changed on an as needed basis so don't stress about it too much.

#6 - Make plans to break in that shiny new passport!

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Cruising with or without a passport

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Our Blog

Cruising with or without a passport

Traveling after you say I Do

Coleen

Archives

Categories

Stress Free Vacations, Inc.Orlando, FlFlorida Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST15578 California Seller of Travel No. 2090937-50 Washington UBID No. 603189022 Iowa Registered Agency # 1202terms and conditions​

Stress Free Vacations, Inc.
Orlando, Fl
Florida Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST15578
California Seller of Travel No. 2090937-50
Washington UBID No. 603189022
Iowa Registered Agency # 1202
terms and conditions