Cruising with or without a passport

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.