Travel Documents Needed When Cruising

If you are cruising outside the U.S., the main document, you must have with you is your passport. For many years, American citizens do not need a passport to visit the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada. Passports are relatively easy to obtain, either personally or by mail, at a local passport office or post office. If you only visit the U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico, you do not need a passport. Other important documents are kept safe is your ticket. This is to ensure that you do so at your destination without any problems.

Make sure your passport is valid as long as your cruise, and will not expire while you are on holiday. If you do not have a passport or need to renew it, you must apply for it at least a few months ahead of time - not surprisingly, July and August tend to be the busiest months for passport applications. It usually takes up to several weeks to receive your passport if you apply by mail. If you need it before, it is worth the extra cost for fast service.

The name on your passport must match the name on your cruise booking, plus any airline tickets. Use your full name, rather than a nickname. Cruise Lines and the airlines can sometimes be reluctant to change the name of a ticket, but if you are able to change the name on your ticket, there is often an extra charge. If you are a woman to get married while on a cruise, it's probably easiest to keep your passport, tickets, and all other important documents in your maiden name. You can then change them all when you return.

You usually do not need a visa if you are running around everywhere in North America, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Bahamas. If you visit somewhere else, you should check if one is required. A visa is a permit issued by a particular country, so you can visit here often for a specified period; currently around 80 countries worldwide require U.S. citizens to obtain a visa. It can be either in the form of a stamp in your passport or stored in an electronic database. Some countries allow you to get your visa upon arrival, although it is easier to get it anyway. Some countries also require that you provide a further ticket, and proof that you can support yourself while you are visiting.

In September 2006, Princess Cruises the industry's first Cruise Line to offer electronic tickets. Other Cruise Lines has followed their example, which means that cruise passengers have a less important document to keep. Boarding passes and itineraries can be easily printed out at home and replaced if lost. Another big name in cruising - Norwegian Cruise Lines - no longer issue paper tickets, but unlike the airline industry, cruise ships have yet to be fully electronic.

If you fly from your home to your cruise port, it's easy to keep track of your flights. Virtually all major airlines now issue electronic tickets. If you lose your printed itinerary and receipt, you can just ask someone without charge. An electronic ticket - or e-ticket, as it is commonly known - can be changed and reissued easily online with no reason to visit the airport or travel agent. E-tickets also allow passengers to check in on the Internet. In case of cancellation of flight, an e-ticket allows you to easily be accommodated on another airline. These make the process of buying a ticket much easier, and if your Cruise Line has this option, it is strongly recommended.

Travel insurance is one of the things that some cruise passengers tend to forget, but you can not actually need medical travel insurance if you already have existing health coverage. It is a good idea to sign a trip cancellation insurance. It is sometimes also known as trip protection insurance, which covers scenarios such as death or illness strikes, cruise company or airline bankruptcy. Make sure you have a copy of the policy with you and know what number to call if you need it.

A document, you should definitely take with you is a list of all your credit cards and their phone numbers. This is important if your wallet or purse is stolen. It can be particularly difficult to try to solve the problem of lost documents, if you're on a ship or in a foreign country. It is also a good idea to photocopy your passport (the page with one photo), cruise tickets, and all other documents. You should also keep them separate from the originals.