Boarding a cruise comes with a little more stress than checking into a hotel, especially if you're a first-time cruiser.
The process is easier if you do everything you can before your cruise. That starts with digital check-in. Download your cruise line's app and begin the check-in process as soon as it allows you.
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This benefits you in multiple ways. First, the earlier you check in, the more choice of boarding times you get. And landing an early boarding slot gives you more time on board — it literally makes your vacation longer.
In addition, checking in properly before your cruise enables you to do things like attach a credit card to your account, take a security photo, and submit other needed documents.
Exactly what those documents are is a question many newer cruisers have. The biggest question is: "Do I need a passport in order to cruise?"
The answer for that isn't simple because some cruise destinations require one. But it's usually not the case when you sail from U.S. ports. On most cruises you can sail with a driver's license and an original birth certificate.
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Some cruises from other parts of the world do require a passport. Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) Brand Ambassador John Heald recently addressed some passport misinformation he has seen disseminated in multiple places online. And this has confused passengers.
Image source: Pixabay
Carnival clarifies passport rules
People love to spread bad information on social media. It's hard to know when it's intentional and when it's just people who are misinformed. This can cause real problems since people who are planning a cruise don't know what to believe.
It's also an issue because some cruise policies are a little loose. The answer to "Do I have to wear pants in the main dining room?" is technically "yes," but practically "probably not." That creates confusion for people deciding what to pack and causes problems when a rarely enforced rule actually gets enforced.
Passport rules, however, are not fluid; they can change but they're very specific. Heald made this clear in a recent Facebook post.
"Over the last week or so I have been answering multiple questions on the subject of an alleged passport requirement for Alaska. Someone had posted on Book Face, Tube Tock, Tit X, or You Critic that everyone must have a passport to cruise to Alaska and yep, many believed her," he wrote.
That's most decidedly not the case as passports are not required for travel within the U.S. Canada, which all Alaska cruises visit, offers passengers the same option of having either a passport, or a license plus an original birth certificate.
Heald was adamant on the issue.
"I responded over and over again to everyone saying this was not correct and think I may have become a bit exasperated because in one answer I used the words 'trust me.' Big mistake because I know these days trust is not something many people give, well, anyone," he added.
Carnival shares a social media warning
"Trust is just something we no longer have. We do not trust politicians, obviously. We don’t trust doctors because we’ve asked Uncle Google our symptoms and it’s obvious that we have an undiagnosed case of Cleveland Palus Febris et Cacat which the Doctor won’t have covered at medical school," he wrote.
Some of that is Heald's levity, but a serious message underlies that.
"We are also constantly shown that we must be vigilant for online scamming bastards. At Carnival, we are taught 'cyber awareness' and the real dangers of 'fhishing" or is it phishing? Regardless of the spelling it all comes down to do not trust anyone, ever, or open an email from anyone," he wrote.
The brand ambassador also made a more direct point about cruising.
"My point here is this. If you see a social media post about Carnival charging $5 if they lose their room key or that we are serving Yak as part of our Vegan menu or that someone was thrown off the ship for wearing a T-shirt supporting a certain politician you may think you have a pretty good grasp of the Carnival news. But you haven’t," he added.
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