Obtaining or renewing a United States passport can be a frustrating and often lengthy experience, especially when it comes to last-minute travel plans. Unlike border crossing on a road trip or taking a flight to a foreign destination, cruise travel often begins and ends in the same port. If you want to cruise without a passport, you may be in luck. Depending on your itinerary and the type of cruise, you may not need one.

Round-Trip Ocean Cruises

Ocean cruise travel comes in two ways: one-way and round-trip. Most cruise lines offer round-trip journeys that begin and end in the same port, such as the Port of Miami, and travel in a circular, or "closed-loop," routes before returning back to port. A U.S passport is not required on a closed-loop cruise that begins in the United States., even if the cruise includes a port stop in a foreign country, such as Cancun, Mexico. One-way, or non-closed loop, cruises, are a different story. Often called "transatlantic" or "repositioning" cruises, one-way cruises embark and disembark in a different port, such an international cruise from Miami to Costa Rica, or a domestic cruise from Miami to Los Angeles. You must present a U.S. passport to board a one-way cruise, even if no foreign destinations are on the itinerary.

Gambling Ocean Cruises

If you prefer to glimpse the sea from your comfortable seat at the blackjack table, a gambling cruise may be your best bet. Because gambling cruises have a short-itinerary -- often just one night -- you do not need a passport to board a gambling cruise, even if you spend time in international waters. Keep in mind that you must be 21 or older to board a gambling cruise.

River Cruises

Whether you are taking a week-long, one-way river cruise on the Mighty Mississippi or a round-trip, one-hour dinner cruise, you do not need a U.S. passport to board a U.S. river cruise. River cruises often are more affordable than ocean cruises, and may be preferable for landlubbers who are unsure about long-term ocean cruise travel.

Tips and Considerations

While a majority of closed-loop cruises do not require a U.S. passport, there are exceptions to this rule. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may need to present your home country passport before boarding a closed-loop cruise out of a U.S. port.

Some foreign countries, particularly in the Caribbean Islands, may require U.S. citizens to show a U.S. passport while in port, even if you are traveling on a closed-loop cruise. In these cases, your cruise line asks for a U.S. passport at embarkation and notifies you of this policy at the time of booking.

Even if you do not need a U.S. passport for round-trip cruise travel, consider taking your passport with you, anyway. If you get injured or detained while in a foreign port or miss your cruise at the end of the port day, you may need it to get home.

About the Author

Leah Waldron is the head of Traveler Services at First Abroad, a gap year travel company based in Boston and London. As a travel, research and LGBT news writer, Waldron has publication credit on magazines and newspapers including "Curve Magazine," "USA Today," "The Sun Sentinel" and the "The Houston Chronicle." Waldron has a bachelor's and master's degree in creative writing from Florida State University.

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