Cruises that begin and end in Hawaii require passports if they include a trip to Fanning Island. Beware!!

Why beware?

i have never understood the warnings, arguments, questions, etc. If you are going outside of the country, then bring your passport with you. Period. End of discussion. You no longer have to wonder "if" your birth certificate and supermarket savings card will be accepted.

At $65 for ten years a passport works out to be pennies a day. Certainly the best travel deal anywhere.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dbk10:
Why beware?</font>

Cruise lines have been failing to communicate this information to travel agents, and customers have arrived in Hawaii without passports -- vacations & honeymoons ruined.

ya....also cruise ships are registered internationally and sail through international waters. This is enough to request a passport I think.

You might have the option to take the cruise and just not get off at the Fanning Island port stop . I agree, if there is an international stop, the cruise line should certainly warn people, even if specifically they have a small print disclaimer that it isn't their fault.

I agree with cordelli. Last I heard, there was no state, territory, or US possession called Fanning Island. If you are going out of the country, bring a passport. (I'm sure there are all sorts of legalities about the cruise lines notifying passengers; however, the burden should be on the passenger. It should be your responsibility to know where you are going!)

Last year I went Florida-Bahamas-Grand Cayman-Mexico-Florida without a passport. As a U.S. citizen, I was only required to show my birth certificate.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Aubie:
Last year I went Florida-Bahamas-Grand Cayman-Mexico-Florida without a passport. As a U.S. citizen, I was only required to show my birth certificate. </font>

Thats because those countries allow cruise passengers to enter without one. Try going there any other way and you would need a passport. Fanning Island requires a passport for everyone not a citizen who is visiting, period.



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Don't take life too seriously, afterall, you won't get out alive.

there is a rule that cruises to/from hawaii must stop at a non us port if they aren't us registry. political favors.

some cruises collect & keep passports in the pursers area, which are then available to immigration people to "clear" the ship. i don't know if fanning island requires it to go ashore or uses them to "clear the ship.

edit to add...we have been on cruises where the passports were picked up on boarding and returned at debarcation, complete w/ stamps from the ports visited.

[This message has been edited by clacko (edited Dec 12, 2003).]

It's my understanding that you won't be allowed to board a ship going to Fanning Island if you don't have a valid passport. Is this international stop required by the Jones act?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by oldpenny16:
It's my understanding that you won't be allowed to board a ship going to Fanning Island if you don't have a valid passport. Is this international stop required by the Jones act?</font>

Yes it is. However, NCL is currently building 2 US flagged vessels for the Hawaii area that will not need to go to Fanning Island. NCL is my least favorite cruise line, but it might be worthwhile to go on one of these someday.



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Don't take life too seriously, afterall, you won't get out alive.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by clacko:
there is a rule that cruises to/from hawaii must stop at a non us port if they aren't us registry. </font>

It is a federal law. The Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 requires that cruise ships carrying passengers between U.S. ports with no foreign visits must be built in the U.S., registered in the U.S. and manned with U.S. crews.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cactuspete:
It is a federal law. The Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 requires that cruise ships carrying passengers between U.S. ports with no foreign visits must be built in the U.S., registered in the U.S. and manned with U.S. crews.</font>

Norwegian Cruise Lines now has such a ship that was built and registered in the US and will have a US crew. It will be sailing out of Hawaii.