Anyone travelling abroad will know they need their passport to travel but if you’re heading on a cruise, rather than a plane, you might be left wondering if you should pack it.
With a variety of destinations available for travel via cruises, you can travel from the UK to your holiday spot, or you might even fly to the starting point where you’ll board your ship.
To help you out, here’s what we know about cruises and whether you need a passport to travel, including advice from P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen Cruises.
What is a GHIC?
Do you need a passport for a cruise?
Southampton Cruise Centre says it is regularly asked whether cruise passengers need a passport.
It says: “The answer is Yes.
“You will need a passport to go on a cruise from the UK, regardless of your international destinations, or even if you’re not planning on leaving the ship.
“A passport is an essential travel document that serves as your proof of identity and nationality when crossing borders.
“Cruise itineraries from the UK often include stops at foreign ports, and require travellers to have a valid passport for entry.
“Your passport will be checked during initial embarkation, final disembarkation, and will be advised at each port of call if required to ensure compliance with immigration regulations.”
P&O Cruises says passengers will need a passport to travel: “P&O Cruises guests can only board and travel to EU or Schengen area countries if their passport was issued less than 10 years from the cruise embarkation date.
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“The passport must have at least three months left before the date of expiry when you disembark (regardless of whether or not the passport has an extension period).
“For cruises that travel outside the EU or Schengen area, in line with the requirements of many of these countries, guests are required to have six months validity left on their passports from the date of final disembarkation.
“All passports should have sufficient blank pages for entry and exit stamps (applicable to the length and ports of call in your itinerary).”
Passengers who book with Fred. Olsen Cruises will need a passport too.
The cruise company shares its advice for UK nationals: “All Guests, no matter the cruise, must hold a full and valid passport which conforms to the entry requirements of each destination visited.
“For cruises around the British Isles, your passport will need to be valid for a minimum of 3 months from date of disembarkation and be less than 10 years old.
“Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland).
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“If you renewed your current passport before the previous had expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.
“Please note that any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.”
Royal Caribbean says it “strongly” recommends that passengers use a passport as their form of ID for boarding its ships.
The cruise line says: “Everyone will need to present an accepted form of identification to board the ship.
“We strongly recommend that all guests present a passport as their form of ID on boarding day, and for some guests a passport is required.”
It reminds passengers that passports must have six months left on them, after the day the cruise ends and the name on the document needs to match the name on the reservation.
Royal Caribbean warns: “Guests who do not bring required documents may be denied boarding.”
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It adds: “UK & ROI Citizens must ensure that their passports are valid for at least 6 months after the cruise.”
What are some ‘unspoken’ rules on a cruise?
People who travel on cruises will most likely be aware of the rules on board, but Reddit users have shared some “unspoken” ones to consider.
One person said: “Let people get off the elevator before you walk in.”
Someone else commented: “Respect the crew.
“They’re working their tails off for your vacation.
“99% of the time, English isn’t their first language, so have patience and listen.”
This person also suggested being patient: “Practice patience.
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“Working yourself up over trivial things ruins your vacation, others vacations and is not fair to the people working to make your vacation amazing.”
Another traveller said: “Don’t leave your balcony lights on.
“Better yet, don’t turn it on if you don’t need it on.
“Many of us enjoy sitting out at night and just enjoying a drink or listening to the sea and watching the stars.”
Tell us your ideal cruise destinations in the comments below.