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New Passport Requirements
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Very important! Please read the
following information regarding changes to passport requirements. These
changes impact US Citizens and non-US Citizens. For more information,
please see the
U.S. State Department
website for passport information.
Expired passports are not acceptable.
WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND CARRYING A PASSPORT
VALID FOR SIX MONTHS BEYOND THE DURATION OF YOUR TRAVEL.
U.S. and Canadian citizens:
Beginning on January 23, 2007, with the implementation of the first
phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all persons,
including citizens of the United States, traveling between the U.S.
and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and
Bermuda will be required to have and carry a valid passport to enter
or re-enter the United States by
air. This is an important new requirement for our cruise
guests booked on Alaska and Eastern Canada/New England cruise
itineraries. In addition, this new requirement will also impact our
Canadian guests that travel by air to or from any of our U.S.
embarkation ports. The passport requirement does NOT apply to
U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S.
territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory
are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to
present a passport.
We recommends that all
guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This will
enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first
port should they miss their scheduled embarkation and allow guests
that must disembark the ship before their cruise ends due to an
emergency to fly back to the U.S without significant delays and
complications.
As early as January 1, 2008, with the
implementation of the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative, all persons, including citizens of the United States,
traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South
America, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to have and
carry a valid passport to enter or re-enter the United States by
air, land or sea.
For more information and implementation
dates, please visit
www.travel.state.gov/passport
or call the National Passport Information Center toll free at
1-877-487-2778 or TDD/TYY at 1-888-874-7793. Prior to the final
implementation date, U.S. and Canadian citizens may travel without a
passport on itineraries that do not require re-entry to the US by
air. In these cases, all U.S. and Canadian citizens must carry the
following documents as proof of citizenship for travel within the
western hemisphere countries listed above: 1) picture identification
issued by an official government agency AND an original or certified
copy of birth certificate from the state or province of your birth;
or 2) picture identification issued by an official government agency
AND a U.S. or Canadian Naturalization Certificate.
For travel outside of the western
hemisphere countries, U.S. and Canadian citizens must have and carry
a passport valid for six months beyond the duration of the cruise.
Non-U.S./non-Canadian citizens: You must
have and carry a passport valid for six months beyond the duration
of the cruise. Please carefully verify the existing identification
requirements for your particular travel situation. In addition, non-U.S.
citizens who have previously been admitted to the United States for
permanent residence must carry their Permanent Resident Card (Form
I-551), commonly known as a Green Card. Resident aliens not in
possession of this must obtain one at the nearest office of the U.S.
Immigration Service.
Visas: Some countries require that you
obtain official authorization (called a visa) before entering the
country. Usually there is a fee required. You are responsible for
obtaining any necessary visas.
Non-US or -Canadian citizens may be
required to hold a Canadian Visa when traveling to Alaska or Canada.
Please visit the Canadian government website at
http://canada.gc.ca
to verify your nationality's requirements.
| MACHINE-READABLE PASSPORTS |
Effective June 26, 2005, travelers from the 27 countries
participating in the United States' Visa Waiver Program (VWP )must
have a machine-readable passport to enter the United States.
If you are in possession of a passport
issued by any of the 27 countries listed below, please contact the
passport issuing authority to ensure that you are in possession of a
machine-readable passport.
The 27 countries participating in the
Visa Waiver
Program include: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additional information
regarding the Visa Waiver Program is available online at
www.dhs.gov.
Please note that boarding may be denied to
travelers from VWP countries that do not have machine-readable
passports.
Some countries require that you obtain official authorization
(called a visa), before entering their country. Usually, there is a
fee required. You are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas.
If your itinerary requires a visa prior to boarding, We will send a visa information kit to your travel agent. The visa
kit will have information for U.S. and Canadian citizens. Citizens
of other countries should contact the nearest representative
embassies or consulates for the proper information. All guests
should keep themselves advised of changes in government
requirements.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you
contact your local physician ideally 4-6 weeks prior to departure.
Immunizations may be recommended or required for countries visited
on your cruise itinerary. You may also check the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
website for details on which countries require immunizations. It is
also a good idea to bring along a record of your immunizations, as
requirements for immunizations may change.
Customs
In order to make returning home as smooth and easy as possible,
please take note of the following tips. For more information,
consult your Customs Agency. Guests returning to the United States
can also check the official website of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection at
www.customs.treas.gov
Registering Your Valuables
We strongly recommend that you register your valuables with Customs
before leaving home. This should be done well in advance of travel
at a Customs office near your home. Items that should be registered
generally include those not manufactured in your country. If you
cannot prove that you owned an item prior to departure, Customs
officials may charge you duty to bring it back into your country.
Customs pays particular attention to cameras (including special
lenses and video equipment), binoculars, radios, laptop computers,
foreign-made watches and other similar appliances. Customs officials
will not be available at the ship during check-in to register
valuables.
Transportation of Currency
You may take as much currency or as many monetary instruments as you
wish on your trip. However, if you take out or bring into the United
States more than US$10,000, you are required by law to file a report
with the U.S. Customs Service. Please remember that many other
countries have a similar policy when going ashore and you will be
subject to their currency allowances at the current exchange rate.
Customs Allowance
Each U.S. resident is usually allowed a duty-free exemption of
US $800; it may be more or less depending upon your itinerary and
recent travel outside the country. An additional US $1,000-worth of
articles may be brought in and taxed at a reduced flat duty rate.
After an absence of seven days or more, Canadian citizens may bring
back to Canada up to CA $750 worth of duty-free merchandise, which
may include a maximum of 40 ounces of liquor or wine and 200
cigarettes. Guests who are neither U.S. nor Canadian citizens should
check with the Customs agency in their country for allowance
information before departing. Additional information concerning
Customs matters will be provided during your cruise.
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