What annoys the life out of me is that the cruise company apparently can’t tell you exactly which documents you need for your specific cruise, it’s your responsibility to find out what it is you need. Yet, at boarding they suddenly know exactly what is required, so that they can either deny or allow boarding. They should give you the document requirements as part of your booking confirmation email and again nearer the sailing date in case anything has changed. I don’t understand why there always has to be a mystery around exactly which documents are required 🤬

Does anyone else find it ironic that Princess said that passengers have to take responsibility for not having the right documentation but will not take responsibility for giving out the wrong information?

you have thoroughly inspired me to stay home and appreciate my daily walk to the mailbox😳

The thing that gets me is, if the cruise line, at embarkation, knows enough about documentation to deny you boarding, why can’t they share that knowledge with you before hand?

Another rule to consider-In several Caribbean, Central and South American countries, it is illegal to wear camouflage clothing. It’s the country’s law, no point in debating it with the law enforcement officials, just don’t do it.

People also don’t listen to travel agents advice. I used to be a TA. I’d tell clients all the time that they need to fly in the night before. But the ones that didn’t, would have cancelled/flight delays would call me and demand I “fix it”. Well, I couldn’t. But it was my fault

On any trip outside of the US, we do multiple passport checks. The first check is in our driveway. Everyone has to show a passport and license before the car gets started. We do a second one at the airport and A third one before we get on the shuttle to the cruise port. Just slightly paranoid.

Always have travel insurance. On our cruise my other half had to see the doctor. Insurance cost $100, cost of medical services $7000.

On a Cunard cruise departing 1700 from Southhampton, I was told to check in at 1500. But as I was flying in to England that day, owing to nerves over unreliable flights, I got the earliest plane and arrived at Ocean terminal at 0930 hours. I was starving having missed breakfast. There was one wee terminal coffee and sandwich bar. I asked at Cunard check in if I could leave my luggage and go into town to eat. I was offered breakfast on board & allowed to embark immediately. I've held a soft spot for Cunard ever since.

Just wanted to say I appreciate your calm informative info. I rather not watch utubers overdramatizing and loudly making it hard to retain the info for being overly amused by the silly antics of some cruise channels. Ty for being the calm of the seas.

What is most shameful, is people save back for a year or more to take these trips and then get denied, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, and then deny a refund that is on the line of scamming.

My late husband used to work for the US Dept of State. Passports. Please don't put your passport in your checked luggage.

US citizens should never leave the US without a passport! You may have to be medically evacuated or have to reenter the States at a different port. These require a passport and it does happen.

I simply do not understand why anybody would travel outside the USA without a passport! It is your international I. D. card! A year ago I was vacationing in South America when a European woman had a medical emergency in my hotel. When the ambulance arrived, the FIRST THING the medics asked for was her passport.

My daughter got banned for being pregnant but the cruise line allowed us to change passengers and bring my sons friend instead. So that was good.

On Carnival, prohibited items include boats and canoes, which can only mean someone once tried to bring them aboard

I just can't fathom not traveling internationally without a passport! I take it even going from Canada to the US.

I cruised with my grandson last year with a very comprehensive letter that was notarized…Royal Caribbean would not take it as they have their own form. My letter contained the same information but was not typed into their form. They gave me the form and I faxed it to my daughter, she returned it to me and my grandson and I boarded.

I don't know about other cruise lines, but if you have mobility/accessibility issues, Cunard requires you to advise them of this. If you do not, or if your needs change and you don't tell them, you can be denied boarding.

US Passport - YES! I used to work shoreside for Princess at Canada Place in Vancouver, and on numerous occasions we had US Citizens try to pass through customs to board the ship with just a birth certificate. I specifically remember one young man saying, "But I'm a US Citizen!" to the officer. Doesn't matter. You can't board a US bound cruise with just a birth certificate when the cruise departs from a Canadian Port. Yes, as an American you have the right to reenter your own country, but the port of entry is dictated by the officers, and they would always require entry through a land border. It's a somewhat common mistake for American cruisers to confuse the rules of a US closed loop cruise with a Canada to US cruise. These passengers were always denied boarding by US Customs.

What I get from this is no matter what, if the cruise line decides to deny you to board you are SOL and they get to keep your entire cruise cost. Nice, very nice.

Having an eyepatch and a parrot on your shoulder is also problematic.

This is the first video of yours that has made think that cruising might just be a huge pain in the ass and not worth the hassle. Who wants to fly across the ocean to be denied the trip you purchased because of some technicality? And even if the cruise line employee has given you the incorrect information? That is insane.

Thanks Gary. It's all common sense but it's nice to be reminded. I do feel though, that since the imposition of compulsory travel insurance by cruise lines, insurance companies have increased their charges disproportionally. For example and given we are a year older each holiday but our declared health conditions are identical and excesses are the same our Europe holiday cruise inclusive insurances were: 2017- Au$960; 2018- Au$869; 2019- Au$814 Alaska and US not Europe; 2022 - Au$3064; 2023 - Au$1834 (much shorter duration) and for August this year 2024 -Au$3715 almost 4 times the 2017 cost. It's interesting to note the post covid differences.

That is a great explanation for not spending money on a cruise.

If one parent is traveling with their children and without the other parent some countries require a permission document from the other parent even if divorced.

I’ve been on several cruises over the years and never experienced any problems boarding. A simple rule is to read everything before you travel.

The group that were denied boarding because of flight delays is exactly why we never fly day of embarkation, the delays can be caused by a multitude of reasons. We fly in at least the day before if not 2. Also, we never travel without travel insurance, that includes everything we can think of.

Excellent video. As someone who has never cruised before this is an go to video that everyone first time cruiser needs to see!

Fun fact: Nearly all cruises that stop in American ports will go to other countries. This is because of an American law that a cruise ship must be built in America in order to stop in all American ports without an international transit. And we don't really make cruise ships here in America.

Who would go on any kind of holiday without insurance? Mental!

I've never had the slightest desire to go on a cruise, and this just provides me with another reason why.

Just to say that a US ESTA and Canadian ETA are NOT visas. They are electronic travel authorisations that purely enable to you to board a flight/ ship to the USA or Canada.. It is then up to the immigration officer at the point of entry to determine whether to grant you a visa. Citizens of countries that are part of the visa-waiver programme do not need visas but do need an ESTA and/or ETA to enter the USA/ Canada, The Canadian ETA is valid for 5 years, the USA ESTA is valid for 2 years. My advice is to apply for your respective ESTA/ETA as soon as or even before you book travel to those countries. Both are inexpensive - for instance an ESTA costs $21. DO NOT wait until the day before you travel to apply for your ESTA as it can take up to 72 hours to be approved. Mine took 6 hours, but my husband's took 24 hours. You will be denied boarding even where you've applied for it, but not yet received approval. Also, if you get a new passport during the period of validity of your ESTA/ETA , you will have a new passport number, date of issue and expiry. You will need to apply for a new ESTA/ETA as the authorisations are tied to your passport number. New passport, new ESTA/ ETA. This has caught quite a few travellers out resulting in being denied boarding. If you already have a valid visa for the USA in your passport for the USA you do not need an ESTA. Usually when flying, you will need to enter your visa number when providing advance passenger information details to ensure you are not denied boarding. ANOTHER tip - if you are entering Canada by air, download the ArriveCAN app where you can do go through all the border entry procedures, and avoiding the immigration queues at (participating) Canadian airports. I go to Canada fairly often these days and immigration is a breeze with the ArriveCAN app. I just go to a kiosk in the immigration hall, have my photo taken and fingerprint and that's pretty much it. No stamps at all in my passport either. The bottom line is to take responsibility for ensuring you know what the immigration requirements are for any country that you are visiting. Its really not difficult to find out what is required.

I miss the old days when things were not so complicated. Instead of enjoying a vacation it has become a chore.

Always fly in or travel to the port a day ahead of time.

Always record your conversations with cruise line staff. No matter what the company claims, if they give bad information, they are accountable. Just because they claim they are not doesn't mean that will hold up in court. The companies are responsible for bad information provided by their employees. They try and pin 100% of the blame on the passengers so they can keep your money without providing the service you paid for. We got wrongly denied boarding by Royal Caribbean and they tried playing games and tried cheating us out of our money. In the end, we got a full refund.

Canada - if you have any criminal convictions on your record - no matter how old - Canada will likely deny you entry into the country. The process for obtaining approval to enter Canada with criminal convictions is lengthy and expensive. Canada will run your name through their databases when your name appears on a passenger manifest - airplane, ship, train, etc. You will be stopped, and you will likely be denied entry.

Why would anybody take a 6 month old on a cruise? 6 month old are to much work at home much less on a cruise.

Providing this information is why you are clearly the best at what you do. Thank you!

Flight delays and weather issues are why our group always gets down to the port city the day before the cruise...sometimes two days, if we want to do some sightseeing. In the past (before I started traveling with them) some of them have had close calls when traveling on cruise day. Also, I cannot imagine traveling without a passport. Since they are good for 10 years, they really are not that expensive....just plan ahead because most cruise lines require your passport to still be good for six months after the end of the cruise.

You need at least 2 blank pages. Each page has a space for 6 stamps. Yet when we go enter some countries the custom agent will use a brand new unused page rather than a page that has already been used.

Gary, that couple who were denied boarding for an Alaska cruise because they did not have an eTA for Canada should not have been denied boarding as they did NOT need one. Overseas visitors to Canada who arrive by plane MUST have an eTA but those who arrive by ship, car or bus do NOT need one. I know this to be true, as a year ago we arrived in Canada after a Viking cruise from Hong Kong to Japan, Alaska and ending in Vamcouver and we and all other foreigners did NOT need an eTA.

The advice of a real certified travel agent is so beneficial-I used to be a Travel Agent for Carlson Wagonlit travel. I checked with all countries requirements on entry & departure laws/rules & with our Embassies for rules, warnings & recommendations. Also always be 2 hours ahead on everything! Always have your ID documents & a Visa credit card for big emergencies when you’ve left the ship for tours! Always buy the trip insurance protection - 10% wished they had every cruise!!

Good video, Gary. Not a cruiser, but I travel a lot and one German company gets most of my bookings. It bombards me with emails, densely-packed with a mixture of useful information and chaff. Increasingly, I find myself scanning emails rather than reading them. One day, I'm going to miss something important.

One issue when attempting to use a "Birth Certificate" as ID....in America, many states issue something called a "Birth Record" which is often generically referred to as a birth certificate. That document cannot be used to acquire a passport, so I would assume that the cruise line would not accept it. A true Birth Certificate has a raised seal. Both my wife and I needed to send away for a true Birth Certificate when we got our passports. Simple solution--don't jeopardize a $6000 vacation because you were too cheap to spend $150 on a passport.

I’ve also had several occasions where you can be denied entry to a country if you have a visa from country that is hostile to the country you’re entering. For this reason the British government issued me with 2 passports.

On a recent Alaska cruise Royal Caribbean was required to change the itinerary (they claimed the cause was the timing of the tides at the originally intended destination) and was substituting another Canadian port for what had been an Alaskan port. Shortly after, the line sent out a mass email advising of visa requirements that may have changed as a result of the itinerary change. Although U.S. residents weren't affected, apparently Mexican citizens were. So these things can become quite fluid considering that cruise itineraries are not carved in stone.

This episode probably should be mandatory for travel agents to watch. I bet 90% of them who's not specializing in cruises are not aware of these 'traps'.

Thanks Gary. You have given me more information that guarantees I won't do a cruise. Lots of hoops and hassles that I don't want to deal with.

We took our first cruise, May 28, 2023. We got married the week before and my wife was planning to change her name. However, her passport only had 5 months left on it. We asked our travel agent and she assured us that it would be fine. It was fine. The machine that scans the passport accepted my passport but rejected her and we had to go through a line where they checked her passport and gave her a pass.

This channel made me an experienced cruiser b4 my 1st cruise 7 yrs ago.

When I fly internationally, I always fly into the nation I am cruising from several days before my cruise. I do this in case the flight(s) are delayed even a day or two. When cruising out of Southampton, U.K., I like to spend several days in London and visit places nearby, such as Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. I agree with not allowing people to board a ship who are sick. I am sorry these people are ill, however, I do not want to get sick from these people on my vacation. People need to be considerate of other passengers when boarding. The needs of the healthy should not be compromised by the needs of a few sick people.

Gary .. . I read this on the Canadian Government web site about entering into Canada. "Visa-exempt foreign nationals need an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport. These travellers do not need an eTA when arriving by car, bus, train or boat (including a cruise ship)."

You can be denied entry into Canada if you have a DUI conviction or a serious firearm or violence conviction. I know someone who was denied entry for a vacation in Vancouver because of a conviction over 10 years previously. You can apply in advance for an exemption and entry permit, but you can't do so at the border entry point.

Another helpful video on what to watch out for and totally agree with the lines that people need to take responsibility for being prepared to cruise. As to passports, those who feel it necessary to get souvenir stamps for their passport, also run the risk of having that passport invalidated by countries they are entering.

Don’t forget DUIs. If you’ve had one, you need to fill out forms for Canada months in advance if the cruise originates or stops in Canada.

That's why you should fly in the day before. Have a passport and use it on all trips.

For something like a cruise, I have long believed in getting to the area of the cruise port at least a day before the cruise is to depart. Now I started this when we started driving instead of flying, even if it's a 12-16 hour drive (it makes for a FAR more enjoyable vacation than dealing with airlines and airports,) but we started doing this even when flying. If a country requires travel insurance, such as you said the UK does, the cruise line should be required to include such a policy in it's cruise fare, otherwise in effect the government itself is causing the cruise line to post inaccurate fares, as it's not all inclusive, as the fares supposedly are.

Thank you for sharing this important information I must say this is too much of a hassle to deal with nowadays. I’m so glad I experienced cruising in the 90s and early 2000s as therefore I’m done with cruising.

I don't get the mindset of some fellow Americans of being too cheap to get a passport but are willing to spend thousands of USD on a cruise or on a vacation.

US Consumer Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation needs to take a look at these cruise line practices with regards to denying the service people pay for and refusing to refund their money, often thousands of dollars. I can't think of another service or business that gets away with that kind of outrageous behavior.

I went a cruise shortly after the pandemic when passport renewals were taking for ever. Mine didn’t come in time and I had to go the birth certificate route. I was so paranoid the entire trip and basically stayed on the ship out of fear I would get stuck without a passport. 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️

I must say that the Tips For Travellers videos are very well done. They always stay on point, include a lot of useful information and the gentleman who hosts/narrates them is always well spoken. Also, on the technical side, the visual graphics are lively and include many interesting clips. It is always enjoyable to watch one of these videos.

US immigration lawyer here. ESTA is not a visa. ESTA is a preclearance system for those wishing to enter on the Visa Waiver Program, i.e. those who are eligible to enter the US without a visa. So, you would get an ESTA preclearance. You would not get an ESTA visa. Note: Canadians do not enter the US on the Visa Waiver Program. Canadians are special and can enter the US without a visa (for short visits), but are not subject to the restrictions of the Visa Waiver Program.

Soooo basically your saying, going on a cruise is more complicated than flying to the moon......thanks

I never have been on a cruise, and thought about doing one, but now, after hearing all those insane restrictions, I say: NEVER!

The new European visa system that Canadian and American citizens should apply to is delayed for 2025. My spouse and I who travel in Europe for vacation frequently are always on the lookout for any rule changes.

I'm not sure a judge would agree with them that passengers are responsible when given incorrect information by a representative of the cruise line. The passengers that were given incorrect information should definitely sue.

I just read today, in fact, that a 100% disabled vet and his 80 year old mom were just denied a cruise out of Port Canaveral because he didn't have enough papers for his service dog. He had the proof of it being a service dog, health, and shot records, but he didn't have the proper documentation that is required by the government in the Bahamas for the dog. At least the cruise line gave him a full refund. This is really awful. Do you think the cruise line should be responsible for letting people with service dogs know what documentation they will need for the countries the cruise visits? They told him the papers he would need, which he had, but evidently they got it all wrong. It can take weeks and months to get the proper documentation from other countries so people better really do the research about every country they are going to visit, for every little thing. Cruising has becoming so complicated and crowded, I don't think it's even worth it to go on one anymore.

I wasn't denied boarding but kicked off before the Royal Caribbeanl ship sailed. Why? Because the strobe lights in the corridor during the lifeboat drill gave me a migraine. They tried to tell me I was having a stroke and had to go to the ER. They unloaded both my luggage and my husband's and dumped it on the dock. They also said we could rejoin the ship at Cozumel, but they confiscated our shipcards. We never got a refund because we "voluntarily left the ship." So cruisers, never tell ship personnel that you're having a headache or upset stomach or anything else that they can blow up into an emergency.

I learned the hard way about not having blank pages. Now I always order extra pages when I renew my passport.

In 2023 a passenger was denied boarding due to an unpaid item in their “shopping cart” when looking at excursion on line. The passenger seemed to change their mind about the item or simply forgot about it. At embarkation they were denied because they were not “paid in full”.

These are the very reasons why I have stopped, cruising. I used to enjoy going on cruises, especially in the Caribbean, however; due to the variety of rules and the inconsistency of rules amongst the various cruise lines, I have simply stopped cruising. It’s simply not worth it for me if I want to go to someplace in the Caribbean I’ll fly. Thank you very much. 0:06

Great info. Taking grandkids on a cruise and will get permission form.

Excellent as always. Thanks Gary.

Great advice as always Gary thank you. In 2022 we flew from Sydney to Quebec City to embark on QM2 for a voyage to Hamburg via NYC and Southampton. It was still Covid protocols so Cunard required us to produce a certified negative test done within 48 hours of boarding prior to leaving Sydney which we did. After an epic journey to Quebec we stayed in a hotel in Quebec City ready to board the next day. The lady at the Cunard check in desk seemed baffled by our Covid test paperwork saying "it's over 48 hours" we then had to explain that Sydney was 15 hours ahead of Quebec meaning we were still well within our time she stamped our paperwork and we boarded but she held us there for several minutes while she did the calculation.

My son was denied boarding on a Princess Cruise to Alaska. We repeatedly asked the company if he could board without a Canadian Visa and were told that he was fine if he had a US visa. He was denied boarding at the ship. They need to make it VERY clear about which documents and visas are mandatory.

Wow nice to know to avoid Princess at all costs. If a company won’t take responsibility for their employee’s negligence, that’s a hard no for me. All cruise fare, air travel, and wasted vacation time should have been 100 percent paid by the cruise line for the passengers who were lied to.

Great information. They seem to be making it harder and harder, to be able to travel.

Well this convinced me never to book a cruise, if they will not take responsibility for giving the wrong information to passengers and still take your money they are just robbers.

We do about 4 international cruises a year, and I always check passport and visa requirements before we go. Our travel agent also check as well.

Thank you 4 this video!

You are a wealth of information for cruise 🚢!!! Thank you

No matter where I cruise from in the world, I always stay in a hotel the night before embarkation in the same city as the cruise terminal. I did this in Buenos Aires, Auckland and Southampton. I've been the last person to board a ship once, and I won't let that happen again. Also, I take my passport even domestically. Here in Australia, its the highest form of identification and often comes in handy.

Even flying domestic, bring your passport in case the plane gets hijacked or diverted.

Great point about visas! Taking a cruise from Southampton in 2025. As a US citizen I won’t need an ETIAS to get to the UK, but will need it to embark because we’re going to Norway.

I agree insurance is essential but here in Australia insurance can cost as much as the holiday if you are over 65

Thanks Gary, always great info.

If the cruise ship company can screw you over for any trivial reason and keep your money they will. Take away don't go on a cruise.

In my opinion, even if you’re from the United States and just doing a cruise that’s Caribbean and you don’t really need a passport. You should bring one because once in a while, a plane has emergency landing and it might land in a different country maybe even a different island that requires a passport, although there might be some exceptions, it would make it easier for you

Thank you, Tips For Travellers.

Wow very useful information! Thank you!

Excellent advice…. It never ceases to amaze me how inept some passengers are…. Maybe it’s being entitled or just ignorant?

If anyone tells me they’re going on cruise, I tell them to get on these sites. Before,I never purchased travel insurance, nor had a passport & I flew in the day of departure! On these sites I have heard such horror stories. Some young people rented some type of scooter at a port. They crashed with a car causing both to have to be hospitalized with fractures. Neither had insurance so the hospital only put dressings on the fractures & refused to treat them without insurance. In addition, they couldn’t check out until the bill was paid. One of the parents had to come up with money, travel over there to pay the bill & then accompany them home. The husband of a couple had heart issues on ship & had to be air lifted to a hospital. A couple of days later when he was dismissed from the hospital, they had difficulty getting transport back to the ship because they had no passport. Just because you can get back on the ship without a passport doesn’t mean you can get out of another country. These sites can be lifesavers!

It’s been a month since this video was made and I was told by my travel agent last week that we need a passport for Canada. We are US citizens. Was also told that if we have ever had a DUI (we have not) that we would be denied entry into Canada.

why do people still insist on flying in the day of the cruise? I always fly in with at least 3 days usually 5 days at times to enjoy the port of departure

Who travels without a passport. ??? Duh.

What an original and useful video. Congratulations for your content.

I found this video extremely helpful! We are set to leave on an Alaskan cruise next weekend. One of the people in our parties passport will expire a couple days shy of six months from the end of our cruise. That would deny her boarding. I went round and round with Norwegian Cruise line to try to find out what options we had. They were absolutely of no help - until I called and told them that I wanted to get a full refund and cancel the cruise. Then they got a little helpful about birth certificate and government issued ID. However, they did not tell us what we learned in this video, that if the name on your government issue ID, is not the same as that on your birth certificate (due to marriage), then you need those documents as well. I hope this cruise is fabulous and changes my mind, but at this point, I don’t know that I would cruise with NCL, or any other cruise line again, that cannot provide better than this.

Have you heard of any issues regarding middle names not being on cruise reservations? First and last name match exactly, but government ID has middle name but cruise reservation does not.