Ahoy there, Kelly! Welcome to
planDisney, and thanks for sailing by with your question.
Disney Cruise Line offers a really excellent array of options for
ships departing from the ports in Florida, including
Port Canaveral and the
Port of Miami. You can
choose itineraries that are everywhere from 3-7 days long, and they will take you to some beautiful tropical destinations. My favorite is
Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private island in the Bahamas.
When you do a closed-loop cruise, which is a cruise that leaves and returns to the same U.S. Port, a passport is not technically one of the
required documents. For those cruises, anyone over the age of 15 will require a government-issued photo ID and an original or official copy of their birth certificate. The birth certificate has to be issued by the municipality in which you were born, not the one provided by the hospital. Children ages 15 and younger are required to have an original or official copy of their birth certificates.
When it comes to cruising without a
passport, you need to double-check when you book your itinerary to make sure none of the destinations you will be visiting require that you have one. Also, in the event of an emergency, you cannot fly home from a port outside of the United States without a passport or a decent amount of red tape and additional expenses. This is definitely something to keep in mind when you travel.
And now that you are in ship shape and ready to sail when it comes to required documentation, you can get to the fun part of planning your high-seas adventure!
Anna