Passport Requirements

New Passport Requirements
Passport requirements vary by destination and your citizenship. Please review the section below to determine your passport requirements.

U.S. and Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents:
A valid passport is required for all non-domestic itineraries including Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, India, Central and South America, South Pacific and Tahiti.

Although U.S. and Canadian citizens are not currently required to travel with a passport on domestic itineraries including Alaska, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico, Princess highly recommends they are carried. For itineraries for which a passport is not required, U.S. and Canadian citizens who do not have a valid passport must provide the following proof of citizenship: Naturalization certificate or an original certified birth certificate from the state/province of their birth (a hospital certificate will not suffice) together with a current and valid government issued photo identification, such as a driver's license. U.S. citizens may also present a U.S. Passport Card. Neither oral nor written declarations of citizenship will be accepted. Although recommended, photo identification is not required for those 18 years and younger at the time of this printing. U.S. Resident Aliens are required to present, in addition to a valid passport, a current and valid Alien Resident Card. Canadian Permanent Residents are require to present a valid Permanent Resident Card in addition to a valid passport. Note that if your cruise requires air travel between the U.S. and the Americas, Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda or Mexico, you will be required to present a passport when departing from or returning to the U.S. by air.

Even if your cruise does not involve air travel outside the U.S., should you be required to unexpectedly depart a vessel prior to the end of the sailing, a passport would be required to re-enter the U.S. by air. As such, princess Cruises continues to strongly recommend that all passengers are in possession of a passport.

IMPORTANT: The Department of Homeland Security plans to move toward Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative implementation at land and sea ports. The initiative will require all persons to present a valid passport to enter or depart the United States by land or sea. The date is yet to be determined by the Department of Homeland Security. Please check back on this site and in Cruise Personalizer for important updates regarding passport requirements that may affect your cruise. Up-to-date information regarding passport requirements and trusted traveler programs (such as the new U.S. passport Card, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST) is also available at travel.state.gov. Foreign nationals should contact their governments for further details.

Non-U.S./Non-Canadian Citizens: A valid passport is required for all non-U.S and non-Canadian citizens for all itineraries.

NOTE: Please click here to read the latest U.S. State Department announcement concerning passport use.

Visas

Visa requirements for U.S. and Canadian citizens are listed on your pre-cruise letter or Travel Summary (if applicable). All other nationalities including those with U.S. or Canadian resident status are responsible for verifying visa requirements for each port visited during the cruise.

IMPORTANT: Visa and documentation requirements vary by destination and do change from time to time without prior notice. Be sure to check with the consulate of each country you will visit, or a visa service to verify current regulations. It is your responsibility to have proper travel documentation. Please reconfirm visa requirements 5-7 days prior to your cruise.

Documents For Passengers Under The Age Of 18

Several countries require special documentation for children traveling without both parents; these requirements are subject to change without notice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess the proper documents for all of the countries that you will visit. Please verify requirements with the immigration offices prior to your cruise.

Vaccinations

Information regarding required vaccinations for your cruise or cruisetour is listed on your pre-cruise letter or Travel Summary (if applicable).

IMPORTANT: Vaccination requirements vary by destination and do change from time to time. Please check with your travel agent or contact the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx to verify current regulations.

Customs Regulations

To avoid having to pay customs tax on previously-owned property upon re-entry, U.S. residents should have a receipt for, or should register with customs prior to departure, their foreignmade cameras, expensive jewelry, video cameras, radios, and other electronic equipment. Customs will issue a certificate of ownership, so you can avoid duty and taxes upon your return. For details, write to the Department of the Treasury, U.S. Customs Service, Washington, D.C. 20229 for a copy of "Know Before You Go". Canadian residents can write to the Customs Office, 333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5R4 for a copy of "I Declare" or can contact their local customs office.

Security

At Princess Cruises, we take the safety and security of our passengers and crew very seriously and have one of the largest security operations in the industry. We continually review the security situations at every port we visit. Sometimes, we reschedule a port call to another location for a variety of reasons, and we beg your indulgence in this regard.

Princess also prides itself on applicable maritime security regulations designed to safeguard each and every voyage. All passengers are required to submit their names and personal data to Princess prior to embarkation and are also asked to leave any questionable items at home. No weapons or articles which could be used as weapons will be allowed onboard and all passengers and luggage/carry-on items are subject to screening prior to boarding the ship. Princess strives to ensure that every passenger experiences a comfortable and worryfree vacation.

Health Matters

We have recently reviewed our pregnancy policy in light of current medical research on gestation risks and infant mortality outside of specialised neonatal intensive care units. As a result, effective immediately (Nov 6, 2006) we will no longer be permitting passengers who will have entered the 24th week of pregnancy by the last day of the cruise to travel with us.

We recommend seasonal influenza vaccinations for all passengers. Furthermore, you are strongly urged to seek advice from your primary care physician or an approved public health advisory service to identify any specific vaccination or health precautions required for each port of call. For example, you may wish to reference the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int/ith) or the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx). Some countries strictly enforce certain health requirements. Failure to comply may result in the local authorities preventing passengers from going ashore and some may impose a monetary fine or deny the ship entry into the port.

If you regularly take any medications, you are strongly advised to carry them in your hand luggage and to bring extra supplies to cover any unexpected circumstances. If you have received treatment for any significant medical condition, please carry a recent report along with any pertinent information from your treating physician.

We strongly recommend you review your health insurance coverage before cruising. Many policies, including Medicare, will not pay for services or hospitalization outside of the country or for emergency evacuation. If you did not buy Princess Travel CareSM, which is available for purchase up to the time of final payment of your cruise fare, we recommend that you secure other travel protection. For details on the plan, please contact the Princess Travel Care Help Line at 1-800- 453-4069.

Princess AccessSM

Princess makes every effort to accommodate our passengers with disabilities. Have your travel agent notify us of your wheelchair usage and/or any special needs prior to sailing. We have wheelchair accessible staterooms on all Princess ships. If you require a mobility device, you must provide your own. You can pre-reserve a wheelchair and have it and other medical equipment delivered to the ship by contacting CareVacations at 1-877-478-7827 or at www.cruiseshipassist.com. When bringing your own wheelchair, we highly recommend collapsible wheelchairs, as the width of the stateroom doors varies. Some Princess ships have areas that are not wheelchair accessible.

Accessibility varies widely on pre- and post-cruise land tours and hotel packages. Not all providers have lift-equipped transportation options and when available, arrangements must be secured in advance. The maximum weight of the wheelchair and the guest cannot exceed 600 lbs on transportation lifts. For pre- or postcruise land tours, please contact the Access Office at 1-661-284-4521 with questions or concerns. You may also fax your request to the Access Office at 1-661-284-4408.

If you have purchased a Princess Transfer at the start or end of the cruise, be aware that lift-equipped transportation may not be available in your port of embarkation or disembarkation. Arrangements must be secured in advance by contacting the Access Office as soon as possible.

Passengers utilizing mobility devices with batteries are advised that the batteries must be a dry cell type and must be stored and recharged in the stateroom. Mobility devices of any kind, like other items, may not be left outside the stateroom.

Because we are not staffed with specially-trained personnel to assist passengers with physical challenges, we recommend you be accompanied by someone who is physically able to assist you both onboard and on shore if necessary. Travelers with disabilities should check in with the onboard Tour Office to ensure all pre-reserved tours can accommodate their needs. Not all port facilities are accessible for those using mobility devices. Ports of call may be accessed by a variety of methods including, but not limited to, a ramped gangway, series of steps or by tender. In some cases, you may be able to access the tender; however, the shoreside facility is not accessible. With your safety and comfort in mind, the decision to permit or prohibit passengers from going ashore will be made on each occasion by the ship's Captain, and the decision is final. Those ports which normally use tenders to access the shore are noted on the itinerary.

In many ports of call, a mechanism known as a "stair climber" is used to assist passengers up and down the gangway. This requires that passengers transfer to a Princess wheelchair which is then connected to the stair climber and operated by the ship's personnel. If you cannot transfer or your personal mobility device cannot be easily disembarked due to size or weight, you may be precluded from going ashore.

If you are traveling with a service animal, please be aware that Princess requires a written notice in advance. Entry regulations vary from port to port, and there are some ports that prohibit the landing of animals altogether. Passengers are advised to consult the local authorities at each port of call prior to departure for the necessary documentation. Princess does not provide food for service animals. The choice of dog litter material is limited and varies by ship and location.

Princess ships are equipped with "All-In-One Kits" including a TTY that can be placed in most passenger cabins and arranged at Princess Wilderness Lodges. Additionally, all televisions onboard provide closed captioning and most onboard theaters are equipped with assistive listening devices. Electric outlets in most staterooms are limited to one and it is helpful to travel with an extension cord if you are using electrical equipment. Princess is pleased to have available JAWS Professional software with a KOSS-TD/80 headset available on one terminal in each Internet Café on every Princess ship.

Reaching You at Sea

To provide greater peace of mind while you're away from home, give friends and relatives the following information on how to telephone you. For all ships in the Princess fleet, call 1-900-329-SHIP (1-900-329-7447) from the United States or 1- 1-900-565-2800 from Canada to bill your telephone.* Calls can also be charged to a credit card in both the United States and Canada by dialing 1-877-656-7447. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card (not Canadian) are all accepted. The cost for each call is $8.95 USD per minute or $11.95 CAD per minute.

The 900 service can be used to call or fax the ship.* Please include passenger name and cabin number to ensure quick delivery.

For calls originating outside of the United States and Canada, the following numbers should be used, preceded by your country's International Direct Dialing (IDD) code and the appropriate ocean code. (Please contact your long distance service provider for pricing.) For example, if you would like to call the Tahitian Princess in the Pacific from the United Kingdom, dial 00 872 331 050 510.

* 900 telephone service is not available from all areas, and may not be accessible from your home phone. Staying in touch is made even easier onboard a Princess vessel by accessing the Internet in our onboard Business Centers and/or Internet Cafés. For details regarding this service, please see the section entitled: INTERNET AND E-MAIL ACCESS.