Did you know that this month is National Cruise Vacation Month? It’s true…the Cruise Lines International Association celebrates National Cruise Vacation month every October. To commemorate the occasion, cruise lines are offering great deals on exotic cruises.
For example, according to the New York Times, if you book a cruise on Norwegian before October 20th, you’ll only pay half the deposit that you normally would, and you will get an onboard credit to use for whatever your heart desires. Other cruise deals available this month include a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise from Celebrity starting at $279; a 10-night Royal Caribbean Western Mediterranean cruise leaving from Venice that starts at $499, and a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise from NCL that starts at $229.
To see more cruise deals, check out CruiseCritic.com. Please note that some of these deals are for international cruises-and depending on when the ship leaves port, that means you might need to get a passport, quick!
Under the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which became effective in June of this year, passports are required for passengers who travel by boat to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean. The exception is if you are traveling to one of these locations on a closed-loop cruise, a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port. If you’re on a closed-loop cruise, you can get by with a state-issued photo ID and a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship.
However, it’s best to have a passport anyway, since you need one for air travel to and from these locations and you want to be prepared in case you have to leave unexpectedly. Also, you definitely need a passport for European and South American cruises.
The easiest way to get a passport quickly is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. RushMyPassport makes it easy to get a passport quick by hand-delivering your application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.
Don’t let these great deals sail away-get a passport, quick!