The Flagg Agency

Passport Stamps and Visas

One of the most frequent questions we get is “Do I need a passport to cruise?” The questions usually come from someone considering cruises to the Caribbean from a US port. Most people know you need a passport when you leave the United States. You certainly need one to fly from Europe and other continents across the globe. Did you also know you need a passport to fly to and from the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada? There is a provision in the law that permits you to leave and return to the United States with your original birth certificate and photo identification (if you are over 16) on a cruise to the Caribbean, Mexico or Canada that leaves from and returns to the same US port. This is called a closed loop cruise.

What will follow over the next few days are a story of my wife as an American woman travels to New Delhi. We hope you enjoy.

Pre Travel

Air Ambulance in Flight

From time to time, I get asked, “Why do I need travel insurance?” As of this writing, there are two tropical systems in the Atlantic: Hurricane Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona. Earl has already been disrupting cruises in the eastern Caribbean. The affected ships are either re-routing to the western Caribbean or juggling their order of ports. Some are even canceling calls at certain ports all together and adding in extra days at sea.

Hurricane Katrina from Space

Here are some tips to help you if you are considering cruising through hurricane season. Hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs through November 30 – but, that’s no reason to avoid cruising the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera or Hawaii during those six months. The chances that a hurricane will affect your cruise are small. An average hurricane season brings about eight to 11 tropical storms; of these, an average of five to seven develop into hurricanes. And, while hurricane season is officially six months long, activity usually peaks in August and September.

Iceland Volcano Ash Cloud (Courtesy AP)

Our thoughts go out to the thousands, sorry, tens of thousands of people who has had their travel disrupted by a natural event. Many agents will have a question for these travelers; “Did you purchase travel insurance?” There are several thousand cruise passengers who will either be unable to get to their ships or be unable to get out of the countries effected. This of course is an unanticipated event and exactly why we stress the importance of travel insurance.