• Do I need a Passport?

• How do I obtain a copy of my Birth Certificate?

• My cabin was booked as a Guarantee. When will I know my cabin number?

• Can I add or change a passenger in my cabin?

• When will I receive my Cruise & Travel Documents?

• What are e-Documents?

• What are Pier Pick-Up Documents?

• What is Travel Insurance? Do I need it?

• What if I have to cancel?

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Visa free travellers entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) require individual machine readable passports. It is important to note that families will require individual passports for each traveller should they wish to travel visa free, regardless of the fact that they may currently hold machine readable passports. Travellers not in possession of machine readable passports will require a visa. If your passport was issued after 26/10/05 and contains a non-digital photograph you will be excluded from the VWP. All UK passports issued after 26/10/05 will contain digital photographs so will be valid for the VWP as long as all other conditions are met. 

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For UK citizens needing a copy of a birth certificate, contact the local register office of the city you were born in. Certificates can also be ordered online for a fee from the General Register Office at www.gro.gov.uk.

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A "Guaranteed Cabin" means that you will receive your cabin number and deck assignment when you check in for your cruise. You will receive a cabin in the category that you booked and no lower than that category. If your booked category is not available when you check in, then you will receive a complimentary upgrade to a higher category. This process is very similar to booking a hotel room. With a hotel, you book a room type and you're assigned your room number when you check in at the cruise. The same principle applies here. This is a very common practice among all major cruise lines.

Once you arrive at the cruise ship passenger terminal, the baggage porters will have the passenger manifest and your stateroom number. They will then help you complete your baggage tags and deliver your luggage to your room later.

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If your stateroom is equipped to accommodate additional passengers, then you may add another person to your cabin unless the ship has reached it's maximum sailing capacity. The additional passenger is subject to the current costs for the extra guests in your cabin. If you are booked on a specific price program, adding a passenger may also affect your rate. If you need to add a passenger, please contact your TravelDep Cruise Expert for details regarding your booking.

Some cruise lines will allow name changes after the reservation is paid in full. All name changes are subject to change fees imposed by the cruise line. No name changes are allowed within 48 hours of departure.

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If you booked your cruise outside of 30 days prior to sailing, you should expect to receive your cruise documents 7 - 10 days before you leave. If you booked your cruise at the last minute or made your final payment within 30 days of travel, you may receive "e-Documents" or pick them up at the pier on the day of check in.

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E-Documents are electronic cruise documents issued by the cruise line when a cruise is booked within 30 days of departure. E-Documents include all of the same information as paper tickets except they are delivered as a PDF file via email or link to the cruise line's website. Once you open the file, you can print it and take the tickets with you to the pier with your proof of citizenship. Not all cruise lines offer E-Documents.

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"Pier Pickup" means that your cruise documents will be waiting for you at the cruise terminal when you check in on your departure day. Most cruise lines offer this service when a cruise has been booked last minute and there is not enough time to send paper tickets via regular mail. Pier Pickup is exactly like showing an I.D. to get boarding passes from an airline, check in to a hotel room, or pick up concert tickets at will call.

Once you arrive at the cruise terminal, just walk up to the next available check in clerk and present your identification, such as your passport. They will then give you your boarding pass and cruise documents.

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Travel Protection is holiday insurance and it's designed to protect your holiday investment in the event you must cancel due to unforeseen circumstances that may interfere with your ability to travel, or if things to go wrong while you are on your cruise.

TravelDep highly recommends that you purchase our cruise cancellation insurance. Without insurance, you will be liable for all penalties if you cancel after you make final payment for your cruise.

Travel Protection covers:

• Cancellations due to sickness, death, injury of you, a family member, domestic partner or travelling companion

• Travel delays due to inclement weather or natural disasters

• Bankruptcy of an airline, cruise line or other travel supplier, when this plan is purchased within 14 days of initial deposit

• Terrorism (domestic and international)

In addition, Travel Protection covers:

• All pre-existing medical conditions, when this plan is purchased with 14 days of initial deposit.

• Lost, stolen, or damaged baggage and personal effects

• Emergency medical expenses

• Expenses incurred if your travel is delayed

• Emergency transportation to an adequate medical facility, with an escort when medically necessary.

If must cancel your cruise or incur expenses or penalties for any of the reasons covered above, Travel Protection Insurance will reimburse you for covered costs.

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If you must cancel your cruise please contact our office immediately. You will need to provide your name, invoice number, ship and sailing date. We will then contact the cruise line to cancel your cruise.

Each cruise line has cancellation policies and cancellation penalties apply depending on how close to sailing you cancel your cruise. When you booked your cruise, you were advised of your cruise line's cancellation policy and penalties. If you cancel your cruise outside of your final payment period, you may have little or no penalty. If you cancel the week of sailing, you may not receive a refund at all. The amount of the penalty depends upon when you cancel. It is your responsibility, as the passenger, to become familiar with the penalties assessed for cancelling the cruise. An administration fee also applies to all cancelled reservations.

We highly recommend Travel Insurance to protect yourself from penalties assessed for cancelling due to medical reasons for yourself or family members. Every passenger is offered Travel Insurance at the time the reservation is made. If declined, please be advised cancellation penalties will be applied to your reservation.

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