What Are Closed-Loop Cruises?

Looking to embark on a cruise soon but don’t have a current passport? You’re in luck: There’s a type of cruise called a closed-loop cruise, which leaves from and returns to a single U.S. port, briefly docking at popular international destinations along the way. If you choose this type of itinerary, you’ll be able to relax and set sail to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Canada with only your driver’s license. Here’s everything you need to know about booking a closed-loop cruise.

Booking a Closed-Loop Cruise and What To Bring

First, the good news: Finding a closed-loop cruise without a passport requirement isn’t a difficult feat, as many cruise itineraries embark and disembark from the same U.S. port. You’ll find a variety of closed-loop ports in the U.S., from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. 

Although you’ll visit international destinations during your itinerary, closed-loop cruise passengers traveling in the Western Hemisphere do not need a passport to set sail, thanks to rules set by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. However, you will need to have another form of identification. The following items are accepted forms of ID:

• Official certificate of naturalization
• Government-issued driver’s license
• Government-issued birth certificate
• Enhanced driver’s license — a state-issued driver’s license that provides proof of American citizenship (currently available only to residents of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington)

Of course, having your passport ready in case of an emergency is never a bad idea. If you need to cut your vacation short and fly home, you’ll be required to have one at an international airport when you fly back to the United States. Most cruise lines will strongly encourage you to pack your passport in order to have some peace of mind.

Whether you venture north or south or have four days or three weeks to sail, there are various closed-loop cruises to suit your interests and vacation needs. Below are some popular itineraries.

Gulf States to Mexico and Central America

If you’re looking for a short tropical getaway, you can embark on a closed-loop cruise from Galveston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; or Tampa, Florida. These sailings include visits to the Mexican ports of Cozumel, Progreso Merida, or Puerto Costa Maya, and they typically require only four to five vacation days. You can extend the cruise to seven to nine days with additional stops in Roatan, Honduras, and Harvest Caye and Belize City, Belize. 

Cruise lines Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival have a variety of itineraries that dock back in Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile, or Tampa, making it easy to have a quick retreat south of the border.

Seattle to Alaska and British Columbia, Canada

The Emerald City is less than a two-hour drive from the Canadian border, but if you’d like to see the stunning gardens in the British Columbia capital of Victoria on Vancouver Island en route to Alaska, a closed-loop cruise itinerary is the ticket. 

Round-trip weeklong voyages from Seattle to Alaska via British Columbia are available via Norwegian, Carnival, and Princess cruise lines. You can also embark from San Francisco on an 11-day journey or spend nearly three weeks at sea with additional stops in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and several other coastal communities, glaciers, and national parks in Alaska. 

U.S. East Coast to Eastern Canada

You might have to brave a chilly breeze aboard a ship from Boston, Baltimore, New York, or Bayonne, New Jersey, to the icy waters surrounding eastern Canada, but the unbeatable scenery from your cruise ship balcony will be well worth the trade-off. 

Voyages with Royal Caribbean, Oceania, Carnival, and Norwegian include stops in ports such as Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; Newport, Rhode Island; Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine; St. Anthony, Newfoundland; Saint John, New Brunswick; Saguenay and Québec City, Québec; and sometimes even Greenland. 

Eastern and Gulf States to the Caribbean

Some Caribbean islands — such as Guadeloupe, Barbados, St. Barts, Martinique, and Trinidad and Tobago — do require a passport, so be sure to bring one if you’re docking in one of those countries on your cruise itinerary. But the good news is that there are several other appealing islands that can be visited on closed-loop cruises. 

Sailings with Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian head to Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Jamaica, and other island paradises. These trips leave from and return to the same U.S. port — options include Baltimore; New York; Boston; Bayonne, New Jersey; Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and Tampa, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans; Galveston, Texas; and Norfolk, Virginia.

California to the Mexican Riviera

Sunny Mexico is a popular closed-loop cruise destination for many Californians. Departing from Long Beach and San Pedro near Los Angeles, these itineraries include stopovers south of the border in Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, La Paz, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlán via Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norwegian cruise lines. The trip can be as short as three days, which means the Mexican Riviera is within reach over a long weekend.