Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked on two unique sailings for Carnival Legend about specific documentation requirements for the voyages.
The impacted sailings are roundtrip Greenland and Canada cruises and both will require all guests to have valid passports, while some guests may also need appropriate visas.
Documentation Clarification for Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Line has emailed guests booked on the August 13, 2023 and September 2, 2023 departures of the Spirit-class Carnival Legend to alert them to the required documentation for these special cruises.
Both sailings are departing from Baltimore, Maryland, for 14-night roundtrip cruises to Greenland and Canada. Unlike other departures from United States homeports, all guests onboard will be required to have a valid passport.
“We are looking forward to welcoming you aboard for this unique Carnival Journeys cruise which will be calling on Greenland and Canada. In preparation for this memorable voyage, we have some important updates,” the email explained. “All guests are required to carry a passport with validity of at least 6 months after the last day of the cruise.”
This is different than documentation required for most other roundtrip sailings from US homeports, when guests can use a birth certificate and government-issued photo identification or other documentation such as a passport card or Certificate of US Naturalization.
Read Also: Do You Need a Passport to Go on a Cruise?
Greenland, however, does require that all guests – of all ages – carry a passport that will be valid for at least 6 months past the last day of the sailing.
This means that for the August 13 departure, which will return to Baltimore on August 27, guests’ passports must not expire before February 27, 2024. For the September 2 departure (returning to Baltimore on September 16), passports must be valid at least through March 16, 2024.
Furthermore, the email also notes that some guests may be required to have appropriate visas, depending on their nationality. Visas are not required for United States or Canadian citizens, but guests of other nationalities are responsible for making any necessary visa arrangements.
Similarly, some cruise guests may also need visas to enter Canada. Visas are not required for US citizens to enter Canada, but are required for travelers from many other nations.
No Compensation Available
All guests are responsible for checking on the specific requirements according to their nationality, and if they fail to do so, they will not be permitted to set sail and there will be no refunds or other compensation available.
“While we do our best to provide you with as much information as possible, guests should always ensure that they follow all travel and documentation requirements for this cruise,” the email said. “Unfortunately, guests who do not have the required documentation will not be able to sail and no compensation will be provided.”
By alerting guests to these documentation requirements nearly five months prior to setting sail, Carnival Cruise Line is trying to ensure that all travelers have adequate time to arrange proper paperwork if necessary. It can take several months for new passports to be processed, though expedited processing can be purchased for an additional fee.
About These Special Journeys Cruises
These unique sailings offer guests not only a longer cruise with the convenience of a roundtrip from the United States, but also the opportunity to visit unusual ports of call. Both itineraries are identical, and include five ports of call and eight days at sea.
The ports of call are Nanortalik and Qaqortoq in southern Greenland, as well as St. Anthony, Corner Brook, and Sydney in Canada. Both cruises begin with five days at sea, and end with two more days at sea. The remaining day at sea separates the port visits in Greenland and Canada.
Many travelers are looking for unusual itineraries and new destinations to visit, and Greenland is a bucket-list choice for many cruisers. Initially, Carnival was only offering one sailing, but when that cruise sold out in just 24 hours, a second departure was added.
Because of the distance – the Greenland ports are roughly 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) sailing distance from Baltimore – most cruise lines do not offer the destination regularly.
Cruises from Europe have more options for visiting Greenland, but that would involve sometimes expensive and complex air travel for cruisers from North America.
Carnival Journeys cruises are longer itineraries curated to offer unique destinations and more cultural immersion for travelers. The cruise line offers Journeys sailings to many destinations, including Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, the Southern Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Singapore, and more. Carnival’s transatlantic and transpacific sailings are also generally Journeys cruises.
