Originally Posted by Ray 
In case anyone else was cruising the beginning of the year , I spoke to
someone at Norwegian today who informed me the passport requirement for
Caribbean cruises has been dropped due to the change in the government time
frame for implementing it .As of yesterday , passports are now recommended ,
but not required . I still hadn't applied for mine and was going to pay more
to expedite it ... now I'm not going to worry about getting it in time or
not.
Ray: I don't see any replies (sorry if I missed them) so I'll pass on the following information from the U.S. State Department's website:
Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:
- Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.
- As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.
The above was valid as of today but is obviously subject to change. But, I believe one should always have a current passport in case of emergencies. As you mentioned, a cruise line or tour operator may impose more stringent requirements if they so wish.
Bon Voyage! -- Rik
ps: Hope you have a great cruise and we hear back from you upon return.