I responded to this issue in another post. 1000 passengers had no passports and boarded only with certified birth certificates and government issued photo id; all that is typically required for a closed loop Caribbean sailing. However, without passports you are not able to fly from a foreigh country back to the Sates. Many times on the short, less expensive trips, many do not have passports. It's time for everyone to get theirs now. It's not as expensive as it appears considering it is valid for ten years.