We are going on a cruise on the PRIDE OF AMERICA, to Hawaii this November 08. We live in Missouri. Some people have told us we will need a passport. Some people tell us we do not need a passport, but only need a valid driver's license and certified birth certificate. I heard they tried to make it a law to have passports in June 08, but it did not pass yet & they are trying to pass the law for June 09. Any advice what we should do???
I also agree, passports are not needed. Besides Hawaii is a part of the US, do you need a passport to fly to Chicago, New York, or San Francisco? Of course not So why should Honolulu be any different?
For cruise ships, if you embark and disembark at the exact "same" US port, no matter where the ship goes, you will not need a passport to reenter the US. An ID card and birth certificate is all you'll need. But, if you embark and disembark at "different" US ports, you will need a passport. This means a repositioning cruise. As always, embarking and disembarking in different countries will require a passport, as it is today.
Under my authority as administrator of cruise-chat and the policies and rules therein, I hereby order all members of cruise-chat to obtain and maintain a valid passport. This order is non-revocable and effective immediately.
Given under my hand on this 22nd Day Of May, 2008.
/s/ Dave Beers
There. Now we won't get anymore passport questions.
Very sage advice whether enforcable or not. Folks if you intend to travel outside the US or Canada at anytime in your lifetime get a passport. Beside its now Dave's Law! I don;t know or care to find out what the penalties are for not following Dave's Law.
My sister and her husband use their passports for ID regardless of where they are going, even if just flying from Florida to South Carolina. At first I thought it was overkill when she told me, but then her logic is flawless. "Why constantly wonder what the current rules are and what you can get by with? We don't have to worry if we just use the passports since they will always be accepted". You really can't argue with that statement, even though a license is good for U.S. flights.
My sister and her husband use their passports for ID regardless of where they are going, even if just flying from Florida to South Carolina.
So do I, Dave. Living in the North, it gives me more options if my flight is cancelled, such as enabling me to fly through Toronto with no hassles. Another plus is that it indicates to the Agent that I am an experienced traveler, and I am often put in shorter security lines. The only negative is that I am not up on the latest passport rules, as I don't need to know the distinctions.
For frequent travelers, getting a passport is great advice. You never, a call with very bad news may reach you aboard a cruise ship, and you'll want to fly home immediately. A passport allows that to happen without much difficulty.
But to answer the OP again, you don't need a passport to sail or fly to Hawaii from the lower 48 states.
How do you make those neat counter clocks for the cruise? I went to both websites you used here & tried & tried to get them to work. I wanted to put one on my desktop, or on here like you did. I copied & pasted the html & put it in notepad & thought I saved it. But when I looked on the desktop, it wouldn't work. My son tried to help me & my husband did too but they couldn't figure it out either. I need a step by step, cuz I'm new at this. Thanks!
How do you make those neat counter clocks for the cruise?
You have to use the BB code option. HTML won't work. Once you make the clock, and select the BB code for your countdown ticker, you then copy it and paste it into your signature block in your forum profile. You can access your forum profile by clicking on your name. This will bring a list of options up. Your profile is the first option. Click on it, and then when it opens your public profile there is a link on the upper right to edit your profile. Go there, scroll down to your signature block and paste the BB code. Then scroll down farther and click on Save.
I'll try it. Sorry I didn't get back till now. Been a busy crazy week! Hope you enjoy your cruise soon! 
