Cruising is a great way to see a lot of different places in one trip for a reasonable price, without having to worry about planning every little detail of the trip on your own.However, if you book a cruise and don’t have the proper documents to travel, you could end up quite literally missing your boat. Doing a little bit of research to find out what is required for your cruise can prevent a good deal of trouble and heartbreak.Cruises in the Western HemisphereIf you are cruising to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean, you may be able to get by with just a photo ID and a copy of your birth certificate. In June of 2009, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative became law, and passports are now required for almost all American citizens to re-enter the US from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean. However, the government g collagen tablets ranted an exception for cruise ship passengers on a closed-loop cruise, one that begins and ends in the same US port. As long as your cruise meets these requirements, you can use a state-issued photo ID and your birth certificate, naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship.Also, children under 16 and children under 19 traveling with a school, volunteer or church group can use birth certificates for land or sea travel in the Western Hemisphere.There’s a good reason to get a passport anyway, though, even if you are on a closed-loop cruise. That’s because the US passport book is required for all international air travel, even to countries covered by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative So, if you were to have some sort of emergency and needed to get off the boat and fly home, you would need a US passport to do so.