I have never had a full passport for all that I have traveled in my life. My current passport will expire mid-2023, and I want to fill it up as much as possible. In my mind, it will be a testament to my 20s or my time as a young adult and how hard I worked to have fun. … Or something like that. However, to fill my passport, I need to do a lot of traveling. As I pondered how I would best do this, I thought, “I’ll go on a couple of multi-country cruises.” I already wanted to try cruising. It just didn’t happen because of bad weather and cancellations. While COVID was and still is a factor, cruising is a feasible option for those who are boosted and fully vaccinated. So, in my mind, a multi-cruise would accomplish several things all at once.
I messaged a friend of mine who cruises almost every summer. And I asked her for recommendations based on the cruises she enjoyed. Then, she told me that you don’t get your passport stamped when you cruise! I was so confused and somewhat disheartened. And really, I should not have been because I have several stamps from Trinidad and have only ever transmitted through the airport, while England stamps my passport sometimes and not others. You would think there are hard rules about mandatory stamping of passports at all ports of entry, but practice doesn’t reflect that.
So, did I give up on my plan? Of course not. I started Googling what was possible and found that you can ask for that passport stamp in some cases.
Prince George Dock in Nassau, Bahamas, has an office where you can get a souvenir passport stamp. On the door it says, “Passport Stamps Here.”
When you get off your cruise ship, you walk down the dock to immigration and customs. Currently, the office will be to your left, before you pass the officials and exit the dock area. You can go in and get your passport stamped right then.
Or, if you have an excursion you have to get to, you can get the stamp when you’re heading back to your ship. After you clear customs and immigration, the office will now be on your right.
The Prince George Dock is currently under construction, or it was during my trip. If the office moves after construction finishes, just ask around for the new location of the customs office. Also, consider following and reaching out to them on their social media.
Now, I can’t say this is an option in every country. I’ve only been on one cruise so far, and the Bahamas was the only stop. Additionally, if a cruise is only going to an island owned by the cruise line, they technically aren’t visiting the country so getting a passport stamp is unlikely in those places. But for stops to the actual countries, getting a stamp may be possible. As I continue cruising, I’ll post about any future passport stamps. For now, that’s one stamp down. Additional details about my Royal Caribbean cruise and my Bahamas food tour/excursion will be posted soon.
Voyages of Tea 