There has been much attention on the new travel requirements for U. S. Citizens about to go into effect on June 1, 2009. The new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will require valid passports for land and sea travel with one exception. If you are taking a "closed loop" cruise which both originates and terminates in the same U.S. port, for example, New Orleans, then you can continue to travel with proof of U. S. citizenship and a government issued photo ID. Children over 15 will be required to carry a birth certificate and a photo ID. If you do not have a valid passport and miss a scheduled embarkation you would not be able to "catch up" to the ship in a foreign port. You can read all about the new requirements and find a complete list of WHIT compliant documents or obtain a passport application at www.travel.state.gov