Carnival Cruise Lines strongly recommends all of their guests travel with a valid passport. However, as of June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens embarking on a cruise that both originates and terminates at the same U.S. port (closed looped) are not required to have a passport, but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver's license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all Carnival cruises.

There is a bit of "catch-22" to this which bears consideration. You can board the Valor without a passport. However, if circumstances (weather, emergency, etc.) arise which require you to leave the vessel in one of the Caribbean ports, you might have trouble trying to return to the US by air since you won't have a passport.

OUR ADVICE IS TO GET A PASSPORT NOW. YOU WILL DEFINITELY NEED ONE IN THE FUTURE IF YOU PLAN ON TAKING ANY MORE CRUISES.
How to get a Passport

You will find a United States Passport Office located in most major Post Offices or court houses. Call your local Post Office to see if they have a Passport Office, or follow the links below for more information on local passport facilities. You will need to apply in person with a certified copy of your Birth Certificate and 2 passport photos that can be obtained at any photo supply shop, Walgreens, K-Mart, Target, COSTCO, Sam's Club, Kinkos, most major drug stores, etc. The current passport fee is $97 and the passport will be valid for 10 years.

DETAILED SUMMARY

If you don't currently have a passport, the State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/passport) provides information on obtaining one. Current fees are $97 for citizens age 16 and older, $82 under age 16. Additional details on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html.

To get a passport for the first time (or if you have an expired passport issued more than 15 years ago, or issued while you were under 16), you need to go in person to one of 6,000 passport acceptance facilities located throughout the country, bringing two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship (an expired passport, certified birth certificate, naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship or consular report of birth abroad) and a valid form of photo ID, such as a driver's license. Acceptance facilities include many federal, state and probate courts; post offices; some public libraries; and a number of county and municipal offices. Find the one nearest you using the State Department's search page, at http://iafdb.travel.state.gov.

Citizens who need a new passport for travel within two weeks may visit one of 13 regional passport agencies, listed at http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/agencies/agencies_913.html. Appointments are required, and you'll need to bring a completed passport application (downloadable at http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html), appropriate ID, proof of citizenship (see list above) and two regulation passport-size photos. Expedited service costs $60 plus any mailing fees, above and beyond the regular application fees.

If you don't live near a passport center, you can apply for expedited service at a local passport acceptance facility, located in post offices, courthouses, and so on, and then follow up through overnight mail.

You can renew an expired passport through the mail as long as you were over age 16 when it was issued and still have the same name (or can provide legal documentation of a name change) and your old passport is undamaged and was issued within the past 15 years. Forms are downloadable at http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html. Fees for renewal are currently $67. Expedited renewal services are available for an additional $60 plus mailing costs.