The United States boasts ports of call from Alaska to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and many cruise lines offer tours that stay within the country's borders and territories. This enables passengers to travel without passport restrictions. Visit the 76-mile-long Hubbard Glacier, the world's longest tidewater glacier, or one of Hawaii's three active volcanoes. Or take a tour through the Caribbean's most popular destination: the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Located 1,100 miles southeast of Miami, the U.S. Virgin Islands are surrounded by the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Established by the Danes in 1672, the islands were purchased from Denmark by the U.S. for $25 million in 1917. Citizenship was granted to the island's residents in 1927, making St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix legitimate U.S. territories. As such, travel between the islands and the continental U.S. is fairly easy. American citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel, and those arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland are not required to show a passport upon arrival.
Several cruise lines, like Princess Cruises, include the U.S. Virgin Islands as a destination port. Each island offers miles of white sand beaches and ocean for swimming, snorkeling, diving and boating. Nearly two-thirds of St. John, the smallest of the three islands, is a designated national park, while the 32-square-mile St. Thomas is home to dozens of historical and cultural attractions. St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, offers world-class recreational activities, a tropical rain forest, golf courses and stately 18th- and 19th-century homes.
A handful of cruise lines, including Holland America and Cunard, travel to this Pacific Ocean paradise. The United States' 50th state, Hawaii is a collection of six main islands: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and the Big Island. The islands boast striking terrain that includes waterfalls, one of the world's most active volcanoes, craters and the world's tallest sea mountain. Hawaii is also home to America's only royal palace. World-class waves entice surfers, while Oahu's famous Waikiki Beach and destinations like the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park draw tourists from around the world.
The state of Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined, and several cruise lines depart from and return to its ports, including Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Both large and small ships carry passengers through the waters of the Inside Passage, the state's most popular cruise route, while mainly small ships traverse the central Alaska coastline and the Aleutian Islands. Ports of call include Juneau, the state's capital, Anchorage and Ketchikan, which boasts the world's largest collection of totem poles.
Some cruise lines couple tours of the Alaskan islands with tours of British Columbia or Victoria, Canada, where a passport may be required. Travelers should check with the cruise line in advance to be sure a passport is not needed.
