So, I'm going on a big boat in the ocean and we're departing from Seattle with visits to Alaska as well and British Columbia. My question is this: Is a passport explicitly required to enter Canada ( aside from the port areas)? We plan too take one of the train excursions into Canada ( Skagway) and I'm getting different answers from everyone, cruise line people included. Some say that just a government issued Photo ID and a certified birth certificate are all that's required. Others say a passport is needed. Our problem is that the cruise is in 3 weeks, and , aside from paying a million dollars to get the process expedited, the passports won't make it in time. I haven't left the US since about 2004, so the rules may have changed since then. Back then I never had to have one.