OP, no you don't need a passport.
BUT, if you take your birth certificate and gov't issued photo ID, please know that the names on both must match. If someone is married and has taken their husband's last name, you must take your marriage license. You must have a paperwork trail.
Our friend's cruised with us in April 2007. She didn't bring her marriage license. Believe me, it was MANY anxious minutes in the terminal while they investigated the situation. Yes, they finally allowed them to board.
We also purchase
travel insurance. Just purchased it today for our upcoming cruise. It's money spent that I hope I will never need to use. But I have used it in the past. Lost luggage
I don't have money sitting around to pay for large medical bills or a fancy helicopter flight if I need to go somewhere for medical treatment.
But, I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it
