Lost passport, sailing in 25 days!

[etoile]

My experience was from losing my passport one week before a three month trip to Japan. I had gotten it out for some paperwork and it vanished! I am lucky to live in DC, where there is a passport office, so after frantic searching over the weekend, I prepared to drive 90 minutes each way to get my birth certificate. Fortunately my mom had a certified copy, so I drove an hour to meet her and then went to the passport office first thing Monday. The wait was pretty long but I got it done. The next day I went to pick up my new passport. I think the expedite fee was $65? Unfortunately I got there after they closed! A janitor saw me and I begged and pleaded...he went inside and got my packet from a worker. I had to "tip" him $20 but I did it gladly and set off, new passport in hand, a couple of days later!

 

If you live near a passport office, turnaround for a list passport should be one day. If you don't, it is worth paying a service to do it for you. You will have to pay a lot in service fees (waiting at the office is no fun) and one day shipping each way, but I would say you should be able to get it in a few days at most.

 

PS: I found my passport about six months after I got back. It was in the couch. Let me tell you, I checked those cushions a hundred times! I'll never understand how it ended up there!

[KCcruisin07]

Passports.....FOUND!!!!!:p Back zippered pocket of camera bag!:rolleyes: Like I said' date=' sure am glad I started gathering all our paperwork this far in advance. At least my closets, luggage and filing cabinet are now clean! Thanks for all the quick responses![/quote']

So glad you looked for them early. Now you can enjoy getting ready for your cruise!

[sbell2547]

Glad you found them - it certainly is easier. On a recent 3-day cruise out of Port Canveral we were 30 minutes from the port when my sister discovered she had my oldest niece's expired passport instead of the niece who was traveling with us! Fortunately she had the birth certificate for the right kid and we had no problem boarding, etc. She did get a min-lecture from customs when we returned about having a passport and she has not ensured they are together when we sail on the EPIC next March (so excited!).

[sbell2547]

Oops! my typing is bad this morning. She got a MINI-lecture on return and has ensured that both passports are together!

[jean95404]

Isn't finding a "lost" passport one of the best feelings??!! It calls for a real happy dance!

[lovevacation]

We keep passports in safety deposit box until right before the trip (#1 to on check-off list). We also keep 2 color photocopies of the info page of passport (one stays at home and the other goes with us when we travel). If you lose your passport while traveling, this will help expedite a replacement. If you live close to a city with a passport office, an in-person visit will get you a passport same day (had to do that for a renewal in Houston). Hope this helps everyone for future travels!

[cherylandtk]

We sail in 44 days. DH decides to check his passport today and realizes that it expired last week! He has his original birth certificate but I could absolutely kill him! I typically handle MOST things in our family, finances, bills, payments, etc. This is one thing that he handles because he too keeps the passports in a safe place. So - I never worried about it because that's his one of three things :) he takes care of.... This is prime example of why sometimes I feel fortunate that we couldn't have children...I have a fully grown one already ;) Frustrating though, so frustrating because he is all upset and snippy and this should be a happy last month!

Tell Mr. Snippy to go online immediately, fill out the renewal application, and send it in TODAY. He should have his new passport in about 15-20 days. And you will have his Birth Certificate as Plan B Backup Material.

[SadieN]

There is additional paperwork regarding a statement on how the passport was lost, verification that no one is using it falsely, things of that nature.

 

Father-in-Law's passport was reported lost in London. FIL has never been to England. He spent 2 hours in Long Beach while things were getting sorted out.

[Alliezona09]

We sail in 44 days. DH decides to check his passport today and realizes that it expired last week! He has his original birth certificate but I could absolutely kill him! I typically handle MOST things in our family, finances, bills, payments, etc. This is one thing that he handles because he too keeps the passports in a safe place. So - I never worried about it because that's his one of three things :) he takes care of.... This is prime example of why sometimes I feel fortunate that we couldn't have children...I have a fully grown one already ;) Frustrating though, so frustrating because he is all upset and snippy and this should be a happy last month!

 

Tell Mr. Snippy to go online immediately, fill out the renewal application, and send it in TODAY. He should have his new passport in about 15-20 days. And you will have his Birth Certificate as Plan B Backup Material.

 

I agree with this~ I sent mine off to get my name changed and it took only 12 days. Did not pay expedited fees. Mailed it priority for $5.95 on Sept 1, arrived in Philadelphia on Sept 3, cashed my check Sept 7, mailed to me on Sept 9, in my hands Sept 12~

[serene56]

I lost my passport while in Aruba a fw weeks ago. Hunny thinks that after I got through Customs I went outside and laid it down on the ledge while I rummaged through my bags.

 

Spent considerable time running back and forth between hotel and airport then spent 2 hours at the police station the next day filing a report- so I can leave the country.

 

Coming through US Immigrations I learned-- that since I lsot my passport they put a flag on it and even if found I can not use it. and I can not get a renewal -- I need to do the process all over again.

 

Costly lesson learned. I only used that passport for 2 years.

[Dee777]

Very happy for you that you found them! :)

[Goonhilly]

My wife and I mailed our passports for non expedited renewal by Priority mail on the Saturday before Labor Day, and added the $10.75 for their return to us by Express Mail. Amazingly the new passports arrived the following Saturday morning, that is within 7 days of mailing, and that included the Labor Day holiday. We were really impressed.

[Heirloom]

We LOST our passports, too !

 

Had used them in conjunction with a real estate related filing......which we'd long forgotten about.

 

Required a complete, thorough inspection of this room, that room, this spot, that spot........and FINALLY, with all hope lost, opened up a real-estate related envelope just out of curiousity....and they slid right out !

 

Never again.

 

BUT, the good result of this is that we went through lots of things, and ended up DUMPING stuff, like e.g. things with no use anymore, clothes that we dont FIT in anymore, etc !

 

Congrats to you for finding them ! Doesn't it feel gooooood ?

[cujosmom]

At our home, each member of the family has their own personal file folder with their name on it and that is where we keep the individual passports.

 

The other day, my dog had an appointment with the vet and when I got her file folder out to take with me, I found my husbands passport in it :eek: The dog's file folder is right in front of my husband's file folder and I obviously "mis-filed" his passport from our last trip.

 

I would have gone beserk, too, if we had a trip coming up and I couldn't find his passport where it was supposed to be and, of course, I would have never dreamed of looking in the dog's file folder!

[nursejuls2002]

Mine do an automatic trip to the fire lock box. Bought it for important papers. Too funny what winds up in there. Glad you found them:) enjoy your cruise:)))

[vermonter16]

Tell Mr. Snippy to go online immediately, fill out the renewal application, and send it in TODAY. He should have his new passport in about 15-20 days. And you will have his Birth Certificate as Plan B Backup Material.

 

 

LOL! Mr. Snippy did just that and went and got his photos! I just sent it priority to Philly this morning. It should arrive there on Saturday. I tracked so I'll know for certain! Not that they'll be working on it Saturday. I figure we have 43 days left til we cruise so we just might swing it. We found (it wasn't his original) a certified copy of his BC and also he has a military ID. He spoke with Carnival last night and they said that both were acceptable so those will be backup just in case. We didn't know that he could use a military ID.

 

It's funny because this is sooooo unlike him to not have something like this 'together'. To give him the benefit of the doubt...he did have a heart attack and quad bypass 7-8 months ago which has given him significant short term memory loss. Now I don't know if he's just forgetting what I'm telling him or not listening ;)

[CourtneyLovesCruising]

We sail in 44 days. DH decides to check his passport today and realizes that it expired last week! He has his original birth certificate but I could absolutely kill him! I typically handle MOST things in our family, finances, bills, payments, etc. This is one thing that he handles because he too keeps the passports in a safe place. So - I never worried about it because that's his one of three things :) he takes care of.... This is prime example of why sometimes I feel fortunate that we couldn't have children...I have a fully grown one already ;) Frustrating though, so frustrating because he is all upset and snippy and this should be a happy last month!

 

lol.. I am glad we couldn't have kids either. I love children and we've been foster parents, however my husband is still a big kid himself. An absolutely wonderful man, but a big kid none-the-less ;) :)

[vermonter16]

lol.. I am glad we couldn't have kids either. I love children and we've been foster parents, however my husband is still a big kid himself. An absolutely wonderful man, but a big kid none-the-less ;) :)

 

We've thought of fostering too but not until after we move and can be around more. Right now, we are just not home enough. Crap, we have cats because we're not even around enough to have dogs :). But we've definitely thought of fostering once we make our move up to Vermont.

[sparks1093]

We've thought of fostering too but not until after we move and can be around more. Right now, we are just not home enough. Crap, we have cats because we're not even around enough to have dogs :). But we've definitely thought of fostering once we make our move up to Vermont.

 

Where are you moving to and when?

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

My experience was from losing my passport one week before a three month trip to Japan. I had gotten it out for some paperwork and it vanished! I am lucky to live in DC, where there is a passport office, so after frantic searching over the weekend, I prepared to drive 90 minutes each way to get my birth certificate. Fortunately my mom had a certified copy, so I drove an hour to meet her and then went to the passport office first thing Monday. The wait was pretty long but I got it done. The next day I went to pick up my new passport. I think the expedite fee was $65? Unfortunately I got there after they closed! A janitor saw me and I begged and pleaded...he went inside and got my packet from a worker. I had to "tip" him $20 but I did it gladly and set off, new passport in hand, a couple of days later!

 

If you live near a passport office, turnaround for a list passport should be one day. If you don't, it is worth paying a service to do it for you. You will have to pay a lot in service fees (waiting at the office is no fun) and one day shipping each way, but I would say you should be able to get it in a few days at most.

 

PS: I found my passport about six months after I got back. It was in the couch. Let me tell you, I checked those cushions a hundred times! I'll never understand how it ended up there!

 

Got you beat. I realized my PP was missing THE DAY BEFORE, got to the Dominican Republic. I had to take my wife to work, get new PP photos, get a copy of my birth cert from Dept of Vital Stats, drive 3.5 hours to Buffalo. Waited while they processed everything. Got my passport same day. Drove 3.5 hours back, picked my DW up from work, headed to the airport. DW now handles the passports.

[cherylandtk]

We found (it wasn't his original) a certified copy of his BC and also he has a military ID. He spoke with Carnival last night and they said that both were acceptable so those will be backup just in case. We didn't know that he could use a military ID.

Maybe you misunderstood, or the Carnival rep misunderstood, but trust me, the Military ID by itself will not work as proof of citizenship. (You don't have to be a citizen to get one). The certified copy of his BC is your backup citizenship document. His DL or his Military ID are his government issued picture ID. You will need both (citizenship +ID) if his passport does not come back in time, but I predict you will have it within two weeks. This is a traditionally slow travel time and passport processing is quick.

[Warm Breezes]

Since 9/11 a birth certificate doesn't work. You need a real passport!

 

Umm...I've sailed 8 times since 9/11 and a birth certificate worked every time:rolleyes:.

[vermonter16]

Where are you moving to and when?

 

Grew up in Essex Center back in the 70s and 80s. Came here to the DC area with my parents when my dad was looking for work. We'll be moving to Glover hopefully next year in the NE Kingdom!

[vermonter16]

Maybe you misunderstood, or the Carnival rep misunderstood, but trust me, the Military ID by itself will not work as proof of citizenship. (You don't have to be a citizen to get one). The certified copy of his BC is your backup citizenship document. His DL or his Military ID are his government issued picture ID. You will need both (citizenship +ID) if his passport does not come back in time, but I predict you will have it within two weeks. This is a traditionally slow travel time and passport processing is quick.

 

I hear you on that one. I did some initial searching and found a couple of folks who posted that when they'd gotten to the port they produced the military ID and told that it wasn't sufficient....but then they were still allowed to board and it all worked out. That's crazy. However - passport has already been mailed off and we have a certified copy of his BC and driver's license and military ID :). Maybe we'll just bring them all in the end!

[sparks1093]

Grew up in Essex Center back in the 70s and 80s. Came here to the DC area with my parents when my dad was looking for work. We'll be moving to Glover hopefully next year in the NE Kingdom!

 

Glover is a beautiful town. I used to work in Newport, but now I work in S. Burlington. Welcome back (almost:)).