Passport renewal question

[Noworkforme23]

3 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Is the 6 months a Celebrity requirement? It’s not for an NCL closed loop cruise.  

We are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and it says on travel document requirements in passport area to make sure your passport does not expire 6 months after your cruise ends. 
 

You can also check the travel.state.gov site as well. I think it is best if yours expires within 6 months, just renew it to have peace of mind before you sail. 

[njhorseman]

14 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Is the 6 months a Celebrity requirement? It’s not for an NCL closed loop cruise.  

 

10 minutes ago, Noworkforme23 said:

 

We are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and it says on travel document requirements in passport area to make sure your passport does not expire 6 months after your cruise ends. 
 

You can also check the travel.state.gov site as well. I think it is best if yours expires within 6 months, just renew it to have peace of mind before you sail. 

Don't confuse recommendations with requirements. 

 

@Noworkforme23...what's your itinerary? If you're a US citizen on a closed loop cruise originating in a US port you don't even need a passport, much less need one with 6 months remaining validity. Of course if you're not on a closed loop US-based itinerary the requirements will be different.

When you check Celebrity's FAQs you'll find this:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/prepare#prepare-my-documentation

Can I cruise with a birth certificate as my identification? What if I don’t have a passport?

 

Everyone will need to present an accepted form of identification to board the ship. We strongly recommend that all guests present a passport as their form of ID on boarding day.

 

U.S Citizens

Technically, yes – U.S. citizens can present a state-certified birth certificate and government-issued photo ID to sail on most cruises departing from the U.S.  But a passport is the more efficient, secure option.

Should you decide to present your birth certificate on boarding day, please keep these guidelines in mind:

Most, but not all, sailings from the U.S. will accept a birth certificate. Learn if your sailing does at our Travel Documents Hub.

[Noworkforme23]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

 

Don't confuse recommendations with requirements. 

 

@Noworkforme23...what's your itinerary? If you're a US citizen on a closed loop cruise originating in a US port you don't even need a passport, much less need one with 6 months remaining validity. Of course if you're not on a closed loop US-based itinerary the requirements will be different.

When you check Celebrity's FAQs you'll find this:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/prepare#prepare-my-documentation

Can I cruise with a birth certificate as my identification? What if I don’t have a passport?

 

Everyone will need to present an accepted form of identification to board the ship. We strongly recommend that all guests present a passport as their form of ID on boarding day.

 

U.S Citizens

Technically, yes – U.S. citizens can present a state-certified birth certificate and government-issued photo ID to sail on most cruises departing from the U.S.  But a passport is the more efficient, secure option.

Should you decide to present your birth certificate on boarding day, please keep these guidelines in mind:

Most, but not all, sailings from the U.S. will accept a birth certificate. Learn if your sailing does at our Travel Documents Hub.

Agree. Ours is closed loop, but it is best when traveling anywhere out of the country to error on the side of caution and I just feel better knowing I am risking anything in regards to any type of travel requirements. 👍👍

I was just impressed with how fast I got both of them. 😊👍

[mek]

On 6/9/2024 at 2:20 PM, Noworkforme23 said:

We sail on December 7, 2024 and our passports expire 6-1-2025, so since you need 6 months validity to sail,  I renewed my son and my passports and mailed them on 5-24-2024. 
 

For expedited service and 1-2 mailing, it cost $209.53 each = $419.06 for both of us. I also paid $40.40 at USPS on May 24 to have it sent Priority Mail Express. 

I got our two new passports back in exactly 12 days on June 5, and that included a holiday. 
 

We are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and it says on travel document requirements in passport area to make sure your passport does not expire 6 months after your cruise ends. 
 

You can also check the travel.state.gov site as well. I think it is best if yours expires, just renew it to have peace of mind before you sail. 
 

 

I mailed my application for renewal 3 weeks ago and received my new passport today.  I didn't pay extra to expedite.  I expected it to take longer since it's the beginning of summer, but I think this is the fastest return I've ever experienced.

[Noworkforme23]

12 hours ago, mek said:

I mailed my application for renewal 3 weeks ago and received my new passport today.  I didn't pay extra to expedite.  I expected it to take longer since it's the beginning of summer, but I think this is the fastest return I've ever experienced.

WOW. That is awesome. 
With my luck, I would have probably not been that lucky. 
12 days within a holiday was pretty darn fast for expedited  😊
I am glad you got yours back so fast, that is awesome. 
It definitely gives you peace of mind for sure. 👍👍

[BirdTravels]

14 hours ago, mek said:

I mailed my application for renewal 3 weeks ago and received my new passport today.  I didn't pay extra to expedite.  I expected it to take longer since it's the beginning of summer, but I think this is the fastest return I've ever experienced.

That’s great!

 

We did a standard renewal in November 2023 and it took over 3 months. 

[mek]

19 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

That’s great!

 

We did a standard renewal in November 2023 and it took over 3 months. 

At that point I would have been bitting my nails as my next cruise is the end of September and three months would have been cutting it close.

Also, just a minor FYI, you must now sign the passport on a separate page once it is received - the signature is no longer laminated along with the photo.

Edited June 16 by mek

[njhorseman]

6 hours ago, mek said:

 

Also, just a minor FYI, you must now sign the passport on a separate page once it is received - the signature is no longer laminated along with the photo.

That's nothing very new. I happen to have kept my last two expired passports, which were issued in 2002 and 2012 and on both the signature line was on a separate page.

[scamper]

I skim/read the first couple of pages of this thread and then, tl;dr.  I'm not sure what the OP decided to do, but I would ask the OP how much peace of mind is worth?

 

It doesn't matter what other people's experiences have been.  Anything can happen, especially when you are dealing with bureacracy.  For myself, once the date arrives that I can start the renewal process and if I am not leaving the country between the date I can start the renewal and the passport's expiration date, I am renewing that puppy.  Period.

 

The US State Department is in the process of starting a program to renew passports online.  It's Beta testing now, but if you go to the site you can research the details.  Hopefully, once the testing is done and the program goes into full operation, then renewals will be done at a faster pace.

Edited June 16 by scamper

[njhorseman]

25 minutes ago, scamper said:

I'm not sure what the OP decided to do,

The OP applied for and received their new passport. That information is in post #84, just a few posts before yours.

[mek]

39 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

That's nothing very new. I happen to have kept my last two expired passports, which were issued in 2002 and 2012 and on both the signature line was on a separate page.

That's strange because my last passport was issued in 2014 and the signature was part of the laminated page.

Edited June 16 by mek

[njhorseman]

18 minutes ago, mek said:

That's strange because my last passport was issued in 2014 and the signature was part of the laminated page.

I suspect it may depend on which office produced the passport. Perhaps there's different equipment.

[Kortehgehn]

4 hours ago, mek said:

That's strange because my last passport was issued in 2014 and the signature was part of the laminated page.

4 hours ago, njhorseman said:

I suspect it may depend on which office produced the passport. Perhaps there's different equipment.

I'm not exactly sure what posters are referring to here, but on a US passport, the signature line is on the page adjacent to (above or to the right of) the laminated page or the plastic/polycarbonate page on newer passports.  It has been this way for a very, very long time.  All the "offices" have identical equipment.

 

 

Edited June 17 by Kortehgehn

[njhorseman]

41 minutes ago, Kortehgehn said:

I'm not exactly sure what posters are referring to here, but on a US passport, the signature line is on the page adjacent to (above or to the right of) the laminated page or the plastic/polycarbonate page on newer passports.  It has been this way for a very, very long time.  All the "offices" have identical equipment.

 

 

Yes, as I said in my reply to @mek my last three passports (at least...I no longer have the older ones and I don't remember their configuration) have the signature line exactly where you say it is.

Re the "different offices" I was merely speculating about why @mek's previous passport was configured differently. AFAIK there are two different locations of the US Government Publishing Office that print the passports, one in Washington, DC and a second, newer, facility in Mississippi . 

[scamper]

15 hours ago, njhorseman said:

The OP applied for and received their new passport. That information is in post #84, just a few posts before yours.

Thanks. As I pointed out in my post I read the first two pages, then it was tl;dr:  too long; didn't read.

Edited June 17 by scamper

[mek]

13 hours ago, Kortehgehn said:

I'm not exactly sure what posters are referring to here, but on a US passport, the signature line is on the page adjacent to (above or to the right of) the laminated page or the plastic/polycarbonate page on newer passports.  It has been this way for a very, very long time.  All the "offices" have identical equipment.

 

 

Oh dear - every once in a while I make a mistake - not very often, but it does happen occasionally - lol.  I haven't received my old passport back yet, but I looked at my husband's which was issued at the same time and you are totally correct - he did sign on a separate page.  The first two pages on my new passport are different though - the laminated page is very heavy and printed in black and white,(used to be in color), and the signature page now has a color photo on it.  I guess those changes made me think the signature part was different.

[Etta1213]

On 5/25/2024 at 11:34 AM, zqvol said:

Inaccurate. For closed loop cruises out of the US as long as it is valid on the day your cruise ends there is no 6 month requirement. Cruising in other parts of the world may require six months before expiration in order to enter a specific country, but even that is not everywhere. 
 

To the OP I would go ahead and renew it now, since it expires before your cruise. No need to expedite the service as it is currently being reported that renewals take 3 - 6 weeks. 

Mine was apparently lost (or stolen) in the mail, and the process had to be started all over again. I was thankful I had lots of time. What's the saying? What can go wrong ....

 

Edited June 17 by Etta1213

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, Etta1213 said:

Mine was apparently lost (or stolen) in the mail, and the process had to be started all over again. I was thankful I had lots of time. What's the saying? What can go wrong ....

 

My daughters photo (from cvs) was not accepted so had to get it taken again.

[sailingships]

On 5/25/2024 at 2:44 PM, Laszlo said:

There is no question I would pay for expedited turn around. At the moment I have three friends, for three different parts of the US who are all waiting for their passport renewals. Two are going on almost 5 months and one is just over 6 months 

Over the years ive renewed my passport several times. Ive got the new one back in one month and also waited for 6 months and not in a problem year. The last time in late 2022 It took 10 weeks. The month for the passport expiration date was a whole month before I received it. Theres all sorts of reasons why the new one can be held up. Processing, what was happening at the time or just plain mailing it out like in my case. 

 

Just send for the new one in plenty of time, dont wait. I usually send the application in about 4 months before it expires and I dont book any trips until the new one is in my hot little hand.  

[Kortehgehn]

19 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Yes, as I said in my reply to @mek my last three passports (at least...I no longer have the older ones and I don't remember their configuration) have the signature line exactly where you say it is.

Re the "different offices" I was merely speculating about why @mek's previous passport was configured differently. AFAIK there are two different locations of the US Government Publishing Office that print the passports, one in Washington, DC and a second, newer, facility in Mississippi . 

I suppose it's also worth mentioning that some other countries laminate or digitize the signature line, but not the United States.  Your statement about the two GPO printing facilities is accurate, with the latter being located within the John C. Stennis Space Center complex.  All US passports, except emergency passports, will originate from one of those two locations.

[sailingships]

5 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

My daughters photo (from cvs) was not accepted so had to get it taken again.

We go to the local Post Office to fill in the application and they send it off. We get our photos taken there so that they will be accepted. Ive always done that and had not problems with the photos or a lost application.

[mjkacmom]

19 hours ago, sailingships said:

We go to the local Post Office to fill in the application and they send it off. We get our photos taken there so that they will be accepted. Ive always done that and had not problems with the photos or a lost application.

Not all of our passport centers have cameras, and those that due seem to have them out of order a lot. Two of my other kids went to a post office out of town and when they got yo their appointment they were sent to staples.