have they extended the passport deadline?

[Cruisin' Grandma]

I have kind of a unique situation, maybe someone here can help me clarify some info. I'm Canadian, sailing from New Orleans on the Golden Princess on December 30. Our return is January 06. I have a passport with an expiry date of July 03, 2007. That is 3 days short of the six months that some countries require. When I first put my passport info in the Princess cruise personalizer, my passport expiry date was rejected. That was before this new legislation. I tried to put the info in again and this time it was accepted with the July 03, 2007 date. I was still skeptical so I called Princess and the rep there told me that their policy was to have a passport valid for 6 months after your return. When I told her the cruise personalizer accepted my passport info, she didn't have a response. She gave me the number for the National Passport Center but, the toll free number she gave me doesn't work in Canada. Since I don't think we even need a passport to travel to the Caribbean do you think we'll be ok or should we just go ahead an get a new passport? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[chrysalis]

I have kind of a unique situation' date=' maybe someone here can help me clarify some info. I'm Canadian, sailing from New Orleans on the Golden Princess on December 30. Our return is January 06. I have a passport with an expiry date of July 03, 2007. That is 3 days short of the six months that some countries require. When I first put my passport info in the Princess cruise personalizer, my passport expiry date was rejected. That was before this new legislation. I tried to put the info in again and this time it was accepted with the July 03, 2007 date. I was still skeptical so I called Princess and the rep there told me that their policy was to have a passport valid for 6 months after your return. When I told her the cruise personalizer accepted my passport info, she didn't have a response. She gave me the number for the National Passport Center but, the toll free number she gave me doesn't work in Canada. Since I don't think we even need a passport to travel to the Caribbean do you think we'll be ok or should we just go ahead an get a new passport? Any suggestions would be appreciated.[/quote']

 

save the hassles with all the confusion going on...and get a new passport.

[cherylandtk]

There is still a LOT of confusion over what this recent bit of action means; Cruise Critic has pulled the article from its main page.

 

It has been posted that the quoted press release fails to mention that only the House has passed the bill, and the Senate may not tackle it until after the elections. After that it would still need presidential approval to become law, and perhaps some lead time to enact. Or perhaps other changes could occur in the Senate version.

 

Many posters have pointed out that similar provisions in the past, added on at the last minute to existing bills as this was, have died in the subsequent Senate proceedings.

 

If you read the entire post above by Alpha Kitty, you will note that in the middle of the Houston Chronicle article is the following recommendation:

"Both de Sosa and Crye urged travelers to apply for passports without delay. "That's our bottom-line message," Crye said. "It's going to happen."

 

So, if you are cruising in January (OK, after the 8th), as of today you still need the passport to cruise. That could change. But your time window to act upon that is decreasing daily. Its your gamble; you might not need a passport, say on January 14th, and you will be a little upset that you spent the $96 to get one. But if you do need a passport on the 14th, and don't have one, you will be really upset that you spent the $1000 on the cruise and don't get to take the cruise. Do you want to 'waste' the $96 or trust that the legislation will pass in time? Are you feeling that lucky?

 

$96 or $1000; how much do you want to bet?

[Pam in CA]

I have kind of a unique situation' date=' maybe someone here can help me clarify some info. I'm Canadian, sailing from New Orleans on the Golden Princess on December 30. Our return is January 06. I have a passport with an expiry date of July 03, 2007. That is 3 days short of the six months that some countries require. When I first put my passport info in the Princess cruise personalizer, my passport expiry date was rejected. That was before this new legislation. I tried to put the info in again and this time it was accepted with the July 03, 2007 date. I was still skeptical so I called Princess and the rep there told me that their policy was to have a passport valid for 6 months after your return. When I told her the cruise personalizer accepted my passport info, she didn't have a response. She gave me the number for the National Passport Center but, the toll free number she gave me doesn't work in Canada. Since I don't think we even need a passport to travel to the Caribbean do you think we'll be ok or should we just go ahead an get a new passport? Any suggestions would be appreciated.[/quote']Get the new passport. Just about every single cruiseline requires that your passport must be valid for six months from the date you re-enter the country. It doesn't matter if it's 3 days or just 1, they're unlikely to give you an extension. For our recent Viking River riverboat cruise, they had the same requirement.

[TexasMom2]

Seems like the deadline is once again postponed...at least for Caribbean/Mexico travel.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4231481.html

 

Oct. 3, 2006, 12:36AM

Passport rule eased for some cruise travel

Deadline also delayed for land crossings for U.S., Canada, Mexico

By HARRY SHATTUCK

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Cruise passengers sailing from Galveston, Houston and other U.S. ports have been granted a reprieve. They won't need passports starting Jan. 8 for voyages to Mexico and the Caribbean.

And new documentation requirements for land border crossings between the United States and Mexico or Canada, which were to have taken effect in 2008, also have been postponed.

The requirements could now kick in as late as June 1, 2009, according to an amendment in the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that passed Congress late Friday.

But air passengers are still expected to need passports for all foreign travel beginning early next year, according to travel industry leaders.

Once implemented, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require that all travelers entering the United States from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Panama possess valid passports or other designated secure documents.

"Extension of the deadline ensures federal officials can implement this new rule correctly the first time," Travel Industry Association of America President Roger Dow said in a prepared statement. "This action also provides additional time to fully educate travelers here in the U.S. and neighboring countries on this change of law."

Cruise industry officials were especially worried that many passengers wouldn't meet the January deadline for obtaining passports.

The requirement would have applied to about 13,000 passengers per week on six ships sailing from the Galveston and Houston ports this winter.

About 11 million Americans are expected to cruise this year.

Only 30 percent to 40 percent of those who take short-duration cruises possess passports, said Michael Crye, president of the International Council of Cruise Lines.

Fewer than 60 percent on cruises of seven days or longer have passports. Instead, they use birth certificates and driver's licenses.

"The shorter Caribbean cruises were a real concern because the people who take these cruises are in large part first-time international travelers," Crye said Monday.

The council's surveys found that about half of those who book these voyages were unaware of the impending passport requirement, he said.

Linda de Sosa, vice president of Woodlake Travel Services in Houston, said the figures cited by Crye "are very consistent with what I see, especially for travelers planning a trip to Mexico and not having a passport."

Both de Sosa and Crye urged travelers to apply for passports without delay.

"That's our bottom-line message," Crye said. "It's going to happen. You are going to need a passport eventually, so go ahead and get it now."

An adult passport costs $97 and is valid for 10 years. The wait to get a passport averages about six weeks.

One major motivation for delaying implementation for land and sea travel is that State Department and Homeland Security officials have yet to make final their plans for a proposed alternative to a standard passport.

The new passport card for cruises and land border crossings would be more compact and affordable than the traditional document, while still maintaining its security features.

The legislation, which still needs President Bush's signature, doesn't require the State Department and Homeland Security to wait as long as mid-2009 for implementation.

For the timetable to move up, the departments would have to meet seven criteria, including sharing the technology for the passport card with Mexico and Canada.

The Western Hemisphere initiative is an outgrowth of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act passed by Congress in 2004.

harry.shattuck@chron.com

 

Harry Shattuck is our beloved travel writer in Houston. He is an avid cruiser and was scheduled on the Crown for the shortened cruise right after the accident. He chose to cancel, but wrote a very good article about it.

[Daniel1313]

Even the State Departments web site says the date is changing.

[chelledun]

from Princess two days ago, making sure we understood it was necessary to have a passport for our January 6th cruise. We already have them, because we travel a lot, but I thought it was very nice of them to call. What a big job though!

[Pam in CA]

Even the State Departments web site says the date is changing.

Not quite. They say, "We will update this page once that legislation has been finalized." That's not exactly the same thing since they have the caveat that the legislation needs to be finalized.

[cherylandtk]

Even the State Departments web site says the date is changing.

As of late today, this is what is added:

October 3, 2006: This information does not reflect important changes to the WHTI expected from pending legislation. We will update this page once that legislation has been finalized.

What it does not say is when the new legislation might be enacted and take effect. If you are not cruising until later in 2007, then you have time to see what happens. But with a 2 month lead time (or longer) to obtain passports, folks on January cruises don't have a lot of time to "wait and see."