Passports

[boco5]

I just heard that Congress just passed an extension on when you need a passport for cruising. It was supposed tgo be Jan.7, 2007, it has been extended to June of 2009 for cruising anywhere in the western hemisphere.

 

Guess I won't have to renew my passport for my Jan. 5, 1907 cruise on the Pearl.

[jerhardt]

Guess I won't have to renew my passport for my Jan. 5, 1907 cruise on the Pearl.

 

1907! Where can I get a time machine like that :eek:

[familyof4cruising]

Can someone confirm this? My family has their passports but my friends who are traveling with us ( 2/07 Pearl ) do not. Also I was wondering if you needed your passport even if you were only going on a one night cruise to nowhere.

[wrp96]

The deadline has NOT changed. It is still January 8, 2007 for cruise passengers. An extension of the final land deadline has been made part of a bill before Congress but it has not passed both houses and been signed into law yet. Even if it passes, there is no guarantee that the deadline for air and sea travel will change.

There is lots of misinformation floating around about this, including on the main page of Cruise Critic. Unless you see the dates change on the State Department's website (travel.state.gov), a passport is still needed if your cruise returns on or after January 8, 2007.

 

From the State Department's website:

 

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future.

In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:

• January 8, 2007 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
  
• January 1, 2008 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.

[cathi007]

Lol, that was funny, I caught that too

[seahorse]

The new rules are that you do not have to have a passport to travel by LAND AND SEA crossing the western borders until June 1, 2009. This could change at any time so I do suggest that everyone get a passport now.

If you are FLYING crossing the Western borders (Canada, Mexico, Caribbean) you need a passport by Jan.7, 2007.

Leave it to the US Government to confuse everyone:rolleyes:

Get a passport people......get a passport.

Remember some Alaskan cruises leave from Canada so if you are flying, you will need a passport by this JANUARY.

[boco5]

oops!!!

 

did I really say 1907?

 

well, you all know what I meant.

[wrp96]

The new rules are that you do not have to have a passport to travel by LAND AND SEA crossing the western borders until June 1, 2009. This could change at any time so I do suggest that everyone get a passport now.

 

If you are FLYING crossing the Western borders (Canada, Mexico, Caribbean) you need a passport by Jan.7, 2007.

 

Leave it to the US Government to confuse everyone:rolleyes:

 

Get a passport people......get a passport.

 

 

Remember some Alaskan cruises leave from Canada so if you are flying, you will need a passport by this JANUARY.

 

Sorry you are wrong. They aren't new rules yet - they still have to pass the Senate and be signed into law. People keep taking a press release from a Cruise Association as being law and it's not true.

 

The date is still January 8, 2007 for Air and SEA entrances. Until you see the date change on travel.state.gov, do not assume that the passport deadline has changed.

[garycarla]

Why would ANYONE trust what they hear from somebody else, without going to http://travel.state.gov/ ?

 

But then again, what they have printed there is a bit confusing, especially the very liberal use of the word PROPOSED.

 

In any event, the best thing is to get a passport.

 

Now if we could only convince all those people taking the Pride Of xxx ships that never set foot anywhere except Hawaii that they do not and will not need a passport since they are not leaving the country?

 

Hello?

[kamfan]

With everything going on and the abiguity of the situation, why would you not get your passport and prevent problems? Just curious.

[seahorse]

With everything going on and the abiguity of the situation, why would you not get your passport and prevent problems? Just curious.

 

I have no idea.......and anyone not from the US are incredulous about the Americans:rolleyes: The attitude embarrasses me sometimes:o especially in this day and age and what is happening.

 

Get a passport people, pretend that you need one right now to leave the country and there will never be a problem in the future:rolleyes:

[jtl513]

With everything going on and the abiguity of the situation, why would you not get your passport and prevent problems? Just curious.

 

Some pax may say they don't want to spend the $75 (or $100 or whatever it is now) plus the cost of the pictures if they don't have to, but that's such a small part of a cruiser's expenses that's pretty bogus. I think a lot of people are just too lazy to make the effort to get pictures done and go to their courthouse or wherever. :rolleyes:

[2inTul]

How many people do you think will show up for their cruise in January of February without a passport and be denied boarding? The cruise lines will not let you board without the proper documentation that will enable you to return to the US. Boy howdy you talk about a bunch of ticked off people that will all find their way here to gripe and complain.

[StarCruiser]

Someone brought up in another thread that this is now at the top of the passport information page:

 

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.

 

Check it out here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

 

So, it looks like the dates have not change yet, but could in the future.

[GrannyMouse]

I just called NCL and was told that even if passports are not required, the cruise line is requiring them.

[TWELVEOHONE]

I just heard that Congress just passed an extension on when you need a passport for cruising. It was supposed tgo be Jan.7, 2007, it has been extended to June of 2009 for cruising anywhere in the western hemisphere.

 

Guess I won't have to renew my passport for my Jan. 5, 1907 cruise on the Pearl.

 

I strongly recommend that you renew your passport and that anyone that does not have one get one.

What congress said was anyone returning on a cruise ship. Those returning by air will need a passport.

Suppose you are on a ship, get very sick and have to fly home. You will NEED a pasport as your are returning via air

 

Passports are the best way to go and the safest way.

[MrLee]

boco5][/b]

Guess I won't have to renew my passport for my Jan. 5, 1907 cruise on the Pearl.

 

 

and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.

 

I'm not sure which of these quotes is funnier! ;)

[BruceMuzz]

This was a red letter day for Osama Bin Laden. The American Government keeps helping him infiltrate the USA with minimal effort.

 

Anybody with a scanner, a PC, and a color printer can produce travel documents that get him into the USA.

 

Every time an American refuses to get a passport in order to save a buck, the terrorists move forward one more step.

[negc]

I don't think we should allow this thread to get political but I would point out that most terrorists gained, and continue to gain entry into this country with passports issued by other countries and that while I agree that we should all have passports, once they are mandatory I don't think our homeland security will be that much better.

[roxette]

This was a red letter day for Osama Bin Laden. The American Government keeps helping him infiltrate the USA with minimal effort.

 

Anybody with a scanner, a PC, and a color printer can produce travel documents that get him into the USA.

 

Every time an American refuses to get a passport in order to save a buck, the terrorists move forward one more step.

Go to sleep, and stay asleep.

 

And btw, pretty much everyone in all the developed countries in the world have their own passports from the day they are born more or less. Why not americans? There is a world outsite the US!

 

Go to Sweden. :P

[mbisson]

This was a red letter day for Osama Bin Laden. The American Government keeps helping him infiltrate the USA with minimal effort.

 

Anybody with a scanner, a PC, and a color printer can produce travel documents that get him into the USA.

 

Every time an American refuses to get a passport in order to save a buck, the terrorists move forward one more step.

 

You're funny! Ever think of becoming a comedian?

 

-Monte

[bakechef]

Went to the local post office yesterday, on my lunch break, had my application already filled out from the website it took me a grand total of a 1/2 hour and that included pictures. I refuse to take a chance that they will again change the rules and leave me high and dry. It is a good idea to have a passport, it is even a great form of extra ID. I agree that it will do nothing to help national security, but it just makes sense to get one.

 

In my area there have been many more post offices accepting passport applications so it has really streamlined the process.

 

MAC

[negc]

I just called NCL and was told that even if passports are not required, the cruise line is requiring them.

 

Fortunately for NCL, the person who told you that is not in charge of setting its passport policy. ;) If the government extends the deadline, the rest of the cruise industry will follow its lead and adopt the new deadline. NCL would be commiting financial suicide to require passports before then. The powers to be at NCL are not that short-sighted. Getting a passport is definitely a good idea and will, at some time, be required, but no intelligently operated cruiseline is going to require them when their competitors do not:rolleyes:.

[mbisson]

Well said negc!

 

-Monte

 

Fortunately for NCL, the person who told you that is not in charge of setting its passport policy. ;) If the government extends the deadline, the rest of the cruise industry will follow its lead and adopt the new deadline. NCL would be commiting financial suicide to require passports before then. The powers to be at NCL are not that short-sighted. Getting a passport is definitely a good idea and will, at some time, be required, but no intelligently operated cruiseline is going to require them when their competitors do not:rolleyes:.

[electricron]

We are less than three months away from the preceived passport deadline whether or not Congress changes it, this is no time for delay. Passports take up to a month to six weeks for the State Dept. to process, its PANIC TIME. If I have a cruise booked for January, I wouldn't wait another day. PROCESS THAT PASSPORT TODAY!

 

While those booked for February may have a few more weeks before panic time, awaiting Congress final decision, I would budget processing a passport anyway.

 

I have had a passport since I was a child. Why Americans don't get passports or complain about getting passports is beyond me? The price is reasonable, the passports last ten years, and if you ever had dreams of flying to Australia, China, Japan, Great Britian, France, Italy, Germany, or Isreal, you'll need a passport NOW anyway.

 

AMERICANS GET REAL! PROCESS YOUR PASSPORTS NOW! YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MAY WIN A TOUR TO EUROPE.