sailing in 3 weeks and still no passport:(

[bobbycruiser]

i applied for my passport about 9 weeks ago and i sail on may 12th (3 weeks) on the crown from brooklyn. if i dont get it in time, am i going to be screwed? is there any other possible way to get on board without the passport? im less than 3 weeks from sailing and now im getting reeeeeally nervous.

[riverboatgambler]

You can get by with a birth certificate, but you had to send in one to apply for your passport. If you can get a replacement, that will work, as a passport is not required yet for cruise travel, only for air.

[ginak1112]

Where are you cruising to? I applied for passports for my kids on Feb.7. One came 7 weeks later and my son's just came this week!! I think that you will get it. Have you checked online yet. I emailed them at the USgov website because it showed that his was not in the system yet and that made me nervous. They never emailed me back but, all of a sudden, his name was in the system and they said that it was mailed. I had tried calling but it was impossible. The only problem you would have without a passport would be if you had to fly home from a non-US port for some reason. Good luck.

[bobbycruiser]

im leaving from brooklyn and going to bermuda, st thomas, san juan and grand turk. im sailing on princess. ive heard that princess wont let u on board with no passport. its been exactly 8 weeks so far since i applied and online doesnt say anything except "being processed"

 

and yes i can easily get a new birth certificate

[Andy99]

If i remember right there is a government web site you can go to to track the progress of your passport...

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/status/status_2567.html

 

hope that helps

[azsunshine]

I would check on the internet because there are resources available to get a quick emergency response from them, but you have to tell them!!

[dulcineahong]

i got my password last week after 10 weeks of waiting!

 

if you dont get your passport next week, make an appointment with the walk-in passport agency near you that handles those who need to travel within 2 weeks. that's what i did years ago when I had to travel and only had 2 weeks to get the passport. Their website should have the address of the walk-in passport office near you.

 

Good luck!

[cactusrose]

Call or email them right away and ask when the passport might be mailed. Also call Princess and ask if you can just use an picture id and certified copy of birth certificate for this itinerary. No need to get an expensive rush job on the passport if you don't have to.

[play21cw]

i applied for my passport about 9 weeks ago and i sail on may 12th (3 weeks) on the crown from brooklyn. if i dont get it in time, am i going to be screwed? is there any other possible way to get on board without the passport? im less than 3 weeks from sailing and now im getting reeeeeally nervous.

 

Alright bobby, go to this link to check your passport

https://passportstatus.state.gov/opss/OPSS_Status_i.asp

If it hasnt shipped then look at the info below, and call the number and tell them you are sailing within 3 weeks and they will do what they can to find your application and expedite your passport. You may need to go to the local office that processes them to get it, but hey, if it means you cruise on time its worth it

 

 

If you are leaving, or you need your passport for a foreign visa, within 14 days and need to make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency: Automated lines to make appointments are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The best time to call is between 8:30 p.m. and 9 a.m., Eastern Time.

Telephone Number: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778)

TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. Telephone number for customers with telecommunication devices for the hearing impaired. This telephone number cannot be accessed by a standard touch tone or rotary dial telephone.

Customer Service Representatives and Operators for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to midnight, Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays. Representatives are also available for limited weekend hours for emergency situations in which travelers are leaving in 7 days or less.

Automated Information available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a travel emergency, please call the Center to speak with a customer service representative. Do not e-mail.

[CrusinAgain]

We just cruised Princess last month without passports and got on and off just fine with birth certificates and drivers license.

 

One passenger did not have a birth certificate getting off the ship and we heard that she might get fined however she already had her suitcases by the time we found ours so it must not have been that big of a deal.

[kendon]

Princess told us that our passports must be valid for at least 6 months passed the return date in the event you got stuck (medical or otherwise) in a foreign port and had to return home from there. The online Princess pre-cruise forms could not be processed with the expiration dates as they were. We immediately got the ball rolling at an expedited fee (!) to get them new passports.

[ncsongbird]

You can call your state representative or congressman, explain the situation and they will help you get that passport in time for your trip. It's a win-win situation for them. It doesn't cost them anything except their time, it's shows their power, and you will be indebted to them and tell all your friends how helpful they were.

 

My daughter needed her children's passports for a Mexico trip the following week. After waiting for over 9 weeks and being told by the state dept. that the passports were being processed yet not receiving them, she called her state rep. in MA. They told her not to worry, they would work on it and that they never had anyone miss their trip. Her state rep.'s office worked on it, and had the passports dropped off at their house 2 days before they were due to leave.

[AdmiralJohnson]

im leaving from brooklyn and going to bermuda, st thomas, san juan and grand turk. im sailing on princess. ive heard that princess wont let u on board with no passport. its been exactly 8 weeks so far since i applied and online doesnt say anything except "being processed"

 

and yes i can easily get a new birth certificate

 

You certainly can board and sail without a passport, they would prefer you to have one, but currently the majority of people sailing in 2007 don't have passports, this was observed recently while waiting in line to check in, more than half were presenting birth certificates.

 

Also, in an emergency the State Dept. just has to be contacted and you will be able to fly back seamlessly, many have done it since January with no delay or problem, they will fax clearance directly to the airline. It takes longer to wait for a scheduled flight...

 

For anyone traveling, this is the most important information to have with you - these are the people that can clear you to return via air without a passport - contrary to peoples thoughts on this site, there are no american citizens sleeping stranded on beaches in the Carib, and again, the biggest delay in getting home, is waiting for a flight:

 

OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES: Call 1-888-407-4747 (from overseas: 202 501-4444) for answers related to questions concerning the:

• Death of an American citizen abroad
  
• Arrest/detention of an American citizen abroad
  
• Robbery of an American citizen abroad
  
• American citizens missing abroad
  
• Crisis abroad involving American citizens
  
• After-hours number for an emergency involving an American citizen abroad

[Trlbnd1]

You certainly can board and sail without a passport, they would prefer you to have one, but currently the majority of people sailing in 2007 don't have passports, this was observed recently while waiting in line to check in, more than half were presenting birth certificates.

 

Also, in an emergency the State Dept. just has to be contacted and you will be able to fly back seamlessly, many have done it since January with no delay or problem, they will fax clearance directly to the airline. It takes longer to wait for a scheduled flight...

 

For anyone traveling, this is the most important information to have with you - these are the people that can clear you to return via air without a passport - contrary to peoples thoughts on this site, there are no american citizens sleeping stranded on beaches in the Carib, and again, the biggest delay in getting home, is waiting for a flight:

 

OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES: Call 1-888-407-4747 (from overseas: 202 501-4444) for answers related to questions concerning the:

• Death of an American citizen abroad
  
• Arrest/detention of an American citizen abroad
  
• Robbery of an American citizen abroad
  
• American citizens missing abroad
  
• Crisis abroad involving American citizens
  
• After-hours number for an emergency involving an American citizen abroad

 

 

This is a very important phone number in case of emergency. I never knew of it. Thanks for sharing...

[BonnieSte]

We are on that cruise with you, my dauhghters boyfriend hasn't gotten his yet either, thanks for the info everyone!

[ginak1112]

I think that you must have a passport for Bermuda if I'm not mistaken. If it says that it is processing when you checked the website then that is a very good sign. When I kept checking for my son, it said that nothing was found in the system. When it did finally come into the system last week, it had already been mailed. I received it last Saturday. It is impossible to get through by telephone. They won't even let you stay on line holding. The machine just hangs you up. I think you may call till midnight which may be a little easier to get through.

[AdmiralJohnson]

I think that you must have a passport for Bermuda if I'm not mistaken. If it says that it is processing when you checked the website then that is a very good sign. When I kept checking for my son, it said that nothing was found in the system. When it did finally come into the system last week, it had already been mailed. I received it last Saturday. It is impossible to get through by telephone. They won't even let you stay on line holding. The machine just hangs you up. I think you may call till midnight which may be a little easier to get through.

 

Yes, you are mistaken!!! Nope, not required for Bermuda if traveling by ship:

 

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

 

 

Here is the link: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

[Janet Foster]

Even though I called the Passport people and was ASSURED that my passport would arrive before my cruise, it did not. So if they tell you they will process it ASAP it is just pure luck if you get it or not.

 

I called within the two week timeline and told the passport people I needed my passport for a "FLIGHT" to Mexico.. (even though I was just cruising...) I stated I was leaving on April 6th. They told me to call back the Tuesday before my trip, I did. They said they will have it me by my trip. They did not. Three Fedex notices were waiting for me when I got home and I even had a call on my cell phone telling me if I didn't come get it from FEDEX right away, they would return to sender. What a fiasco..

 

Good thing I was cruising.

 

My birth certificate worked just fine. Yes, I did go and get my passport from FedEx when I got home.

 

Good Luck..

[bobbycruiser]

thank u all for all ur help. if i wait until 2 weeks b4 my trip and schedule an appointment with the local office (philly, while i live in central nj) would i get the passport the same day? and since i alreadu paid for the damn thing, woudl i hafta pay again? please help me because i have no idea where i stand financially. thanx again guys.

[GirlieGirl33]

We applied for our passports 11 weeks ago and we're still waiting. We leave this Friday so I'm not optimistic that it will get here in time. Luckily we can get by with just having our birth certificates but we did have to order new ones. If you have them expedited your new birth certificates should arrive within a few days. We've also called and emailed to get an update on our passports but they can't tell you anything besides the fact that the've logged it and assigned it a tracking number.

[clm101798]

I just got back from my cruise - we left 4/15. I called the passport agency on 4/2 because we still did not have our passports yet and I had them in hand on the 9th.

[bobbycruiser]

see now im 1 of 2 things. pissed if i can board without it after the TA said id NEED it, and nervous cuz i spent the money and i still dont have it.

 

and i know i can get a new copy of my birth certificate any day. so thats cool

[Crown08]

see now im 1 of 2 things. pissed if i can board without it after the TA said id NEED it, and nervous cuz i spent the money and i still dont have it.

You should be angry with your TA then because you DO NOT need a passport. One is always recommended - but you can still board with a birth certificate.

[Janet Foster]

We applied for our passports 11 weeks ago and we're still waiting. We leave this Friday so I'm not optimistic that it will get here in time. Luckily we can get by with just having our birth certificates but we did have to order new ones. If you have them expedited your new birth certificates should arrive within a few days. We've also called and emailed to get an update on our passports but they can't tell you anything besides the fact that the've logged it and assigned it a tracking number.

I know.. I feel your pain. I was finally able to talk to someone when I called later in the evening.. .. but it didnt' make any difference because I never got them in time, even though they stated that I would have it.. OH WELL... At least I didn't have to pay the extra bucks for the FEDEX that never arrived on time. My FEDEX mail date was the date I told them I was leaving for my trip.. GO FIGURE...

[bobbycruiser]

ok so i hafta ask this one more time just to solidify this.

 

you are all saying that i can board the ship and visit all of the destinations i mentioned (bermuda, san juan, grand turk, st thomas) without a passport?