Passport Question

[outowrk]

Decided on the Glory August 16, but don't have passports yet. Do we have time for non expiditerd passports?

[katier825]

duplicate

[katier825]

From what I've read lately, it seems to be taking 10 days-2 weeks. Dad got his a few months ago and it was about 2 weeks. If you absolutely must have them for that particular cruise, I'd go with the expedited.

[TakeMeAway1001]

If you go this week first thing I would say your going to be fine. DD got hers in one week back in the Spring. You can monitor it online and if its getting close call them up and have them expediate, I had to do that when I got mine cause it was getting close to departure time :)

[debster11]

You should have enough time but even if you didn't get them before you left a passport is not necessary for cruise travel at this time. You can use your birth certificate and a photo id.

[suzbcruiser]

You should have enough time but even if you didn't get them before you left a passport is not necessary for cruise travel at this time. You can use your birth certificate and a photo id.

 

Remember, your birth certificate gets sent in with the passport application so get copies now if getting the passports are your plan. This way if they don't show up you will still have the correct documents to get on the ship. If you are anywhere near a Regional Passport office (I think there are 14 across the nation) you can get your passports in one day as long as you make your appointment within 14 days of your trip. We just had to do this for my husband and it worked out fine.

[JDMac]

Mine took two weeks (non-expedited) back in June. On-line status showed as unavailable (also requested email notification that never came) throughout the whole process, passport just showed up in my mailbox.

 

As debster11 notes, you can use a certified copy of your birth certificate and a government issued photo ID for a caribbean cruise. One potential glitch in that as a back-up plan - you typically have to submit your BC with your passport app and get it back from your passport arrives.

[illin]

I would NOT chance it...that is right at a month out and four weeks is very typical, especially in the summer.

 

If you are on a Caribbean cruise...just go on your birth certificate.

[Gayle V]

Now I always suggest getting the passport, but you don't absolutely need it just to cruise, if going to the Caribbean, or Canada, or Hawaii. And while you seem to have enough time, letting your birth certificate out of your hands , at this point would make me very nervous. You know that when you send for a passport, you have to send in your original, or a certified copy of your birth certificate, leaving you with no way to board the ship, if the passport doesn’t show on time.

 

If you do decide to go ahead and order the passport, you might want to spend a few additional dollars, and also order another certified copy of your birth certificate asap. They aren't a lot of money, and may even be useful in the future.

 

True, at the moment the birth certificate probably take the same 10 days that we're hearing for the passport. But the passports, have been known to take a lot longer. This could be a back up plan, already in place. And, if you live in the same city where you were born, you may even be able to just go downtown and pick it up in person, no waiting.

 

If you send away your original, and then there are delays, you could be left high and dry, with no ID and no cruise.

[LoneStarMama]

We got ours super fast! Went and submitted our applications on Tue June 24th and got them in the mail Thur July 3rd. I was shocked at how fast it was!

[jch628]

We are going on the Aug 23rd sailing of the Liberty and we decided last minute as well. I have a passprt but my HTB did not, so I sent him off to the Post office with instructions to expedite it. The lady at the post office was ADAMANT (sp?) that he not waste his money expediting. She said people were getting them back in ten days or less. Now I of course freaked out, because he told me after the fact, but I have a friend whose best friend works in the Passport agency in Chicago and she said they are turning them around within a week. Now my luck it will not be the case, but I thought I would throw my two cents in and let you know our experience.

[outowrk]

Thank you all. I thought I needed our passports, but I guess not. That will take some of the pressure off last minute travel.

[marktac]

Decided on the Glory August 16, but don't have passports yet. Do we have time for non expiditerd passports?

 

We just got our nine year old his first passport. It was 10 days from date of submission at the county clerks office until we got the passport in the mail. Birth certificate was returned the next day.

 

Added....and that included the 4th of July in the time frame.

[NAMVET]

If you go this week first thing I would say your going to be fine. DD got hers in one week back in the Spring. You can monitor it online and if its getting close call them up and have them expediate, I had to do that when I got mine cause it was getting close to departure time :)

 

This is what we told some friends of ours to do. They were worried about not getting theirs in time. I know that if you do call them and ask them, they will expedite it to you if necessary. We got ours a couple of years ago and I figure it couldn't hurt to have them anyway. We will be ready when we go on our Salute to Veterans Cruise out of Miamia November 8, 2009 on the Valor:D

[fat_joe]

Mine took two weeks (non-expedited) back in June. On-line status showed as unavailable (also requested email notification that never came) throughout the whole process, passport just showed up in my mailbox.

 

I am also having this problem when I go to check my application status.

 

I applied 8 days ago and the check I wrote to the State Department cleared the day after I applied. I am getting a little worried because the postal clerk said that most people he had spoken to received their passport in five days.