Ii is not worth the risk and anxiety. Pay for an expedited renewal!
Our experience:
A few years ago, we had booked a three week HAL ocean cruise that circumnavigated OZ with a little over 4 months before passport expiration as of the date of sailing. We had obtained "e visa" tourist entry permits for Australia without any issue.
When we arrived in Sydney's port, we were initially refused boarding. After appealing up the ship's hierarchy, we were only allowed to board if we agreed to disembark in Darwin and reboard several days later in Broome, Western Australia 1,900 kms away, because the itinerary included a one-day tender stop in Indonesia. Indonesia has a six-month passport expiration policy, and supplies a significant percentage of HAL's crews. HAL had absolute control over anyone trying to board a tender at Komodo Island but that did not matter.
Fortunately, HAL did provide us cost-free internet access. During the days before arrival in Darwin, we were able to prevail on Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism that we were no threat of illegally emigrating to his wonderful country. Only after we asked the Minister to email directly the Hotel Manager, were we allowed to remain on board while the ship was in Indonesian waters for less than 24 hours.
It was a traumatic experience, trying to make travel and lodging arrangements in an unfamiliar country with a tight deadline. It taught us that paying customers are at the bottom of the food chain in the travel business; lower-level staff have broad discretion and are invariably risk averse--it matters little what someone else in the organization may have told you .
Our recommendation: anyone who plans to travel internationally needs to apply for passport renewal nine months before the (seemingly meaningless) expiration date!
P.S. We were 4 star HAL customers well on our way to the 5th but won't be using any CCL cruise line again. YMMV
