TPKeller

Passport arrived today. 19 days from online submission to delivery. Theron

Passport arrived today. 19 days from online submission to delivery. Theron

I think the biggest challenge is the shadows. It's easy enough with cell cameras (no flash) to get a white or off-white background, but if the light is overhead, you end up with shadows on your face from your eyebrows, nose, and chin. And if you turn on the cell flash, you will end up with shadows on the wall behind from your head. I ended up using the overhead light for the wall, and a small white-light desk lamp turned up to hit my face to kill the shadows - with no flash from the camera. Theron

Any updates? Just submitted mine online today! Theron

Just a note, if you are trying to renew online, you will need the JPG files of your photo, directly from the camera, to upload. They don't want scanned or "pictures of pictures." Theron

Just submitted my renewal online today, hoping it's just as fast as some of the others have reported! Their servers had been down when I first started yesterday, so it was very slow and would not go past the "upload photo" step. This afternoon I tried again and could see an immediate difference, everything was much speedier, and the photo did upload, and I was able to complete the submission! A note for those who are considering the online renewal, you will need a JPG copy of your new photo - directly from the camera, no scans of prints, and you have to follow all the same rules for composure, clothing, expression, etc. They provide the guidelines on the site. The automatic cropping feature worked fine for me as well. MyTravelGov (state.gov) Theron

Just ran across this today... the photo on this Facebook post shows the USS Nimitz making her way down the Elizabeth River from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, so to pass the pier (at the far top of the photo) where cruise ships dock. This is pretty good evidence that an Oasis class ship would fit there just fine! https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=159312873265839&set=a.143632114833915

On another social media site, the question came up about whether or not Oasis of the Seas would "fit" into the Norfolk, Virginia cruise terminal. The question piqued my curiosity, so I dug up some numbers and some graphics and created the attached mash-up, showing an overhead photo of Oasis of the Seas docked at the cruise terminal in Norfolk. The sources are Google Maps, and a photo of Oasis from Royal Caribbean. As best I can determine, the relative scale is correct. I used the known dimensions of the USS Wisconsin, parked next door to the terminal, compared to Oasis herself to adjust the size of the overhead photo to the correct scale. I believe the channel is sufficient for her to reach the terminal from the sea, and there are no bridges to worry about... so let's go!! 😄 Theron