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please do not flame me for passport question

cruisegurl

By cruisegurl,
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cruisegurl

cruisegurl

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Hello everyone,

Does anyone have recent experience with "overnight" or extremely fast passport renewal? I have tried to search this and have found a lot of information about passports but none answered my question. Because of changes coming up at work, I want to take a quick vacation and my window of opportunity is very short. I booked a closed loop cruise from Port Canaveral leaving on Oct 23. My passport expired about 6 months ago. I know I don't need one for this cruise but would like to have it. Has anyone had any luck with any company that got their passport back to them quickly? I can find sites on the internet, but they can promise anything! Just hoping to hear from someone with personal experience. Thank you so much for any help.

Sandra

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Shorex

Shorex

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We have used the services for visas but passports can be (and have been for me) expedited efficiently by using the instructions on the federal website. You pay extra for the expedited service and you MUST label all the relevant envelopes properly or the government clerks will not necessarily put your application in the right pipeline.

 

There is another option, depending on where you live. For example, the Seattle passport agency (this is part of the federal system, not a private service) can deliver passports for travel in less than 14 days. It requires an appointment at the federal building. Note: this is for people who have confirmed international travel arrangements within the 14 day time frame, not just for someone who wants the passport in a hurry.

 

From the Seattle Passport Services website:

• If needed prior to 14 days, call the Federal Building for an appointment at: 1-877-487-2778 M-F 6am-12am EST-additional information and forms available on the web at:

http://www.travel.state.gov/

 

Here is the relevant page on "How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry."

Here is the page on regional passport agencies. Note this list includes many major cities and urban areas in addition to Seattle.

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cherylandtk

cherylandtk

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Fastest way is to obtain an appointment, but this is only available for travel within 14 days. Closest office to you is:

 

Miami Passport Agency

Omni Center

1501 Biscayne Boulevard

Suite 210

Miami, FL 33132

Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., local time, M-F, excluding Federal holidays

Schedule An Appointment 24/7: 1-877-487-2778

 

Current passport processing times are one to two weeks, faster if expeditied, but do follow the labeling and rules to the letter. Dot your i's cross your t's kind of things.

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.html

 

Instead of waiting 4 days until you are within the 14 day limit, I suggest you expedite your application today, and locate your BC to use as a backup (Plan C) document if things somehow go haywire. If you do not receive a renewed passport by Oct. 15, you can always go to plan B and get an appointment at the Miami agency. And you will still have Plan C, if absolutely necessary.

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Marie51

Marie51

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When I said my renewal took only 6 days, than was NOT expedite.

Also my DIL got hers in 10 days, again not expedite so I really don't know if that is necessary. I think it's just a way for them to get extra money.

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cruiselover57

cruiselover57

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Hello everyone,

Does anyone have recent experience with "overnight" or extremely fast passport renewal? I have tried to search this and have found a lot of information about passports but none answered my question. Because of changes coming up at work, I want to take a quick vacation and my window of opportunity is very short. I booked a closed loop cruise from Port Canaveral leaving on Oct 23. My passport expired about 6 months ago. I know I don't need one for this cruise but would like to have it. Has anyone had any luck with any company that got their passport back to them quickly? I can find sites on the internet, but they can promise anything! Just hoping to hear from someone with personal experience. Thank you so much for any help.

Sandra

 

Hi Sandra,

 

Being that I'm in CA, I had a similar situation about 5 years ago when I discovered my 16-year old son at the time needed a passport on NCL going to Mexico (it was their rule and not necessarily all rules applied to other cruise lines). Anyway, I had a week to turn this around and I went to our Federal Building here in Los Angeles and was able to get the passport back in 2 days' time for an expedited fee of $60. I was also told that I could've gotten it back the same day but I would've had to wait 4 hours for it. Outside companies may end up charging extra fees on top of the $60 fee that's imposed by the Federal Building and I'm not familiar with any of those companies so I hope it works out for you!

 

Laurie

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BIG_Steve

BIG_Steve

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When I said my renewal took only 6 days, than was NOT expedite.

Also my DIL got hers in 10 days, again not expedite so I really don't know if that is necessary. I think it's just a way for them to get extra money.

 

They have busy and slow times/seasons. In 2009, it took about a month for me to get my PP.

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imsulin

imsulin

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They have busy and slow times/seasons. In 2009, it took about a month for me to get my PP.

 

BINGO! Yes - there are slow times and seasons! At times (Jan-Feb), the system is overloaded with applications for those wanting to travel over "Spring Break". Also, (Sep-Nov) the same thing happens with those wanting to travel over the Holidays. IMO, the best and most expeditious time to apply is in the middle of the summer - like late June/early July.

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cruisegurl

cruisegurl

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Thank you all so much for your responses. I got my application and passport pictures today but could not get to the post office before it closed. I will be mailing everything early tomorrow morning by express mail. Hopefully the new passport will be back in time and if not I could make the trip to Miami as cherylandtk said or just use my birth certificate. My fault for not renewing sooner and booking a cruise that sails in less than three weeks! I'm sure everything will work out fine but my husband had to be air lifted off of the Norway a few years back so you never know what may happen.

When my new passport arrives, I will post how long it took in case someone else is wondering.

Thanks again and happy cruising!

Sandra

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  • 2 weeks later...
cruisegurl

cruisegurl

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Just an update, in case anyone else is wondering-- my passport came on Friday, Oct 15. I expedited it on Oct 6. Not bad especially since that included a holiday--Columbus Day. So I'm all set for my Oct 23 cruise. Thank you again for the help and as always "happy cruising".

Sandra

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6rugrats

6rugrats

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Just an update, in case anyone else is wondering-- my passport came on Friday, Oct 15. I expedited it on Oct 6. Not bad especially since that included a holiday--Columbus Day. So I'm all set for my Oct 23 cruise. Thank you again for the help and as always "happy cruising".

Sandra

We sent my DD's passport in for renewal (through the USPS office) on 28 September and did not pay to expedite it. We received the new passport on 12 October. It appears they are currently processing them pretty quickly.

 

Have a great cruise!

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