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Avoid the Passport Rush

bphman

By bphman,
in Celebrity Cruises

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bphman

bphman

Posted
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FYI, we booked the Baltic cruise for July 2017 and would not have the often required 6 months left on our passports. I was reading that 2017 is going to be a busy year for passport services. I decided to renew early to avoid the rush and am happy to report that it took only two and a half weeks from the time I mailed them until I got them back. That was with regular handling and no special postal service. The DOS website stated 4 to 6 weeks so they are doing a good job. Definitely no need for expedited service. Saved a bunch.

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IrieWay

IrieWay

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We received ours fairly quick also, albeit two months ago. Could possibly change with exchange rates so low in Europe. There may be an increase in travel this summer and subsequently more passport requests.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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irish rover

irish rover

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Such a backward country the USA. Here in NZ we can renew on line and will have our passports in our hands within a max of 10days, normally within 3 working days

 

New Zealand was happy to accept the help from USS SAMPSON in aid for the earthquake Wellington suffered in November. Also several US P3 Orion aircraft came in aid. The US NAVY

were there and spent a lot of time in service of your country, no one accused them of "backwardness"

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Beanb41

Beanb41

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New Zealand was happy to accept the help from USS SAMPSON in aid for the earthquake Wellington suffered in November. Also several US P3 Orion aircraft came in aid. The US NAVY

were there and spent a lot of time in service of your country, no one accused them of "backwardness"

 

Hey Irish Rover cool your jets. My comments were directed at the US passport Office if you bothered to read my post. Had the OP been more precise in the title of the thread I probably wouldn't have bothered reading it in the first instance. It was the OP who generated concern and all I did was explain how up to date with technology our little country is .

We were extremely grateful for the support of all the Nations who participated in our 75th Naval jubilee but diverted to Kaikoura to provide humanitarian aid after the earthquake.

By the way I hope you had a Merry Christmas

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DancerOT

DancerOT

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New Zealand was happy to accept the help from USS SAMPSON in aid for the earthquake Wellington suffered in November. Also several US P3 Orion aircraft came in aid. The US NAVY

were there and spent a lot of time in service of your country, no one accused them of "backwardness"

The ability and desire to help others in times of crisis and need are not the same as technology being backwards.

 

There is no need to be rude. Comparing assistance during a traumatic time from a country and the same country's passport applications is like comparing apples to red meat - they are both food but that is where the similarities end.

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bphman

bphman

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I certainly didn't mean to fan the flames of war. I was just trying to state that the passport renewal process was not taking 4 to 6 weeks as stated on the DOS website. Perhaps I should have stated that 2017 is going to be one of those unique banner years where passport renewals will peak and delays can be expected so renew early. Bully for NZ to be able to handle passports for a population of 4.5 million in such a short timeframe. Maybe our screening processes are more thorough, maybe not. We do have around 314 million more people to handle. Just saying. This tit for tat is one of the reasons I hate posting here.

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ChucktownSteve

ChucktownSteve

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Posted (edited)
Such a backward country the USA. Here in NZ we can renew on line and will have our passports in our hands within a max of 10days, normally within 3 working days

 

Let's see:

The United States' GDP is $17.9 trillion which is the highest GDP in the world.

New Zealand's GDP is $174 billion which ranks 53rd in the world.

 

There are 321M people living in the United States. This would make the United States the 3rd most populous country in the world.

There are 4.55M people living in New Zealand. This would make New Zealand the 124th most populous country in the world.

 

Which country is more backward? Can you compare the volume of passport applications?

Edited by ChucktownSteve
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ChucktownSteve

ChucktownSteve

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What did I start? Can I remove this thing?

 

You didn't start it. Beanb41 did when he said, "Such a backward country the USA." There was no call for that statement. Had he made his comment without that sentence, there would have been no problem comparing the turn around of his thinly populated country. :D

Edited by ChucktownSteve
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easyboy

easyboy

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You didn't start it. Beanb41 did when he said, "Such a backward country the USA." There was no call for that statement. Had he made his comment without that sentence, there would have been no problem comparing the turn around of his thinly populated country. :D

Yup, that unsubstantiated comment started the subsequent reactions.

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irish rover

irish rover

Posted
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Hey Irish Rover cool your jets. My comments were directed at the US passport Office if you bothered to read my post. Had the OP been more precise in the title of the thread I probably wouldn't have bothered reading it in the first instance. It was the OP who generated concern and all I did was explain how up to date with technology our little country is .

We were extremely grateful for the support of all the Nations who participated in our 75th Naval jubilee but diverted to Kaikoura to provide humanitarian aid after the earthquake.

By the way I hope you had a Merry Christmas

 

I appreciate your attempt at clarification, but the " such a backward country" comment still speaks for itself. I acknowledge many problems in the USA and the freedom to criticize is a hallowed right. I think the broad characterization troubled me.

I wish you peace however.

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ChucktownSteve

ChucktownSteve

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Google is a wonderful tool. According to the U.S. Department of State,

in 2016 they issued 18,676,547 (includes 2,110,555 passport cards)

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/statistics.html

 

The Department of Internal Affairs forecast for New Zealand estimates that they'll issue 60,180 passports 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017.

 

https://www.dia.govt.nz/Resource-material-Information-We-Provide-Annual-Forecast-of-Passport-Issuance-Volumes

 

MILLIONS vs. THOUSANDS????? NZ should be able to procees passports the same day if you compare volume and time to issue. That would be like comparing the number of ships they sail under all of the Carnival Cruise Lines owned to Viking River Cruises. Then saying Viking is a crappy cruise.

Edited by ChucktownSteve
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Fish Lover

Fish Lover

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Posted
FYI, we booked the Baltic cruise for July 2017 and would not have the often required 6 months left on our passports. I was reading that 2017 is going to be a busy year for passport services. I decided to renew early to avoid the rush and am happy to report that it took only two and a half weeks from the time I mailed them until I got them back. That was with regular handling and no special postal service. The DOS website stated 4 to 6 weeks so they are doing a good job. Definitely no need for expedited service. Saved a bunch.

 

There is a considerable difference between a renewal and a new passport (or replacement for one that has expired too long ago). Also, there are some new tax restrictions in effect which when fully enacted may delay issuing of passports, the impact of which has yet to be seen.

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Fish Lover

Fish Lover

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Posted
Such a backward country the USA. Here in NZ we can renew on line and will have our passports in our hands within a max of 10days, normally within 3 working days

 

Security is a very important issue. This doesn't make the US backward. It makes us careful. I wish all countries would as, or more careful regarding the issuance of passports.

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