Passport H*E*Double Hockey Sticks!!!

[63musicgirl]

You sound so angry; I feel sorry for you.

 

My first cruise was in 2003. I think your signature reflects your first cruise was in 2002 with a few taken after that. After taking cruise number 1 we knew we'd cruise again. It made sense to get a passport back then, even though it wasn't a "requirement". Can't say what I'd do if I had kids, but nowadays if a couple (or a single parent) with a few cruises under their belt had kids there's a light likelyhood the social security application for the kid might be shortly followed by the passport application. JMO

 

I can't recall how much I paid for my passport but if it was $100 and the passport is good for 10 years that comes to $10 per year for the passport. If $10 per year is the difference between me making my house payment or not ...well.....I've got a much different problem.

 

I'm am upset, but not about my own situation. As I stated, I don't need passports for our trip. I got them because I had this nagging feeling that we should get them.

 

Why did I put off getting passports for the family? Let's see, to begin with, they were not required when I booked passage at the time of the other cruises. I felt completely safe with using BC and DL. And 2nd, I really didn't expect to cruise again since I have a Sophomore in high school. We didn't want to spend the money on travel because he will need it for college.

 

We decided to take this cruise on a whim when we put our family time first. When I kept hearing about families who "ran out of time" to spend with family members because of illness or death, we as a family decided we weren't going to wait for "another time". We don't know how much time any of us have and we want to enjoy our time now.

 

I'm upset because I keep hearing the phrases "ignorance of the law" or "why did they wait, they knew this was coming".

 

NO, everyone does not follow all the issues concerning passports if it does not have a role in their immediate travel plans. I know none of my in-laws or my family members other than 2 BIL who have them. The families can not afford out of the country trips or the passports themselves. Why should they keep up??? They don't have any reason that they would have to fly out of the country for an emergency, because we know no one outside of the country.

 

It also ticks me off because some people continue to ASSUME that most people just put it off. You know what happens when you ASSUME....

 

I have friends at school who are getting married, just out of college. They didn't have passports because they were busy paying for college and getting their first jobs. They didn't have plans to go out of the country for their honeymoon until their parents offered to pay for the hotel stay in Italy. They set everything up when it was still being quoted that you could get passports in 10 weeks. Still no passports! I'm sure they will get them, but knowing that my son applied 12 weeks ago, and they did shortly after, who knows how long it will take.

 

I just wish people would stop assuming that everyone has waited or are uninformed. They can not possibly know all the details of all situations that are posted. Why not give people the benefit of doubt instead of blasting them?

 

Oh, btw, don't feel sorry for me muffydawg, I have a great life. Feel sorry for those who can't see outside the box.

[63musicgirl]

I am so not chastened by this overstated diatribe. Yes I feel sorry for those caught in this predicament except.... for those who put themselves into this situation through their own negligence and/or arrogance. I read time and again in this and other boards how they were going to ignore the requirement because the government "would just push the deadline up again" or those who would rather spend the money having fun on their cruise instead. For those people all I can say is you chose to roll the dice and crapped out. Don't expect the government to perform miracles just because you made a bad decision. Not expecting delays after the date was set is like not expecting a crowd at the Post Office during holiday mailing time.

 

But don't assume that everyone waited.....see my last post

[Cruisin' Chick]

I remember we were standing in line in the post office in Sept. 2005 to get my girl's passport renewed. There was a woman in front of us who was going thru hell because she had paid to have a rush service and ended up with her passport renewal in limbo because of Katrina. (her passport ended up in New Orleans, unavailable) She had to wait while the clerk was trying to talk to the main passport office to figure out how to help her.

 

So we timed it perfectly. Didn't even pay for expediting and it came in just a few weeks. I just recently checked mine and I have a few more years left.

 

I too don't understand people telling others here just to wait until the laws change. It's a great ID, it's good for ten years (unless you're a minor) and that's one less thing to stress out, just in case you end up needing one.

[mjmalino]

Unfortunately the government doesn't have a 10 year payment plan. Let's say you have 3 kids and 2 adults in your household. If a passport costs $100, that's $500 to aquire passports for your entire family, all at once, not $50 a year for 10 years. For some people that would definitely be a hardship and not something anyone would do just for the sake of doing it. I can't believe there could be very many people going out applying for passports just in case, someday, they decide to leave the country.

 

And let's not forget that my 2 kids passports are only good for 5 years.

[63musicgirl]

And let's not forget that my 2 kids passports are only good for 5 years.

 

That was another reason we waited on my son's. He was 15 at the time of our cruise. Now that he is 16, it is good for 10 years.

[cruisemom42]

After reading this thread I'm very concerned about renewing my passport. I travel frequently out of the country for business and pleasure. My passport expires in late 2008. At the moment there is not a 4-month window available in my schedule in which I can do without my passport in order to get it renewed. I'm scared that if I allow less time, I'll be waiting and worrying.....

 

What is a person supposed to do in those circumstances??:confused:

[Pam in CA]

I'm in almost the same situation with my passport expiring in December 2008 and cruises scheduled in November 2007, April 2008 and July 2008. Since I have to have a passport valid for six months after my return date, I think I'm going to renew mine right after returning in November. That'll give me almost five months. Hmm... I think I'll mark that on my calendar right now. :)

[Host Caroline]

There are so many people trying to get passports in any give year between March and May -- that way when I was a TA and only required them for Europe, S. America, Asia. etc.. Compound that by the number of people now with these new restrictions in place. I live in a small town where passport office was open two afternoons a week.. now it's also open Saturday from 10-1. Didn't know that till yesterday when I went to mail a package in that post office and no parking spaces.. there were over 80 people in line an hour before it opened.. Postal Clerk said some Sats. there are 30-40 left at 1:00... two of the people I knew from my son's high school days.. One couple was doing for trip in October (smart).. the others had decided to go to Cancun in July on a "good deal".. shame on their TA for not warning them that unless they pay an expeditor etc. there is no way they are going to have a passport but yet they paid for trip anyway...sorry but if you are even contemplating a cruise/trip later this year in the fall or thinking you will wait to see if there are any good deals=get a passport NOW

... you just never know what people are thinking:rolleyes: :eek: