GENERAL PASSPORT INFO....OR.....OUR GOV'T AT WORK.......SLOWLY

We have been told that it has to be renewed prior to 6 months before expiry for us to go from Canada to the states. The US customs can and will turn away that expire in 6 months or less.

As an addendum, if you don't plan to go somewhere where you would normally need a passport without thinking twice about it, go ahead and renew...even further out....I seem to remember we renewed about 6-8 months out the last time. and paid extra for expedited mail..even so, I was convinced SAM screwed it up....it was long time ago...not used to ANYTHING taking that long I guess...

Some countries won't accept it and some airlines won't either.but I don't think its a problem cruising. Although frankly I vaguely remember reading something about it on some cruise lines website..There is a list buried in there somewhere.

So it's my understanding that it is "strongly advised" that one should renew their passports 6 months prior to expiration. Why is that?

Our next cruise is scheduled for Feb of next year. Our passports expire in March of next year. Will we have issues just because our passports, while still valid, will not be within that 6 month window?

What's the rationale?

Wise words!

Yeah, that's true

HOWEVER

If you chose to cruise w/o a passport and something happened while you're in a foreign port that necessitated your IMMEDIATE return to the US, you're going to be SOL unless you first get formal permission from the US embassy in that country. In other words you'd have to "engage with the bureaucracy".

Much less stressful to just get the passport.

Actually, you CAN cruise without a passport..but the itineraries are limited and it has to return to the port it left...called a "closed loop cruise".....googled the subject, must be a hundred sites that describe it...fwiw, its kinda comforting that it can be done, but i wouldn't feel particularly good about doing it...GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

I've got friends and relatives applying for the first time and it is definitely taking the full time frame to get them done. Three applied in December and theirs ranged from 9 weeks 6 days to 10 weeks 5 days from the date they mailed them in. The mail in time doesn't count towards the 8-11 week processing time for normal applications. We're still waiting on one that wasn't sent in until January. From the times above we're figuring the first or second week of April for it and we sail 6 weeks from today. Cutting it too close for my comfort on that one.

The Post Office on the Air Force Academy, always has a long line of applicants. I was there for stamps (fortunately a separate line) and asked, "where is everyone going?" One quick witted character in line said, "Iowa"! Everyone laughed, it was great! Good luck to those applying.