The Question of Passports

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The Question of Passports

by Karen Saltarelli, Travel Advisor, Salty Breeze Cruise Planners

 

Why do approximately 70% of Americans not have a Passport yet?  Yes, most cruise lines are still letting you cruise without a passport (providing you have their other two accepted forms of identification) but what if you get a fabulous chance to go on a vacation that is not a cruise?  What if you leave by cruise ship and something happens that you cannot return by cruise ship?

 

Here are my reasons to have a passport:

 

1)  Really – you have no choice! Well that is unless you want to remain within the United States borders all your life. If you want to leave the USA and return to the USA legally, you must have a Passport.

 

2)  Will a Passport ever become a requirement for those cruises you are sneaking away on with a Driver’s License and Birth Certificate? I don’t know the answer to that but every Cruise Line makes it very clear to all guests on Booking Documentation that they highly recommend you travel with a Passport. They underline, use red ink and highlight those words for a reason.

 

3)  A Passport is your Golden Pass to the world beyond the USA and Caribbean.  There are some amazing sights to see in the world and some as close as seeing Vancouver and the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  Relive the book Eat, Pray, Love in Tuscany, Italy. Visit the wine vineyards of Portugal or take your Gramps to the beaches of Normandy. It is a much smaller world than it was a few years ago and foreign travel is more affordable than ever. So be ready for when your opportunity comes by having a Passport and Bookmarking your land and sea travel specialists www.saltybreezecruiseplanners.com.

 

4)  It is World Wide accepted form of Identification that can be used while traveling anywhere. 

 

5)  Back to the “I don’t need a Passport to Cruise” traveler -- so, what if you go on a cruise but you have a heart attack or break a leg diving while in Antiqua or Cozumel. Now the law is that you must return to the USA via the same method of transport as you departed the USA.  Sorry the cruise ship will not wait for you.  Returning from a foreign country by airplane without a Passport is going to require a lot of red tape, time & quite possibly expenses to get you back into the USA. 

 

Remember, plan ahead. Don’t apply for a Passport two weeks before your trip unless you plan to use a expediting service.  Even paying for expediting to the government will not guarantee you will receive the Passport in time.  Typically it takes 2 – 6 weeks to receive a Passport.  Go online and research what documents are required for your Passport Application and have all your documents ready before doing so. 

 

If you require expedited Passport or Visa service due to emergency travel or complications with documentation, Cruise Planners does partner with American Passport Now. http://cruiseplanners.americanpassportnow.com/index.php

 

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