edspassport

What I would like to talk about today is passports. This is a very important topic and something everyone should keep up on. The U.S.government will require all travelers, including U.S. citizens to have a valid passport when traveling. Effective January 8, 2007, passports will be required for air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda. This is a very important new requirement for cruise guests traveling by air to embark or debark in Vancouver from Alaska or Hawaii cruises. This new requirement will also impact our dear Canadian friends who travel by air to or from any U.S. embarkation ports. This requirement will also become effective no later then June 1, 2009 for all travelers, including U.S. citizens who take a cruise. Please be aware that this effective date may be moved to an earlier date pending the U.S. Governments implementation of the law. All guests must present the required documentation at embarkation. Guests without proper documentation will be denied boarding and the cruiselines will not issue a refund. Currently U.S. citizens must present proof of citizenship in the form of a valid passport, or an original birth certificate, state issued copy of a birth certificate, original naturalization papers and a government issued photo ID. I strongly recommend that you get and travel with a passport since it will greatly expedite clearance by the Department of Homeland Security. Even though you can cruise now, without a valid passport there is a catch in the system. If you leave on a cruise using a birth certificate and picture ID, the only legal way to return to the U.S. is on a cruiseship. So if you miss embarkation to the ship you will need a passport to fly to the next port to catch the ship again or if for any reason you need to interrupt your cruise you would not be allowed to fly back to the U.S. without a valid passport.

Oh one more thing before I go for today. Another tip to make travel easier. You should be aware that when traveling with a minor and both legal guardians are not cruising, I strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This to will help expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking in Mexico. In addition to the above requirements, all guests 16 years of age or older must have an official government issued ID.