I have received mixed answers from people-we are going on a Carnival Carribean Cruise this coming December 9-14th, do I need a passport, or is that rule not start until January 2007? Thanks

Effective Jan. but personally, it is best to have one and why wait? unless you do not plan to travel again.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

My problem I am having is that I am in the process of changing my name, I was just married last weekend. That will take awhile, and then when that is done I have to apply for a passport. I am just worried I will run out of time. For some reason the county I live in is telling me the whole process will probably be completed in about 12 weeks, and I dont have enough time.

The latest I heard new passport requirements start January 08, 2007. You'll be O.K. with birth certificate.

Check with your cruiseline, though - we were told cruiseline required passport for cruise a year ago,k even though one was not required for the destination.

The passport rules were supposed to change for 2006 but did not. It is not the cruise lines but US Immigation who determines what is acceptable identification.

If you get a passort in oyur maiden name, you can have it amended for a small fee and continue to use it. I did this ten years ago with no problem and got mine renewed with my current name a few months ago.

Acutally the rules for name changes are a little different these days.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri...eName_851.html

In case anyone else comes across this posting... as of 11-1-2006 the government has updated again and now you will NOT be required to have the passport for sea travel until Jan of 2008. I wish they would stick with one date and stop extending... it makes it more confusing.

But ALWAYS go their website (someone listed it below) and get the latest info.

Got this email Tuesday from a cruise site. Makes sense to just get it now and forget the worrying. Makes a good point that if you miss the ship and need to fly to the first port, you would need a passport anyway.

<font color="blue"> The new deadline to have a passport for land border crossings and sea travel is June 1, 2009, though Congress left itself lots of wiggle room and could actually move the deadline up under some circumstances, to early 2008. The deadline for air travel remained the same--January 8, 2007.

At the current time, cruise lines that sail roundtrip from U.S. ports to any of these destinations say they will continue to accept a certified birth certificate and government-issued I.D. (such as a driver's license) from citizens of the U.S. and Canada for 2007 departures, in lieu of a passport. However, many cruise lines--including Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America--strongly suggest that guests obtain a passport anyway, and here's why.

Guests who cruise after January 8, 2007, and need to fly to or from the United States unexpectedly will likely experience significant delays and complications related to booking airline tickets and entering the United States if they do not have a valid passport with them. For example, a passenger missing a cruise departure due to a late inbound flight to Miami would need a passport to fly to meet the ship at the next port. Similarly, guests needing to fly to the U.S. or Canada (via the U.S.) before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, or a mechanical problem of some sort with the ship, would need a passport.

Of course, situations like these are extremely rare, but they can happen, which is why I also recommend passports for cruises starting in 2007.
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