You are paying for a service. If you need quick turnaround (for whatever reason) and you don't live near a regional passport agency, you can pay someone to go for you.

So, if you live near Boston, Chicago, Aurora, Connecticut, Honolulu, Houston, LA, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philly, SF, Seattle or DC you can just call and get an appointment to walk in. If you don't, the service fee is usually cheaper than the airline tix and the time off work (before a vacation) to fly to a Passport Center.

For everyone that I've known that has used one, the service fees were a fraction of the costs that would be forfeited if they didn't make the flight and missed their vacation.

I filed for expedited service for a renewal in the beginning of March. I got my passport on Saturday. It sounds like 3-4 weeks is what expedited is taking.

Mah1980 is correct, I believe for cruises to Bermuda at least...you don't need a passport if you are arriving by cruiseship. But whether your parents need a passport or not does depend on where you are going.

Thanks for everyone's input. The .gov website wasn't really clear on what was needed or required at this time, I could tell what was might be happening on January 1st, 2008 but it would be nice if it told you what you needed to know today ;)

I did some more research today based on the board ideas and found that if the cruise leaves a port in the US and returns to a US port, you can use a certified birth certificate and a photo id such as a drivers license.

My parents have decided to apply for expedited passports since it makes travelling that much easier. Since they will have to mail in their birth certificates they are going to obtain new certified copies of their birth certificates since those appear to only take 5-7 days to turn around a rush request.

Hopefully they will get their passports in time, I have found it is a thousand times easier for the embark/disembark process to have one. My husband and I would get off the ship in a matter of minutes as opposed to groups of people who had gotten off an hour before us that were still standing in the customs line. It makes a HUGE difference. I guess that will all change at the beginning of next year......

UPDATE: I thought everyone would find this interesting....my parents recieved their passports today in the mail, I am impressed. With the expedited service done directly at the post office it took only 10 days for them to recieve them in the mail today. Hopefully this will inspire others who need passports asap to get them expedited, it worked for them. I was also impressed with the clerks offices in each of their counties of birth. They sent their requests and payment via fax on Thursday after I made the initial post. My mom had her certified birth certificate waiting in the mail for her Saturday morning and my father's was in by the following Wednesday.

Thanks for everyones input and ideas!

I received my passport today in the mail. They had received my renewal application on March 22nd. I had requested routine handling at the time, which was a big mistake.
After many phone calls, hours on hold, and being given different answers, I was able to request "expedited" handling and gave my Visa card number to the clerk over the phone. I also had called my congressman who had a contact at the passport office and also requested expedited handling for me.

It took 3 weeks for my application to show up on line. I requested the expedited handling on April 11th. The tracking page said I would receive my passport within 4 weeks from the date I applied. Two days later it said my passport had been processed and I should get it by 4-21.

I received it today April 18th, exactly 4 WEEKS after they received my application.
My advice is to pay for the expedited handling, just to be safe :-)
Karina

Noting the great time advantage of the Expedited service (3-4 weeks vs 10-infinity ...), one has to wonder: if more and more people opt for Expedited ($127 + delivery vs. $67, or essentially a 100% increase in cost), will the expedited service also slow down? Meanwhile, does every expedited order push a normal request further back? It seems to me that $67 is not exactly small change, and that the Expedited service option creates yet another tiered program favoring anyone with 3 more twenties to spare. When it becomes "negligent" on a traveler's part to apply for a passport 8 weeks in advance of travel - now 12 weeks may be cutting it close - isn't it time for some action? Protests? Or should applications be accompanied by a box of cookies?


Reading posts on this and other threads, it begins to feel like we're watching a movie about a country where bribes and payoffs are required for those "travel papers" ...

"Professional expediters" add another tier of service for those with yet more $ available. Desperate travelers spend days and more money rushing to government offices with their documents in hand, praying they'll be able to board that last plane. Some receive their delivery moments before leaving for the airport. Some don't make it! Planes and ships leave without them! Children stand confused at the gate as their mothers weep! The bride leaves on the honeymoon alone, the groom waiting still for the FedEx delivery.

If there ever was an incentive to "see America first" ...

Recently did this (back in Feb/March). My renewal took 6 weeks and a few days. My parents both got first time ones and theirs took 6 weeks. I don't know why mine took a few days longer when it was just a renewal!

Oh well, we are all set now. :)

Amelie, do you mind saying what state you're in, or where you sent your renewal? With everyone here saying it's taking 10-12 weeks right now, it would be interesting to know.

Ohio

Thanks.

Don't undestand why it is taking so long to get our passport renewed. The State Dept cashed the check in 2 days and they say the wait is 10 weeks!! Something is definitely wrong here.

My grand-daughter applied at local post ofice On April20th and received her expedited passport May 1st. It was a first for her and we live near San Francisco...

I live near Los Angeles. Can I
go there and just drop off the
pp and application? Would that
save any time.
I know you can't get an appt unless
you arfe within 2 weeks of travel.

For anyone not considering expedited, my daughters finally arrived yesterday after 14 weeks.

I called Lot A/L today. I was on hold
so long' I acually forgot who I waiting
for. Good thing I have the 99centStore
card.
We aren't flying on that a/l but the
agent looked in his computer and it
shows that our pp has to be valid for
dates of travel.
Sooooooooo do we take a chance?at