We're renewing our passport. Questions?

[luvthis]

We are renewing our passports for our upcoming cruise in mid-April. In order to do so, we must send in our current passports (expire in August, 2007) with updated pictures and payment. We meet the requirements in order to just renew passports using our current ones.

 

However, we do have a few questions that I'm hoping my cruise critic friends can help us with.

 

Will our original passports be returned with the new ones? If we mail everything sometime next week (2/12-2/16/07) can we be assured that the renewed passports will be back in our possession in plenty of time for our April 19, 2007 departure? Part of me thinks our current passports will be fine, since they don't expire until August, 2007 but I have read that Princess wants passports with at least a 6 month window beyond the sailing date that they expire. I have registered on-line our current passport numbers but wonder if the new ones will get to us in time for me to edit & update our pre-boarding information with the latest passport information to expedite check-in at the dock.

 

I am planning on mailing everything with a "signature required" status from the post office. Do you think that is adaquate or should we pay the extra $60. for expedited processing, too? I hate to spend that kind of money unnecessarily, ya know?

 

Any feedback, experience, or pointers would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

--Jean

[eyzwdeshut]

i got my passport done late December & had it expedited. At the post office they said if you had anything less than 8 wks it needed to be done that way. if you have 8 weeks i would think you have enough time to get it back. Also, I got my original passport back this time (with a "void" hole punched in it). When i was a teenager & got the "adult" passport off that, they didn't send the old one back.