It’s Time for Your US PASSPORT!

Did anyone check my Asia to Alaska Timeline I placed on the blog? Well if you did, you would see that I had noted for your action list for September is to handle your US Passport needs. I know this may seem a bit early. But I agree with our experienced travel agent, Alex that since this is such a crucial piece of travel document, early is better. To help guide you further I have highlighted the US Passport Checklist that Independent Traveler provided. Please double check the fee as I did not verify with the actual US Department of State for the current fee. And finally, be sure that your expiration date on your passport is valid for at least 6 month prior to your return date to the States. The check list is noted below and if you would like to read the full article I have provided the following link address : 

Passport Applications and Forms

http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/passports-and-international-travel/passport-applications-and-forms

US Passport Checklist

First-Time Passport Applications (Adults Age 16 and Up)

Form DS-11

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Proof of U.S. citizenship or nationality (such as a certified birth certificate)

Proof of identity (such as a driver's license) and a photocopy of that ID

Application fee ($135)

First-Time Passport Applications (Minors Under 16)

Form DS-11

Form DS-3053 (necessary if only one parent is appearing with the child at time of application)

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Proof of child's U.S. citizenship (such as a certified birth certificate)

Proof of adult's relationship to child (birth certificate may suffice)

Proof of adult's identity (such as a passport or driver's license) and a photocopy of that ID

Application fee ($105)

Passport Renewals (Adults Age 16 and Up)

Form DS-82

Existing U.S. passport

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Renewal fee ($110)

Passport Renewals (Minors Under 16)

Form DS-11

Form DS-3053 (necessary if only one parent is appearing with the child at time of application)

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Proof of child's citizenship (such as a certified birth certificate)

Proof of adult's relationship to child (birth certificate may suffice)

Proof of adult's identity (such as a passport or driver's license) and a photocopy of that ID

Application fee ($105)

Passport Card (Adults Age 16 and Up)

Form DS-11 OR

Form DS-82 (if you previously had a regular passport and are applying for the passport card as a renewal)

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Proof of U.S. citizenship or nationality (such as a certified birth certificate)

Proof of identity (such as a driver's license) and a photocopy of that ID

Application fee ($55 for first-time applicants, $30 for those who already have a passport book and are applying for the card as a passport renewal)

Passport Card (Minors Under 16)

Form DS-11

Form DS-3053 (necessary if only one parent is appearing with the child at time of application)

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Proof of child's U.S. citizenship (such as a certified birth certificate)

Proof of adult's relationship to child (birth certificate may suffice)

Proof of adult's identity (such as a passport or driver's license) and a photocopy of that ID

Application fee ($40)

Name Changes

Form DS-5504

Current U.S. passport

Certified copy of document specifying name change

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Renewal fee ($110) if you've had your passport longer than one year or if your name was changed for any reason other than marriage or court order

Lost or Stolen Passports

Form DS-11

Form DS-64

One 2x2 inch color photo, taken within the past six months

Proof of U.S. citizenship or nationality (such as a certified birth certificate)

Proof of identity (such as a driver's license) and a photocopy of that ID

Application fee ($135 for ages 16 and up, $105 for children under 16)

Additional Visa Pages

Form DS-4085

Current U.S. passport

Fee ($82)

Photo provided by Flickr:Rakka

INFO shared by Karen!

It seems two heads are better than one? I may not be the only one who has conflicting information from time to time. Fellow Cruiser, Karen has pointed out to me that in her cruise information with Princess, there are two different set of conflicting times.  Below is the information Karen shared with me. My recommendation is to allow the maximum of time so at least you can be sure not to miss any scheduled departure time whether it be the ship or your plane ride home. Remember, the distance between the ship’s port  and the airport is quite a lot....

Bangkok City Center to Port - 2 hours driving time
Bangkok Airport to Laem Chabang Port - 1/1/2 hours drive
Princess’ recommendation for airport to port - 3.5 hrs
Tianijin to Beijing Airport - 150 miles
Whittier to Anchorage Alaska Airport - 65 miles 

Comment below from Karen: 
“This is what I was talking about when I said Princess might have 2 different sets of times that people can arrive and depart at the embarkation and disembarkation ports. It's on the EZAir portion of the Cruise Personalizer, in the same spot you can book excursions and other services. If someone is using the EZAir option this is what they see when they click that link.

It appears that Princess shows 2 different sets of times because I see the Notification information you are quoting as well. I'm not sure they know this, but it maybe something Alex will want to verify it with them.

Or it's highly possible I'm not understanding their information correctly. Sometimes I'm a putz, as Roger would say.

One other item that I'm not sure how important it is, but Princess likes people to provide their independent flight information. I think they use that to be sure people are disembarked at the best time for them to get to their flights and that determines the color of the luggage tags they give you at the end. It may not be essential, but they do have a place to fill that out on the Cruise Personalizer as well. Following are the timelines Karen has on her Princess EZAir portion of the Cruise Personalizer."

Embarkation Bangkok Thailand

You must arrive no later than 11:59 PM on April 12, 2013 for embarkation

Disembarkation Whittier Alaska

You must depart no earlier than 03:30 PM on May 18, 2013 for disembarkation