As part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, all travellers entering the United States by air or by sea were required to have a valid passport by January 8, 2007. The original requirement called for passports by January 1, 2007 however a short delay had been granted in August to accomodate the busy holiday travel season.
Thanks to the Stevens-Leahy Amendment to the 2007 Homeland Secruity Appropriations Bill thing just got a bit more complicated.
For travellers entering the US via sea, passports will be required NO LATER THAN June 1, 2009. Passports for air travelers will still be required this January.
What this means for you the cruiser: If you enter the US via a cruise ship that has visited a foreign port, you do not need to passport to enter the US.
If your cruise ship voyage ends outside the US regardless of where it originated from, and you must fly back to the US, you WILL be required to have a valid passport to enter the US.
This information is brand new, and the US State Department’s website travel.state.gov has not been updated to reflect the new requirements. We expect the site to be updated to reflect the new rules soon.
The reason behind the regulation change is to allow the government to develop an economical alternative to passports called the PASScard. Considering that a passport will now cost you $97 we can understand why there might be a push to implement something that isn’t quite so expensive. While a final prices hasn’t been decided, it’s looking like a PASScard will cost around $50 and only be valid for 5 years as opposed to the 10 years a passport is valid for.
The key piece of information though is that passports will STILL be required for travelers entering the US by plane.
For information about obtaining a passport be sure to visit the US State Department’s website. Again we expect the site to be updated soon with the new passport requirements.
Four astonishing and in-depth views of the world – each offering the experience of a lifetime!
Starting on October 2, 2006 Holland America will start accepting reservations for all 2008 Grand Voyages. 2007 Grand World Voyage guests with stateroom assignments can call in to book their same stateroom for the 2008 Grand World Voyage from October 2-13, 2006. 2007 guests with stateroom guarantees or those desiring a different stateroom on the 2008 Grand World Voyage will be able to call in on October 17 and 18, 2006 for best stateroom available. Starting on October 19, 2006 any guests not sailing on the 2007 Grand World Voyage who are requesting the 2008 Grand World Voyage can call in to select from remaining availability. Book by January 31, 2007 or October 31, 2007 for the Grand Asia & Australia voyage and receive early booking bonuses on select categories such as complimentary air, shipboard credit, prepaid gratuities and much more! Full details are coming soon!
View all the details by clicking on “more”
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 will visit Newark’s Cape Liberty cruise port on Saturday as the ship ends its current Trans-Atlantic voyage. This will be a busy Saturday for the New York area cruise ports. Both the Manhattan and Brooklyn terminals will be at capacity forcing Queen Mary 2 to visit Cape Liberty instead of Brooklyn.
QM2 will be joined in Cape Liberty by Celebrity’s Zenith which will be turning around for a Bermuda sailing. While the port has handled two ships at the same time in the past, this will be the first time that Cape Liberty will handle two turn arounds on the same day.
QM2 will depart Saturday night for a Fall foliage cruise to Canada and New England returning on October 12 to Cape Liberty to disembark her passengers. Once all passengers have disembarked on the 12th, the ship will sail empty to Brooklyn to embark passengers for another Fall foliage cruise.
To celebrate the return of “Fun Ship” cruising from New Orleans this fall, Carnival Cruise Lines is offering four and five-day Mexico voyages on the SuperLiner Fantasy starting at just $279 per person.
The Fantasy’s new schedule from New Orleans begins Oct. 26, 2006, and encompasses four-day cruises to Cozumel departing Thursdays and five-day cruises to Cozumel and Costa Maya departing Mondays and Saturdays.
Pre- and post-cruise land stays providing guests opportunities to experience New Orleans’ legendary cuisine, entertainment and nightlife are also available.
“We’re very excited to bring ‘Fun Ship’ cruising back to New Orleans, one of America’s truly great cities, and also what has historically been one of our most popular homeports,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO.
The namesake vessel in Carnival’s “Fantasy-class,” the 2,056-passenger SuperLiner offers a variety of on-board amenities, including three restaurants, three swimming pools, a jogging track, a cascading water slide, and a 12,000-square-foot spa.
Also featured is an Internet café, including Wi-Fi access in a variety of public rooms and areas, as well as cellular phone service. “Camp Carnival” and “Club O2,” offering supervised activities and expansive facilities for children and teens, respectively, are available, as well.
A variety of shore excursion opportunities, everything from scuba diving, deep-sea fishing and snorkeling to golfing, kayaking and Mayan ruins tours, are available during port calls in Cozumel and Costa Maya.
In addition to four- and five-day cruises aboard the Fantasy, Carnival will launch seven-day Caribbean cruises from New Orleans aboard the Carnival Triumph beginning September 2, 2007. Prices for these week-long cruises begin at $429 per person.
Carnival will be the only cruise line to operate two ships year-round from New Orleans. Together, the Fantasy and Carnival Triumph are expected to carry some 320,000 guests annually from New Orleans.
Carnival is currently accepting reservations for all of its various New Orleans departures. Visit Cruise Planners for more information about Carnival’s New Orleans’ departures or call us at 888-286-9827 to make your reservations.
Crystal Cruises’ business class air and luxury cruise savings provide sweet incentives to travel in luxury to Europe in 2007.
Penthouse and Stateroom savings:
Book by October 31 and save 5% off Penthouse accommodations or 10% off all other stateroom categories on any one of four European cruises with Crystal Cruises in 2007. Travelers can choose from a May 1 cruise from London to Rome, a May 25 cruise from Istanbul to Venice, a May 31 cruise from Rome to London, or an August 9 voyage from Copenhagen to London aboard Crystal Symphony or Crystal Serenity, depending on the cruise departure. Fares start at $3,505 per person based on double occupancy accommodations for a 10-day cruise. Average savings translate to $800-$1200 per couple.
Getting there:
Crystal Cruises is also introducing reduced business class air upgrade fares with all 2007 European and Trans-Atlantic cruises booked by March 31, 2007. Representing approximately 50% lower than unrestricted business class airfares to Europe, for only $999, one way, guests can upgrade from Crystal Cruises’ air/sea coach fares to business class. The air upgrade is available from 20 western, central and eastern gateways in the U.S. and Canada in conjunction with more than two dozen European cruises. In 2007, Crystal Cruises’ seven-, 10-, 11-, 12- and 14-day European cruises depart from Rome, London, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Venice, Athens, Lisbon and Toulon in the south of France.
To take advantage of these special savings, call us at 888-286-9827.
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