It was a slow news week this week, we had just one story - Carnival announced the details of the 2008 Wild Winners Cruises.
We spent the rest of the show talking about passport and passport card issues. From what you will and won’t be able to use a passport card for, to how to get your passport and passport card.
While we have a lot of great information in this show about passports and passport cards, you will always find the best and most up to date information at the US State Department’s foreign travel website located at travel.state.gov
Now that you’re going to get your passport how about collecting some stamps by taking advantage of a great deal on a Carnival Splendor sailing in the Med this July.
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Filed under: Podcast, Travel Advisories Posted by Michael on 01/26/08
With the “gradual” implementation of the passport requirements called for as part of the WHTI you have either already discovered or will soon discover how expensive passport photos are considering what you actually get for your money. For anywhere from $8 to $17 you get the tiny little head shot that may be less than flattering if it’s even in focus at all. Heck, we’re a little ashamed to admit that we paid $16 for a passport sized ID photo last year and we’ve seen places that charge even more.
Now, if you read through the travel.state.gov site you’ll discover that you can supply a photo you’ve taken as long as it meets the following requirements (remember you need to supply two photos)-
- 2×2 inches in size
- Identical
- Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
- Color
- Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
- Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
- Taken in normal street attire
- Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily.
- Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline.
- If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture.
- Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.
For the most part all of the requirements are easy to meet, although there are a few bits that may be a little daunting like getting the head in the picture to be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches. However the good folks at The Consumerist (which I might add is a place that we hope never has a reason to write badly about us 
) have pointed us to this post on Money, Matter and More Musings which tells you just how you can take your own passport photos that meet all of the above requirements.
First, get yourself a white cloth to use as a backdrop and select a well lit area and take your pictures. Now YOU can select the best photos. Head over to ePassportPhoto and upload your pictures, this free service lets you crop your photos and will automatically resize them to the correct size. If you have a good photo printer and photo paper you can print out the pictures yourself. Don’t have a photo printer, then take (or send) your photos to Target, Costco or a similar store that will print digital pictures and get your passport photos printed out. Even if you have to buy the backdrop and pay to get the pictures printed out taking your own passport pictures could cost you as little as 25% of what many places charge for passport and ID photos…
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Travel Advisories Posted by Michael on 01/21/08
From the US State Department’s travel website:
U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for the new U.S. Passport Card beginning February 1, 2008, 
in anticipation of land border travel document requirements. We expect cards will be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008.
The passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The card may not be used to travel by air. It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards.
The Department of State is issuing this passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book. The card will have the same validity period as a passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for children 15 and younger. For adults who already have a passport book, they may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20. First-time applicants will pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children.
To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet DHS’s operational needs at land borders, the passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. This chip will link the card to a stored record in secure government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: General News, Travel Advisories Posted by Michael on 01/13/08
Hey look a new show! 
It had always been our intention to record a show last week. Unfortunately we were hit by an illness just hours before our normal recording time, and things didn’t get back to normal until almost mid-week.
To make up for missing last week - we offer you two shows this week. As the new year started the was quite a bit of news in the cruise industry and we thought there was too much to just do one show. Even so there were several stories that we posted on the site that didn’t make it in to the show.
Some of the stories we talked about this week -
New check in policies coming - Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara and NCL have announced their changes, other lines to announce changes over the next month. Bottom line- by February 19 all cruise lines will require you to be checked in for your cruise at least 60 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.
Carnival has announced new minimum ages and has revised their policy regarding pregnant passengers.
Crystal is tighten their smoking rules, and Disney is introducing a new show on Disney Wonder.
Royal Caribbean has a new show coming to Explorer of The Seas, and they will have trans-fats removed from their ships over the course of the next few weeks. They’ve also renewed their operating agreement with the Port of Galveston.
Also SeaSocks folks should start watching their mailboxes for their invoices - they should be arriving later this week.
No Deal of The Week this week, but we expect that it will be back for next week.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Carnival Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Podcast, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Travel Advisories Posted by Michael on 11/18/07
Unfortunately this post may also need a subhead of “When Good Cruiselines Go Bad.”
The latest update on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises is not promising. The line, which had hoped to resume operations with one ship by the middle of last month has instead canceled sailings until at least December 8. Windjammer is hoping to resume sailing Legacy - and use the profits from Legacy to resume sailing it’s three other ships in the Spring of 2008.
Before Legacy can return to service, Trinidad’s Maritime Services Division must first conduct an audit of Windjammer’s management company - and that audit has not taken place yet.
While the line vows to process refunds for those affected quickly, some would be Windjammer clients are being told that they might not see refunds until April. Adding to the trouble is a lawsuit filed by credit card processor NCMIC who is looking to be reimbursed for chargebacks from customers seeking refunds from canceled sailings. The lawsuit alleges that Windjammer is continuing to sell cruises but is unable to provide those cruises.
Also of concern is that Windjammer’s website (which was down when we posted our update in October) makes no mention of the line’s financial difficulties, legal troubles, or even that sailings have been canceled. The site is still accepting bookings - with payment via PayPal…
We recognize that Windjammer needs to take in deposits in order to have any hope of restarting operations, but if you’re considering a booking with the line we STRONGLY advise that you look in to third party travel insurance in the event that Windjammer is unable to return their fleet to operation.
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