Passports

[Imalismom]

I just got this in email, and did not know this, so passing along to you....


Will your passport be valid for six months after you return home?

If your answer is no you must renew your passport before your trip. Most countries will not allow you to enter unless your passport is valid for six month after your return date. Airlines, cruise lines and/or their check-in and gate agents are subject to hefty fines for allowing you to board a flight or cruise without required credentials.

Countries require the six month grace period to cover any unforeseen occurrences while traveling. Accidents or illnesses that might delay your return by a few days or weeks are more common than you might think. Though extremely rare, a legal issue (say, an arrest) abroad might detain you as well, hopefully for a period well short of the six months, if at all.

It's always best that you leave nothing to chance. So just do it! Renew your passport a full year or more before expiration. You never know when that unexpected opportunity to travel might arise..

[VWL Mom]

That's interesting, learn something new every day.

[IMADisneyFreak]

I am kicking around the idea of a Disney Cruise and I have never visited this area of the message board before now, so I am curious about passports. It is something I never considered but should we get passports for a Disney Cruise?? Thanks for any advice you can give, especially if this topic has been covered many times before!!

:thumbsup:

[BrerGnat]

I am kicking around the idea of a Disney Cruise and I have never visited this area of the message board before now, so I am curious about passports. It is something I never considered but should we get passports for a Disney Cruise?? Thanks for any advice you can give, especially if this topic has been covered many times before!!

:thumbsup:

In short, yes you should. Bottom line is, every Disney cruise visits at least one foreign port. *IF* you end up hurting yourself or getting sick, either in port or at sea, and you require extensive medical care, and end up hospitalized in a foreign country, you cannot come back to the USA by air without a passport. I mean, you can, but it requires visiting the embassy to obtain an emergency passport. It is a pain to deal with at a time when you really don't need any more stress.

People slip and fall and break bones on cruise ships. People get sick, have heart attacks, etc.

A passport is good insurance. We did our first cruise without them and I was nervous the whole time. We got them before our second cruise.

[IMADisneyFreak]

That makes sense, thanks for the heads up and the quick response! I will look into getting passports if we decide that a Disney Cruise is something we want to try. We are veterans of going to Disney World but we thought we would try something new the next time we go! :mickey: