Cruise Question Of the Day

DebbieandJerry · May 12, 2008

That was fun ..Now on to..
Todays Question:

Thinking back (if you can) whose "idea" was it to take your first cruise?

Playing catch up on the weekend questions...

Our first cruise was a 4-day "teaser" leaving LA to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. I was in an aerobic dance class and one of the ladies had a flyer offering this cruise (air included) over Valentines weekend for $400 per couple (TOTAL). I brought the flyer home and paid the $400 at the next class.

About 2 weeks before sailing, the cruise T.A. contacted me and told me I owed more money. Evidently, the $400 was based on xxx number of people and my husband and I were the only people that took advantage of this vacation. I wrote back to the president of the company stating that the flyer never mentioned a minumum number of passengers. Needless to say, we got a very good deal on our first cruise (and we won more than $400 in the casino!) WE WERE HOOKED ON CRUISING!

DebbieandJerry · May 12, 2008

My husband must have needed a passport in the military, right? So, I'm guessing that he got his first one in the early 70's.

If he didn't need one then, we both got our passport summer of 2005 when the U.S. government said that we would need passports to travel on a cruise ship. Our December 2005 cruise in Hawaii included Fanning Island and NCL said we would need a passport.

So, here we have been travelling with the darn thing for almost 3 years and NOT ONE country would stamp it. They never even looked at it.

deb1220 · May 12, 2008

That was fun ..Now on to..
Todays Question:

Thinking back (if you can) whose "idea" was it to take your first cruise?

It was definitely my idea. It was like pulling teeth to get the DH to comply but once he did and went on that first cruise, he was hooked!!

deb1220 · May 12, 2008

Todays Question....
What year did you get your passport?

We got our passports in 2002 just before our 2nd cruise. At that time it wasn't required for cruising but we noticed how it made "things" much easier if you had one.

JoeyandDavid · May 12, 2008

Joey, you need to clarify the question. I got my first passport in 1960, my current renewal (I've never let it lapse) in 2004. Do you mean first passport or current passport?

In your case First.. but i always thought...as long as you renew.. it's still your first right? you only get one passport.. they keep renewing it..it may change design it..they may change color.. but the records indicate when you got your passport ?? no??

rogue · May 12, 2008

We got ours in 2004, before our 1st Alaska cruise. We also thought that it would be lots easier travelling with just a passport.

JoeyandDavid · May 12, 2008

we got ours also in 2004......august... :biggrin:

We too thought it would for ease of traveling as we knew we would do europe..

sailingrose · May 12, 2008

Got ours in 2002 also. Just didn't want to carry birth certificates around anymore. We got each of our kids one as they turned 16.

55ChevyLady · May 12, 2008

Todays Question....
What year did you get your passport?

We got ours last Oct. for our cruise. It was so exciting. Our TA said we didn't need them, but I told her I would have to have a passport if I had to fly back for any reason because of my parents....She wasn't on top of her responsibilities and she is no longer my TA.....she knew all about my obligations with my parents. I think she was just trying to sell me on the trip and show me the cheapest bottom line price.

This is the best part. I had heard all the stories about how long it took to get passports back in the mail and since our cruise was only about 3 months away I was nervous, but anyway we sent off our paperwork at the P.O on a Friday and got the passports back the following Thursday! There was a guy in line in front of us who did the "fast" service, I wondered if he got his back any faster than we did :laugh:

Sail on,

Andrea

Joanandjoe · May 12, 2008

Joey, you need to clarify the question. I got my first passport in 1960, my current renewal (I've never let it lapse) in 2004. Do you mean first passport or current passport?

In your case First.. but i always thought...as long as you renew.. it's still your first right? you only get one passport.. they keep renewing it..it may change design it..they may change color.. but the records indicate when you got your passport ?? no??

No. Actually, there's nothing obvious in a passport to indicate that you had prior passports. It wouldn't surprise me if there were some hidden code that had that information.

My parents took my brother and me to Europe in 1960, when I was 15. Passports then (and still for minors) were for 5 years, and we renewed five years later even though we had no trip planned. That became the norm: renew when a passport has six months left, even if there's no trip planned. (Most countries won't accept a passport with less tha six months before expiration.) There certainly is no dearth of stamps in my passports, past or present.