Passports

[seeker242]

You can get a passport in one day....it'll cost you $500 and about five hours sitting around waiting, but it's possible. All of my renewals have taken less than 2 weeks from sent till return.

Cost me $170 and 2 hrs.

How helpful is the “TSA Pre-Check” ? I’m not sure if it is worth the cost and hassle to get interviewed, but my daughter has it, and it did short cut a long line at the Airport going to St.Croix, although it did not on return flight. Anyone else have experience using it?

It really depends on what airports you fly and when. If you typically fly out of busy airports at busy times, totally worth it. Although, I find Global Entry, which includes TSA Pre-Check, to be better. Cut lines both leaving and returning. The rentry in Miami is sometimes ridiculous. I go past in like 5 minutes.

 

[Bubblesong]

^ ILuckily the Lion's Mane Jellyfish in your neck of the woods is a "nuisance" stinger. Not particularly dangerous unless you are diving and get entangled. Then you might drown due to being surprised by the stings.

@Blueringocto_73
I had heard of Lion’s Main in the Sherlock Holmes story, and for decades thought it was deadly, then re-read old story and realized it was that Sherlock Holmes victim had a heart condition too.
@seeker242 As for passports and global entry, that sounds like the very thing, as the cheapest airfares are from the busiest airports.

 

[flyboy08]

How helpful is the “TSA Pre-Check” ? I’m not sure if it is worth the cost and hassle to get interviewed, but my daughter has it, and it did short cut a long line at the Airport going to St.Croix, although it did not on return flight. Anyone else have experience using it?

Regarding pages in passport, we had to pay extra, and send in passport book too, for more pages when it was full, 20+ years ago, but since then, we barely have any stamps because we cross the borders don’t seem to stamp as much. We have had to ask, and in Bermuda this meant a trip to the import/export office.

While on subject of stamps, what is the coolest passport book stamp you’ve seen? They seem to be very boring these days, while in the past we got some more decorative passport stamps.

Stamps are boring....Visa's are cool

And I would never travel without Global Pass! Last trip back in I was through immigrations and customs in 2 minutes and on the curb! And this was at JFK!

 

[Snoweman]

10 years is standard issue? You could have paid a bit more for more pages though.

I don't think the USA prints ones with more pages anymore. They won't thread in new pages for a "full" passport. I think my renewal was just before they instituted this new policy (and I paid for the extra pages).

EDIT: I just checked and they are still allowing the choice of a 28 page or 52 page book.

 

[flyboy08]

I don't think the USA prints ones with more pages anymore. They won't thread in new pages for a "full" passport. I think my renewal was just before they instituted this new policy (and I paid for the extra pages).

I just renewed last month with the Big Mac book!

 

[Snoweman]

I just renewed last month with the Big Mac book!

Yup. I checked and edited my post.

 

[KeithG]

How helpful is the “TSA Pre-Check” ? I’m not sure if it is worth the cost and hassle to get interviewed, but my daughter has it, and it did short cut a long line at the Airport going to St.Croix, although it did not on return flight. Anyone else have experience using it?

s.

TSA Pre check only works for getting on planes controlled by the TSA. So it does not help when returning home from another country.

PreCheck may or may not put you in a shorter security line. It will allow you to keep your shoes on.

We have been in airports were there was only 1 security line so PreCheck was not faster. We have been in airports were the PreCheck security line was longer than the non PreCheck line.

PreCheck is good, but not good enough. Global Entry is what is worth it.

Global Entry also includes preclearance for Immigration. So it helps going and coming as you get to skip immigration lines when arriving home.

We have Nexus which is the Canadian version of Global Entry which works in both Canada AND the US.

 

[Dogbowl]

TSA Pre check only works for getting on planes controlled by the TSA. So it does not help when returning home from another country.

PreCheck may or may not put you in a shorter security line. It will allow you to keep your shoes on.

We have been in airports were there was only 1 security line so PreCheck was not faster. We have been in airports were the PreCheck security line was longer than the non PreCheck line.

PreCheck is good, but not good enough. Global Entry is what is worth it.

Global Entry also includes preclearance for Immigration. So it helps going and coming as you get to skip immigration lines when arriving home.

We have Nexus which is the Canadian version of Global Entry which works in both Canada AND the US.

Gotta get me Nexus...but I rarely go to/thru the US anymore...as all of my diving is Caribbean or Indo Pacific.

 

[KeithG]

Gotta get me Nexus...but I rarely go to/thru the US anymore...as all of my diving is Caribbean or Indo Pacific.

We try to shun the US due to TSA stupidity, but find we often need a US connection (Houston) for our Caribbean trips as my dive buddy refuses to book charter flights due to cramped seats.

 

[Dogbowl]

We try to shun the US due to TSA stupidity, but find we often need a US connection (Houston) for our Caribbean trips as my dive buddy refuses to book charter flights due to cramped seats.

I’ve been lucky - I always try to book direct, even if it’ll cost me more. I’d pay extra $200 to avoid TSA! Bonaire is a problem though...TSA or Sunwing!!! So, never been yet.