I had lost my expired passport and I'm leaving on the WC. Getting on this cruise last minute along with the required visa's I wasn't going to trust the post office so I hired a local passport service to make sure I got all this done. They prepared all my documents and sent me to the post office to have it all approved and sealed.

I stood in line and then the lady looked and said she could not approve it, the visa to China could not be issued until 30 days before departure. So I didn't have a reason for a expedited passport so that wasn't going to happen either. I wondered aloud that why was she denying me a passport and demanded to see her supervisor. She picked up the phone and said she would call the State Dept. (which I doubt).

I tried to explain that the boat left on the 13th and would be in Indonesia by the time 30 days came around. No one had heard of a world cruise before and it was turning into amateur hour. I went back to the passport service and they sent someone back with me. She turned eight shades of red but still would not process my application. That night she called me at home and told that the passport service was corrupt and that she could do all of this for me if I paid all their fees.

I went back to the passport service, they took me to another Post Office and the application was excepted and sealed in 5 minutes.

If I had used the friendly postal employee I would not have a passport and I would be sitting at the dock watching the Voyager sail off into the sunset. Hearing my attorney laughing out loud that I wanted to sue the Post Office for the price of a World Cruise.

OMG Warren, you must have been a wreck! I'm so sorry for all the stress but glad it has a happy ending. You'll love the WC !

Yes I am sitting here with my passport, Chinese visa and mild case of Yellow Fever from all the shots, but I am going.

What a horror story, Warren. I am so glad it finally worked out. I would still want to sue the Post Office for unnecessary stress.
Lynn

Regent is not going to refund your money if you can't get a passport. Talk about going postal. But it's a lesson learned and now I get to settle back and listen to Jay Leno and the Beach Boys a week from tonight. All is well.

Wow, talk about stress!

Way to go, Warren! :app:

I had a feeling that post office lady was trying to pull a fast one. I doubt that she would have profited but there was some sort perk she would of got if she could of wrangled my business from the legitimate passport (like ZVS) service.

Then I was told by the Denver Health Dept. that there was a shortage of Yellow Fever vaccine, which turned out to bogus too. You can't make this stuff up. The lady there said she just might get me shot if she got anymore, maybe by the !3th. Went to a private service and got the shots. I didn't just fall off the turnip wagon but I shudder to think what would of happened to a first time traveller. They really could of been left high and dry without a passport because of some rouge government employees playing God.

Warren,

I'm confused - since you are a full World Cruiser, why didn't you have ZVS take care of the visas for the cruise?

Because we have Passport International 3 blocks away. The Same thing would it have happened with ZVS since it was the post office that was the culprit. Of coarse picking another PO would of helped more