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Post by robert on Jan 16, 2007 17:56:58 GMT -5
Pretty soon you will need a passport to go to Canada/Mexico/Caribbean by air on Jan. 23. And by land by 2008 or 2009. That means you will need a passport or new land border pass card to be able to go to the haunted houses at Niagara Falls because you need to cross the bridge into Ontario, Canada to get to the haunted houses. Drivers license/birth cert. will no longer be sufficient. You will no longer be able to just flash your photo ID and orally declare your citizenship to the officer at the border. So if I want to visit Dracula's castle again, the only place his castle is, is at Niagara Falls and I will need a stinking passport.
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Post by 1992 on Jan 16, 2007 23:54:20 GMT -5
I too need to get a passport. If you get one let us know how much it cost you as I'm curious what the cost is.
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Post by clnancy50 on Jan 17, 2007 1:48:06 GMT -5
Blame it on the wonderful terrorists. It's really a shame that we live in such a time where no one trusts anyone anymore. Isn't there a waiting period for a passport, also? And how long are they normally good for?
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Post by clnancy50 on Jan 24, 2007 19:11:53 GMT -5
Hey, robert, hear the news about the passports? It has already started that you absolutely need one if you fly but I don't think you will need one til 2008 if driving into Canada and other places by car. Still don't know the cost of one. Does anyone know? And isn't there a waiting period?
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Post by robert on Jan 24, 2007 19:36:13 GMT -5
It's 2008 or 2009 by land or ship to Canada, etc. They're still working out the PASS card which will be a passport substitute for land borders. It will be cheaper than a passport, about $20 for adults, passports cost $97 for adults. The only documents accepted for air travel within N. America outside of the United States and territories is a passport, Merchant Mariner document or NEXUS card. The PASS card can't be used for air travel. For example, if you want to go to Niagara Falls and be able to access the attractions on the Canada side your best bet would be to get the PASS card when it becomes available. For now, you can still use driver's license/state photo ID/birth cert./social security card when crossing the border by land, driving or walking. I heard Amtrak is already starting to request passports for it's Toronto Maple Leaf and Montreal Adirondack trains that leave New York Manhattan's Penn Station. A trick you could do when traveling by train to Canada for now would be to take Amtrak's Empire Service instead which terminates at Niagara Falls, NY and take a taxi to the bridge and cross the border yourself (walk). You could then go to the VIA Niagara Falls station and take a train to Toronto.
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Post by bodysurfer1967 on Jan 24, 2007 22:09:40 GMT -5
I am very new to this board. I cant understand why Robert is so obsessed with passports and Canada. I undertsand that he is very obsessed with dark rides and such but boy he does go off on a tangent. Just my own 2 cents please dont be offended. Great site and great board. I have been enjoying read all the other posts from long ago. Some people on here are very amusing. Thank you.
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Post by robert on Jan 24, 2007 23:39:25 GMT -5
Because Niagara Falls Canada has some excellent dark attractions and it will suck to have to apply for new ID to be able to go back to Canada.
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Post by clnancy50 on Jan 24, 2007 23:52:56 GMT -5
Hi, bodysurfer, welcome to the board! LOL! Actually this passport thing is very interesting. When you apply and get one, how long is it good for? And must a passport be only for a certain destination or can you use it anywhere?
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Post by robert on Jan 25, 2007 3:34:22 GMT -5
A passport is good for all international travel, for up to 10 years then you need to get it renewed. It's $97 per person. Ouch. The PASS card which is coming out soon will be good for land border crossings only within North America. If you don't plan to go to Europe but want to go to Canada, get the PASS card. It will be $20 for adults. When you arrive at the border control booth, they will be able to 'read' the card without you having to remove it from your wallet and physically show the officer. This year you can still drive to Canada with usual ID, but you might need the passport or pass card by next year. When we went to Canada they asked us all kinds of questions and scrutinized our ID, we had driver's licenses, state ID's, birth cert., social security cards. First the officer in the booth asked for ID looked at it and he told us to pull up by the building and go in. We got interviewed and they took our ID to examine it. They finally let us in to Canada after warning us that you should have hotel reservations. We must have spent 20 minutes in that building. We then saw the sign Welcome to Ontario. Then we crossed over another bridge (This was at the 1000 Islands) and we saw the first km/h speed sign. Canada is all kilometers since Sept. 1977. Going home at Niagara Falls, the officer on our side (US) all he said was "Citizenships?" looked at our ID cards, didn't even ask for the birth cert., and he said you can go. It was easier getting back into the US, I thought it would be the other way around. I keep hearing rumors that the US wants to switch from miles to km's but nothing ever happened. There is a pic of a proposed US km speed limit sign on a website, it says SPEED LIMIT (110) km/h. I wouldn't like the change because I'm so used to miles. Just like I can't get used to the Celsius temperature because I'm used to Fahrenheit. When it's 80 degrees, I think hot. When it's 30 degrees, I think cold. In Canada, 30 degrees is hot and 0 degrees is freezing.
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Post by clnancy50 on Jan 25, 2007 22:52:08 GMT -5
Wow, that's alot of money!Wonder who gets that kickback? Still I really can't blame anybody. The way the world is today, you can't be too careful. Alot of maps go by kilometers., but then have the miles stated there, also.I still don't understand the celsius, either.
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Post by robert on Jan 27, 2007 21:16:37 GMT -5
Let's say you wanted to fly to Toronto and you didn't have passports. For 4 people it would cost $388 for 4 passports to be able to fly. I heard they won't even let you on the plane if you don't have proper ID. The only accepted documents for air travel out of the U.S. to neighboring N. American countries now are a valid U.S. Passport, Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or a NEXUS card. Land cross border travel will be a little more flexible once the law kicks in there, you'll be able to use a lower cost ID in lieu of a passport, the PASS card which will be $20 per person.
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