Passport Canada Updates Processing Times

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Passport Canada has advised that its processing times are updated on a regular basis. Processing times may change depending on the volume of applications received and are not guaranteed.
Applicants should keep in mind that processing times do not take delivery times into account. The complexity of routine verifications and security checks may lead to longer processing times.
Effective January 18, 2011 the processing times are as follows:
Canadians living in Canada:
Options for submitting a completed application:
• In person (at a Passport Canada counter) 10 business days
• By mail 20 business days
• Through a receiving agent (Service Canada or Canada Post) 20 business days

Canadians living in the United States or Bermuda:
Submitting a completed application
• By mail processing times up to four weeks
• By courier processing times up to four weeks

Canadians abroad:
• The processing time for properly completed applications varies from country to country and with the time of the year. If a passport is required in exceptional circumstances, contact the nearest Canadian government office that provides passport services.
For urgent and express pick-up, proof of travel may be required.
Passport Canada will take appropriate action on a case-by-case basis.
* Please note the following restrictions:
• Urgent service is not available at the following locations: Receiving Agents at participating Canada Post outlets and Service Canada Centres; the Pointe-Claire Passport Canada office; the Whitby Passport Canada office; the Brampton Passport Canada office; the Calgary South Passport Canada office; the Kelowna Passport Canada office and the Richmond Passport Canada office.
• Express service is not available at the following locations: Receiving Agents at participating Canada Post outlets and Service Canada Centres; and the Pointe-Claire Passport Canada office. You may apply for express service at the Passport Canada offices in Whitby, Brampton, Calgary South and Richmond, but you will be required to pick up your passport at another location to be confirmed when you submit your application.
Visit http://www.ppt.gc.ca for more information.

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Oceania Cruises Takes Delivery of MARINA

Oceania Cruises' M/S Regatta in Stockholm Frih...

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Oceania Cruises officially took delivery  of Marina, the line’s first newly built ship which measures 66,000 tons and accommodates 1,250 passengers. The handover took place at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard near Genoa, where Marina officially became a part of the Oceania Cruises’ fleet joining Regatta, Insignia and Nautica. Her sister ship, Riviera, is currently being built in the same shipyard and will debut in April 2012.

A ship of firsts, Marina features the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the first hands-on cooking school at sea, Master Chef Jacques Pépin’s first namesake restaurant at sea, Ralph Lauren Home-furnished Owner’s Suites, luxurious accommodations by designer Dakota Jackson, Wine Spectator wine programme, a Lalique grand stairway and Canyon Ranch SpaClub. Moreover, Marina has been designed for epicureans offering an unprecedented 10 dining venues – comparable in quality to the best shore-side restaurants.

According to Frank Del Rio, the founder of Oceania Cruises and chairman & CEO of parent company Prestige Cruise Holdings, Marina is unlike any ship built in the past 50 years and is destined to be a game-changer in the industry. The superb gourmet restaurants and exquisite residential interiors reflect the best of what makes Oceania Cruises such an unrivalled experience.” 

“The new Marina is not only beautiful, but one of the most elegant ships we have built in the last years,” stated Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “To-day is a proud day for all of our employees and partners associated with this first new build for Oceania Cruises. We are honoured to have been chosen to build the first ships from the vision of Mr. Del Rio.”

The new flagship of the Oceania Cruises fleet will set sail on her maiden voyage from Barcelona, Spain, on January 22. When she arrives in Miami on February 4, she is expected to receive a celebratory welcome that will last through the weekend. ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT Icon Mary Hart will name Marina at a lavish gala ceremony on February 5 and christen her with a 15-litre Nebuchadnezzar of Champagne, custom-made by Armand de Brignac, commemoratively crashing against the hull. The evening will be capped by an extravagant fireworks display, a gift from Oceania Cruises to the ship’s US base port. 

After the christening festivities in Miami, Marina sets sail Feb. 8 on the first of two 18-day Panama Canal transits that visit San Francisco or San Diego, both new ports for Oceania Cruises. Marina then operates a 12-day Caribbean cruise, round-trip from Miami, departing March 16, before sailing along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and on to Europe to begin her inaugural Mediterranean season.

For more information or to order a brochure, contact The Cruise People toll-free at 800-961-5536.