HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA, April 27, 2006 – If you've been waiting to renew your passport or apply for one, SuperClubs will pay the fee for you (up to $97 per person), as part of your all-inclusive vacation in the Caribbean or the Bahamas. Because it believes that cost should never be a factor in not owning a passport – a document essential these days not just for traveling abroad but also for returning home – SuperClubs will deduct your passport renewal or application fee from the price of your tropical island getaway in 2007.
Through its "Passport Included" promotion, guests traveling to any of SuperClubs' Caribbean or Bahamian properties next year will have the passport renewal or application costs credited to the price of their all-inclusive vacation, if booked by July 31, 2006.
Change in US Policy: Passports Required
With a firm commitment to offering enjoyable, hassle-free vacations, "Passport Included" is available at SuperClubs' 10 resorts in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Curaçao and the Dominican Republic. Until now, U.S. travelers were able to visit the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico, Panama and Canada with only a driver's license and/or birth certificate. Starting December 31, 2006, the first phase of the U.S. State Department's "Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act" will come into effect and require travelers to show their passports to re-enter the United States.
"Our message to our guests is clear: go out and get your passports and SuperClubs will pay for it," said John Issa, executive chairman of SuperClubs Resorts. "Our 'Passport Included' promotion is designed to ease any sticker shock applicants might face, and make this new initiative an easy transition for new passport owners."
Approximately 24 percent of Americans currently own passports. New passports cost $97 for adults, $82 for children under 16 years and $67 for renewals "” a family of four could spend close to $400 for their passports alone.
To take advantage of the "Passport Included" promotion, guests need to:
- Book their vacation and pay the deposit by July 31, 2006, for travel anytime in 2007. A four-night minimum stay is required.
- The total costs of new and renewed passports will be credited towards the vacation package.
- Proof that new passports have been applied for or renewed is required. A copy of the information page of new passport(s) and receipt(s) will need to be faxed to 954-925-0334, at least 30 days prior to travel date (no credits will be offered post-travel).
- This promotion is available to all U.S. vacationers, including cruise passengers who are booking pre- and post-trips at a SuperClubs resort.
- SuperClubs' guests are responsible for filing appropriate paperwork to obtain passports.
- The "Passport Included" package is applicable at SuperClubs' 10 resorts in four Caribbean countries, namely: Grand Lido Negril Resort & Spa, Grand Lido Braco Resort & Spa, Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club, Breezes Montego Bay, Hedonism II, and Hedonism III, all in Jamaica; Breezes Bahamas in Nassau; Breezes Curaçao Resort Spa & Casino; Breezes Punta Cana Resort Spa & Casino and Breezes Puerto Plata Resort Spa & Casino, both in the Dominican Republic.
SuperClubs cannot cover expedited surcharges for last-minute applications. Passports take approximately six weeks to process.
For specific details on how to apply or renew a passport, visit: http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/get/get_840.html.
To find out more about SuperClubs' extensive vacations options in the Caribbean or to make a reservation, visit http://www.superclubs.com/, call 1-800-GO-SUPER (1-800-467-8737), or contact a local travel agent.
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