Is there a difference between renewal applications and new ones? I would assume renewals would be easier, but it seems like most take a long time as well. I had to submit a new request because my pp expired. I still had to send off my old one, which I thought was weird. Anyway, tomorrow would make 3 weeks exactly (15 days) after the State Dept received my application and gave me an application locator number. I travel next week Friday, it's on a closed loop cruise to the Bahamas so I don't necessarily need the passport, but it would be nice to have it by then.