WHTI, delayed passport processing and sea travel

hi, i'm a canadian citizen with permenant legal resident status (and card) living in the united states. i'm going on a cruise next weekend for which i applied for a new passport (my old one expired in 2005) in early may. i've read everywhere that, because of the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), canadian and american passport departments have been swamped and the processing time doubled and has now tripled. i highly doubt my passport will arrive in the next week. however, because so many people are having problems and missing flights and trips from the processing problem, a forgiveness period has come into effect. from what i read, the WHTI law right now is for air travel, with land and sea travel laws coming into play in 2008 - 9. of course, it is always safest to travel with a passport, but it seems like i could get away with going on my cruise with my permanent resident card, drivers license, and maybe a copy of my birth certificate? i know that the US citizens are required to show a valid form of i.d. and a receipt stating that they have applied for a passport which is being processed.

of course, i want to know if i need to have proof that my canadian passport is being processed, but it does not look like canada is offering this service. and i want to know what other requirements i may have to meet to leave and re-enter the states.

can anyone help?

Where is your cruise going to and from? If anywhere *other* than Canada or the US, sorry, you're out of luck. You still need a passport to enter foreign countries, regardless of the new rules of the WHTI.

Find out from the cruise company exactly what ID is required. If you're just going to the Bahamas, you may be ok with just the Green Card. If you're flying to the Med or something though, you'll need a passport.