Also see: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/americans-traveling-abroad.html

and I am on vacation right now and without my travel info...I am considering several different trips into Mediterranean ports...sorry I am so lame here...agh...I will check your link...thanks...

I was asking about general information but of course, it depends on the country...

I think it's national geographic...will check the link another poster helpfully provided...thanks...

For China, I had to send my passport to the Chinese embassy in Washington. I think it depends on the country. Good luck!

they are very helpful...

It certainly doesn't hurt to ask. Even if it's up to you, they likely will be able to tell you what to do.

I hate having to spend time making arrangements like that...I'm usually too busy planning my activities, which are centered around art and art history, to be bothered with the boring details...

Enjoy your planning process. Even if they arrange the visa, you'll have to fill out a form.

but they returned it quickly. I still have the visa even though this was 30 years ago.

I am super careful about my passport. It's a PITA beyond belief.

(and that's basically all of Western Europe and some of Eastern Europe), Japan, South Korea, and a bunch of other places.

If you do need a visa, I think that many tour companies now take care of that for you.

When I went to Cuba with a church group, all I had to do was send a full-sized color photocopy of the front page of my passport to the travel agency that handled the arrangements, and they did the rest.

but it is with Road Scholar. It looks interesting, the price is very good, and I've never been to Greece, where it also goes...if I end up deciding I want to take it at some point I will ask RS about the visa arrangements...thanks for the suggestion...

Your passport is stamped at your first port of entry, and then you're good for 90 days. When I went to Scandinavia on Icelandair, I went through immigration in Iceland while changing planes and received a 90-day stamp. I never even had to show my passport till I was scheduled to fly out of Stockholm and the airline asked if I was going directly back to the States or stopping over in Iceland. I was stopping over in Iceland for five days, so I received my exit stamp at Iceland's Keflavik Airport.

I'm told that Turkey just charges you a fee at the border and then stamps your passport.

If you're going to anywhere in North Africa or the Middle East, you may need visas, but Road Scholar will send you a pre-trip packet that gives you all the details.

BTW, doesn't Road Scholar tell you where you're going? I've looked at some of their trips, and they offer a detailed itinerary and schedule if you expand the right buttons. They have a whole bunch of Mediterranean cruises.

Go to the page for "your" cruise. Clicking on program details gives you the option of selecting "Daily Schedule." That will tell you exactly where you're going. Clicking on "Travel details" gives you the option of "required documents." That tells you whether the countries you're going to require a visa, and if so, how to get one.

I'll try to find it again...I found it, then forgot all about it and had to call them to refresh my memory only 2 days ago, and I'm forgetting it again...LOL...

Aging sucks.

Thanks for mentioning the Schengen agreement - I went to France by way of Iceland a few years ago, and could never figure out why nobody asked for my passport...