I have quite a few questions as a first-time cuiser and as a poor-english speaker

[Cru1ser]

i booked Celebrity Mercury to Alaska in July at the end of April for three of us through telephone directly with one of the ship company's certified vacation planners. because my english is not very well, i had some difficulty understanding what he had said about online checkin in the phone. first i thought he said i should do online checkin right after the booking, when i tried many times to call him back to verify this, i never got a chance to actually talk to him again...

 

anyway, i went to their website, it says "online checkin...needs to be completed 3 days prior to your saildate."

 

we've already gotten the booking confirmation document(the invoice)by email with our reservation ID and stateroom number and everything, and we paid the full price already. what should we do next? do online checkin as soon as possible? or don't do it until 3 days prior to our saildate?

 

more questions, we are Canadian citizens, my son will be 15 years old by July, all travel documents we need on a closed-loop cruise (Vancouver to Vancouver) to Alaska are our valid passports, correct? my son was not born in Canada, he doesn't have a birth certificate or something. What should we bring for him other than his passport?

 

thanks in advance.

[CowPrincess]

You can do your online check-in from 50 days out from sailing date UP TO 3 days before sailing. Holland America usually sends an e-mail saying that online check-in is available, when it becomes availabe for your sailing. However, you are best to make a note on your calendar to do the check-in, somewhere around a month before sailing. Don't wait for a reminder from HAL. Don't wait till 3 days before sailing.

 

Don't know the answer re passport/birth certificate.

[colomom]

I would suggest that you also post your questions on the Canada board here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39

 

There are many people from Canada, and therefore more familiar with Canadian customs and border laws, that frequent that board. They are very helpful and might even be able to converse with you in your language. Do you speak french?

 

One thing I would also add to your post is exactly whom is traveling, ie: Mom, Dad and Son or something different. There are laws in America about one parent taking a child out of the country without special written permission from the other parent. Don't know about Canada but you will be passing through American customs.

 

As far as identification, a passport is usually all that you need.

 

This is the link to the US Customs and Border Protection website: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/home.xml for more information that might help.

[5waldos]

i booked Celebrity Mercury to Alaska in July at the end of April for three of us through telephone directly with one of the ship company's certified vacation planners. because my english is not very well, i had some difficulty understanding what he had said about online checkin in the phone. first i thought he said i should do online checkin right after the booking, when i tried many times to call him back to verify this, i never got a chance to actually talk to him again...

 

anyway, i went to their website, it says "online checkin...needs to be completed 3 days prior to your saildate."

 

we've already gotten the booking confirmation document(the invoice)by email with our reservation ID and stateroom number and everything, and we paid the full price already. what should we do next? do online checkin as soon as possible? or don't do it until 3 days prior to our saildate?

 

more questions, we are Canadian citizens, my son will be 15 years old by July, all travel documents we need on a closed-loop cruise (Vancouver to Vancouver) to Alaska are our valid passports, correct? my son was not born in Canada, he doesn't have a birth certificate or something. What should we bring for him other than his passport?

 

thanks in advance.

You should not need anything other than your son's passport. And you should get an email address at Celebrity so that you can ask your questions by email. That way would you can get someone to help with the answers if you aren't sure. But since you have booked and paid, and have your passports, what you do now is to check in on line, be sure to print a boarding pass and baggage tags, and that is probably all you need to do. And be sure to arrive early enough at your cruise. Have a wonderful trip!

[Coral]

Passports are all you will need for all 3 of you.

 

Go ahead and check in as soon as you can. Don't wait until the last minute.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Cru1ser]

You can do your online check-in from 50 days out from sailing date UP TO 3 days before sailing. Holland America usually sends an e-mail saying that online check-in is available, when it becomes availabe for your sailing. However, you are best to make a note on your calendar to do the check-in, somewhere around a month before sailing. Don't wait for a reminder from HAL. Don't wait till 3 days before sailing.

 

i see. thank you!

[Cru1ser]

I would suggest that you also post your questions on the Canada board here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39

 

i did. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1200716

 

thank you so much!

 

[url=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1200716][/url]

[Cru1ser]

need to run now...

 

reply the rest later...

[Cru1ser]

As far as identification, a passport is usually all that you need.

You should not need anything other than your son's passport.

Passports are all you will need for all 3 of you.

 

 

 

thanks guys!

 

according to Canada Border Services Agency:

 

 

 

Canadian citizens are required to present one of the following valid WHTI-compliant documents when entering the United States by land or water:

• a passport;
  
• ...
  
• ...
  

Canadian citizens aged 15 years or under are only required to present proof of Canadian citizenship, such as an original or a photocopy of a birth certificate, or an original citizenship card.

 

i'd better bring his citizenship card as well.

[Cru1ser]

And you should get an email address at Celebrity so that you can ask your questions by email. That way would you can get someone to help with the answers if you aren't sure.

good idea!

 

 

 

But since you have booked and paid, and have your passports, what you do now is to check in on line, be sure to print a boarding pass and baggage tags, and that is probably all you need to do. And be sure to arrive early enough at your cruise. Have a wonderful trip!

 

i see. thank you so much!