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When should I do online check in?


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We are going on the Mariner of the Seas in February 2013. Can't wait!

 

How soon can we do online check in?

Is there any benefit to doing it early?

 

Our most recent cruise was with Disney, where it's important to check in online at the very moment you can, if you want to get an early port arrival time, or book certain dining experiences or port excursions.

 

Is there a similar booking window with RCCL?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice/experience.

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We are going on the Mariner of the Seas in February 2013. Can't wait!

 

How soon can we do online check in?

Is there any benefit to doing it early?

 

Our most recent cruise was with Disney, where it's important to check in online at the very moment you can, if you want to get an early port arrival time, or book certain dining experiences or port excursions.

 

Is there a similar booking window with RCCL?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice/experience.

You can enter all the info for online check-in as soon as you have a booking number. However, you usually cannot print the SetSail Pass (boarding document) until you have paid in full.

 

On Royal, there is no benefit to completing the check-in early.

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We are going on the Mariner of the Seas in February 2013. Can't wait!

 

How soon can we do online check in?

Is there any benefit to doing it early?

 

Our most recent cruise was with Disney, where it's important to check in online at the very moment you can, if you want to get an early port arrival time, or book certain dining experiences or port excursions.

 

Is there a similar booking window with RCCL?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice/experience.

 

RCI doesn't schedule port arrival time. I always do my check-in early just to make sure it's done.

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I see no reason to work on your Set Sail pass till you have paid in full for your reservation.

 

We normally work ours between 30 and 60 days out. There is no advantage to completing it any earlier, unless you have paid in full, and want a particular cabana on Labadee. We have not ever booked one, but I do remember someone saying that to get an over the water cabana, you need to book it early.

 

Maybe someone with more knowledge can comment on this!:)

 

Rick

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I begin to fill ours out as much as possible ahead of time. The last thing I am able to fill out is our Credit Card information since I need to wait for our currant cards. You can always go back to edit it later. Our next cruise which is March of 2014, I need to renew our Passports this summer or late fall so unable to put that information in yet.

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I fill in the info thats needed abour 3-4 weeks before final payment is due. Then, I also buy trip insurance from another source. After final payment I will order on line some of the packages , for example water and wine.

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We are going on the Mariner of the Seas in February 2013. Can't wait!

 

How soon can we do online check in?

Is there any benefit to doing it early?

 

Our most recent cruise was with Disney, where it's important to check in online at the very moment you can, if you want to get an early port arrival time, or book certain dining experiences or port excursions.

 

Is there a similar booking window with RCCL?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice/experience.

 

You can check in anytime after getting a reservation number. Cannot request luggage tags until I think 42 days prior to sailing.

 

Also keep in mind that if your credit card changes to go back and make changes to your on-line check-in.

This happened to me last month, credit card company issued a new credit card with a new number and I forgot about the on-line check-in. No big problem but took a little extra time at the pier while they made the change.

 

There is a time, don't remember number of day but long before you can make dining reservations and/or excursion. Just keep trying ever week.

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Is there any benefit to doing it early?

 

There is the sense of accomplishment ;) Actually anything I can do helps me pass the time till the cruise, but this procedure does require you to put in some information such as passport info. If you haven't cruised in awhile, this might be a good reminder to find your passport and and verify its expiration. When I first started cruising in 2006 passports were taking 8 weeks to get back. I'm told its much quicker now.

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I begin to fill ours out as much as possible ahead of time. The last thing I am able to fill out is our Credit Card information since I need to wait for our currant cards. You can always go back to edit it later. Our next cruise which is March of 2014, I need to renew our Passports this summer or late fall so unable to put that information in yet.

 

There is a good example, this form could have been the reminder to do that!

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Bill our daughters passport is currant but I will need her currant credit card information in order to fill our her Set Sail information as well as ours. In fact that will be the last thing I can fill out due to the length of time until our cruises. Our daughters information is complete except for the Credit Card. We are paying for her cruises & flight to Sydney but told he she should have a CC on file for any personal expenses. We have the March 19th and April 10th, 2014 cruises booked.

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I do it about 8 weeks before. This gives me time to sort out any problems due to missing ID/flight times. Going through the process forces you to get out your ID, check birth date and name accuracy on the reservation, check expiration dates, and will alert you if you have a conflicting flight arrival or departure time.

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I did ours as soon as I had a booking number. Part of my excitement that one more piece is done. The CC doesn't expire until years after we cruise so that was a non-issue for us. I am the keeper of the paperwork so knew exactly where the passports were. Since I filled it all out 9 months before I made final payment, it was quite the surprise when moments after final payment was submitted, I received an email that I could print the sail pass. I did go back and review what I had entered, just to be sure, before I printed everything. Then into my book it went. We still have 4 months until we go. :D:D

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