First time cruise question re: check in

[Wanderlust.]

Hello!

I am very excited for our first Holland America cruise to Alaska this August. I was looking at my account and it said to please check on online "as soon as possible" and at least 30 days before sailing.

It seems very early to check in... but should I be doing so now?

[marym933]

Why not? It adds to the excitement! If something changes you can always go back and change it. Express docs are ready to print 50 days before sailing. My docs for our July cruise should be ready on Monday.

[kazu]

Hello!

I am very excited for our first Holland America cruise to Alaska this August. I was looking at my account and it said to please check on online "as soon as possible" and at least 30 days before sailing.

It seems very early to check in... but should I be doing so now?

 

If everything is accurate, why not do it now? It's one less job to do later.

 

The ship does need the on line check in done and your express docs can't be issued to you when they are ready until your on line check in is complete.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You can fill in the information now. But you can't print anything until you get an e-mail from HAL indicating that you can print your e-docs -- about 50 days from your cruise date.

I don't bother filling in any information until about 2 or 3 weeks before we leave.

[qsuzi]

If everything is accurate, why not do it now? It's one less job to do later.

 

The ship does need the on line check in done and your express docs can't be issued to you when they are ready until your on line check in is complete.

 

I do it as soon as I book, including airfare if known. :o. I know a little obsessive on my part.

Edited May 30, 2015 by qsuzi

[Third]

Our next cruise is 2016. The check in is done. Why not?

[qsuzi]

Our next cruise is 2016. The check in is done. Why not?

 

It's part of the excitement of booking for me. :)

[RuthC]

I generally wait until much closer to sailing. I pick a free afternoon when I have plenty of time. I complete the check-in, and print out all the paperwork I will need for everything on the trip.

I sort it all out, organize it, and start the pile on the table.

 

But it really doesn't matter when you do it, so long as you do it in advance of leaving home.

[DaveOKC]

I generally wait until much closer to sailing. I pick a free afternoon when I have plenty of time. I complete the check-in, and print out all the paperwork I will need for everything on the trip.

I sort it all out, organize it, and start the pile on the table.

 

But it really doesn't matter when you do it, so long as you do it in advance of leaving home.

 

HAL is getting better at filling in some of the boxes on the form for us, based upon our last sailing, etc. It seems to take less time each time we do it.

[qsuzi]

I generally wait until much closer to sailing. I pick a free afternoon when I have plenty of time. I complete the check-in, and print out all the paperwork I will need for everything on the trip.

I sort it all out, organize it, and start the pile on the table.

 

But it really doesn't matter when you do it, so long as you do it in advance of leaving home.

 

Sounds like a very efficient way to do it and you don't have to make changes if/when needed.

[qsuzi]

HAL is getting better at filling in some of the boxes on the form for us, based upon our last sailing, etc. It seems to take less time each time we do it.

 

HAL is the easiest/quickest compared to others I use since it does remember things like passport information. A real time saver.

[catl331]

Maybe HAL encourages people to do it early so that some will realize that their passports are expiring too close to the cruise end date. ;)

[qsuzi]

Maybe HAL encourages people to do it early so that some will realize that their passports are expiring too close to the cruise end date. ;)

 

That's a good point.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I do it as soon as I book, including airfare if known. :o. I know a little obsessive on my part.

 

Since we book cruises about 1 1/2 years in advance, we can't book air that early.

Once we hit the 330 day for booking air -- then we do it.

[RuthC]

Sounds like a very efficient way to do it and you don't have to make changes if/when needed.

At work I always made it a practice to do something once. Do it right the first time, then let it go.

Works well in real life, too.