Has there been a change in the Luggage Tag and Boarding Pass Format?

[Grego]

I noticed that the format using the Personalizer to print out the luggage tag and boarding pass is different. In the past, it was a PDF file that could be downloaded and saved as a PDF or Word Doc. Now the format is web based which saves in that format.

The luggage tag looks entirely different showing a shrunken look, no barcode or CC status. When it is folded, there is hardly room to staple it around the luggage handle. Yes, it would fit in the plastic holders if you use them like we do, but it looks like a mistake.

I have the current versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader and I have tried this download of the files in both web browsers, Safari and Chrome but the results are the same.

Let me know if you have a voyage soon and you can look at your boarding passes and tags to see what you have as a result. I will send something to Princess and see what is going on if anything.

[floridalover5623]

I noticed the same thing this morning.

I think it's an error since their to short to be of use unless you put them in some sort of holder.

[Grego]

I have contacted the Help Desk and they see the same thing. I am currently on hold while they check it out so it is a problem back there that needs to be addressed. I will let everyone know what I find out.

[JF - retired RRT]

I noticed the same thing this morning.

I think it's an error since their to short to be of use unless you put them in some sort of holder.

And the wide green border that shows Preferred status is now a thin line.

I know the color doesn't matter...but it is a change.

[floridalover5623]

And the wide green border that shows Preferred status is now a thin line.

I know the color doesn't matter...but it is a change.

I saw that also. I suppose it saves some ink for those that print in color

As long as I have my boarding passes printed out is all that matters, color or not.

[Grego]

OK, here's the story.......this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format. This was not a well thought out procedure. Medallion Class will not be available on all ships at once. There is a roll out over the next few months, but instead of having both formats available for the passenger to use depending on the ship's ability to be on Medallion or the passenger to have the medallion they opted to forge ahead with this new tag look.

 

UGH!

[Corfe Mixture]

OK, here's the story.......this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format. This was not a well thought out procedure. Medallion Class will not be available on all ships at once. There is a roll out over the next few months, but instead of having both formats available for the passenger to use depending on the ship's ability to be on Medallion or the passenger to have the medallion they opted to forge ahead with this new tag look.

 

 

 

UGH!

 

 

 

Don't understand that response at all. Is Princess saying that on ships with the introduction of Medallion class, there will be no longer be a need for pax's luggage to have a label with their name and cabin number?

 

That sounds crazy!

 

Surely they are not going to issue Medallions to attach to our luggage.

 

Even if they do, how will they get the luggage Medallions to us before we drop off our luggage?

 

If they are not saying that we will be issued with luggage Medallions, then we will still need to label our luggage and the labels will still need to be an appropriate size.

 

This answer seems to fall into the category of

a) Interesting question

b) Actually a very good question

BUT

c) Don't know the answer.

Solution:

Think of an answer which sounds sufficiently plausible for me to be able to get this person off the phone.

End call.

Phew I handled that problem well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Iamcruzin]

OK, here's the story.......this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format. This was not a well thought out procedure. Medallion Class will not be available on all ships at once. There is a roll out over the next few months, but instead of having both formats available for the passenger to use depending on the ship's ability to be on Medallion or the passenger to have the medallion they opted to forge ahead with this new tag look.

 

UGH!

I understand if they are making a change to the boarding pass but I don't understand the luggage tag concept. My next sailing will be on a Medallion Class ship and I have the plastic luggage tags so I won't have an issue. There seems to be a lot of resistance to the medallion, according to the other threads that I follow. I guess these folks will just have to wait until they arrive at port to fill out a proper luggage tag if they don't own the plastic sleeves.

[ar1950]

OK, so I just printed out the boarding pass and one luggage tag off of the web based system for our upcoming cruise. Other than my printer being out of yellow ink and the green stripe showing up as blue everything looks fine as far as size goes. The boarding pass is pretty much a full page and the luggage tags are the same size as they have always been so no change there.

 

Edit: Yes, the luggage tag looked different on the web page, but, it printed out just fine.

Edited September 2, 2017 by ar1950

[wineglass]

I had the same problem. In "print" increase size to 100%, then print. It will print full size

[beg3yrs]

OK, here's the story.......this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format. This was not a well thought out procedure. Medallion Class will not be available on all ships at once. There is a roll out over the next few months, but instead of having both formats available for the passenger to use depending on the ship's ability to be on Medallion or the passenger to have the medallion they opted to forge ahead with this new tag look.

 

UGH!

 

Don't understand that response at all. Is Princess saying that on ships with the introduction of Medallion class, there will be no longer be a need for pax's luggage to have a label with their name and cabin number?

...

 

No, that is not what Princess is saying. The key statement in the post to which you replied is "this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format." The first sentence indicates a luggage tag still must be printed in the new format. No need for the old format.

[coconut cruiser]

OK, here's the story.......this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format. This was not a well thought out procedure. Medallion Class will not be available on all ships at once. There is a roll out over the next few months, but instead of having both formats available for the passenger to use depending on the ship's ability to be on Medallion or the passenger to have the medallion they opted to forge ahead with this new tag look.

 

UGH!

All this confusion is why we cancelled our cruise for Nov 15 on the Regal where the Medallion will be introduced. We cruise to RELAX, and do not want this stress. We will be back to princess when they have all the glitches worked out.:)

[ar1950]

While there is no bar code on the luggage tag there shouldn't really be a need for one. The tag has all pertinent info. Passenger name, sailing date and port, ship name, cabin number, and the deck and luggage door (so that it ends up in the right area of the ship for delivery to the cabin). My guess is that last bit of info was all that the bar code would read out anyway. I don't think there was any rash decisions made with the change, Medallions being rolled out or not.

 

Seems like there are often some pretty far fetched conclusions made around here when something gets changed. :confused::D

 

YMMV

Edited September 2, 2017 by ar1950

[Colo Cruiser]

I understand if they are making a change to the boarding pass but I don't understand the luggage tag concept. My next sailing will be on a Medallion Class ship and I have the plastic luggage tags so I won't have an issue. There seems to be a lot of resistance to the medallion, according to the other threads that I follow. I guess these folks will just have to wait until they arrive at port to fill out a proper luggage tag if they don't own the plastic sleeves.

 

 

Resistance?

You mean the 40 people on CC that don't like something (Medallion) that they have not experienced yet?

Nobody likes change......

 

Guess we will have to get some plastic bag tag holders.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Colo Cruiser

[satxdiver]

Reading this report, I printed out a luggage tag for my upcoming cruise. The luggage tag was not a pdf file but rather a webpage. No big change there as it is happening in many areas. It appears the same as the pdf file but the new design does not have the bar code or the pax's status. I wonder if this an indication that they have not been using the bar codes. So now Princess has no way of keeping track of luggage received which I find alarming. I do not see how this has anything to do with the new medallion class.

 

The new medallion effort will be a good step forward and one Disney has already completed from what I have read. Like all things new there will be a push back by many who refuse to acknowledge advancement. These are probably the same ones who are still using a flip phone.

[Corfe Mixture]

No, that is not what Princess is saying. The key statement in the post to which you replied is "this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format." The first sentence indicates a luggage tag still must be printed in the new format. No need for the old format.

 

 

 

Yup understood that, but at the time I posted, it was being reported in the opening post that the revised luggage tags, in the new format, were too small to attach to handle of one's bags unless you had a plastic wallet.

 

That has now been corrected by a later post which says that, whilst the luggage labels are small when viewed on the web page, they actually come out full size when you print them. So, as far as I can see, no longer any problem, if there ever was one..

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Thrak]

I like to save a copy of my luggage tag and boarding pass. In the past it was a pdf that downloaded. Since that is no longer the case I simply "print" to a pdf file and that does the same thing. I end up with a saved pdf file. Problem solved. I simply choose "print" and then change the output from the printer to a pdf in the print options. When I actually printed them out they look the right size so I don't have a problem there either.

[satxdiver]

I like to save a copy of my luggage tag and boarding pass. In the past it was a pdf that downloaded. Since that is no longer the case I simply "print" to a pdf file and that does the same thing. I end up with a saved pdf file. Problem solved. I simply choose "print" and then change the output from the printer to a pdf in the print options. When I actually printed them out they look the right size so I don't have a problem there either.

 

Great solution to print to a pdf file for those that want that file to save. Their size has never been altered whether using the webpage or pdf file.

 

BTW haven't you reached elite yet?

[Thrak]

Great solution to print to a pdf file for those that want that file to save. Their size has never been altered whether using the webpage or pdf file.

 

BTW haven't you reached elite yet?

 

Nope. Only 7 cruises so far and a couple were short due to work. Now that I've given up work as a bad habit things should move along. We leave soon for a 28 day cruise then have a 14 day followed by a 49 day (booked as a 19 day and a 30 day). After that we will still only have 11 cruises but will make Elite on days at sea. It's such a "terrible burden" to be forced to take cruises in order to become Elite but we will get through it somehow.

 

My wife reserves the summer months for land trips. We just recently returned from a 7 week camping trip and she's already planning next summer's trip so no cruising during those months. We go from "dirt and DEET" to cruising. Kind of diametrically opposed but we enjoy both.

[Grego]

There is a solution and that is to save as a PDF file, but first you need to get the print dialog box, navigate to the "Print using system dialog" box, open that then go to the PDF box and open that followed by save as PDF and then open that file and print and you have a regularly sized luggage tag.

 

To me, that's a whole lot of stuff that is needless to do. Just offer a PDF file as in the past along with the skimpy web based one until every ship is with the program and we have our medallions implanted.

 

The message I have sent to my contact in Santa Clarita was that there wasn't an interim transition plan for luggage tags that were still needed to be used on ships not "Medallion" ready. There are too many passengers that had a hard enough time printing out the PDF version and now they will have a very hard time trying to take the half page tag and secure it to the luggage handle because they don't know how to make it full size.

[1emerald1]

This is so typical of large corporations. I work for a very large international corporation and they consistently roll out major IT projects even when the bugs are far from worked out just so the higher ups can say they achieved their deadline, and could care less about the nightmares everyone has to go through as a result. It's all about performance reviews and answering to shareholders.

[Grego]

This is so typical of large corporations. I work for a very large international corporation and they consistently roll out major IT projects even when the bugs are far from worked out just so the higher ups can say they achieved their deadline, and could care less about the nightmares everyone has to go through as a result. It's all about performance reviews and answering to shareholders.

 

I agree. Generous Electric had the same issues, but not necessarily IT, but just in general by coming up with a program and not having it run by all that had to implement to find the "what ifs". Then they rely on middle management figure out damage control and hopefully communicate down to whoever had to make it work. I have offered up our help to do a beta on any of these things that need to be made public before the stuff hit the fan.

[caribill]

It appears the same as the pdf file but the new design does not have the bar code or the pax's status. I wonder if this an indication that they have not been using the bar codes. So now Princess has no way of keeping track of luggage received which I find alarming. I do not see how this has anything to do with the new medallion class.

 

 

Based on conversations on board with ship hotel management, the bar codes were never used by Princess. Some ports used them to prove they had a piece of luggage, but not Princess.

 

Status never meant getting luggage any faster (or slower), I guess it was there to make those with higher status feel good.

[Iamcruzin]

Resistance?

You mean the 40 people on CC that don't like something (Medallion) that they have not experienced yet?

Nobody likes change......

 

Guess we will have to get some plastic bag tag holders.

 

I don't think that it's fear of change in this case. It's more of a fear of technology.

[Grego]

Based on conversations on board with ship hotel management, the bar codes were never used by Princess. Some ports used them to prove they had a piece of luggage, but not Princess.

 

Status never meant getting luggage any faster (or slower), I guess it was there to make those with higher status feel good.

 

Whether or not the bar codes were ever used or not, it was probably a consideration early on to have a sortation system to direct luggage either forward or aft to speed up the process. Obviously, it wasn't done but the codes remained regardless.

 

Regarding the passenger's cruise history status on the tag, I don't see how it would make one feel any better. They already know their status and they are the only ones, outside the luggage handlers who could care less, that ever see the tag. I do feel good that I''m well past Elite because I paid for that status over the last 25 years and if there was space on the tag to make me smile, I'm OK with that.

 

The real problem facing the current procedure to print out the luggage tags is that, if you aren't on a Medallion class voyage and print out the tag, you can't put that small tag around a luggage handle and fasten it there. I have provided a work around above to save the web file as a PDF and then print, but that might be difficult for some to do. The interim solution is to provide a PDF file in addition to the Medallion based web file.