When Should Cruise Docs & Airline Tickets Arrive? Booked with Uniworld

[Roz]

I have a Sept. 25, 2017 cruise booked with Uniworld, as well as flights. When should I expect docs and tickets? I sailed with them back in 2015 and can't remember, but I think it was 3-4 wks. beforehand. If I don't receive them today, I'll be calling my TA on Tuesday.

 

Roz

[amd1234]

We are departing Sept 15 ... we received docs about 5 weeks ago... call you TA.. have a great trip🤗 Also sailing Uniworld.. Our Aug 23 river cruise was cancelled due to a mechanical problem and our new docs were sent immediately. We are very pleased how Uniworld rectified the situation..

[Roz]

Thanks AMD. Will do. If Uniworld slipped up, there's still 3 weeks so time enough to get everything to me. I have the airline confirmation so I know reservations have been made.

 

Roz

 

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[gnome12]

I got mine about 3 weeks before for each of my 2 Uniworld cruises. It gets a bit worrying when you have pre-cruise on your own, but they do arrive.

[Roz]

I fly out on September 24 which is 3 weeks from tomorrow. It's getting close which is why I asked. Since a lot of people do pre-cruise on their own, I wonder why Uniworld waits so long to send docs?

 

Roz

 

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[gnome12]

I wonder whether people misplace them if they are sent too early.

[Roz]

Hmmm....didn't think about that. Did you book your air thru Uniworld? Even though my TA put a pre-cruise pkg together for me the last time, I still did Uniworld air. I wonder if it's a function of the airlines ticketing the flights?

 

Roz

 

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[gnome12]

I think I did have transfers with Uniworld, so I guess they booked air.

[gnome12]

Anyway, give your TA a call, if only to reassure yourself.

[Roz]

Thanks, it's on my to do list for Tuesday. Uniworld provided transfers for everyone as long as they were flying on day of debarkation. Because of the distance between Passau and Munich, I had to be ready at some ungodly hour of the morning.

 

Roz

 

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[Lois R]

Hi Roz, where are you going on this one?:).......I am still researching cruises for 2018 and thought I would be going on

AMA again but the dates are not the best for what I am looking at........I was thinking of Paris/Normandy. Uniworld does

that one as well and the dates actually work better for me........you really enjoyed your first cruise with them, right?

[Roz]

Hi Lois. I'm doing Bucharest to Budapest - 10 days. I thought Uniworld was top notch, but of course I didn't have anything to compare it to.

 

Roz

 

 

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[Unifan17]

On our 3 Uniworld cruises, we got our docs 27, 27 and 26 days prior to departure.

[Roz]

Unifan, thanks for the info. I'm wondering if my TA is traveling (she does that quite a bit, which is one of the reasons she's such a good TA) and the docs are sitting on her desk? I'm definitely going to call her Tuesday, but wouldn't be surprised if she tells me she's mailing them that day or she mailed them Friday and I'll bet them Tuesday. BTW, I would never know from your name that you're a Uniworld fan. :cool:

 

Roz

[bubbulz]

Unifan, thanks for the info. I'm wondering if my TA is traveling (she does that quite a bit, which is one of the reasons she's such a good TA) and the docs are sitting on her desk? I'm definitely going to call her Tuesday, but wouldn't be surprised if she tells me she's mailing them that day or she mailed them Friday and I'll bet them Tuesday. BTW, I would never know from your name that you're a Uniworld fan. :cool:

 

Roz

 

This is what has happened with us in the past. The delay was on the part of our TA. That said, we always got them in plenty of time, but I'd always prefer sooner vs. later. ;)

[westerngardener]

My TA spoke with Uniworld. They said they ticket 21-30 days in advance.

However, as we're visiting other countries in Europe, that won't work for us. So, she asked them to release them earlier and they advised they will. I'd ask your TA to do the same.(y)

[Roz]

Since I'm not doing a pre-cruise, the 21 days will work for me. That is useful information for future cruises.

 

Roz

 

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[Roz]

So...to continue the saga of my documents, I got so busy at work yesterday, I forgot to call my TA. When I got home, I opened up the mailbox and voila, there are the cruise documents. I checked the flight info and arrival, departure, and transfer info and it was all in order. On my ride on the bus into work this morning, I read thru the information booklet just to refresh my memory and to see if anything had changed.

 

Question for you...please keep in mind I'm not as sophisticated a traveler as many of you, and don't often travel internationally. As I recall, the last time I cruised on Uniworld in 2015, I received actual airline tickets. This time I have an itinerary with a booking number. I know I can check in online up to 24 hrs. in advance. Will I get a boarding pass to print out, or will I get that at the airport when I check my bag?

 

Again, going back 2 yrs., I think I was able to check-in for my returning flights at the same time, but maybe not. Do I have to check-in online during the cruise for my returning flights? Outbound I'm flying on Air Canada, but coming back it's United.

 

Any help or guidance you can provide is appreciated.

 

Roz

[Mark_T]

As I recall, the last time I cruised on Uniworld in 2015, I received actual airline tickets. This time I have an itinerary with a booking number. I know I can check in online up to 24 hrs. in advance. Will I get a boarding pass to print out, or will I get that at the airport when I check my bag?

 

Yes, you'll have an option to print boarding passes when you check-in online, or you can get them when you check your bag at the airport.

 

Do I have to check-in online during the cruise for my returning flights? Outbound I'm flying on Air Canada, but coming back it's United.

 

You won't be able to check-in for the return until much closer to the departure date, but you don't have to check-in online you can just do it at the airport upon your return, but you can use the online option if you prefer.

[Roz]

Thanks, Mark. If the computer on the ship is up and running and I can access United's website, I may try to check in, if for no other reason than to secure a halfway decent seat.

 

Roz

[Mark_T]

Thanks, Mark. If the computer on the ship is up and running and I can access United's website, I may try to check in, if for no other reason than to secure a halfway decent seat.

 

I'm pretty sure that United let you pick seats in advance unless you are on a very basic fare class, if you've got your booking reference you can try that right now...

 

If your ticket was issued by Air Canada you might need to start there, but it is worth trying ...

[Roz]

I will give that a try, Mark. Thanks for the tip. The worst that can happen is that it will tell me I can't do it. ;)

 

Roz

[Roz]

OK, I went to the Air Canada website, and they want $15 or $30 to pick a seat. You've got to be kidding me! Called my TA and she confirmed this. I can wait until the 24 hr check in and take what's left for free.

 

If I do that, does it make me more likely to be bumped in the event of an overbooked situation? I'm just appalled by this whole deal. I thought I was purchasing a seat, not the opportunity to bid on a seat for an extra fee.

 

Roz

 

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[gnome12]

Air Canada isn't the only one. Again it depends on your fare class whether you can select a seat in advance. The world of flight has changed a lot in the last few years.

[Mark_T]

If I do that, does it make me more likely to be bumped in the event of an overbooked situation? I'm just appalled by this whole deal. I thought I was purchasing a seat, not the opportunity to bid on a seat for an extra fee.

 

Just check-in online near the start of the 24 hour period and you'll still be ahead of the pack.

 

Most flights are overbooked, what matters is if they are oversold by the time the plane is due to depart.

 

Yes, check-in time is one of the important criteria so not checking ahead of departure and arriving at the airport at the last minute puts you at risk of being selected in an over-sold situation.

 

Don't over-think this though, most flights are over-booked because the airlines know that people change their plans right up until the day of departure, but most flights are not actually over-sold by the time the plane is ready to leave.

 

If a flight is over-sold you'll hear announcements at the gate asking for volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for a voucher for a significant $ value, most times they get their volunteers.

 

They do this because it is cheaper to give a voucher for future travel than it is to pay the cash compensation they have to give if a passenger is Involuntarily Denied Boarding (IDB).

 

It is rare these days for passengers who do not want to volunteer to be IDB just because of the cost, so don't worry, just check-in close to the start of the 24 hour period and you'll be fine.