Dancing...sort of

[sue1898]

I received my cruise documents just now ELECTRONICALLY! No nice blue folder and excitment at seeing it unexpectedly at the front door. We are part of a test group aparently and I have to tell you it's just not the same. We all knew that this day was coming but with two cruises in one year booked for the first time, why now and why me? I emailed back and asked if I could go back to the traditional method and will keep you posted. Perhaps my kids are right...I'm still slightly under 60 but set in my ways it appears.

[songbert]

I think I would be a little bummed, too.....

 

Going to Alaska 3 weeks before you!

[norcal2]

Maybe I am lucky because I always get the online documents with other lines and I prefer that way. I got the blue thingy from HAL for my first HAL cruise and found it cumbersome. Funny how we are all creatures of habit.

[Nutrioso]

The times, they are achangin'. ----Penny

[caribbean girl]

Maybe I am lucky because I always get the online documents with other lines and I prefer that way. I got the blue thingy from HAL for my first HAL cruise and found it cumbersome. Funny how we are all creatures of habit.

 

We enjoyed getting that nice blue bundle the first few times but I agree...it is a lot of material and a lot of wasted paper. It's also hard for me to put it in the trash can...I suppose I could recycle it into a fashionable clutch:D??? I would be happy to have the printable e-docs, I think. You still have the same results and it saves on waste.

 

I hope you enjoy every moment of your cruise, especially the anticipation period prior to...:p

[hammybee]

Once e-ticketing is fully implemented, I wonder if traditional hardcopy docs will be available, at a surcharge, as they are with airline ticketing.

 

I wonder how few people will pay a surcharge for traditional ticketing.

[rubytue]

I stumbled across my blue folder for my frist cruise just this morning :) I'm in my 30s, and I think I liked it better than the edocs I had with NCL.

[mnport]

i rec'd my docs today also electronically, everything I need is there, just pulled out my blue pocket and its like old times :)

[hammybee]

i rec'd my docs today also electronically, everything I need is there, just pulled out my blue pocket and its like old times :)

 

And who says Mariners don't get perks :D

[sue1898]

I guess old old habits are hard to break. Maybe I will print these out and put them into one of my old blue folders and practice a bit of recycling myself!

[English muffin]

Electronic tickets for me anytime, Because I am British I have to pay $45 for overseas postage if we book our cruise through a US travel agent.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I heard this was coming. So do they not send you anything? What about luggage tags, do they mail them to you?

Personally I do not think I will mind this since I never use anything in that folder anyway. All they have really needed for over a year now is the Preferred Boarding Pass.

So do they email you something or how did you find out it was electronic?

[mnport]

HAL called me the night before and verified my email address and let me know I would be getting my docs by email. Today I got the email, went to the HAL site and checked in, no different than doing the boarding pass. That's all there is to it. Then I put it in my blue folder from my last cruise and I am ready to go. The email stated to pick up luggage tags at the pier.

[sue1898]

I am out of town. Had a voicemail at my house yesterday to call the main number but when I did no one seemed to know what it was about. Got an email this morning with all the info.

[norcal2]

HAL called me the night before and verified my email address and let me know I would be getting my docs by email. Today I got the email, went to the HAL site and checked in, no different than doing the boarding pass. That's all there is to it. Then I put it in my blue folder from my last cruise and I am ready to go. The email stated to pick up luggage tags at the pier.

 

Enjoy the luggage tags at the pier while you can. That is the one pitfall of the other lines...the luggage tags have to be printed off and stapled around the luggage handles. They are only as strong as the paper you print it on but I found that by re-enforcing it with tape it was quite strong. We'll see if HAL evolves to that.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Enjoy the luggage tags at the pier while you can. That is the one pitfall of the other lines...the luggage tags have to be printed off and stapled around the luggage handles. They are only as strong as the paper you print it on but I found that by re-enforcing it with tape it was quite strong. We'll see if HAL evolves to that.

I doubt HAL will do what the other lines do because even now if you do not have luggage takes you pick up the exact same ones at the pier the only difference is they do not have Mariner across the front. But you will just have to fill it out there. I have always filled my out with a sharpie, looks like that will be something else people will have to pack.

[kryos]

Maybe I am lucky because I always get the online documents with other lines and I prefer that way. I got the blue thingy from HAL for my first HAL cruise and found it cumbersome. Funny how we are all creatures of habit.

I'm the same way as you. I actually prefer online documents. On my last cruise, I filled in all the paperwork online and then printed off my priority boarding pass. Although I received a document package in the mail, I didn't even have to pull it out when I got to the pier. All they wanted was my "have you been ill?" questionnaire, my passport, and the priority boarding pass, and I had my cabin key. They didn't even ask for my credit card for swiping. All that info, and the hold, had already been placed on it before I arrived ... so I was good to go.

 

My feeling is that if HAL can save a few bucks on mailing out documents, that's a good thing. I'd rather them save on something like that instead of having to cut things out onboard.

 

But then ... that's just me, and I realize there are others who prefer the paper documents. Seems like there should be some way for the passenger to select their preference in this area?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Enjoy the luggage tags at the pier while you can. That is the one pitfall of the other lines...the luggage tags have to be printed off and stapled around the luggage handles. They are only as strong as the paper you print it on but I found that by re-enforcing it with tape it was quite strong. We'll see if HAL evolves to that.

That's the only drawback I can see to the electronic documents. I don't care for luggage tags I print myself. Perhaps there needs to be some method by which a passenger can request luggage tags to be mailed ... maybe with some sort of form accessed from the "booked guests" section of the website.

 

I always worry about luggage tags I print. They don't look very strong, and I would worry they'd fall off before the luggage got delivered to my cabin. Perhaps some sort of "generic" luggage tags would be the way to go ... and travel agents can have a supply of these readily available in their offices for distribution to their clients. The only problem as I see it is that you would have to write in the name of the ship and hope the individual at the pier took the time to read it before routing your luggage. This could be especially critical in the case where there were six or seven ships boarding on the same day.

 

But other than that one problem, electronic documents would seem to me to be the easiest and most hassle free way to go. They really speed up the whole embarkation process considerably. I think it took me all of five minutes tops to get through embarkation in Vancouver for my last cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[rubytue]

Enjoy the luggage tags at the pier while you can. That is the one pitfall of the other lines...the luggage tags have to be printed off and stapled around the luggage handles. They are only as strong as the paper you print it on but I found that by re-enforcing it with tape it was quite strong. We'll see if HAL evolves to that.

Eh... I didn't want to deal with the paper luggage tags with NCL. Didn't even print them. I just used the sticky ones the porters had at the pier. If NCL does it, I wouldn't expect HAL to not offer it.

[norcal2]

That's the only drawback I can see to the electronic documents. I don't care for luggage tags I print myself. Perhaps there needs to be some method by which a passenger can request luggage tags to be mailed ... maybe with some sort of form accessed from the "booked guests" section of the website.

 

I always worry about luggage tags I print. They don't look very strong, and I would worry they'd fall off before the luggage got delivered to my cabin. Perhaps some sort of "generic" luggage tags would be the way to go ... and travel agents can have a supply of these readily available in their offices for distribution to their clients. The only problem as I see it is that you would have to write in the name of the ship and hope the individual at the pier took the time to read it before routing your luggage. This could be especially critical in the case where there were six or seven ships boarding on the same day.

 

But other than that one problem, electronic documents would seem to me to be the easiest and most hassle free way to go. They really speed up the whole embarkation process considerably. I think it took me all of five minutes tops to get through embarkation in Vancouver for my last cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

If you do run into that again try using the wide strapping tape over the printed ticket and it really makes it strong. It works great because it is see through and strong. The flimsy printed copy scared me so we got a little creative.

 

It would be nice if they mailed the tickets but maybe that would defeat what they are trying to do. The e-docs are so simple to handle (and pack) that you really learn to appreciate them.

[Taxguy77]

I received the blue folder for my cruise last year, read through all of it, then put 90% of it in a folder to keep at home in case of any problems as it was all legal matters. All that was needed was the boarding pass (online, not included in the mail) and the luggage tags.

Tip: I use return address stickers on ALL my luggage tags. Saves printing everything by hand multiple times. You could take some with you to use at the pier if useing the tags given out there, Better still, print your own with the ship and cabin # and you can make them easier to read.