Printed Boarding Passes In Advance...Now What?

We are not very experienced travelers, so keep that in mind please!

In the past, we've always done our check-in at the counter in the airport, whether we have luggage to check or not. But, I'm seeing a lot of people post about printing their boarding passes on the ship on the last day, before heading to the airport.

If I do that....where do I go in the airport? Can I proceed directly to Customs/Security [provided I have no luggage to check]. Sounds like a good idea to eliminate one line-up at least!

Straight to security before going to gate. But you can still do the check-in at the airport and have your boarding pass printed at the kiosk. Your preference.

Yes, printing the boarding pass(es) on the ship will allow you to skip the airport checkin and proceed to security.

If you had luggage it can some times be checked at the curb. Other times you would have to take it to the airline's counter.

You can print your airline boarding passes on line at home up to 24 hours in advance of your flight as well as within that same time frame on board the ship. In both cases you only need to check in luggage - typically available and fastest curbside - then go straight to the airport gate security check in.

On board the ship you can use their computer lounge to print them, but be aware that there typically is a ship based charge for using these computers. If your ship board booking category provides for use of their Concierge services then they can print the passes for you at no charge.

Many airlines also allow you to send your boarding pass to your phone, no need to print. I find this the easiest way to keep that information handy without wasting paper. You will still need to drop your luggage at either the curbside or regular service line.

I usually check in on my smart phone and as others have mentioned get my boarding passes sent o my phone. Also sometimes when I check in for my first flight, I am offered the opportunity to have automatic check in for the return as well.

It appears you are heading home to YHZ or YQY from somewhere in Florida? Connecting through YYZ or YUL? The details vary by airport and airline, but the correct answer is, assume a checkin agent will have to verify your passport for international travel. Be careful to ensure posts actually apply to your situation.

It appears you are heading home to YHZ or YQY from somewhere in Florida? Connecting through YYZ or YUL? The details vary by airport and airline, but the correct answer is, assume a checkin agent will have to verify your passport for international travel. Be careful to ensure posts actually apply to your situation.

The OP was asking about pre-printing airline boarding passes versus checking in for a boarding pass at the airline counter. Verifying a passport for international travel would still take place to pass through security. A pre-printed boarding pass would not affect that.

There's 2 reasons to do onlie checkin, maybe 3 but the 3rd doesn't apply to cruisers.

1) Get assigned seats if you couldn't get them ahead of time (either not available due to heavy booking, didn't want to pay, etc.)

2) Get checked in so you lower the likelihood of getting bumped (or at least gives you a leg up if they ask for bumping volunteers).

3) For some frequent flyers, a leg up on upgrades

4) If no checked bags, go straight to gate

I always check in when the window opens for 1 & 2. Even if it's 4, I get an "official" BP at the machine in case I need to to claim miles.

As for DOC CHK (document check), there is usually a final check at the gate where you get the DOC OK stamp for transborder flights.

Well, thank you all for weighing in on this! We are Canadians, traveling from Florida [this time it will be Orlando after our Sunshine cruise out of Port Canaveral] and connecting through Newark to Halifax, Nova Scotia. I don't mind paying a fee to print our passes onboard, if it saves us time at MCO....from past experience, that can be a very busy airport!

We are contrarian's and have never seen the need to print out boarding passes on the ship. I view it as a disruption to simply enjoying my last day (I do not want to leave a deck chair and have to deal with onboard internet hassles not to mention going to a place where they have a working printer. When we get to the airport it is a simple matter to head for one the convenient self-service check-in kiosks and quickly print out our boarding passes (as well as luggage tags). Having a boarding pass in advance does not save us much (if any) time since we still need to check our luggage. The same airport Kiosks that spit out boarding passes will generally give you your luggage tags at the same time. In many airports, tagging your own luggage allows you to skip a long line to check luggage...and proceed to a luggage drop counter. I recall walking by the Internet room on the Celebrity Eclipse (this past December) and seeing a line of folks waiting to get a terminal (we assume to print out boarding passes....since it was the last day of the cruise). I guess some find this worthwhile...but we tend to practice queue avoidance.

Hank

If I already have a seat there is no benefit to rushing to get or print boarding passes. Even with Southwest where it matters when you check in as to your boarding number, you can subsequently print the passes at the airport or download them to your device. Do not think I have ever printed passes on a cruise, do lots of time if in a hotel with a boarding pass machine as it is so simple.