Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

When do you usually print your express documents?

Truesoldier

By Truesoldier,
in Holland America Line

Recommended Posts

Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Posted
Posted

Even though you make final payment about 70 - 75 days before you cruise, you can not print out your boarding pass until 50 days before your cruise.

You can fill out the information any time you want to and it will be "stored" for you.

At the 50 day mark you will get an e-mail from HAL that you can print out your e-docs.

You can print out luggage tags at any time -- not time set on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
Just curious how long everyone waits to print them. Thanks in advance.

 

kidding right:) I print them as soon as they come out - then the cruise is real:):) I do a miniature e doc dance and then I calm down and print:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Truesoldier

Truesoldier

Posted
  • Author
Posted
kidding right:) I print them as soon as they come out - then the cruise is real:):) I do a miniature e doc dance and then I calm down and print:D

 

Sounds just like what my DW just did. We are only a week out and just printed the documents. We are so excited knowing that a week from tomorrow we will be boarding our first cruise ever!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
Sounds just like what my DW just did. We are only a week out and just printed the documents. We are so excited knowing that a week from tomorrow we will be boarding our first cruise ever!

 

Have a wonderful time - we always do :):):)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Truesoldier

Truesoldier

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Usually the night before we leave home for a cruise, when I print luggage tags too. (I only print the one main page)

 

 

Makes sense. When we printed our baggage tags I cut a manila folder down to 8.5 by 11 and ran that through the feeder tray of our laser printer. I figured the heavier stock would help to ensure that the tags survive.

 

Quick question. I see on the travel docs that are embark time is 1pm and the HAL site says early embark time starts at 11:30am. Do I have to wait till the 1pm time to embark or would I be able to board at the earlier time? No big deal, just figure plan it so we do not have to stand around on the pier for an hour or so waiting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Okie1946

Okie1946

Posted
Posted
Makes sense. When we printed our baggage tags I cut a manila folder down to 8.5 by 11 and ran that through the feeder tray of our laser printer. I figured the heavier stock would help to ensure that the tags survive.

 

Thank you for the fantastic idea. :D When I had printed our baggage tags earlier - I would laminate them so they would hold up during all of the handling. Manila folders are much cheaper - free - left over from where I shut down my home office (worked from home about 30% of the time before retirement). Why not use them up?:cool:

 

Usually print out our express docs the day we get the email. It really brings it to home that we are leaving SOON. :eek:

 

Again - thanks for the great hint.

 

Previous Cruises:

Alaska - Westerdam - September 2009

Alaska- Rotterdam - September 2010

Mexican Riveria - Oosterdam - April 2011

SMILE - people will wonder what you have been up to. Besides it's good exercise for the face. :-))

Future Cruises – in planning stage:

September - 2013 Panama Canal - - 28 day

August – 2014 – Eastern Med – 28 days or one that will be cruising Black Sea

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Boytjie

Boytjie

Posted
Posted
Makes sense. When we printed our baggage tags I cut a manila folder down to 8.5 by 11 and ran that through the feeder tray of our laser printer. I figured the heavier stock would help to ensure that the tags survive.

 

I always printed it i regular paper stock and have never done more than what HAL suggests as far as folding and stapeling it on. It held up very well.

 

Quick question. I see on the travel docs that are embark time is 1pm and the HAL site says early embark time starts at 11:30am. Do I have to wait till the 1pm time to embark or would I be able to board at the earlier time? No big deal, just figure plan it so we do not have to stand around on the pier for an hour or so waiting.

 

The cruise lines all seem to give you times to board which is later than when they actually start boarding. Where you board may play a role but it seems like 11:30 am for HAL is usually fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sandi3667

Sandi3667

Posted
Posted
Quick question. I see on the travel docs that are embark time is 1pm and the HAL site says early embark time starts at 11:30am. Do I have to wait till the 1pm time to embark or would I be able to board at the earlier time? No big deal, just figure plan it so we do not have to stand around on the pier for an hour or so waiting.

 

Our docs said 1 PM too, but we got to the pier closer to 11:15-11:30. I think we were actually through check-in and on board by 12:15. Once we got through security & registration, we only waited a short time (maybe 15 minutes).

 

Have a wonderful cruise. We did the same itinerary on Oosterdam last year, and it has sold me on cruising. Don't know when the next one will be, but it will be on HAL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jkrislc

jkrislc

Posted
Posted

I just printed mine for a cruise in a couple of weeks. I wait until the ship is sold out just in case there's a chance of an upgrade or upsell as I don't want to reprint them if there's a cabin change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NMLady

NMLady

Posted
Posted
Just curious how long everyone waits to print them. Thanks in advance.

 

I print them about a week before departure so I can add them to my organizational folders and won't be trying to do it at the last minute when I'm super busy. I print the luggage tags, on posterboard for sturdiness, at the same time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fleckle

fleckle

Posted
Posted
Just curious how long everyone waits to print them. Thanks in advance.
Anytime after making final payment, but usually about a week before departure once we are sure that we will not be changing staterooms.

 

We never bother with printing luggage tags since we find it easiest just to have the bags tagged at the pier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TwinAnchors

TwinAnchors

Posted
Posted

We'll print our Express Documents as soon as we are assigned a cabin.

We are on a Guarantee.Failing that,if we don't receive an assignment,

before we leave home,we will print them out and fill in the cabin number

at the pier check-in.

Maybe there will be surprise upgrade waiting for us! You never know!icon7.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
catl331

catl331

Posted
Posted

DH prints ours at least a week before, just to avoid a possible computer problem at either end on the last day before leaving. He uses regular paper for the luggage tags but puts a blank sheet behind each before folding to give extra thickness for a little added strength.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
erewhon Holiday Sharing Rare

erewhon

Posted
Posted
Sounds just like what my DW just did. We are only a week out and just printed the documents. We are so excited knowing that a week from tomorrow we will be boarding our first cruise ever!

 

Wishing you a wonderful cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cp556

cp556

Posted
Posted

Since we generally book a specific cabin, we print out the baggage tags as soon as they're available. One less thing to do, and one more thing to make it seem real :)

 

We have the 4 Mariner Society baggage tags which have a clear space for your folded printed tag. Safe and secure ... and nice-looking. They used to be available for sale online; don't know if they still are...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
edmusic

edmusic

Posted
Posted

Seeing how HAL says they constantly update the docs, we wait until a few days before sailing before we print them out. We usually book guaranteed cabins so our docs won't even contain our cabin assignment until then, so why waste all that ink and paper until necessary. Same goes for the luggage tags. No point in printing them out until we know our stateroom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...