Paid in Full, Carnival Won't Print My Boarding Pass!

[Shaded Lady]

I know my cruise isn't until October, but I decided to fill out all my online check-in details. I went to print my cruise documentation and was shocked when it came up saying 'Unable to Print Boarding Pass until Full Payment is Received'.

 

I started to panic because I paid in full 3 weeks ago! I called Carnival and the lovely woman calmed me down, telling me that it's common for travel agencies to withhold paying until the final payment date (for me, August), even though you have paid in full. I guess they can get the interest off the money I paid them, rather than giving it to Carnival!

 

But the agent at Carnival told me I can call my TA on Monday and tell them I want the account paid in full. They should take care of it right away, she says. I hope so- I hate the idea that someone else is holding the money for my cruise and I'm dependent on them to pay it on time!

 

So you can bet I'll be on the phone first thing Monday AM asking my TA about this! :confused:

[kona_wahine]

Wow, that's would make me nervous. What if they went out of business? There would go your money. That's another good reason to book directly.

[Shaded Lady]

I know! I'm not freaking out because my TA is actually the travel agency portion of Marriott Vacation Club, and things would have to be pretty extreme for them to go bankrupt... but still!

 

I just feel uncomfortable knowing that I've paid in full, but Carnival doesn't see it yet.

[cruizinisthebest]

I use a TA and my final payment date with them is always two weeks earlier than Carnival's actual date. Was told they need to allow time for processing and any errors that might occur. By 3 weeks though, the payment should be posted. I would definitely just call on Monday.

[Elaine5715]

I know my cruise isn't until October, but I decided to fill out all my online check-in details. I went to print my cruise documentation and was shocked when it came up saying 'Unable to Print Boarding Pass until Full Payment is Received'.

 

I started to panic because I paid in full 3 weeks ago! I called Carnival and the lovely woman calmed me down, telling me that it's common for travel agencies to withhold paying until the final payment date (for me, August), even though you have paid in full. I guess they can get the interest off the money I paid them, rather than giving it to Carnival!

 

But the agent at Carnival told me I can call my TA on Monday and tell them I want the account paid in full. They should take care of it right away, she says. I hope so- I hate the idea that someone else is holding the money for my cruise and I'm dependent on them to pay it on time!

 

So you can bet I'll be on the phone first thing Monday AM asking my TA about this! :confused:

 

So why the headline? Carnival isn't the problem, your choice of travel agent is..

[cruizinisthebest]

So why the headline? Carnival isn't the problem, your choice of travel agent is..

 

Good point.

[Kamloops50]

I know! I'm not freaking out because my TA is actually the travel agency portion of Marriott Vacation Club, and things would have to be pretty extreme for them to go bankrupt... but still!

 

I just feel uncomfortable knowing that I've paid in full, but Carnival doesn't see it yet.

Most documents can't be printed until 45 days before sailing. Your boarding Pass can't be printed this early.

[BenjiRodney]

Most documents can't be printed until 45 days before sailing. Your boarding Pass can't be printed this early.

 

I have paid off my cruise months before final payment and been able to print all of my documents. :)

[Shaded Lady]

So why the headline? Carnival isn't the problem, your choice of travel agent is..

 

Thank you for pointing that out! My headline indicated the panic I felt when I saw the message on the Carnival site... I fully realize the problem is with my TA, but thank you sooooo much for your correction of my thread title.

 

Gosh, but some people are so critical!

[mishka422]

Just a clarification question. Did you pay in cash?

[DebJ14]

Just a clarification question. Did you pay in cash?

 

Excellent question. If you mailed them a check they would wait until after it cleared before paying the cruise.

[OCruisers]

Actually think it's not so much that you have already paid in full ... but they can't be printed until the last date when paid in full is due even when you have already paid. Don't know why ... just the way it is. :rolleyes:

LuLu

~~~~

[Shaded Lady]

That is an excellent question but no, I used my credit card. Which just got me thinking! It is a credit card that I've been watching because I bought something at Target after Thanksgiving when that huge credit card issue happened... They told me 2 weeks ago they were replacing the card on speculation, but I wondered if that was part of the problem.

 

So I just went online and confirmed that the charges are there on my credit card, so that wasn't the problem. Good thought though!

 

I debated whether I'd pay it all off right away, but I had the money from my annual bonus and I was afraid I'd fritter it away if I didn't just pay for it now.

 

I'll just call them Monday and ask them nicely to please go ahead and pay the whole amount off.

[Shaded Lady]

Actually think it's not so much that you have already paid in full ... but they can't be printed until the last date when paid in full is due even when you have already paid. Don't know why ... just the way it is. :rolleyes:

LuLu

~~~~

 

That may be, I've never paid in full this far in advance so I'd never experienced it before! I was just glad that I found out what the problem was!

[gregg204]

Most documents can't be printed until 45 days before sailing. Your boarding Pass can't be printed this early.

 

Not necessarily, I'm 85 days out. As soon as I made the final payment I was able to print my boarding passes. All documents are printed out. All I have left to do is print my luggage tags.

[TruckinMama]

Most documents can't be printed until 45 days before sailing. Your boarding Pass can't be printed this early.

 

For our last cruise I printed our documents, boarding passes, and luggage tags 5 months out after I made my final payment.

[luv2cruzfrmco]

Our first cruise was due to sail the day after hurricane Rita hit the gulf coast. We booked thru a travel agent.

 

The travel agent office was destroyed in the storm and never reopened. They did before the storm, pay off our cruise to RCI. It took lots of begging and working our way up the corporate ladder but RCI agreed to credit us with a future cruise since we couldn't make the original sail date due to damage to our home and the fact that Galveston was closed.

 

We did not get our port fees and taxes back from the original TA. Since that day, we ALWAYS book directly with the cruise line. Lesson learned.

 

Now when we pay off our cruise, we see immediately that it's paid off. Why isn't your TA getting your boarding passes and travel docs?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

That is an excellent question but no, I used my credit card. Which just got me thinking! It is a credit card that I've been watching because I bought something at Target after Thanksgiving when that huge credit card issue happened... They told me 2 weeks ago they were replacing the card on speculation, but I wondered if that was part of the problem.

 

So I just went online and confirmed that the charges are there on my credit card, so that wasn't the problem. Good thought though!

 

I debated whether I'd pay it all off right away, but I had the money from my annual bonus and I was afraid I'd fritter it away if I didn't just pay for it now.

 

I'll just call them Monday and ask them nicely to please go ahead and pay the whole amount off.

 

When you say the charges are on your credit card, when was the charge made and to whom?

 

It should have been made to Carnival and not your travel agent.

 

Are you booked into a group that maybe you don't know about?

 

Bill

[SavvySarah]

Most documents can't be printed until 45 days before sailing. Your boarding Pass can't be printed this early.

 

Incorrect. I am setting sail in October and I have already printed my boarding passes.

[Lerin]

Why are you printing off documents if you went through a TA?

Isn't the purpose of using a TA so that they do everything for you? :confused:

 

Regardless, we don't use TA's anymore and I'll add this to my reasons of why not.

[JustCruiseMe]

Use a different browser this happens all the time. Firefox won't print them for me but IE will, no problems.

[flucocruiser]

How long until you sail?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

[ready2cruzagain]

Why are you printing off documents if you went through a TA?

Isn't the purpose of using a TA so that they do everything for you? :confused:

 

Regardless, we don't use TA's anymore and I'll add this to my reasons of why not.

 

In the old days the TA's would get all of the documentation for you and mail it to you. Now days, even though you go through a TA you go online to your Cruise account and print out the documents and luggage tags yourself. This goes for Carnival and Princess not sure about the others but been this way for several years with them. I believe this all changed when the cruise lines stopped mailing out the luggage tags and cruise documents.

 

OP, I have booked through TA last 8 cruises and I had one TA that booked her clients as a group. I know that on those bookings even though I was paid off early I still could not access documents until it was released by the TA. The TA I use now, a couple of weeks after it is paid off then I can access my documents.

[PaulMedik]

Most documents can't be printed until 45 days before sailing. Your boarding Pass can't be printed this early.

 

 

Kamloops50,

 

Boarding passes can be printed at any time after full payment is made. I normally wait until the week before final payment date, but on one previous cruise I paid well in advance and my boarding pass had VIP emblazoned in large type. Two months later I checked again and it had a small VIP, then right before it was Priority. :rolleyes: The only reason I had three copies was from reading here that the wording had changed. :p

[winddawn]

I know my cruise isn't until October, but I decided to fill out all my online check-in details. I went to print my cruise documentation and was shocked when it came up saying 'Unable to Print Boarding Pass until Full Payment is Received'.

 

I started to panic because I paid in full 3 weeks ago! I called Carnival and the lovely woman calmed me down, telling me that it's common for travel agencies to withhold paying until the final payment date (for me, August), even though you have paid in full. I guess they can get the interest off the money I paid them, rather than giving it to Carnival!

 

But the agent at Carnival told me I can call my TA on Monday and tell them I want the account paid in full. They should take care of it right away, she says. I hope so- I hate the idea that someone else is holding the money for my cruise and I'm dependent on them to pay it on time!

 

So you can bet I'll be on the phone first thing Monday AM asking my TA about this! :confused:

This would concern me too. This might be a red flag that the TA is having money troubles. This is another good reason not to purchase through a TA.