getting onboard/ getting off at the end...

[Hsmama]

Ok disclaimer here- not sure where to ask this, so I decided to keep it cruiseline specific..... I'm a newbie,so it's a noob question also.... not sure if different lines operate differently tho.....

How does actually getting onto the ship work? I'm reading different threads,and it sounds daunting.What am I supposed to know about this process? How do we know what time to get on? does it matter?

[Krazy Kruizers]

When you arrive at the terminal, you will first turn over your luggage to a porter (we always tip them).

Keep your carry-ons with you. Then you will go to a specified door where someone there will hand you a number. If you are in the Pinnacle Suite or a Neptune Suite, you will be given the letter S.

Then you will go through security just like you do at the airport. From there you will follow the signs to check in. Your picture will be taken and you will be given your ID card which is also your room key. Then you will go to another area to sit until your letter or number is called.

We like to get to the terminal between 10:30 and 11.

Boarding usually begins at 11:30. People in wheel chairs and the PS go first. Then the Neptune Suites and finally they start to call numbers.

HAL tries to have their cabins ready at 11:30 so that you can drop off your carry-ons.

After that you can either explore the ship, have lunch in the Lido or in the dining room. The dining room is open to all passengers from Noon until 1:30.

[Lady Arwen]

Ok disclaimer here- not sure where to ask this, so I decided to keep it cruiseline specific..... I'm a newbie,so it's a noob question also.... not sure if different lines operate differently tho.....

How does actually getting onto the ship work? I'm reading different threads,and it sounds daunting.What am I supposed to know about this process? How do we know what time to get on? does it matter?

 

Basically, you show up at the terminal with your pre-printed reservation documents and your I.D. Your luggage will be taken by porters to put on the ship. Then you will wait in line to enter the terminal if you arrive too early (before 10:00 am). Once inside the terminal, you will wait until instructed to line up at the different agents who will check you in. If you arrive in the afternoon (after 1:00 pm) the lines will be minimal and you will probably get on the ship very quickly. It's not so much daunting, as it is time consuming. Pack your patience!

[RocketMan275]

Holland has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) which will answer a lot of your questions. You can find it here:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=General+Information

 

You can also ask here but you might want to read those FAQ too since you may find answers to questions you didn't know you had.

 

The bottom line is this. The cruise lines are used to dealing with passengers on their first cruises and they will take you by the hand if you need that.

 

For example, suppose you're flying in. You can purchase transfers from the cruise line and they will meet you in the terminal and get you and yours on a bus to the terminal. This is a bit expensive but you might consider it for your first cruise.

[3rdGenCunarder]

We tend to be pretty much on KK's timetable, maybe a bit later. I see that the docs for our next cruise tell us embarkation time of 1:00, but since we're in a Neptune Suite, we'll arrive around 11:30 hoping to have a short wait.

 

The physical layout of terminals varies, but the flow is usually as KK described. If you're planning to bring wine aboard, there will be a table to declare what you've got with you. It's usually near the x-ray/security area. I've had my wine whisked over to there at warp speed sometimes and it's been ignored other times. Wine "enforcement" does vary from port to port (and cruise to cruise).

 

One little boarding detail: have a pen with you. Because of the concern over Noro, all cruise lines require the staff on the pier to distribute a short form you have to fill out to say if you've been sick in the few days prior to your cruise. It takes very little time, but I hate that I've got my carry on stuff, plus my ticket, and now I need extra hands to deal with the form. It's easier/quicker if you don't have to scrounge for a pen.

 

Disembarking directions will be given to you on the ship. Timing depends on whether you're using their transfers or not; and if not, which deck you're on. Unless you want to arrange to carry EVERYTHING yourself (no porters) and get off very early, you put checked bags out the last night, saving just your carry ons. You leave the ship at your assigned time (when they call your baggage tag color/number), collect your luggage in the terminal, and then go through Immigration/Customs.

 

Hope this helps!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Basically, you show up at the terminal with your pre-printed reservation documents and your I.D. Your luggage will be taken by porters to put on the ship. Then you will wait in line to enter the terminal if you arrive too early (before 10:00 am). Once inside the terminal, you will wait until instructed to line up at the different agents who will check you in. If you arrive in the afternoon (after 1:00 pm) the lines will be minimal and you will probably get on the ship very quickly. It's not so much daunting, as it is time consuming. Pack your patience!

 

Excellent advice!!

[Hsmama]

thanks..... I'm reading that HAL info page right now..... so we have to turn our luggage over at the pier? What is this option I see of luggage companies on the HAL site? is that a necessity? We are planning a night at a hotel first anyway.... so getting there early usually just means long lines? vs. arriving closer to 1?

[Hsmama]

do you use a lanyard for id's while on the cruise?

[regnig]

thanks..... I'm reading that HAL info page right now..... so we have to turn our luggage over at the pier? What is this option I see of luggage companies on the HAL site? is that a necessity? We are planning a night at a hotel first anyway.... so getting there early usually just means long lines? vs. arriving closer to 1?

 

The only "luggage" you can carry on by hand when boarding must be able to fit through a scanner that is almost identical to those at the airport. Make certain you pack all meds and valuables in you hand luggage. The luggage you leave with the porters will be delivered to your stateroom. I believe the "luggage companies" you are asking about are for disembarkation. While the lines might be longer earlier they do move rather quickly. Guess you can pick where you might have to wait, your hotel or the port terminal.

 

do you use a lanyard for id's while on the cruise?

 

If using one with a clip the pursers desk will be glad to punch a hole in it for you. BUT, since some of HAL's ships have been upgraded and now require the card to be left without a hole you might get a lanyard with a card size plastic sleeve that you can just leave your card in and doesn't require that punched hole. Folks who use lanyards do so while on board the ship as it eliminates the need for pockets, wallets or purses.

[xlxo]

@Hsmama: From your other posts.... are you looking for specific info for Seattle to Alaska?

[joekerstef]

@Hsmama: From your other posts.... are you looking for specific info for Seattle to Alaska?

 

If this is indeed the case, we found boarding and disembarkation in Seattle to be an absolute breeze. We were at Pier 91 just before 10:30 as I recall and were on board in less than 45 minutes. One of the biggest holdups was the taking of the embarkation photo (grr).

[Hsmama]

If this is indeed the case, we found boarding and disembarkation in Seattle to be an absolute breeze. We were at Pier 91 just before 10:30 as I recall and were on board in less than 45 minutes. One of the biggest holdups was the taking of the embarkation photo (grr).

 

yes that is the case!:D an embarkation picture? what is that? what size card lanyard holder is good? and we're just an ordinary cabin, but getting there earlier always appeals

Edited January 8, 2017 by Hsmama

[kazu]

yes that is the case!:D an embarkation picture? what is that? what size card lanyard holder is good? and we're just an ordinary cabin, but getting there earlier always appeals

 

The photo is taken by HAL staff. It is embedded in your card so that when they scan you getting on and off the ship they can make sure it is you ;)

 

The cards are about the size of a regular key card holder you get in a hotel.

[joekerstef]

The photo is taken by HAL staff. It is embedded in your card so that when they scan you getting on and off the ship they can make sure it is you ;)

 

actually jacqui, i meant the one they take before they let you on to the gangway that they try to sell you later on. perhaps i should've said "welcome aboard photo." :D

 

also, welcome aboard @hsmama! i'm sure you'll love your Alaska cruise on whichever dam ship you're on. if you haven't already, take some time to go through the (very lengthy) "new to HAL" thread which is a sticky post at the beginning of all of the messages. there's a lot of useful info in there, although since the thread began a while ago, I think some of it is dated, but I found it tremendously helpful for tips and tricks and what to expect for my first HAL cruise last year.

Save

[luvteaching]

yes that is the case!:D an embarkation picture? what is that? what size card lanyard holder is good? and we're just an ordinary cabin, but getting there earlier always appeals

 

Embarkation in Seattle is super easy. We've done it almost a dozen times so we should know! We get to the pier right about 10:00 but we're parking in an off-site lot. From there we take their shuttle over. We give our porter the luggage we don't want to lug around and keep our carryon with the meds, etc. and the backpack with the laptop, etc. We have another wrinkle as my husband is wheelchaired on (mobility issues) so a port person gets the wheelchair and settles him in. Once the door opens you fill out the health form (I bring a pen - great advice) and then head upstairs. There is a line to work through where they check your id and boarding page. From there your luggage goes through the screener and you go through security (I go through, husband is wheeled through and wanded as well as patted down). Next stop is the check in area. This area moves really quickly (at least ours has) and they take your picture, give you your boarding cards and a map of the ship and then you can go grab a chair and wait to be called.

 

The doors are usually open at 11:30 with the Neptune and Pinnacle people first and then the wheelchairs and scooters. You can go to your cabin, drop off your luggage then head to the dining room or Lido for lunch. The Dive -In has great burgers. Grab the Daily Newsletter on your bed and read about what's going on. There are ship's tours and all sorts of things happening during the afternoon.

 

The cards are the size of a credit card. YOu can use a lanyard. I just keep mine in my pocket. I'm not a big fan of things around my neck!

 

Karen

[jtl513]

an embarkation picture? what is that?

 

The photo is taken by HAL staff. It is embedded in your card so that when they scan you getting on and off the ship they can make sure it is you ;)

There's two kinds of pictures taken. The one Jacqui was referring to is taken of each individual at the check-in desk and recorded so that it displays on a monitor each time you get on and off the ship. The second type, that joekerstef said took 45 minutes, is taken by the ship's photograpy concession of your entire group, with the hopes that you will purchase a copy as a souvenir. You will find these photographers at the end of the gangway at each port as well. Whenever possible we just politely say "No thank you" and keep walking. :)

 

edit: sorry joek, your post hadn't appeared yet when I started typing. :)

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by jtl513

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just had a thought about pre-travel stuff. When you download your "express documents" it will be pages and pages. All you really need for check-in is the first page, which serves as your ticket. Read through the whole thing on your computer (there's info on baggage, arrival, passports, etc), but you can save paper by printing only the first page.

[Tennessee Titan]

The photo is taken by HAL staff. It is embedded in your card so that when they scan you getting on and off the ship they can make sure it is you ;)

 

The cards are about the size of a regular key card holder you get in a hotel.

On our last cruise on the K, they didn't even take our picture; just used one from a previous cruise!

[peaches from georgia]

On one of our cruises the picture came on as obviously someone who was not me. They said it was a common malfunction of the machine which puts the pictures on the cards. They let me on anyway.

[jtl513]

On our last cruise on the K, they didn't even take our picture; just used one from a previous cruise!

Same on our last two cruises, the K'dam and O'dam.

[Caribbean Chris]

On our last cruise on the K, they didn't even take our picture; just used one from a previous cruise!

 

Same with us and we were pleasantly surprised. Kept things moving along.

[Caribbean Chris]

We've only sailed out of Seattle once but it was great. We made our own air arrangements but booked a HAL pre-cruise two night package (something we've never done before).

 

The transfer was great - met at baggage claim by a representative with a sign who was exceedingly helpful and service-oriented. At the hotel (Sheraton downtown, great location for sightseeing), we received a welcome letter with instructions. The morning of embarkation, all we had to do was tag our checked bags and have them ready to go inside our room. They were picked up by porters and we next saw them in our stateroom.

 

HAL had a super-efficient and very pleasant woman representative at a desk in the lobby, who reviewed our documents and provided us with the Noro form to fill out in advance. She gave special care and advance boarding on the transfer bus for people with disabilities. Arrival at the pier was simple and we were on board the ship very quickly.

 

At the end, we had a similar one-night airport hotel (Hilton) with transfers so we could be there for our early flight the next morning. That all went like clockwork, too.

 

Did it cost more than booking the hotels and transfers on our own? Sure, but not as much as I expected (Seattle is expensive). And it was worth it for the smooth and silk, no-stress arrangements.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Caribbean Chris

[Roz]

As far as getting on the ship, just follow the person in front of you. :D It's easy and the lines flow pretty easily. When we sailed to Alaska from Seattle back in May, we had 2 cruise virgins with us, and they both commented on how easy it was. At first they were taken aback by the number of people, but it was very organized.

 

Getting off is different for different people, depending on what form of transportation you're taking from the terminal, whether you're taking your luggage off yourself, and what timetable you're on.

 

Roz

[crystalspin]

@Hsmama

 

I posted this somewhere recently but it doesn't seem to be this thread. While people commonly say, 'give your check-baggage to the porter, bring carry-on with you' -- if you have carry-on SIZED suitcase(s) you may give them to the porter with a tip ($1? for a small case?) so that you don't have to tote it around until your stateroom is ready. If you want.

 

There is another current thread in one of the New Cruiser forums about a larger than airline carry-on bag being "carried on" by a passenger. Up to a 25" suitcase will probably fit through the scanner. The porters may try to tell you it won't, but it will. If you had a reason you wanted to be burdened with transporting it until your cabin was available!

 

Always keep absolutely crucial things with you. Including your passport/ID and cruise papers!

[Roz]

Also money, medicine, and credit cards.

 

Roz