checking in at terminal

[luvemcruzes]

just received tickets for our cruise, and was wondering what the procedure is for checking in at the dock in New york. On my other cruises a page in the ticket book was available for giving credit card info etc. for all passengers but Not on HAL EH? I have finished the immigration forms on line and printed them...Any other information I should know about?

[dsawyer]

We also just got our documents for the 3/25/06 sailing on The Noordam out of New York.

 

Look carefully at all the paperwork in your documents. There was a paper to fill out for credit card info among our papers. You probably have one, as well. Take this with you with your credit card info printed on it for checkin along with a copy of your immigration papes you filled out online. This should take care of all proper documentation.

[luvemcruzes]

Totally missed that, it was tucked away in the back......thanks

[luvemcruzes]

Totally missed that, it was tucked away in the back......thanks

 

Can anyone translate the credit card form. especially the $60 per day per passenger bit?

[RuthC]

Can anyone translate the credit card form. especially the $60 per day per passenger bit?

HAL will make a projection of $60 per person/per day expenses and put a "hold" on your credit card for that amount. This is to ensure that the money is available when it comes time to pay the piper.

If you start to charge more than that amount HAL will "hold" more. At the end of your cruise you will be billed for the amount you actually spent.

[Mincruiser]

Are there still seperate lines for having filled out online immigration forms or not? Any speedier lines at checkin?

[Bramcruiser]

Are there still seperate lines for having filled out online immigration forms or not? Any speedier lines at checkin?

 

Yeah the online form people go through different lines that those who have to fill out the paper work manually. I figure it's suppose to be faster but I still found the process of checking in rather sluggish. Still have to give them the credit card, and have the pics taken. I remember having many, many pieces of paper in my hands by the time I got into line. Who knows what else they type into the laptops as you stand there. Maybe they are emailing friends and making fun of the people checking in .:D However, I rather be at the counter checking in than back at work!

[KalenaD]

On our Dec Westerdam cruise the computers were not working right, they checked our paperwork and gave us our room cards. We were told to go to the main deck sometime in the first 24 hours to give our credit card info and have our picture taken. It was actually smoother that way, we arrived at the dock at 11:20, took maybe 20 minutes for security, stood in line for check in 5 minutes tops, and were on the ship at 12:00. Before dinner that night we went to the main deck expecting a line, there was nobody else there, 2 minutes and we were all done.

by the way, the $60 a day is not actually charged to your card, you never see it on your statement.

[peaches from georgia]

Do NOT forget, especially if you have a low credit limit, that the $60/day/person is being 'held' against your available credit, lowering the amount you believe you have to spend. It is possible to get into a port and try to charge something on that card and be denied for lack of enough available credit.

[days628]

It has been a while since I last cruised on HA so I have a question?

 

Can both people in the same cabin, husband/wife give the same credit card information? Or do both have to give a different card number?

 

I do not like to carry too many credit cards, it is way too tempting.

 

Thanks for any thoughts on this subject.

 

days628

 

Volendam March 13, 2006

[KalenaD]

no problem, you use one card and put both names on it when you fill out the form. They might have two separate statements for each room card, but the total is put on the credit card on record.:)

[seadrifter]

One credit card for both DH and I has worked just fine on our cruises. We prefer to empty our wallets prior to the cruise and choose only one credit card and one debit card to take with us.

[Sayyadina]

HAL will make a projection of $60 per person/per day expenses and put a "hold" on your credit card for that amount. This is to ensure that the money is available when it comes time to pay the piper.

 

Does the credit card company charge interest on a 'hold?' Like, if I wound up spending nothing on the cruise ship (ha) would I still owe interest on the amount they held? That sounds absolutely insane to me, but I thought I'd ask (I've heard stranger things :) :rolleyes:

[RuthC]

We prefer to empty our wallets prior to the cruise and choose only one credit card and one debit card to take with us.

May I offer a word of caution: always bring at least one credit card in that has your name on it. It doesn't need to be your own account, but it does have to be your own card.

The last time my husband and I headed off for a cruise was the first time I had left (most) of my own credit cards at home. Fortuantely, I did have one with my name on it when he dropped dead. Otherwise I could have been stranded until it got sorted out.

[RuthC]

Does the credit card company charge interest on a 'hold?' Like, if I wound up spending nothing on the cruise ship (ha) would I still owe interest on the amount they held? That sounds absolutely insane to me, but I thought I'd ask (I've heard stranger things :) :rolleyes:

No, no interest charged. The "hold" is like a reservation at a restaurant; no charges until you eat.

[days628]

As I am new to Cruise Critics I thank you all for your advice and comments.

 

Ruth C. I was sorry to hear about your sad experience. Words can not convey my thoughts. Although my husband did not die he did have a massive heart attack when our cruise on Carnival stopped in Panama (March, 2003). It was a nightmare of red tape just trying to get our passports back so we could go home after 7 days in the hospital.

 

I learned three very important things on that cruise, 1) Travellers Insurance is a blessing and worth every penny 2) Make sure you have your own credit and 3) A smile is the same in any language.

 

days628

 

Volendam, March 13, 2006