Is Self-Service Check-in in HAL's Future?

[jhannah]

Carnival is introducing self-service check-in kiosks on a trial basis in Miami. (Costa has them already.) If you've registered online and meet other qualifications, you can check in for your cruise. You still have to go to the desk to pick up your room cards and have your documents scanned.

So what do you think? Do you like the idea? Will this help grease the process of getting onboard?

[Mary Ellen]

I don't see how it will speed things up, you still have to stand in line. As it is now our time at the check-in counter is waiting for them to give us our room key/boarding pass. This just adds the step of the self check-in.

[kakalina]

The way I read the article Jim is that the kiosk will scan your passport and CC or take your cash, and give you a receipt. You present the receipt to a person and get your room key in exchange. I understood the desk with people was for those of non US origin or with other extenuating circumstances.

Either way I like the idea.

[suse]

Just kidding. I like the smiles on people's faces when I'm boarding. call me a softy but that's how it is. "have a nice cruise", music to my ears.:D
Susie

[sail7seas]

Doesn't seem that system will save very much time if you still have to go to a desk. Have your passport scanned here or there......what's the difference?

[OCruisers]

:rolleyes: Maybe it's just me ... but can't see how this would make things faster! Seems like just one more additional step to board.

Have you ever tried to do a this sort of thing at the grocery store when the person in front of you has no clue of what to do? :eek:

[middle-aged mom]

It sounds somewhat similar to the way airlines handle check-in now.

More changes, changes, changes. Why can't the world stand still?;) I'm getting slower, everything else is getting faster......:eek:

Time to buy my private yacht. :p Cast off, Jeeves, and pour me some more Veuve Cliquot, s'il vous plait.......

[woody73]

I would not mind self-service kiosks as longs as there are enough of them and it speeds up the process.

Woody

[jtl513]

I think it would slow things down considerably. At airports many people, if not most, are slower at the kiosks than a clerk. The same is often true at supermarket and hardware self check-outs.

[jhannah]

The way I read the article Jim is that the kiosk will scan your passport and CC ... You are correct. I mis-read this section. We still have to go to the desk for the room key, though.

[jtl513]

You are correct. I mis-read this section. We still have to go to the desk for the room key, though.I presume this only works if you have the new passports with the RFID chip?

[pms4104]

I presume this only works if you have the new passports with the RFID chip?
Isn't there a barcode in/on the passports that don't have the chip? Can't check, as mine is in the safety deposit box at the bank, but I think I recall the barcode.

[OCruisers]

I presume this only works if you have the new passports with the RFID chip?


How do we know if our LATEST passport has a RFID chip? HELP!

[jtl513]

Isn't there a barcode in/on the passports that don't have the chip? Can't check, as mine is in the safety deposit box at the bank, but I think I recall the barcode.
I can't check either, because we haven't gotten our old passports back yet. We just got the new kind yesterday! :) The new ones do have a barcode on the last page, so you're probably right about the old ones having it too.

(And in case in anybody is now wondering, they said we would get our "proof of citizenship" documents back in a separate mailing. Funny thing: today we got the email saying the passports had been mailed!)

[jer_l]

I think this is a great idea. I always use self-check at the market and Home Depot and usually save a lot of time.

[catl331]

I think this is a great idea. I always use self-check at the market and Home Depot and usually save a lot of time.I'm glad it works for you. Maybe I'm just very unlucky, but all too often I am behind somebody (or two) that doesn't know what they're doing and it takes three times as long as it should. :(:(

[kryos]

:rolleyes: Maybe it's just me ... but can't see how this would make things faster! Seems like just one more additional step to board.

Have you ever tried to do a this sort of thing at the grocery store when the person in front of you has no clue of what to do? :eek:It's not just you. I'm having a problem with it too.

I am all for automating things to speed them up, but I just don't see how this will speed things up if you still have to go to a desk. But, then, I guess the airlines have sped things up with those kiosks. However, you only need to go to the desk if you are checking luggage then.

I guess I'll have to reserve judgment until I see how it works, but I honestly don't see it resolving very many problems or speeding things up considerably. With the airlines, only people needing to check baggage have to stop at the counter (or the curbside check-in), but with cruising everyone will need to make the stop at the counter to get their cabin keys. Now if there were some way for the passenger to get their cabin key via the kiosk, then I would definitely see the advantages. You present your paperwork, your credit card, etc., receive your cabin keys and then proceed directly to security. That would definitely speed up embarkation.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[jtl513]

Now if there were some way for the passenger to get their cabin key via the kiosk, then I would definitely see the advantages. You present your paperwork, your credit card, etc., receive your cabin keys and then proceed directly to security. That would definitely speed up embarkation.Somebody still has to take a reasonable picture of you.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I think once again this is a staffing issue - i.e. there will be less staff needed as there is at airport checkin where self check- in is done. (Excuse my verbage).

Regarding the photos - I think that Princess takes the photo as you board ship so HAL might go with that.

Barbara

[OCruisers]

It's not just you. I'm having a problem with it too.

I am all for automating things to speed them up, but I just don't see how this will speed things up if you still have to go to a desk. But, then, I guess the airlines have sped things up with those kiosks. However, you only need to go to the desk if you are checking luggage then.

I guess I'll have to reserve judgment until I see how it works, but I honestly don't see it resolving very many problems or speeding things up considerably. With the airlines, only people needing to check baggage have to stop at the counter (or the curbside check-in), but with cruising everyone will need to make the stop at the counter to get their cabin keys. Now if there were some way for the passenger to get their cabin key via the kiosk, then I would definitely see the advantages. You present your paperwork, your credit card, etc., receive your cabin keys and then proceed directly to security. That would definitely speed up embarkation.

Blue skies ...

--rita

Thanks for your reply ... glad I'm not the only one with concerns.

Like you .... I'm reserving judgement. It's certainly not like I don't want it to work and make things faster.

Still, there is a bit of me that wants to just hand my completely fill-out forms (and info filled out on computer) to a real person and have him/her take care of me with no extra effort on my part. :o

[John Cruise]

It's not about speeding up embarkation, it's about saving money
on staffing.

If the wait gets too long they won't do it, so see what happens.

JC

[jtl513]

How do we know if our LATEST passport has a RFID chip? HELP!If you didn't get a little pamphlet with yours that says it has the chip and explains all about it then you probably don't have it.

To be sure, look at the last page, facing the back cover, to see if it says "This document contains sensitive electronics. For best performance do not bend, perforate, or expose to extreme temperatures."

Edit: Also, the ones that have it have a symbol on the front: a rectangle with a circle in the center and a horizontal line. The pamphlet says to use the immigration lanes with that symbol, or else the passport will just be checked manually.

[jtl513]

Isn't there a barcode in/on the passports that don't have the chip? Can't check, as mine is in the safety deposit box at the bank, but I think I recall the barcode.We just got back one of our old passports today. It does have a barcode in the back, but that barcode does not match the passport number. On the new passports they do match. I don't know if that would make any difference for kiosk check-ins or not.

[pms4104]

We just got back one of our old passports today. It does have a barcode in the back, but that barcode does not match the passport number. On the new passports they do match. I don't know if that would make any difference for kiosk check-ins or not.
Thanks for your update.

If only the bar code on the new passports would work in the kiosks, that would contribute to job security at the pier at least til 2016, which is when our passports expire. I think we were some of the last before the chipped passports were implemented fully.

On the other hand, those barcodes must mean something and I'm guessing that the codes on any unexpired passport, chipped or not, would be acceptable for kiosk checkin. Otherwise, what's the point of outsourcing the personal pier service to a machine?

[jhannah]

123928

Without chip - on left.
With chip - on right.

All of that printing at the bottom of your "face page" is machine readable. I'm guessing that's what you'd slide through the kiosk because that's what the check-in people do.

[pms4104]

123928

Without chip - on left.
With chip - on right.

All of that printing at the bottom of your "face page" is machine readable. I'm guessing that's what you'd slide through the kiosk because that's what the check-in people do.
Thanks for your clarification. Never had to swipe mine so I wasn't thinking barcode vs. machine-readable info.

[Typhoon1]

I am sure it is not far away. You see them everywhere else, airports, hotels, markets. It's just a matter of time before it will print a room key, just like hotel kiosks do.

[Nutrioso]

I agree with SJSUlibrarian (Hi, Barbara! Long time no see). I don't think it will speed things up, nor do I think it will slow things down. It is about not having to have so many staff at checkin. Saving money, don'cha know! ---Penny

[Typhoon1]

Somebody still has to take a reasonable picture of you.

Princess snaps your picture as you board the ship. Insert key card into machine, look up and your picture is taken. IIRC there was a staff member present to monitor the process.

[gatour]

Thanks for your update.

If only the bar code on the new passports would work in the kiosks, that would contribute to job security at the pier at least til 2016, which is when our passports expire. I think we were some of the last before the chipped passports were implemented fully.

On the other hand, those barcodes must mean something and I'm guessing that the codes on any unexpired passport, chipped or not, would be acceptable for kiosk checkin. Otherwise, what's the point of outsourcing the personal pier service to a machine?

The airport kiosks accepts the bar code type passports so I imagine that a cruiseline's kiosk would also, since the rfid was only required in the last year or so.

Back to the original thread, in the old days, the clerks at the checkin counter spent much of their time being data entry people which held up the lines.

Next step was a few years ago when you entered the same information online that the clerks entered when you were checking in after a couple of years this process has been worked out