Bittersweet Doc Dance: The End of an Era.

[bepsf]

I'm finally excited because I received my documents in the mail from my TA today for my Alaskan Cruisetour - my 9th HAL cruise - departing in a couple weeks...

...but I'm sad because it's the last set of printed documents and luggage tags I'll ever receive from HAL

Sure, I could print out my own stuff and use old ticket wallets, but it won't be the same - It will be just like printing a ticket/itinerary for an airline trip (Which I don't even bother doing anymore - I just tap the info into my smartphone and get a boarding pass at the terminal)

And new HAL cruisers won't ever get to experience the same excitement about going through the documents and booklets that they've received from HAL in an elegant and classy blue document wallet...

IMO, HAL could tack an extra $25 to the ticket price for these things - or make it an extra fee, if they must - but it just doesn't seem right not to offer them at all...
...so I guess on future HAL cruises, I'll just show up at the terminal with no tickets or luggage tags: Just my passport in hand, my stateroom number in my smartphone and a sharpie in my briefcase so I can quickly scribble my name and stateroom number on some luggage tags at the pier.

Is anyone else saddened about this?

[SarasMommy]

Is anyone else saddened about this?

No. I'll still do the doc dance, but I'll just ad a "k" to "doc" and do the dance just before I board the ship! :)

[IRL_Joanie]

.....

Is anyone else saddened about this?


yes:(

[sail7seas]

As I attached our Maasdam tags to our bags this afternoon, I did get a sad pang in the pit of my stomach. This is our 60th cruise with HAL and our last to receive docs in the mail. It's okay; I'll get over it but I will be using the Maasdam tags I have accumulated through the years over and over again until they are no longer useable.

Enjoy your doc dance, Brian. Make it a very special one.

[Soundsgreat6]

Defiantly I also would like Hal to at least give us the option, to receive our docs in the blue folder. Especially for first time cruiser's. Or even repeat passengers. I can't tell you how often I have been approached at airports throughout the world by fellow Hal passengers and struck up a conversation. Also by non Hal passengers, saying where did I get the folder.
I would always tell them to just book a cruise with Hal and you will get one.

In mho this was and still would be a great promotional Item.

They are so helpful in keeping all your travel arrangements in one place I never travel without it.

[RuthC]

Oh, Brian, I do so understand how you feel. This is one melancholy dance, is it not? The joy of your upcoming cruise, yet knowing this is the end of an era.
But please don't weigh yourself down packing a Sharpie. The stevedores should be able to complete your tags for you. You just keep your eyes on your luggage while they do the work. :D

[docksider21]

I will be using the Maasdam tags I have accumulated through the years over and over again until they are no longer useable.



Sail,

Laminate some with heavy laminate.
And write your cabin number with dry erase
so you can wipe off and use over and over and over.

Kindest regards

[Susie51]

I'll miss the lovely blue folders. I'm glad I still have some. I use them on non HAL cruises also, because they are so handy to keep everything together.

[Sunshine91]

Sorry, you'll have to dance this one solo, cousin. ;) I'd much rather save some trees than waste all that paper.

I think I might have lugged that unwieldy blue folder on our 1st HAL cruise, but after that, nope. Just the ticket booklet & whatever else is truly necessary.

You know what I will miss? Having the luggage tags in advance. Instead of handwriting all of them, I create a set of labels. And it's always kinda neat at the airport, to spot the other HAL tags. Makes it easy to strike up a conversation. And the Alaska cruisetour tags are just SO adorable - with the grizzlies. :)

[sail7seas]

Sail,

Laminate some with heavy laminate.
And write your cabin number with dry erase
so you can wipe off and use over and over and over.

Kindest regards

Good idea. What's even better is that we are almost always in the same cabin so usually won't have to change cabin number. I could always just put a blank sticker over the number and insert a different one if necessary.

I'm going to laminate all the tags I have from all the various ships.

[Sunshine91]

LOVE that laminate idea! I think I'll pick up some supplies this weekend - haven't filled-out our tags yet for the cruisetour or Ryndam, so I can start with those. Thanks, docksider, for the idea. Won't use the dryerase, tho. That can wipe off too easily & is messy.

Sail, 60 cruises - WOW! How fantastic is that?! May you & R. have just as many more. Can't wait until we meet up again on a lovely blue-hulled boat. :)

[Pokeynose]

Yes, I got our last blue folder for our next cruise in two weeks. I went and bought some heavier paper and will copy the luggage tags for our next trip in Jan. I will also have them laminated. To me getting the blue folder is one of the best things about the cruise. Guess we'll get used to it.:( Barb

[Cqis]

I through my blue folder away from the last cruise because I knew that I would be getting a new one this cruise. Woe am I.My blue and grey printer is all I have. Pepper kept his. He will not give it to me. Maybe some one will puy theirs on e- Bay.

I can't believe that this really bothered me. I got to get a life.

New job for someone. Holland America trays and document holders saleperson
Cely

[brucory]

I through my blue folder away from the last cruise because I knew that I would be getting a new one this cruise. Woe am I.My blue and grey printer is all I have. Pepper kept his. He will not give it to me. Maybe some one will puy theirs on e- Bay.

I can't believe that this really bothered me. I got to get a life.

New job for someone. Holland America trays and document holders saleperson
Cely

Try this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Holland-America-Cruise-Line-Documents-Organizer_W0QQitemZ230370015656QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ LH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a31f79a8&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

:D:D:D

[mudscraper]

I also have enjoyed getting those neat folders with my cruise documents and luggage tags. Last year we booked the Veendam after final payment date and received E-docs with no luggage tags. It was easy peazy at the pier. I am amazed to read that cruisers are going shopping for luggage tag supplies,laminating etc. Be angry with me if you want for stating my opinion but this luggage tag worry is unwarranted.


Rich

[Pokeynose]

. I am amazed to read that cruisers are going shopping for luggage tag supplies,laminating etc. Be angry with me if you want for stating my opinion but this luggage tag worry is unwarranted.


Rich[/quote]

To each his/her own. I love the HAL luggage tags. I'm amazed this bothers you. Barb, whose DH hasn't beable to tell her what to do in 56 yrs. and neither will you, this is my opinion.:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

It doesn't bother me that we now have e-docs. Won't take that long to print out the information.

It also didn't take but a couple of seconds to print out the luggage tags.

[jhannah]

I think the blue folders are classy, and a nice, distinctive touch. But HAL seems to not be interested in being distinctive any more.

[dchang]

I just posted a couple days ago about doing our first doc dance on our front porch. We are getting ready for our first cruise. When we received our Fed Ex package from our TA, the reality of our cruise hit us, we are now just a few weeks away from our vacation. When I opened our package to find the two blue HAL Cruise Wallets packed with information from HAL and our TA since we are part of a group cruise, I was amazed how much information was in our smart looking blue folder.

I am very glad we were able to experience this excitement at least one time. I spent a good 30-40 minutes going thru the items in my classy blue folder. My partner on the other hand, looked thru the folder for about 5 minutes, passed it back to me and said " Now, I have something to read on our flight to Seattle". I guess we know who the travel planner/geek is in our family. Since the arrival of our documents the excitement has now heightened and I just can't wait to experience our first cruise. Over the past few months I have lost almost 50 lbs and last night we went shopping for some new clothes for our cruise. Being the travel geek that I am, once we finish the rest of our cruise shopping after the Labor Day Sales, I will start packing my suitcase for the cruise. We have always enjoyed traveling and are hoping this will be our first of many cruises to come.

[EbayCruiser]

I too LOVE the blue folders. I really like the older "pleather" ones better than the ones they are currently sending. They are thinner and fit nicely in your purse. :)

To each her on though, my sister-in-law moved to a new home recently and threw out her two folders. :eek: I couldn't believe it when she told me.

Well .... I am still waiting to see if we will receive a folder for our upcoming 10/03 Maasdam cruise. I asked our TA about it back before HAL set the deadline and she had said that we would get the folder because at that time she could still choose whether or not to get one.

I haven't called her ... I don't want to jinx it!! :D

[kakalina]

Sorry, ebay cruiser, but you won't be getting one. Our PCC states that they cannot even access the areas where they keep them any longer. Our cruise leaves the 8th of OCt and we were originally told we would get the doc folder and then advised it would not happen after all.

I must agree with the thought they send out 3 to 5K folders per week. At the cost of $25-45 per that's a lot of money and trees. I will miss them however.

[mamadot]

I am also excited to see that blue packet arrive but..........I have stacks of those and most of what is contained in them is of no use. I always trash most of the contents and use my leather document wallet to hold my boarding passes. Now I have never taken a cruise when I did not receive them even in May of this year. I am now waiting for that blue packet which may or may not arrive and if it does not I will just print them off and be on my way!!:)

[benchmarklearning]

I too am saddened over the decision to not use the blue packets and getting the docs by mail.

BUT, those of you who say "it saves trees," that is not and should not be a reason. Trees are a very renewable resource. I am surrounded by billions of them. That argument, used my many over the past decade by the "greenies" just doesn't hold water.

Bottom line - it saves HAL a few bucks, that's it.

[sail7seas]

What saves HAL money, saves us money and there are a great many folks these days who are scouring the internet to save the last dollar. If WE are determined to save the last dollar, why should not a for profit company?

[Northshorecruisers]

I still have the leather folders from our first HAL cruise

[IRL_Joanie]

New job for someone. Holland America trays and document holders saleperson
Cely


Add Dress Code Enforcer to the Job Description:D

[YXU AC*SE]

Is anyone else saddened about this?

Not in the least. Scott.

[iancal]

No, I will not miss them. They end up in the dustbin well before we leave home. Much prefer edocs.

[mudscraper]

. I am amazed to read that cruisers are going shopping for luggage tag supplies,laminating etc. Be angry with me if you want for stating my opinion but this luggage tag worry is unwarranted.


Rich

To each his/her own. I love the HAL luggage tags. I'm amazed this bothers you. Barb, whose DH hasn't beable to tell her what to do in 56 yrs. and neither will you, this is my opinion.:D[/quote]
Good morning
Im amazed that your amazed that Im amazed.:):)
Nowhere in my post do I tell anyone what to do.
May all our cruises be amazing ones.


Rich

[Kween Karen]

Can you pick up some extra tags at the pier while you are on THIS trip to use for your NEXT trip?

I would rather see HAL cut this than some other things. Hopefully it helps.

[bepsf]

And the Alaska cruisetour tags are just SO adorable - with the grizzlies. :)

I noticed those too - Definitely keepers!

As for saving trees - Sure it saves a few...
...but the costs are getting passed along to customers and TA's who will be printing out documents, etc - and in many ways, us printing our own is far less efficient and less "green" than having them produced in a central printing plant (think of all those little plastic cartridges ending up in landfills)

But HAL seems to not be interested in being distinctive any more.

Indeed - I'm waiting for the PR statement 'Due to the increased cost of blue paint and excessive fuel costs used to air condition dark hulls, HAL will be painting the ships all-white'
:cool:

[iancal]

On our past several cruises (various lines) we did not really need anything except our passports and our credit card. We pre printed one paper each but were never asked for it. Passports examined, credit card swiped, picture taken..that was it. Baggage tag provided at the pier, we just had to write our name and cabin number down...and they even had a list just in case we did not have our cabin number.

[RevNeal]

Brian, my feelings on this issue are mixed. Part of me doesn't really mind the change; it's been a couple of years since HAL has bothered to even look at the ticket books at check-in, and much of what comes in the travel documentation is either stuff that I already know or information that I deal with on-line.

What I will miss is the symbolic value that receiving the documentation brings: "the cruise is almost here!" It's the "gut-value" of the document dance. I will miss that. I'm also in agreement with many others that not having luggage tags is a bummer ... it's so much easier to prepare luggage tags prior to leaving home then have to rush and fill them out while standing curb-side with one's luggage, hot and tired from transport, all while trying to hand them over to the stevedores and tip them, etc. If HAL isn't going to send luggage tags (either directly to passengers or through TAs) then perhaps they should have a method by which one can print out Luggage Tags prior to leaving home ... tags that would have all one's information on them. True, they wouldn't be elegant, but HAL is moving away from elegant in just about every aspect of their cruises, so why not here too???

[Kween Karen]

I still find HAL cruises to be quite elegant. Maybe I am just easy to please.

[Tricia724]

I do love the document folders, and I use one for every trip I take, whether cruise or land trip. It's such a convenient place to keep all of my travel information in one place. I always know just where to reach for my passport, boarding passes, baggage claim tags, parking lot tickets, hotel confirmations, and all of the excursion information and maps I have for day-to-day activities while on the trip. It fits nicely into the tote bag that I always carry instead of a handbag.

I have had people approach me in airports and hotel desks (and on other cruiselines) to ask me where I found such a nice document folder. I've given one of the pleathers to a friend and had told her I'd give her the next fabric folder I received. Guess that won't happen. I still have two pleather folders and two fabric folders....one of which is showing some wear....so I guess that will have to last me for the rest of my life.:eek:

I hope HAL will consider offering them in their gift shops in the future. At least that way those of us who like them will have a way to replace them in the future. I would be more likely to buy one of them than another tee shirt or coffee mug.

[hrhdhd]

If HAL isn't going to send luggage tags (either directly to passengers or through TAs) then perhaps they should have a method by which one can print out Luggage Tags prior to leaving home ... tags that would have all one's information on them. True, they wouldn't be elegant, but HAL is moving away from elegant in just about every aspect of their cruises, so why not here too???

You can print luggage tags at home. Log in to the online check-in page, and at the bottom there is the option to print tags. Or search for the "tag-making party" threads!

[Swedecruiser]

I am very saddened about this being a set decision by HAL. I would prefer they allow agents and their clients to choose whether or not to recieve paper documents and I believe that those who would need and want them would be happy to pay a fee for them. I have questioned key people at HAL and received the reply that most agents and clients would prefer Edocs...AND that the cost of printing is 30 million per year...OK, I totally understand not only the cost savings but that some folks prefer edocs, but Again, I would just like the option to choose.

[Swedecruiser]

Brian, my feelings on this issue are mixed. Part of me doesn't really mind the change; it's been a couple of years since HAL has bothered to even look at the ticket books at check-in, and much of what comes in the travel documentation is either stuff that I already know or information that I deal with on-line.

What I will miss is the symbolic value that receiving the documentation brings: "the cruise is almost here!" It's the "gut-value" of the document dance. I will miss that. I'm also in agreement with many others that not having luggage tags is a bummer ... it's so much easier to prepare luggage tags prior to leaving home then have to rush and fill them out while standing curb-side with one's luggage, hot and tired from transport, all while trying to hand them over to the stevedores and tip them, etc. If HAL isn't going to send luggage tags (either directly to passengers or through TAs) then perhaps they should have a method by which one can print out Luggage Tags prior to leaving home ... tags that would have all one's information on them. True, they wouldn't be elegant, but HAL is moving away from elegant in just about every aspect of their cruises, so why not here too???


Greg, you are so right. I am in the middle of trying to figure this all out as well. When Carnival first went to what I guess I would call "semi edocs" we still recieved the shore excirsion booklet and some other info. Now absolutely nothing is received and some of it including luggage tags are beyond chintzy...I just printed some for some folks and they were 13 pages each. I guess I will wear out my own printer...

[RevNeal]

You can print luggage tags at home. Log in to the online check-in page, and at the bottom there is the option to print tags. Or search for the "tag-making party" threads!

Cool Beans. Nice to see they're listening to suggestions. <grin/wink>

[RevNeal]

I still find HAL cruises to be quite elegant. Maybe I am just easy to please.

There are still plenty of elegant touches on HAL cruises, true ... however, it's the little things that are starting to go missing that will, eventually, drag down the overall experience. We can see it all over the place.

[tomc]

Execept for the first cruise, never liked them. I keep the bag tags hanging in bunches on various door knobs in my room and ship i.d. cards next to my radio.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have to admit I think it was a good move for all the cruise lines to make and I myself will not really miss it but I feel sorry for the first time cruisers with HAL that will no longer know experience of that excitement. We have cruised so much in the past 24 months that sadly it was no longer that special but I do remember how special it was in the beginning:o

The one thing I will miss is the luggage tags. I do not want to print out flimsy paper ones, I do not want to hassle with getting them from the stevedors or porters at the pier and having to then write out our name and cabin number. I prefer to be more prepared. But I guess I will do what I got to do.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I too like the blue holders as well but find that they do add weight and bulk (just a little). We travel light and for 7 or 10 day cruises tend to carry our luggage on. For documents I now just paperclip together the airline, hotel, and ship boarding passes or information and discard as we go along. Not classy but practical.

Barbara

[May4]

No, I'm not sad about it. I'll just reuse the blue folders I have accumulated through the years. I need to clean out the drawer I have been tossing them in anyway.

I can do a short but enthusiastic doc dance while the printer is dashing off my boarding pass.

I like the idea of laminating the leftover blank luggage tags from various ships. It has always been fun to spot the tags in the airports and hotels on embarkation day.

Nope, the edoc idea doesn't bother me.

[RuthC]

It's more like a doc "shimmy".

I received the awaited e-mail today. Ho-hum. There's no excitement, no desire to put down the laptop and kick up my heels while waving that precious folder.
Just a "ding" when the e-mail arrived. <Yawn.>

I have the folders---in a selection of styles. I will print out what I need, and not print what I don't need. I'll ask my TA to send tags if she can get some, or I'll get them at the pier if she can't. I truly can't say I'll miss all the paper that came with the documents.
What I do miss is the style and elegance that the documents represented. HAL keeps chipping away at the little touches that those of us who have been around a while have come to love. 'Tis a pity.

[PitCritter]

As a first time HAL'er (OK, it's not a word), I feel I'm missing out on something. Is there a particular date for this changeover or is there still a possibility that my mailman will bring me something to dance about for my 10/10 cruise on Eurodam?

I've already printed out the e-docs. There was a notable lack of dancing at that point.

[northernphoenix]

We are heading for Vancouver tomorrow for our first ever cruise. We did recieve the blue folder, and DBIL very graciously offered it to my keeping...luv that man!! Did indeed do the chachacha; but I did so knowing that this would be a souvenir of the trip that would certainly be reused,etc. We are ardent environmentalists, but I must say that I do feel that we did "luck out " in the timing of out document delivery. Alaska here we come!!!

[PitCritter]

Is there a particular date for this changeover ?

Is it bad form to quote yourself:p?

According to the HAL website:

Express Docs will be issued for all sailings departing on or after September 25, 2009.

No mailman inspired happy dance for me. We'll save the dancing for onboard.

I'm truly sorry to have missed this HAL tradition by only a couple of weeks.

[Sunshine91]

.....and in many ways, us printing our own is far less efficient and less "green" than having them produced in a central printing plant (think of all those little plastic cartridges ending up in landfills) :cool:

I send those back for recycling, too. :D

[nckvilledudes]

I just posted a couple days ago about doing our first doc dance on our front porch. We are getting ready for our first cruise. When we received our Fed Ex package from our TA, the reality of our cruise hit us, we are now just a few weeks away from our vacation. When I opened our package to find the two blue HAL Cruise Wallets packed with information from HAL and our TA since we are part of a group cruise, I was amazed how much information was in our smart looking blue folder.

I am very glad we were able to experience this excitement at least one time. I spent a good 30-40 minutes going thru the items in my classy blue folder. My partner on the other hand, looked thru the folder for about 5 minutes, passed it back to me and said " Now, I have something to read on our flight to Seattle". I guess we know who the travel planner/geek is in our family. Since the arrival of our documents the excitement has now heightened and I just can't wait to experience our first cruise. Over the past few months I have lost almost 50 lbs and last night we went shopping for some new clothes for our cruise. Being the travel geek that I am, once we finish the rest of our cruise shopping after the Labor Day Sales, I will start packing my suitcase for the cruise. We have always enjoyed traveling and are hoping this will be our first of many cruises to come.

Hope you guys enjoy your first HAL cruise as much as we did ours last November. We just booked another HAL cruise. You will enjoy the service.

Dan

[DizzyDallasDi]

Execept for the first cruise, never liked them. I keep the bag tags hanging in bunches on various door knobs in my room and ship i.d. cards next to my radio.

What a great idea! Perhaps you're using the ID cards as coasters? If you have a cat, I'll bet she loves batting those bag tags around...my kitties love dangly toys. I'm sure we'll be seeing this creative decorating motif displayed in Better Homes and Gardens as Cruise Ship Chic. :D

Diane

[tomc]

Perhaps you're using the ID cards as coasters? The i.d. cards are in a very safe spot. When a nearby church closes because of declining membership, I'm thinking of asking to buy the tabernacle to keep them in.

(All you devout RC's: That's a joke.)

(Wait ... maybe it's not.)

[bepsf]

The i.d. cards are in a very safe spot. When a nearby church closes because of declining membership, I'm thinking of asking to buy the tabernacle to keep them in.

I've made mine into a collage on the bulletin board in my office along w/ ship postcards, deckplans and luggage tags...

[Tricia724]

I understand what Brian, Rev. Neal, RuthC, and the other long-time HAL cruisers are saying. My first cruise with HAL was in 1984, and it has always been the standard upon which all other cruises are judged.

It's hard to see something change that you've come to depend upon and value. It was a nice touch....that little blue document holder containing all of the pertinent cruise information. None of the other cruiselines I sailed had such a nice presentation. They just sent papers....HAL took it one step further.

I certainly understand why they have chosen to use e-docs. The cost of the folders and the printing and mailing costs are an expense that is difficult to justify. Every business is struggling to prosper and stay solvent. It was bound to come, and it's simple and easy to print off the documents on the home printer. But, it's impersonal and one more tiny step towards a generic experience.

It's like when someone important to you sends you flowers or calls you or sends you a card or lets you know in some way that you matter.....you know it isn't really necessary, but it makes your day and puts a smile on your face. I think that's what some of us are going to miss.

[RustaRoo]

Honestly, this does not make an iota of difference to my cruise experience, or pre-cruise for that matter, put a glass of champagne in my hand and I'm a happy camper either way:) I toss 90% of the old stuff anyway. I'm VERY happy to be dealing with less paper....and, yes, I have a drawer full of the blue thingies...happy cruising everyone!

[RuthC]

I understand what Brian, Rev. Neal, RuthC, and the other long-time HAL cruisers are saying. My first cruise with HAL was in 1984, and it has always been the standard upon which all other cruises are judged.


It's like when someone important to you sends you flowers or calls you or sends you a card or lets you know in some way that you matter.....you know it isn't really necessary, but it makes your day and puts a smile on your face. I think that's what some of us are going to miss.
You really do understand. Thank you for your analogy. It's spot on.

[docksider21]

The blue envelope - travel document folder
is now an item which HAL could sell onboard
with the other HAL insignia items.

They could also sell them to
TAs, who could retail the item or use
it as a "perk" for their clients. Same for
high quality luggage tags.

HAL has saved the costs of
providing 1,000s and 1,000s of these,
yet they are still available to
the passenger.

Seattle needs me. ;)

[jhannah]

I've made mine into a collage on the bulletin board in my office along w/ ship postcards, deckplans and luggage tags... Take a photo and post it for us. I'd love to see it.

[MightyQuinn]

We've sailed HAL since 1992 & have lamented the loss of traditions & little touches over the years. But the move to e-docs doesn't bother us at all. It has absolutely no impact on our cruise experience & that's what really matters. ;);)

[RevNeal]

The i.d. cards are in a very safe spot. When a nearby church closes because of declining membership, I'm thinking of asking to buy the tabernacle to keep them in.

(All you devout RC's: That's a joke.)

(Wait ... maybe it's not.)

LOL ... naughty naughty!
I put my Ships ID cards in the ship-banded coffee-mugs I collect from each vessel. I've been aboard the Volendam three times, so I have 3 Volendam Ship ID Cards in my Volendam ship mug. :) I've got 2 ship IDs in the Ryndam mug, etc.

[Kween Karen]

Gosh....I am trying to remember here. I don't think I kept mine....I didn't realize the value in these cards. Silly me.......I will keep the next ones for sure!!

[kakalina]

We used to get a lovely frame and put our HAL painted Dutch hats a luggage tag and the ID cards from each cruise with a photo or two. That stopped a few years ago when they stopped Dutch night and it became difficult to find any crew with the items required to paint them.

[iancal]

The real question is who would be willing to pay 1980's pricing structures in 2009/2010. The question is answered by the general decline in service levels and food quality-among others.

[sapper1]

It's more like a doc "shimmy".

I received the awaited e-mail today. Ho-hum. There's no excitement, no desire to put down the laptop and kick up my heels while waving that precious folder.
Just a "ding" when the e-mail arrived. <Yawn.>

I have the folders---in a selection of styles. I will print out what I need, and not print what I don't need. I'll ask my TA to send tags if she can get some, or I'll get them at the pier if she can't. I truly can't say I'll miss all the paper that came with the documents.
What I do miss is the style and elegance that the documents represented. HAL keeps chipping away at the little touches that those of us who have been around a while have come to love. 'Tis a pity.
I hear you, Ruth----When we arrived home from our Eurodam cruise last week, the documents for the next Eurodam cruise were ready for printing. It was just a ho-hum experience----not the thrill of having one's TA hand over the lovely blue packet. And those luggage tags:eek:--they have got to be kidding. Now I will have to buy a small stapler to travel with---and some packing tape to laminate them.

[PennyAgain]

I have a good collection of HAL document folders. Glad I kept them! One of the oldest ones is so nice I've used it as an evening purse as it is covered in blue silk. Must be nearly 40 years old.

In those days we went to the travel agency and had a little ceremony when we picked up our trip documents. Now my travel agent is 1,500 miles away!