E Docs are here

[earl_m]

Recieve docs
and not happy,they do E Docs now,called NCL,booked thru my own TA and they said since the beginning of 2006 thats how they do docs now! Guess no scrapbooking this time,not happy at all,no brochure on shore excursions have to do that all on line if you want to do any or on the ship,a copy of one luggage tag,that you need to make several copies of and put on suitcase yourself,they say to staple,what I am supposed to take a stapler to pier,now I know I could staple at home before I leave,but with the way airlines handle your luggage I can see the flismy paper tearing off luggage before reaching the pier! They didnt even have me listed as a latitude member,had to call and get that straightened out and no transfers from airport to pier included and I booked flight thru cruiseline!!!! Totally awful,feel cheated out of the fun of trip!!!!! NCL is getting really cheap! I am still really looking forward to cruise,hope the rest of it is much better!!!!!



I read this on another site . I hope it dosen't happen to HAL
I hope this is not the future of Docs.

[jhannah]

I believe this IS the future of cruise documents. Production and mailing costs are not small. The airlines made the e-ticket conversion long ago, and are heading toward NO paper tickets at all within a couple of years.

While the HAL pleather document wallets are a nice touch, they aren't cheap. Neither are the slick shore excursion brochures (which you can download off their website) and the cruise ticket/contract booklet. I can forsee the contract being part of the boarding pass process we now produce online. Cutting these costs will help their bottom line, and won't really harm us in any way that I can see.

[arzz]

I, too, suspect this is the future. I received e-docs for my upcoming September Celebrity cruise to Bermuda. Though efficient I not only miss the actual ticket book and shiny shore excursion brochure -- when I printed out the ticket contract and shore excursions on my printer at home it consumed a lot of paper and produced a document much larger and heavier (should I say more cumbersome?) than the pre-printed variety. It certainly does not make my carry-on lighter, and it does make it a little less convenient to carry my docs in my purse for check-in.

The world, however, changes and so must we. As long as the savings are passed on to the consumer and not used to increase that bottom line I have no real complaint.

[earl_m]

What if you don't have a computer. not everybody has one or wants one.

[jhannah]

What if you don't have a computer.

Their travel agent should be able to provide these for them. Or they can visit a local library or internet center.

[kryos]

While the HAL pleather document wallets are a nice touch, they aren't cheap. Neither are the slick shore excursion brochures (which you can download off their website) and the cruise ticket/contract booklet. I can forsee the contract being part of the boarding pass process we now produce online. Cutting these costs will help their bottom line, and won't really harm us in any way that I can see.
You print your boarding documents now ... off the HAL website ... after completing your immigration and disembarkation questionnaire.

I have no doubt HAL will go 100% e-docs at some point soon. And, in a way, that's not a bad thing. What happens if you lose or misplace your documents? What happens if there is a fire or something at your home and they are destroyed? Isn't it better to just be able to go onto the computer and reprint them?

I have no problem with e-docs ... and I don't think most people will. There will be some folks ... generally older ... who do not use a computer. They may have a problem. However, in those isolated cases, either HAL or their TA can arrange to print everything off for them.

Yes, the document wallets were nice ... but they aren't really essential. And, of late, I believe the quality of them has gone way down. So, if HAL can save me a few bucks on my cruise ... like the airlines do on my ticket ... by taking e-docs, I'll gladly accept them. After all, I can dance just as well with documents printed from my computer as I can with ones the DHL man delivers.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

I, too, suspect this is the future. I received e-docs for my upcoming September Celebrity cruise to Bermuda.
I think Celebrity has already gone 100% e-docs. I received nothing on paper for my one Celebrity cruise last December. I was told to go online and print everything off ... including something called an "expedited boarding pass." At first, I thought this was some kind of a joke ... expedited? Yeah, right. But, I was happy to see just how wrong I was. I have never experienced a quicker embarkation than I did for that Celebrity cruise. The woman just wanded the bar code on my boarding pass, let me carry my own bag through X-ray, and then take it right onto the ship with me. No waiting for luggage to be delivered to my stateroom, which was a big plus. I was able to unpack right away and get down to the very serious business of enjoying my cruise. Of course, this was just a five-day cruise ... so I only had one duffle bag. Might not have been so anxious to carry my own luggage onboard had it been a longer one.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Krazy Kruizers]

You get only ONE luggage tag??? What if you don't have access to a copier?? Many of us are retired and don't have an office where we can quickly copy something. What are you suppose to staple it to??

[Randyk47]

We had e-docs for our Celebrity Galaxy cruise back in 2005. Initially I wasn't too happy about the idea but, quite frankly, it worked very well. The only drawback was that you don't get luggage tags per se, just a sample with your info printed on it. As it turned out the bellhop at the hotel we stayed at pre-cruise had blank Celebrity tags and we were able to fill them out before we left the hotel. Check-in was a breeze and we actually, because of all the computerization, really didn't need any documents other than ID and a credit card to get on the ship. Celebrity made the e-docs available on line very early and I'll have to admit it was nice to be able to view them/print them without the worries of waiting for some kind of "express" mail.

[RevNeal]

Yes, the document wallets were nice ... but they aren't really essential.

<Sigh>
Essential? Of course not ... but more than just nice, they reflected the history and traditions of cruising. Unlike air-travel, which has LONG been just a means of transportation, Cruising is a Holiday Trip, a Vacation, a journey taken for pleasure, exploration, adventure, relaxation. The documentation is part of that pleasure, adventure, relaxation and tradition. More than just "nice," their arrival signals the "Document Dance" time ... the time when the cruise becomes VERY real for the cruiser. The documentation is, in many respects, a tangible foreshadow of the coming luxury of one's cruise ... it is far more important than just one's boarding pass or shore excursion information. It's an "emotional" thing for many.

Will I keep cruising if docs go to e-only? Sure. I have a stack of leather travel wallets and I'll still print out my docs and put them in one of those old wallets and bring them with me THAT way ... but ... it just won't be the same. :(

Do we REALLY want cruising to become like air-travel? You know ... they used to provide EVERYONE with food on flights, but now that has gone by the wayside too. Do we REALLY want cruising to follow air-travel trends?

[BumperII]

We had a pretty good experience with e-docs on the Brand X cruise line last February out of Galviston. We had everything printed out at home except the luggage tags. The longshore men had the blank luggage tags as we drove up, and it only took a couple minutes to fill them out. All they wanted was last name and cabin number. On checkin, they wanded the barcode, took our id photos, offered us the a glass of champagne, and escorted us up to the buffet. :D

My guess is that the day is coming when all you will need is the credit card you registered for the cruise. They will collect all your information in advance, swipe your credit card, and issue your sea card and a glass of wine!!!

But all that aside, we still returned to HAL for our next four cruises. HAL just seems to be a little better fit for us.;)

[Tinknock50]

You get only ONE luggage tag??? What if you don't have access to a copier?? Many of us are retired and don't have an office where we can quickly copy something. What are you suppose to staple it to??

Seems the e-doc system could be tweaked to allow you to request luggage tags by mail. Perhaps request them by phone as you can with catalogs.

[thomasale]

I agree with Rev Neal it will be a sad day but one that I am sure is coming :(

[newmexicoNita]

What if you don't have a computer. not everybody has one or wants one.EArl, a couple things here and this was discussed on the other thread you are referring to: yes, this is going to happen and probably very soon. If you don't have a computer (you do by the way) you will have the same option you have with airlines tickets, pay an extra charge. Most likely in the next few years pier check in will be much like it is at the airports now. We live in a world of technology. I can remember when I told my DH I would never have a computer or learn to use one; within a year or so after that I was working for a company using a computer and now I can't imagine how we lived without them. Another thing, you mentioned on the other board how cheap NCL is for not sending regular docs, well they do send them. I just got them for clients the othter day, I got them for myself in April and some more on the way now. Celebrity as well as other lines are starting to ask the TAs if they want Edocs. No, it is not being cheap, it's using good business sense. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

You get only ONE luggage tag??? What if you don't have access to a copier?? Many of us are retired and don't have an office where we can quickly copy something. What are you suppose to staple it to??
We got no luggage tags when we got Edocs from Celebrity a few years ago, instead they had them right at the pier. It took us, maybe 2 mintures to fill them out. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

You get only ONE luggage tag??? What if you don't have access to a copier?? Many of us are retired and don't have an office where we can quickly copy something. What are you suppose to staple it to??
We got no luggage tags when we got Edocs from Celebrity a few years ago, instead they had them right at the pier. It took us, maybe 2 mintures to fill them out. As for not having a access to a copy machine: use the library, go to your TA, she/he would be glad to copy anything for you, or your senior center. BTW most seniors I know that have computers have copy machines as well. Getting something copied is just not that hard.

[2bout2c]

Another reason to carry those stickon address labels, no need to fill out the name and address portion. Just stick on the label, use a sharpee pen and write out cabin number. Done.

[lougee1043]

if you have a computer its easy enough for you to cut and paste and print all the extra luggage tags you need