DBA is dancing again! (How it works with Express Docs)

[DutchByAssociation]

Just confirmed flights and therefore went onto the HAL website to do my express docs. The process was easy, asked for my basic info, flight and passport info, emergency contact and how I was paying for incidentals, then had me check that I agree to the cruise contract and took me to a PDF file where I can print my Express Docs.

 

While it was an 8 page file, I only need my Signature Express Boarding Pass since I'm a HAL/cruising veteran and know all about dress code, my itinerary, etc. Not to mention you can read the info pages without necessarily printing them out.

 

It's a coastal (sea days!) and I know Victoria like the back of my hand so no shore excursions this time around. So all I needed to do was print out both boarding passes, 2 printable luggage tags (I can always go back and print more if we have more than one bag each) so 4 pieces of paper and I'm dancing. (For the safety of my readers there will NOT be any dancing pics on the blog :) )

 

Less than a month to go!

[momatibm]

Dutch -- we like the dancing pictures :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yesterday we printed up our boarding passes for our Oct 24th cruise.

YUP -- just one page per person!!!

Who needs to print out 8 pages per person???

[Brad1185]

No doc dance here. What a let down. On our 52 previous cruises what excitement to get the docs. Now got a email from HAL to go to express docs there ready for the October 23rd cruise. Mentally I refuse to do it. It's a joke. Hopefully I can show up and still get processed without the one page Zero excitement.

[jhannah]

Hopefully I can show up and still get processed without the one page Zero excitement.

You can ... but you'll have to stand there and complete the paper immigration forms by hand. Much easier to do it in the comfort of your home then hand them one piece of paper, your passport, and credit card.

[sail7seas]

Hope you have a great cruise.

 

We're just back yesterday from a fabulous week on Maasdam.

 

Was the last time we'll get docs in the mail but I've gotten used to the idea.

When it is time for our November cruise on Westerdam, I only plan to print our boarding passes, same as I did for this cruise.

 

Why do we need anything other than the Boarding Pass? The last number of cruises, they haven't asked for the cruise ticket in the document booklet. They only take the boarding pass.

 

Enjoy your short countdown.

[nckvilledudes]

Can you go back and print more luggage tags if needed????

Dan

[seniorladycruiser]

You can print as many tags for each member of your party as you would like. Did mine last week for our Oct. TA . Very simple. Would much prefer the mailed packet but do understand where HAL is coming from.

[nckvilledudes]

You can print as many tags for each member of your party as you would like. Did mine last week for our Oct. TA . Very simple. Would much prefer the mailed packet but do understand where HAL is coming from.

Thank you for the info......

 

Dan

[sail7seas]

You really don't even need to bother printing tags.

It is so simple to get them from stevedores at the dock and take mere seconds to enter cabin number and name, attach to bag and be on your way. The tags they give at the dock are different than the 'older' style. Couldn't be easier.

[Pettifogger]

Is it necessary to print out baggage tags? We have generic name tags on our bags and we don't know our cabin number yet, so if we put our bags where the bags to be loaded are, would't they be loaded? (They have to check them against the manifest anyway to find out to which cabin to take them and when our names are on both the bags and the manifest, surely they would conclude that since we are going on the cruise, our bags should be too.)

[Travelrd]

Dutch,

Have a fabulous 4 day cruise. I know what you mean about the docs. I have this beautiful blue HAL folder with one piece of paper, two luggage tags and my passport in it. And that's it! It just doesn't seem like enough paperwork but I'll some way to fill up the HAL folder.

[Himself]

Dutch:

 

You make it sound easy. Have a great cruise.

[nckvilledudes]

You really don't even need to bother printing tags.

It is so simple to get them from stevedores at the dock and take mere seconds to enter cabin number and name, attach to bag and be on your way. The tags they give at the dock are different than the 'older' style. Couldn't be easier.

Thanks for the tip about the luggage tags Judy. It's getting easier to get all the docs and get ready to board.

Dan

[RuthC]

Is it necessary to print out baggage tags? We have generic name tags on our bags and we don't know our cabin number yet, so if we put our bags where the bags to be loaded are, would't they be loaded?

No, you don't need to print out luggage tags, but you do need to have a tag with your cabin number on each bag. As sail said, get the tags when you get to the pier, add your name and cabin number, hand the bags over, and proceed to check-in.

 

The cabin number needs to be on the bags so the stewards can direct them to the proper deck, and then to your cabin. They won't have the manifest handy. Make life easy for them as much as you can.

[earl_m]

We got our Docs today also for the oct 25 cruise on the westerdam

this is my first time getting E- DOCS

[RevNeal]

What do the printed-out luggage tags look like? They can't be very sturdy if they're printed on regular printer paper.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

DBA here is you E-Doc Dance

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Here is a Country Western version :D

[jhannah]

What do the printed-out luggage tags look like? They can't be very sturdy if they're printed on regular printer paper.

Folks have said they cover them with the wide, clear packaging tape and that seems to make them sturdy enough to get to the cabin.

[Crusing Bob]

DBA, I will be interested in how you like the Zaandam since I had mentioned to you about a month ago we are taking her for the Circle Hawaii cruise next year. Have a great time.

 

Bob

[Krazy Kruizers]

What do the printed-out luggage tags look like? They can't be very sturdy if they're printed on regular printer paper.

 

I laminated mine -- clear plastic -- only took a couple of minutes.

There is a place marked on them where you are to fold them around the handle of your suitcase and staple them. I punched a hole here. When we are ready to leave the hotel I will attached them to our luggage via cable ties.

[Big Al B.]

I printed my luggage tags out, folded them as shown and found that by just trimming off a tad from the bottom of a 3x5 index card, I could slip in inside the pocket formed by folding. Then I covered it with clear plastic packing tape, punched a hole in it and made a tie-on with some elastic cord from DW's sewing supplies. Works fine :).

 

I have kept several of the blue folders, so just put my 2 express docs in it along with the other things I needed. I never did like fooling around with the vouchers.

[PatsyAnne]

or maybe the airlines broke me of wanting to carry and track valuable physical documents, or maybe both, but I find that I no longer want documents that I must wait for, keep track of, or replace. And I haven't had very good luck with luggage tags either. My special, can't lose, trackable, regular bag tag is somewhere in the bowels of O'Hare, along with a few of my zipper pulls.

 

So... even though I recognize that a lot of people are upset with the loss of physical docs, I'd much rather get mine online, print what I want at my leisure, bring my one page "boarding pass," and figure out how to make the luggage tags stick long enough to get on board. And then I'll relax and watch the world go by until I get kicked off at the end of my cruise.

[Sprocket]

Well, I didn't get the pretty blue Doc holder, but in checking this weeks mail I did get ****3**** Zaandam luggage tags sent from Hal.:D

Many thanks to the Hal rep who sent them!!!!