(Suite) luggage tags... mailed?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just looking at my booking at HAL's website and I see where there's an option to print luggage tags, but no mention of the ability of them to mail actual tags to you.

 

I know that Carnival discontinued mailing tags several years ago in favor of printing. On other lines (NCL, Royal, and Celebrity), at least in suites, they will mail them to you upon request... though you can print them yourself if desired, or if it's too close to the sail date.

 

Just wondering if HAL is more "Carnival like", since they're all under the same corporate umbrella... aka: save $ and let people print their own.

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[kelleherdl]

Only option is to print yourself. I just printed mine for 18 April.

 

Dennis

[Typhoon1]

When you arrive at the Pier, the porter will be more than happy to tag your luggage. Just provide him with your cabin number.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Only option is to print yourself. I just printed mine for 18 April.

 

Dennis

 

Thanks

 

When you arrive at the Pier, the porter will be more than happy to tag your luggage. Just provide him with your cabin number.

 

That's what I'd like to avoid. :) Whether I print or not, I either reinforce my luggage tags (with packing tape) or place them within luggage tag holders - usually the latter.

 

Tom

[sail7seas]

Ask your TA or PCC to print them for you if you don't wish to do your own.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Ask your TA or PCC to print them for you if you don't wish to do your own.

 

I don't have any problem printing them myself - but would gladly take advantage of "genuine" (HAL printed) tags if they were provided ! :)

 

Since you've been around HAL for some time, can I assume that in the past they did mail out tags? Can I further assume that this stopped at some point after Carnival stepped into the picture?

 

Tom

[sail7seas]

I have a stack of HAL luggage tags. For many years, HAL made very nice presentation of cruise documents and luggage tags by enclosing them in pleather travel document holders. The tags were perfect and I used and reused some for each ship a number of times as they stood up well for me.

 

I sailed in a Suite on NCL last summer and they mailed me luggage tags. It was a nice treat as it has been years since HAL did that.

[visagrunt]

If you're in a Neptune Suite, you're better off printing, anyway, since the .pdf tags include the "Priority" indicator, which is absent on prepared tags.

 

On my last three cruises (both Vista and R-class ships) I have never failed to have luggage in our suite by the time we are done lunch in the Dining Room.

[sail7seas]

Tom-n-Cheryl

I don't have any problem printing them myself - but would gladly take advantage of "genuine" (HAL printed) tags if they were provided !

 

Since you've been around HAL for some time, can I assume that in the past they did mail out tags? Can I further assume that this stopped at some point after Carnival stepped into the picture?

 

 

 

 

To Clear up any possible confusion you may have about Carnival Corporation's ownership of HAL, they purchased HAL in 1988. A Long Time ago wouldn't you say? :D

 

If Carnival had not stepped in then, there is a good chance HAL would have ceased to exist.

 

We started cruising HAL about a year or so before Statendam entered the fleet as a brand new ship and we certainly got luggage tags all through dozens of cruises. I don't recall when they stopped sending us documents, luggage tags and required we print our own but it was probably in the range of about 2010 or so. (That is only a guess.)

 

I was annoyed at first but it is a huge money saver avoiding the pleather document holders, the printing, the labor to assemble them all and most particularly the postage. Did they pass along that savings to us? Funny question, isn't it? :D

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by sail7seas

[avian777]

... Just wondering if HAL is more "Carnival like", since they're all under the same corporate umbrella... aka: save $ and let people print their own.

 

... Since you've been around HAL for some time, can I assume that in the past they did mail out tags? Can I further assume that this stopped at some point after Carnival stepped into the picture?

 

Tom

 

As a Carnival Corporation shareholder, I am thankful for all of the cost-saving measures tht HAL has implemented in the past few years ... for the record, however, HAL had been owned by Carnival for several years before it discontinued mailing luggage tags and other cruise documentation.

Edited March 22, 2016 by avian777

[avian777]

To Clear up any possible confusion you may have about Carnival Corporation's ownership of HAL, they purchased HAL in 1988. A Long Time ago wouldn't you say? :D

 

If Carnival had not stepped in then, there is a good chance HAL would have ceased to exist.

 

We started cruising HAL about a year or so before Statendam entered the fleet as a brand new ship and we certainly got luggage tags all through dozens of cruises. I don't recall when they stopped sending us documents, luggage tags and required we print our own but it was probably in the range of about 2010 or so. (That is only a guess.)

 

I was annoyed at first but it is a huge money saver avoiding the pleather document holders, the printing, the labor to assemble them all and most particularly the postage. Did they pass along that savings to us? Funny question, isn't it? :D

 

 

Well said!!! IIRC HAL discontinued mailing travel documents around 2008.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Thanks for getting my up to speed w/regard to when Carnival bought HAL.

 

I'm all for reasonable corporate savings. I'd think that there still likely is enough breathing room for suites to receive tags - but that's not my call to make! :)

 

Tom

[3rdGenCunarder]

Has anyone else noticed how often the things we print for ourselves are prefaced with "For your convenience, you may print..." It's definitely convenient for the company, but how is it convenient for ME? Is the convenience not having to wait for the mail to arrive??? Or is it that my printer is closer to my desk than the mailbox?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Has anyone else noticed how often the things we print for ourselves are prefaced with "For your convenience, you may print..." It's definitely convenient for the company, but how is it convenient for ME? Is the convenience not having to wait for the mail to arrive??? Or is it that my printer is closer to my desk than the mailbox?

 

I like to print mine in color. It's amazing how quickly those ink refills need to be replaced. Perhaps it's just timing, but I've had several cruises where one color is fading (or gone!) before I get to the final tag. I'll print up two for each bag (one per handle) as "insurance", and we usually have 3-4 bags/cruise.

 

Tom

[blizzardboy]

Just looking at my booking at HAL's website and I see where there's an option to print luggage tags, but no mention of the ability of them to mail actual tags to you.

 

I know that Carnival discontinued mailing tags several years ago in favor of printing. On other lines (NCL, Royal, and Celebrity), at least in suites, they will mail them to you upon request... though you can print them yourself if desired, or if it's too close to the sail date.

 

Just wondering if HAL is more "Carnival like", since they're all under the same corporate umbrella... aka: save $ and let people print their own.

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

Some HAL PCCs still do it for their less computer-savvy clients, but it's quite easy to print them and your boarding pass off the HAL site.

[avian777]

Some HAL PCCs still do it for their less computer-savvy clients, but it's quite easy to print them and your boarding pass off the HAL site.

 

... and as indicated by sail2seas above, you can also have your TA print them out for you ...

[3rdGenCunarder]

I like to print mine in color. It's amazing how quickly those ink refills need to be replaced. Perhaps it's just timing, but I've had several cruises where one color is fading (or gone!) before I get to the final tag. I'll print up two for each bag (one per handle) as "insurance", and we usually have 3-4 bags/cruise.

 

Tom

 

Unless there are bar codes, I use draft mode whenever I can. It really saves on ink. I think there is some law of computers that says one color must run out when another color is still in good supply.

[blizzardboy]

... and as indicated by sail2seas above, you can also have your TA print them out for you ...

 

In the time it would take me to call and leave a message for a TA, I'd be done.

[avian777]

In the time it would take me to call and leave a message for a TA, I'd be done.

 

Ditto here ... but then again I'm not the one who's complaining about HAL discontinuing the mailing of them either.

[sail7seas]

I like to print mine in color. It's amazing how quickly those ink refills need to be replaced. Perhaps it's just timing, but I've had several cruises where one color is fading (or gone!) before I get to the final tag. I'll print up two for each bag (one per handle) as "insurance", and we usually have 3-4 bags/cruise.

 

Tom

 

Of course, that is the point.

ALL that ink that HAL no longer uses and pushes off to make us use our ink. :D

I can almost hear the champagne corks popping during the meeting when the bean counters presented this idea to the decision makers. :)

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by sail7seas

[kazu]

I'm ok with my Arts and Crafts project ;)

 

I recently did a cruise where it wasn't required - blue book, luggage tags, etc. All included. Reminded me of the old days of HAL. Unfortunately, the cruise didn't measure up for us and many other on board. So, I happily print my luggage tags now - and they are all ready for a week from Saturday :)

 

And I will still use my old HAL folders for docs ;)

Edited March 22, 2016 by kazu

[jtl513]

I'm all for reasonable corporate savings. I'd think that there still likely is enough breathing room for suites to receive tags - but that's not my call to make! :)

 

ALL that ink that HAL no longer uses and pushes off to make us use our ink.

IMO it's not really the bag tags that were expensive to make and send, but rather the KnowBeforeYouGo and Excursions brochures, and those silly round tin pins that said Mariner ... and of course the pouch to hold it all. Most of it was just a waste of money, and I don't mind not getting it over and over.

 

BTW three years ago we did one segment of a Grand Mediterranean cruise, and they did send us a pouch full of stuff just like old times. When we got to the pier the first thing the agent did is tear off the pre-printed tags that were mailed, and put on new ones. I don't know why, as there wasn't any change of cabins at the pier. :)

.

Edited March 23, 2016 by jtl513

[cruz chic]

IMO it's not really the bag tags that were expensive to make and send, but rather the KnowBeforeYouGo and Excursions brochures, and those silly round tin pins that said Mariner ... and of course the pouch to hold it all. Most of it was just a waste of money, and I don't mind not getting it over and over.

 

BTW three years ago we did one segment of a Grand Mediterranean cruise, and they did send us a pouch full of stuff just like old times. When we got to the pier the first thing the agent did is tear off the pre-printed tags that were mailed, and put on new ones. I don't know why, as there wasn't any change of cabins at the pier. :)

.

 

I'd forgotten about those round pins. Those were a waste.

[sail7seas]

I'd forgotten about those round pins. Those were a waste.

 

I've seen them offered for sale on e-bay. :)

 

I have a collection of them in a drawer somewhere. :D

 

[jtl513]

I've seen them offered for sale on e-bay. :

$5.00 ! :eek:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Holland-America-Mariner-Cruise-Line-Pin-Back-Button-/111798532138?hash=item1a07b6382a:g:De4AAOSwI-BWICa0