Printing airline boarding passes

[shofer]

Has anyone done this the last day of the cruise on the Grand? I remember seeing computers when we were on the Coral Princess but not printers. Is it possible to do this prior to the last day?

 

thanks.

[cherylandtk]

There are no printers, but most airlines let you check in online and then just re-print the pass once you are at the airport.

[coiran]

Not sure about the Grand but all other Princess ships have a printer in the internet cafe. I don't know why the Grand wouldn't have one also.

Ron

[cherylandtk]

You know Ron, I could be mistaken on that now--I just remember that we printed boarding passes at the airport. Just don't remember seeing the printer and did not worry about it. But I do know they had some way to print out emails, so they MUST have had a printer somewhere. Lemme check the Patters again.....

 

Edit: yep, it mentions printouts of the Boarding Passes, twice!--I stand corrected. Sorry.

[kyjoe]

I printed out our boarding passes while on the Caribbean Princess in September. No problem!

[chasetf]

You know Ron, I could be mistaken on that now--I just remember that we printed boarding passes at the airport. Just don't remember seeing the printer and did not worry about it. But I do know they had some way to print out emails, so they MUST have had a printer somewhere. Lemme check the Patters again.....

 

Edit: yep, it mentions printouts of the Boarding Passes, twice!--I stand corrected. Sorry.

Just to add.... there is a charge for the printout as I understand. Never printed anything so do not know what the cost is.

[bubbadog]

there are usually boarding kiosks in the airport, and you can print them there:))));)

[kyjoe]

The charge was nominal, but I don't remember exactly what it was.

[vmom]

So given the hassel of doing this onboard, would it be possible to have a family member from home do the "check in" the night before on the computer and then just get the boarding passes at the airport?

[AZAaronBoy]

I printed mine on the Diamond and I think it was $0.99 a page.

 

Because of Elite status it was credited back to my account as part of the "Internet Charges"

 

Has anyone tried printing under the new Elite benefits? Is printing still included? I am assuming it is not.

-----------------------------

 

Anytime I have checked in online by boarding pass is always reprinted at the airport when I check my bags.

 

-A

[coiran]

It's $1 a sheet unless you are Platinum or Elite.

Ron

[tbelian]

There is a printer in the internet cafe on the Grand Princess. We used it to print boarding passes , no problem. We were not charged to print. We were in a suite, if that makes a difference.

 

We did it 24 hours in advance of our flight.

[RSWBADGER]

So given the hassel of doing this onboard, would it be possible to have a family member from home do the "check in" the night before on the computer and then just get the boarding passes at the airport?

 

You can check-in on the ship without printing your boarding passes, there is a Kiosk at the airport that you then can re-print your Boarding Passes, this will save the printing fee on the ship.

[ddgg]

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious (wouldn't the the first time).

 

Can't you just get your boarding pass when you get to the airport and check in?

[caribill]

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious (wouldn't the the first time).

 

Can't you just get your boarding pass when you get to the airport and check in?

 

Except for Southwest Airlines which assigns boarding sequence based on order of checking in, I have never seen any benefit to checking in online unless an airline offers FF points or some other inducement, You really save no time at the airport by checking in early.

 

On the other hand, it does prove they have not lost your reservation.

[bgbaird]

Just got off of Island in SJU. Princess offered for us to check our bags from the stateroom door through to final destination. We did have to claim them at the terminal and walk them through customs. Boarding passes were delivered to stateroom the night before. We are in ATL right now on the way to Detroit. We'll see if it worked. Princess charged $15 PP

[vmom]

Except for Southwest Airlines which assigns boarding sequence based on order of checking in, I have never seen any benefit to checking in online unless an airline offers FF points or some other inducement, You really save no time at the airport by checking in early.

 

On the other hand, it does prove they have not lost your reservation.

 

Yes...and we're on Southwest which as you said, boarding is based on when you checked in. Guess it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but if you end up in the last boarding group, finding seats together becomes more of a challenge, but I guess not a huge deal.

[tirsabel]

At most you should definitely can check in to assure yourself a good boarding group online, and then once you get the airport print your boarding pass.

 

There are actually a couple advantages to checking in early - there are other airlines that sometimes board by group - for instance i think on american they sometimes assign a boarding group and board by that at the gate instead of seat number. also, in case you're running late, there's a less of chance of the airline giving up your seat if you've already checked in - your luggage might not make it but you may be able to. also on overbooked flights if you check in you usually get your seat assigned - leaving you less likely to be one of those people at the end who's desperately trying to get a seat because they didn't get one, and the flight is oversold.

[RSWBADGER]

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious (wouldn't the the first time).

 

Can't you just get your boarding pass when you get to the airport and check in?

 

Many flights are overbooked, best to secure your seat as early as possible.

[DrivesLikeMario]

In Dec. 2005, we printed our boarding passes while on the Grand. The printer is already set up, so all you do is a simple click & then pick up your boarding pass wherever the printer is (usually on, or near, the desk of the staff person). They didn't charge us for the 4 pages either, although they can, and do, sometimes.

[FredS]

I think the machine at the airport check-in really helps for business travelers. If you only have carry-on baggage you can check in and get the boarding pass at the machine and go to the gate; without having to wait in line at the counter. With luggage to check-in I do not see it as being a benefit as you still have to go to the counter so they can be weighed the take them to baggage scanner then go to the gate. I have printed out boarding pass the night before and the person at the counter has never seemed to care about seeing them. The only benefit I see is that you can pick you seat and check-in to let the airline know you are going.

[shofer]

Thanks all for your answers. I have never bothered with pre-printing my boarding pass coming home from a cruise but our TA suggested it as

1.) We have an early flight and we have experienced a late cruise arrival in the past.

2.) Our TA secured exit aisle seats for us and she had a customer lose his seat by not checking in online early.

 

So I was wondering if it was feasible to use the ship's computers to check in online and print the boarding pass and I guess it is!

[fti]

At most you should definitely can check in to assure yourself a good boarding group online, and then once you get the airport print your boarding pass.

 

For Southwest, this is an advantage of online check in. But if you don't check in within 10-15 minutes of the 24 hour before departure mark, you won't get an "A" boarding card anyway. And for even full flights, you almost have to purposely try to get a "C" boarding card.

 

There are actually a couple advantages to checking in early - there are other airlines that sometimes board by group - for instance i think on american they sometimes assign a boarding group and board by that at the gate instead of seat number.

 

American assigns groups by which row in the plane you are seated in, not by how far in advance you have checked in. So checking in online or at the airport will not affect this.

 

also, in case you're running late, there's a less of chance of the airline giving up your seat if you've already checked in - your luggage might not make it but you may be able to.

 

This is probably one of the few valid reasons for checking in online but really would only matter if you are running really late. If you have luggage to check, basically you and your luggage go on the plane or both you and your luggage will get left behind. Federal regulations now require a 100% bag match for domestic flights from your city of departure. So if your bags can't make it, the airline should not allow you to fly. I have heard of exceptions to this but they are few and far between.

 

also on overbooked flights if you check in you usually get your seat assigned - leaving you less likely to be one of those people at the end who's desperately trying to get a seat because they didn't get one, and the flight is oversold.

 

Actually I always book my specific seat number either when I purchase my ticket or, as with Northwest, 90 days before departure. So whether I check in online or at the airport, I will have the same seat assignment, unless as was mentioned above, I am extremely late and the airline gives my seat away (usually not until 15-30 minutes before departure).

 

One other valid reason to check in online was mentioned in a previous post - perhaps getting some bonus miles or points or reward for doing so. I know that Northwest for example is having an incentive now whereby you earn some points that will turn into miles after December 31st if you do various activities, one of which is to check in online.

 

John

[kyjoe]

Just got off of Island in SJU. Princess offered for us to check our bags from the stateroom door through to final destination. We did have to claim them at the terminal and walk them through customs. Boarding passes were delivered to stateroom the night before. We are in ATL right now on the way to Detroit. We'll see if it worked. Princess charged $15 PP

Sounds like a good deal! I'm interested in this!!! We just sailed with Princess in September & this wasn't offered to us. Is it something fairly new or did I just miss it???:confused:

[GoBlueCruiser]

Thanks all for your answers. I have never bothered with pre-printing my boarding pass coming home from a cruise but our TA suggested it as

1.) We have an early flight and we have experienced a late cruise arrival in the past.

2.) Our TA secured exit aisle seats for us and she had a customer lose his seat by not checking in online early.

 

So I was wondering if it was feasible to use the ship's computers to check in online and print the boarding pass and I guess it is!

 

We have always printed our boarding passes onboard the ship on the last day of the cruise and have found it much more convenient than checking in at the airport. Two notes of caution to remember:

 

Lots of other passengers are doing this on the last day of the cruise and the internet cafe can be very busy and there can be a wait to use a computer.

 

Second, the process of logging in to the airline website and going through the steps of printing a boarding pass tends to take about 10-15 minutes on the sloooow computers on board. If you have purchased an internet plan(or have a limited number of free minutes), don't forget to allot time to complete this task.

 

Good luck and Bon Voyage

 

Mike