Princess announced 9/5/06 that ALL cruises sailing on or after November 17, 2006 (except Golden Princess which was December 16, 2006) were to be electronic documents.  However, at this announcement they still sent some paper in the mail.

 

Princess Cruises announced on November 3, 2009 that they have gone to "Digital Documents" for all sailings departing January 21, 2010 and later.

 

 

It is now EXTREMELY important that Princess has your email address was you book as well as your proper name.  Because as you book you'll get the first in the series of four emails giving you information about your cruise.  The first email gives specifics of your ship and has links to general questions often asked.

 

The second email in the series comes out around final payment time and introduces the Captain and gives entertaining and informative videos and information about the itinerary, the ship's features and other important notices and reminders.

 

The third email goes out 45 days before sailing and introduces the ship's Passenger Services Director and Maitre d' and discusses dining and special amenities aboard the ship.  This one gives tips on packing and discusses the number of formal nights on your cruise, etc.

 

The last, fourth, email goes out 15 days before sailing and introduces the Cruise Director and the Captain's Circle Host and provides information about entertainment and enrichment programs on your upcoming cruise.  It also gives personalized information about your Captain's Circle benefits (based upon your own level – Gold, Platinum, Elite, etc.)  It also gives some technical reminders like boarding pass instructions, an embarkation day checklist and directions to the pier.

 

The pre-cruise emails can also be seen apparently in the Cruise Personalizer if for some reason Princess doesn't have your proper email address.

 

 

Of course, the biggest benefit of the pre-cruise packet was the printed shore excursion book.  There is a new 'Shore Excursion eBook' application that is coming in December, 2009.  This is going to allow guests to print out personalized shore excursion books just showing their own ports, or just some of their ports, or whatever they want… as opposed to the older version of books that showed all Caribbean ports in a big book regardless of whether you went to all those ports or not.  Of course the best information on excursions available for your own cruise is always your own Cruise Personalizer.  But if you wanted the 'big book' of old, you can still access a .pdf of those at Princess.com in the "Before You Cruise" section.

 

 

You should complete your immigration information in the Princess “Cruise Personalizer” as soon as possible after booking, as always.  You can find this by going to www.princess.com and clicking on “Prepare for Your Cruise”, then “Cruise Personalizer” and logging in with your legal name on your booking and your booking number.  You can also access your Cruise Personalizer by "logging in" to the Princess.com website if you have set up an account with them to get specials and such.  Once you're logged in, you'll have immediate access to Cruise Personalizers for all cruises you're booked for.

 

Once you complete everything, including entering of your credit card to register for online purchases*, you should go to the right hand side of your Cruise Personalizer main screen and you’ll see a new section called “Print”. 

 

Underneath that “Print” section on the right, you’ll see some clickable items.  The first is “Print My Travel Summary”.  This is your overall itinerary with Princess.  If you have Princess purchased airfare to and from your cruise, YOUR ASSIGNED FLIGHTS WILL SHOW HERE 75 DAYS OUT FROM YOUR CRUISE.  You’ll know your flight itinerary sooner than ever before!  And WAY sooner than any other cruise line.  And if you don’t like your assigned flights and want to pay to deviate your air schedule, you could call or email your travel agent right then, up to the date your tickets are actually generated by Princess through the airline.  Air tickets will continue to be generated 35 days prior to sailing and faxed, emailed, or mailed to your travel agent.  (Exotic air tickets are usually still in paper, but domestic tickets are nearly all e-tickets and nothing is required for you to have except your photo ID.)

 

The second item underneath the new “Print” area is “Print My Boarding Pass”.  This will be your new e-ticket.  You will not be able to print this until you’ve fully completed your Cruise Personalizer and paid in full, so you will know immediately if something in your mandatory immigration information is missing.   If you’re Platinum or Elite with Princess’ Captain’s Circle past guest program, or you’re booked in a full suite, your e-ticket boarding pass will indicate you get to go to the Preferred check-in line.

 

Also in this section is a place for you to print out your own personalized luggage tags.  These print one per 8 1/2 x 11 page, and you fold it multiple times to give it strength.  Print as few or as many as you need.  Or, if you prefer true blank ones with sticky backs, they will still have those available at the pier.  Remember, put luggage tags on large bags you want the porters to take as you arrive at the pier.  DO NOT put them on your carry on bags with your passports and valuables that you want to carry onto the ship with you.

 

You must enter your information and print your boarding pass before 5 days prior to sailing.  At that time the Personalizer is locked down and your information is sent to the ship.  It’s STRONGLY recommended that you complete it as soon as possible after making your booking rather than waiting until the last minute.

 

All information should be entered online by the passenger or they can call 1-800-PRINCESS and ask for a “Forms Only” packet.  The forms packet will contain the paper versions of the immigration forms and a return envelope like Princess’ older version of pre-cruise packets used to contain.  Princess would prefer everything be entered electronically, but does understand that not everyone has access to the internet and will still have paper forms available.  And your travel agent should be able to print your boarding pass for you once your immigration information is complete.

 

 

* It is mandatory for people sailing Princess for the 1^st – 5^th time to enter their credit card information before their boarding pass will print.  Platinum, Elite and suite passengers are not required to enter their credit card information, but they should just to speed along their check-in at the pier.

 

If a couple is registering the SAME card to cover all of their onboard purchases, one of the two should be marked as the 'owner' and the other not.  They won't allow two people to be the 'owner' of the same card number in the Personalizer.  Yes, you have a joint account, but it's just a Princess quirk that you need to only specify one of you as such for this purpose.

 

 

At the pier ~ You’ll present your boarding pass and your passport, as well as your actual credit card to be swiped (even if you’ve already entered your number online).  This is the same as the past, except you’ll just have your printed boarding pass instead of the blue printed paper ticket packet.

 

At the airport ~ You will only need to show your flight itinerary and your photo ID to get on your flight.

 

At the hotel if you have a pre or post cruise stay ~ You will no longer have vouchers for transfers or hotel stays.  Your Travel Summary will be your proof of services purchased.

 

 

For those of you that MAY be alarmed at having no “paper”, the honest answer is the paper hasn’t mattered for years and won’t now (unless it’s an international paper air ticket of course).  All that really matters is that your name is on the passenger manifest (passenger list in the computer) for the cruise, the hotel, the flight or the transfer.  If you’re on the manifest and you show up with your proper photo ID for a domestic flight or a hotel, or your passport for an international flight or cruise, you’re going.  It’s as simple as that.  The boarding pass you’ll now be able to print out will simply make your life easier at check-in, but if your grandma’s dog eats it in the car on the way to the pier, you’ll still be able to go.  Honest!