How long to wait for cruise documents?

[aggiedog]

We are sailing Dec 24 (woot!) with my parents. They received their cruise documents in the mail a month ago, but we have not. I called DCL last week and was told they mailed ours Dec 4. It's now 10 days later and still nothing. We leave in 9 days. When do I need to get worried?

 

[lowrider]

I would call again and check with your post office as well.

 

[Weedy]

There is nothing you really need. Other than its so fun to receive the package.
When you get to the terminal the porters will have extra luggage tags to put on your bags.

 

[NCConch]

Are you using a travel agent? They may have them. Out 1st cruise we used a travel agent for our Dec 26 cruise and they held on to the docs while they waited for cheap gifts the bought us to come in so they could send together. With winter weather that year we almost did not get them because we headed to FLA early to spend Christmas with my family. It is true that you do not actually need them, but you want them.

 

[phinz]

What NCConch said. Our TA had ours until 5 days before we left for Florida.

 

[over50visits]

There is nothing you really need. Other than its so fun to receive the package.
When you get to the terminal the porters will have extra luggage tags to put on your bags.

That's spot on. Your cruise documents consist of a nice, cute, printed and bound booklet with your personal itinerary, lots of infomercial pages about things to do and buy on the ship, and your luggage tags.

You don't need any of it to sail. For example, there's no such thing as a "ticket" or a printed reservation receipt/confirmation necessary to sail. If they don't show up (and that is almost certainly not going to happen), you don't need them. Luggage tags you can get when you drop off your bags (it's easy, fast, and done hundreds of times each day by the great porters or bus drivers who meet you). Your itinerary will be in your room (i.e. shore excursion reservations/tickets). And your daily "Navigator" (the ship's daily newspaper) will have schedules of everything going on and filled with opportunities to spend even more money.

Cruise "documents" are neat, fun to get, but not required for anything. I read postings here frequently from first time cruisers who are understandably anxious. If you want to make sure Disney hasn't forgotten you, just give them a quick call or go to the website for cruise check-in/planning (again a nice thing to do online but not required).

 

[aggiedog]

Thanks. We're second time cruisers, so I'm not horribly worried, but just wanting to make sure. No TA. I'm perhaps a little leery only because our first cruise check in was completely messed up - our check in CM was obviously new, confused by our names, confused by the computer program, etc, etc. It took 90 minutes to check 8 of us in. Dh is concerned DCL's administrative end is not so hot. When I called DCL last week, they had all our info. I won't sweat it, but I'll call again today just to confirm.

 

[lanejudy]

It took 90 minutes to check 8 of us in.

I can't even begin to imagine how confused she must have been to take so long!

Enjoy your cruise, and may you have a much much shorter check-in this time!

 

[aggiedog]

She was SUPER confused. We sat watching all the groups around us speed thru. Dh was about to throw a fit.