Princess converts to all-electronic tickets

Forward-thinking Princess Cruises announced today that it is fully converting to electronic tickets. Cruise passengers will be able to access their cruise details and print boarding passes online.

The e-ticket program will be available for all sailings departing on and after November 17, with the exception of Golden Princess itineraries, which go electronic with the December 16 sailing. Guests booked on these cruises can go online 75 days prior to departure and access a travel summary, which includes cruise and flight details, the cruise itinerary, advance reservations for shore excursions and spa treatments, any additional packages or transfers, special requests, and a printable boarding pass.

Princess will continue to mail out other pre-cruise documents, such as the welcome letter, “Cruise Answer Book,” shore excursion booklet, and passage contract. Luggage tags are also included in this package. As part of this new program, the pre-cruise packet will be mailed 75 days before departure—15 days earlier than before.

Princess has taken a step in the right direction with its new ticketing procedures. Cruisers should appreciate the earlier access to information about their travel plans, as well as the convenience of having the documents available online. It’ll be interesting to see which other cruise lines decide to follow in Princess’ footsteps and adopt similar programs.