How to Print Cruise Luggage Tags: Princess, MSC, Royal Caribbean

AvatarByEric Dawson Boats & Cruises

To print luggage tags for a Princess cruise, sign in at princess.com, open Manage Booking for the sailing, and use the luggage tag link that appears once the booking is paid in full and your OceanReady details are on file. Princess opens that link 75 days before departure, and the tags come from the website rather than the Princess Cruises app. MSC Cruises puts its labels inside the E-ticket you download at the end of web check-in, and Royal Caribbean prints them on the last page of the eDocs in your online account. Whichever line you sail, you print on plain paper, fold the sheet into a strip, staple it around each bag handle, and hand the bags to the porters at the terminal.

Where Each Cruise Line Keeps Its Luggage Tags

The three lines hide their tags in different corners of their websites, and none of them lets you print from the phone app. Everything in the table below is current as of September 2026 and comes from each line’s official help pages, which are linked in the References section at the end.

Cruise line Where the tags live When you can print If you arrive without them
Princess Cruises Manage Booking on princess.com, under Check In and Print Travel Summary 75 days before sailing, after full payment, immigration details and card registration Tags are handed out at the terminal, per Cruise Critic members
MSC Cruises Luggage label pages inside the E-ticket, downloaded at the end of web check-in From booking confirmation until two days before departure MSC’s pages do not promise spare tags, so print before you go
Royal Caribbean Last page of the eDocs in the reservation dashboard of your account, also emailed When eDocs are issued, typically 20 to 50 days out for advisor bookings and within 30 days for groups Porters at the pier carry generic ship tags

How to Print Luggage Tags for Princess Cruise Sailings

Princess prints luggage tags through the website, not the OceanReady app, since it splits pre-cruise tasks between the two. OceanReady, the digital check-in with your passport photo, security picture, MedallionPay card and passage contract, happens in the Princess Cruises app. Princess cruise luggage tags are a website job. The Princess pre-cruise FAQ says that beginning 75 days prior to sailing you can print your luggage tags once the booking is paid in full and Princess has your guest immigration information and credit card registration, and it points you to Manage Booking to do it.

The Exact Website Path

A Cruise Critic thread started in October 2022, titled “Here is how to print luggage tags for Princess”, walks through the menus, and several long-time members confirmed the route in the replies. Combined with the Princess FAQ, the steps look like this.

  1. Finish OceanReady in the app. Princess will not release the tags until payment, immigration details and a registered card are all in place, so clear every OceanReady item first.
  2. Go to princess.com and sign in. Use a laptop or desktop if you can. Forum members agree the tags come from the website, not the app, and printing from a phone is hard to set up.
  3. Open My Account, then Upcoming Cruises. Click Manage This Booking for the sailing you want tags for.
  4. Look for the luggage tag link on the booking page. One member described it as small print above the airplane Travel icon, top right of the first screen. If you don’t spot it, choose Check In from the top row instead.
  5. Choose a guest and click Print Travel Summary. The next screen lets you pick which guests in the booking to print tags for, alongside the Print Boarding Pass option.
  6. Print one tag per checked bag. Save the file as a PDF as well, so you can print more copies later or at a hotel business center.

When the Princess Tags Become Available

Two dates matter. The FAQ’s 75-day figure is the earliest the link can appear, assuming payment and OceanReady are done. Separately, Princess tells guests to check Manage Booking about one week before travel, when most cabin assignments are final, and print boarding passes and luggage tags then. If you booked a guarantee cabin, the tag may read “To Be Assigned” until close to sailing, occasionally not until embarkation. The Princess FAQ says bags in that situation are still delivered to the allocated cabin from the ship’s manifest, so a tag without a cabin number is not a problem at the pier.

Cruises.com, an online travel agency, lists Princess online check-in as opening 60 days before departure on a help page updated about four months before this article. That figure applies to the agency’s own guidance on check-in, not the tag link, and it conflicts with the 75-day window on Princess’s own site. Princess is the more authoritative source here because it operates the system, so treat 75 days as the real number and 60 as a conservative fallback.

If the Tag Prints Short and Wide

A recurring complaint in the Cruise Critic thread is a tag that prints “short and fat instead of long and skinny” and won’t reach around a handle. Members who solved it did one of two things. Some saved the tag as a PDF first and printed the PDF instead of printing from the browser. Others switched the print dialog to portrait orientation and turned off any scale-to-fit setting. Try the PDF route first, since it also gives you a file you can reprint anywhere.

How to Print Luggage Tags for MSC Cruise Departures

MSC has no separate luggage tag download. The labels are part of the E-ticket, and MSC’s web check-in FAQ defines the E-ticket as an electronic ticket that summarizes booked services, itinerary information, luggage labels and other details for the cruise. MSC’s luggage page repeats the point, telling guests to label bags with the tags received with the cruise ticket before reaching the terminal. The MSC for Me app shows sailing times and onboard bookings, but the FAQ sends you to the website for the ticket itself.

Web Check-in Steps

  1. Open Manage Booking on the MSC website and start Web Check-In. The FAQ says it is available from booking confirmation until two days before departure, and it recommends checking in early so the E-ticket arrives promptly.
  2. Enter the data for every guest. Fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory. The security photo and credit card registration are optional for getting the ticket, though MSC says both speed up embarkation. The photo must be taken live with a device camera; uploads are not accepted.
  3. Pick or confirm your check-in slot. MSC assigns one by default and only the lead guest can change it during web check-in. Arrive before the slot opens and you may wait outside the terminal.
  4. Request and download the E-ticket at the end. Guests who booked directly on the MSC website can also download a Boarding Pass with a QR code. If you booked through a travel agent, the FAQ says to request the ticket from the agent.
  5. Print the luggage label pages. Print one label for each bag you will hand to the porters. Keep the rest of the E-ticket in your carry-on.
  6. Fold, staple and attach at the port. MSC’s luggage page says your first stop at the terminal is the luggage drop-off area, where you hand labeled bags to the porters before going to check-in.

When the MSC Window Opens and Closes

Sources disagree on the MSC timing. MSC’s own FAQ, read in September 2026, says web check-in runs from the time of booking confirmation up to two days before departure. The Cruises.com help page says the window opens 30 days before departure and closes 24 hours before. MSC’s page wins because it is the operator’s current published rule, and it is also the stricter cutoff; plan on finishing by 48 hours out and the agency’s 24-hour figure never matters.

Luggage limits are worth knowing before you print, because a bag that exceeds them is refused at check-in. MSC’s international luggage page, as of September 2026, allows two suitcases per person, each no larger than 90 by 75 by 43 centimeters (about 35 by 30 by 17 inches) and no heavier than 23 kilograms (about 50 pounds), plus two pieces of hand luggage. The same page caps a cabin at 100 kilograms or eight pieces in total.

How to Print Luggage Tags for Royal Caribbean Cruise Sailings

Royal Caribbean builds the tag into the Royal guest document, the eDocs. Its FAQ on luggage tags says the eDocs include a bag tag specific to the guest’s ship, sailing date, stateroom and deck number, and that the tag itself explains how it should be used. Online check-in runs on the website or in the Royal Caribbean app, but the eDocs FAQ sends you to the reservation dashboard in your Guest Account for the documents, not to the app.

Finding and Printing the eDocs

  1. Complete online check-in. Do it on royalcaribbean.com or in the app. Royal Caribbean Blog notes the documents usually appear after final payment is made.
  2. Watch for the email, or log in. The FAQ says guests who booked online receive an email with downloading instructions when the documents are ready. If nothing arrives, sign in and open the reservation dashboard in your Guest Account.
  3. Open Upcoming Cruises and expand More details. Royal Caribbean Blog, updated in October 2025, says a printable PDF titled Luggage Tags sits under that toggle for each sailing.
  4. Print the tag page once per bag. The tag is on the last page of the eDocs. Print as many copies as you have bags for the porters.
  5. Guarantee cabins wait. The tag carries the stateroom and deck, so hold off until the assignment shows in your account.

When Royal Caribbean eDocs Arrive

Timing depends on how you booked. Royal Caribbean’s eDocs FAQ says documents for travel advisor bookings go to the advisor 20 to 50 days before sailing, and that group bookings and bookings with air arrangements are issued within 30 days of sailing. Reservations finalized during the week of sailing may not receive documents in advance at all; those guests get their details at the pier before boarding. Royal Caribbean Blog says a direct booking usually sees the eDocs after final payment is made, which fits the official ranges.

Are Printed Cruise Luggage Tags Required?

Not strictly, on two of the three lines. Royal Caribbean’s replacement tag FAQ says that if you forgot your luggage tags at home, ship luggage tags are available from the porters at the pier on the day of boarding, though it recommends securing them before leaving home to avoid delays. Independent site Royal Caribbean Blog describes the process: tell the porter your stateroom number and they fill in a generic tag by hand. Princess’s official FAQ doesn’t mention spare tags, but Cruise Critic members on the Princess board say tags can be provided when you arrive, and one member’s travel agent printed and mailed them in holders.

MSC is the exception. Its luggage page tells guests to label bags with the tags received with the cruise ticket before reaching the terminal, and nothing on its web check-in or luggage pages promises replacements at the drop-off area. Treat the printed label as required for an MSC sailing and print a spare set.

There is also a practical reason to print even where a pier tag exists. A home-printed tag carries your cabin and deck in large type, which is what lets baggage teams sort thousands of bags in a few hours. Royal Caribbean warns that luggage may arrive after sailaway on a busy embarkation day, with delivery windows posted in the Cruise Compass. Princess says checked bags typically reach the cabin within a few hours of boarding, often by early evening, and MSC gives late afternoon through early evening. A hand-written generic tag is the one most likely to slow that down.

How to Fold, Staple and Protect the Tags

Print at full size on ordinary printer paper. Color is optional; the Cruises.com page says it is not necessary for any of the three lines. Then work through each bag.

Folding and Stapling

  1. Cut along the outer border if the sheet has one, so the tag is a single long rectangle.
  2. Fold along the printed lines. Royal Caribbean Blog says to fold the tag three times with the logo facing out; the tag ends up as a narrow strip with the ship name and cabin number visible.
  3. Write your name where the tag asks for it. Royal Caribbean’s tag has a marked section for your full name.
  4. Loop the strip through the top handle and bring the ends together.
  5. Staple twice, once near each end, or tape the join with clear packing tape. Royal Caribbean Blog’s advice for anyone spending the night before in a hotel is to pack a mini stapler or tape, because the hotel front desk won’t always have one.
  6. Add your own ID tag. Princess asks that all luggage carry a sturdy personal identification tag that will survive airport and truck handling, and Royal Caribbean Blog suggests keeping a name-and-phone tag on the bag as well.

Luggage Tag Holders

Paper tags tear, especially in rain or during a long walk from a parking garage. Royal Caribbean Blog says a torn or missing tag sends the bag to a holding room with other unidentified luggage, and you then visit Guest Services to claim it. Its answer is a clear plastic holder with a metal ring that clips through the handle, with the folded paper tag slid inside. One Cruise Critic member on the Princess board prints tags on photo paper and drops them into ring-closed holders sized for Princess tags. Sizes differ by line, so buy holders sold for the specific cruise line you are sailing. Holders are not required; the blog stresses that crew deliver bags from a plain stapled tag just as well, and the holder simply removes the risk of a rip.

Attach the tags at the port, not at the airport. Airline baggage belts strip paper loops, and Princess’s own FAQ warns that bags on journeys with air travel see a considerable amount of handling. Carry the printed set in your hand luggage and put the tags on in the terminal parking lot or the taxi line.

What to Do if the Tags Still Won’t Appear or Print

Most missing-tag problems trace back to a gate the cruise line has not opened yet. Run through these checks in order.

  • Princess shows no luggage tag link. Confirm the booking is paid in full, every guest’s immigration details are entered, and a card is registered for MedallionPay. All three are conditions in the Princess FAQ. Then confirm you are inside 75 days. If a guarantee cabin is unassigned, the link may still work but print “To Be Assigned”.
  • MSC won’t save your data. MSC’s FAQ suggests switching devices, for example from a smartphone to a laptop, updating the browser, and clearing cookies and cache. Web check-in closes two days before departure, so don’t leave this to the last evening.
  • MSC security photo fails. The FAQ says staff will take the photo at embarkation. The photo is not required to get the E-ticket, so skip it and download the ticket.
  • Royal Caribbean eDocs never arrived by email. Log in and check the reservation dashboard directly. If you booked through a travel advisor, the FAQ says the documents went to the advisor, so ask them to forward the PDF.
  • Booked this week. Royal Caribbean says reservations finalized the week of sailing get their details at the pier. Head to the porters and ask for a generic tag.
  • The tag prints at the wrong size. Save as PDF, then print the PDF in portrait with scaling off. If the strip is still too short for a wide handle, tape a second folded tag end to end.
  • No printer at home. Royal Caribbean Blog points to pharmacies with print counters and public libraries. Save the PDF to a phone or email it to yourself first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Print the Luggage Tags from the Princess Cruises APP?

No. OceanReady, your QR code and the Medallion order live in the app, but the Princess FAQ directs tag printing to Manage Booking on the website. Cruise Critic members who searched the app for a print option came up empty and used a computer instead.

Does MSC Send Luggage Tags in the Mail?

MSC’s web check-in FAQ describes only electronic delivery. The luggage labels are pages of the E-ticket you download after check-in, or that your travel agent supplies if you booked through one. There is no mailed document package mentioned on MSC’s current pages.

How Many Tags Should I Print?

One for every bag you plan to hand to the porters, plus a spare or two. Royal Caribbean Blog suggests tagging even the carry-on in case you decide to check it. Spare sheets weigh nothing and mean a torn tag in the taxi is a thirty-second fix.

Do the Tags Need to Be Printed in Color?

No. The Cruises.com help page states for Princess, MSC and Royal Caribbean alike that color is not necessary. Porters read the ship name, deck and cabin number, all of which print clearly in black.

What Goes on a Princess or Royal Caribbean Tag if My Cabin Is a Guarantee?

Royal Caribbean’s tag carries the stateroom and deck, so wait for the assignment before printing. Princess lets you print with the cabin marked as to be assigned and says the ship’s manifest routes the bag to the right cabin. Check Manage Booking about a week before sailing, when Princess says most assignments are complete, and reprint if the number has appeared.

Print the tags at home a few days before you leave, save the PDF to your phone as a backup, and pack a small stapler with the printed set in your carry-on. Attach the strips in the terminal parking lot, drop the bags with the porters, and the first stop on boarding day becomes the check-in line rather than a hunt for a printer.

References

Author Profile

Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson is the writer and curious mind behind The Money Watch. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he has a habit of digging into everyday questions until he understands what is actually going on, whether the subject is technology, travel, shopping, food, business, consumer products, or one of life's oddly specific problems.

Rather than pretending to be an expert in everything he covers, Eric approaches each topic as a careful researcher and practical problem-solver. He favors original sources, clear explanations, and honest answers about uncertainty. His goal is simple: do the digging readers shouldn't have to do themselves and turn what he finds into useful information without wasting their time.