A Disney Dozen Things You Need to Know about Boarding a Disney Cruise
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Want to know how to get your Disney Cruise off to a great start? You just need to know the ins and outs of the boarding process. Here are several pointers to help you make the most of the first day of your cruise.
- The Disney Cruise Line Terminal is located in Port Canaveral, Florida and you can arrive anytime after the previous cruise passengers have disembarked. Sometime between 9:30am and 10:00am is the earliest you should arrive. However, you must be on board no later than 4:00pm. I recommend that you plan to arrive at the port early (by 10am) if you wish to be one of the first on board the ship. Reasons to be first on board the ship include making any changes to your dining rotations, changing or adding Palo reservations (it is always best to book your Palo reservations online as early as you possibly can for the best availability), changing or adding any spa reservations, getting the kids checked into the kids’ clubs prior to boarding, or you just want to start your vacation as early as possible. If none of the previous apply, you’re probably better off waiting to arrive after 1:00pm to let the early crowds dissipate.
- If you are driving to the port (by means of your own car, a rental car, or car service), you will be asked to present a photo ID to enter the drop off area. If you are parking, it is best to drop off your luggage first and then park your car. There are porters available to take your luggage. They do not work for Disney Cruise Line and will be expecting a gratuity. A good rule of thumb is one dollar per piece of luggage they take from you. Be sure you have already affixed your Disney Cruise Line luggage tags before you give your luggage to the porter. The luggage tag is the way that your luggage will find its way to your cabin. If you are arriving via the Disney Cruise Line bus transportation, your luggage will have already been taken care of for you.
- Before entering the terminal, each adult must show photo ID. Once inside the terminal, you will pass through a security screening much like airport screening. Your carry-on luggage will go through an x-ray machine and you will walk through a metal detector. Once through security, you will be asked to move upstairs to the second level of the terminal via the stairs, escalator, or elevator.
- As you enter the second level of the terminal, go directly to check-in. You will receive a card with a number on it. The number indicates what group you will be in for boarding. Obviously the earlier you arrive, the lower your boarding number. On our last cruise, we arrived at the port around 10:15 and were in group number 3. Only one person from each cabin needs to go through the check-in line. Everyone else can find a comfy spot on the couches by the TVs, explore the ship model in the middle of the terminal, or have their pictures taken with the various characters that wander about. (Character pictures usually begin around 11:00am in the terminal.)
- When checking in, you will be asked for proof of citizenship for each person in your cabin. You will also be asked if anyone in your party has shown any flu or cold symptoms in the past 48 hours. Disney is VERY careful and proactive about keeping, should we say, sick germs off of their ships. Once your check-in is complete, you will be given a Key to the World Card for each person in your cabin. If you have sailed with Disney before, aka: a Castaway Club Member, you will also receive a Castaway Club lanyard and card holder for each person. Your dining rotation will appear on your Key to the World Card. Ask the cast member checking you in how to decipher the code. A good reminder here is that you can greatly speed up your check-in process by completing the required cruise documents online before you leave for your cruise.
- Parking at Port Canaveral is now $15 per day. If you plan to arrive the day before your cruise (which I strongly recommend), you may want to consider staying at a local resort that offers free parking and complimentary shuttle service to and from the port. On a 7-night cruise, the free parking alone will save you $105.
- Lunch is served on board at both Parrot Cay and Topsider Buffet. The buffet lunch is the same in both locations. The choice is yours. We prefer Parrot Cay because it is indoors and air conditioned; purely a personal choice. At Topsiders, you have your choice of eating indoors, or outside. Lunch is served in Parrot Cay until 2:15pm and at Topsiders until 3:30pm.
- The pools are open. Be sure to pack a swim suit to take advantage of some pool time while everyone else is still boarding. On our last trip, our daughter asked if she could wear her swimsuit onto the ship under her clothes to save time having to change later.
- Your cabin will be ready by 1:30pm. If you arrived to the port early, your luggage may start to be delivered by then as well. Don’t be concerned if not all of your luggage pieces arrive at the same time. Luggage is delivered throughout the day until 6:30pm. Usually the earlier you arrive, the earlier your luggage makes it to your cabin.
- When you get to you cabin, you will find several things waiting for you. These would include that day’s Navigator so you can see what is happening the rest of the day, your dining tickets which show you your dining time and restaurant rotation (be sure to read your dining tickets as our rotation on the tickets were different than the rotation on our Key to the World Card on our last cruise), any shore excursions that you pre-purchased through Disney, any stateroom gifts that you may have ordered, and a gift from the cruise line if you are a Castaway Club member.
- At 4:00pm there is a mandatory muster drill. Around 3:45pm, you should head to your cabin, put on your life jackets, and follow the directions on the back of your door to find your muster station. The drill lasts about 15 minutes so by 4:15, you’ll be heading back to your cabin with everyone else.
- 4:30pm is the Adventures Away sail away party at the Goofy Pool, mid-ship on deck 9. If you would like to get a table for the party, be sure to have someone from your party head to the Goofy pool as soon as the muster drill is over and you have returned your life jacket to your cabin. One person can hold a table while the rest of you party arrives. If you or your children would like to be seen on the big Ariel Vision above the pool, be sure to make your way front and center on the dance floor. Another great vantage point for the party, if you know you won’t be dancing on the dance floor, is around the railings on deck 10. One last thing about the Adventures Away party, servers will be walking around with trays of tropical drinks. The drinks are not complimentary and come in a souvenir glass which is an extra charge. Drinks are available in regular glasses as well; all you have to do is ask for one. I see a lot of souvenir glasses left behind because people don’t realize that they have paid for them and the glasses are theirs to keep. Don’t pay for the glass unless you intend to take it home.
- The ship will castoff at 5:00pm to the wonderful ship’s horn tooting “When You Wish Upon a Star.” The horn is pretty loud so you may not want to be standing under the forward funnel when the horn goes off. Enjoy the moment as your sail away and wave good-bye to the rest of the world.
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We have learned how to turn our embarkation or boarding day into a full first day of our vacation and you can too by following these suggestions. Sit back and relax knowing the ins and outs of your first day. Bon Voyage!
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November 8th, 2008 | Tags: disney, Disney Cruise, disney cruise line, disney dozen | Category: Disney Cruise
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November 28th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
[...] Boarding a Disney Cruise – A Disney Dozen Things to Know | Disney … – Be sure you have already affixed your Disney Cruise Line luggage tags before you give your luggage to the porter. The luggage tag is the way that your luggage will find its way to your cabin. If you are arriving via the Disney Cruise … [...]