Checking in for Cruise at Resorts

[disneyfaninaz]

Okay, I'm getting mixed information.

I am staying at the POFQ before my cruise. It is a DCL hotel, meaning that you can catch the DCL bus here.

My question is:
If you did not book the land/sea package, were you able to check in for your cruise at the DCL desk at the resort you stayed?

Hope that makes sense, thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Valencia Joe]

Oh, yes. We did the exact same thing at the exact same place in 2005 and had no problem. All we had to do is just check in at the DCL desk in the main lobby where you register and let them know you are there (they have a roster on who is staying and continuing on to the cruise even if you did not book a land & cruise package). The DCL desk at POFQ did have some wierd times when someone was there so you may want to check that out too. On the day of departure, all we had to do is make sure our tags were on the luggage and just leave them in the room. Someone comes by around 8:30 to 9 to pick them up.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Oh, yes. We did the exact same thing at the exact same place in 2005 and had no problem. All we had to do is just check in at the DCL desk in the main lobby where you register and let them know you are there (they have a roster on who is staying and continuing on to the cruise even if you did not book a land & cruise package). The DCL desk at POFQ did have some wierd times when someone was there so you may want to check that out too. On the day of departure, all we had to do is make sure our tags were on the luggage and just leave them in the room. Someone comes by around 8:30 to 9 to pick them up.

So, you didn't have to go to the check-in desk at the port, you were able just to board the ship?

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

WOW--I thought you had to be booked as a Land/Sea package to do this.
Interesting! Anyone do this recently without being part of a Land/Sea package?

 

[Valencia Joe]

We still had to check in at the Port once we got there. Perhaps things have changed in the two years. In terms of transporting you to the Port, it did not matter whether you booked the land & sea package, or just did everything yourself. You may want to check with DCL on whether things have changed for checking in at the resort rather than the Port. I know that on the Med Cruise, if you are staying at one of Disney's hotels, you can check in there rather than the port in Barcelona.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

WOW--I thought you had to be booked as a Land/Sea package to do this.
Interesting! Anyone do this recently without being part of a Land/Sea package?

That's what I thought too!! But we got on this subject on another thread (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19386101&postcount=11) and I just wanted to see if anybody had actually done it.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I am the guilty party who brought up this question. I have never checked in at the resort except for my 1st cruise which was a land and sea package.

However when reading the stuff from DCL I noted it stated we could do this. I next called Port Orleans and asked them. They confirmed it and stated that check in at the port would not be needed. To futher confirm I called and spoke to a CM from DCL who told me the same story. That if I checked in at the resort I go straight to board the ship based on the number given when I get to the port.

Anyone out there done this in the last year? Any advise to those of us cruising this year?

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

You know, it makes sense that you should be able to. You present your cruise doc's and birth cert. or passport at the desk at POFQ to avoid doing this at the port. The only thing that might be a problem is that your KTTW card won't have your stateroom info. on it if you don't have the package. Unless they re-issue it, you would have to check in at the port to get the KTTW card that opens your stateroom door. I don't think the front desk at Port Orleans could do this when you check in for your resort stay.

Love to hear about this!

 

[NHmomof2boys]

I really don't like to be the bearer of bad news but...

I just checked with our TA at Dreams Unlimited and she confirmed that you do have to book a land/sea package in order to check in at the resort.

Please don't shoot the messenger!

 

[Grandma4ever]

I really don't like to be the bearer of bad news but...

I just checked with our TA at Dreams Unlimited and she confirmed that you do have to book a land/sea package in order to check in at the resort.

Please don't shoot the messenger!

I want to know why I should believe a DU TA when both a CM from DCL and WDW said we can. I'm booking on being able to check in at the resort. This is just a situation where if we ask five people the same question we are going to get five different answers. When I return from my vacation I will try to post the real answer on 9/15 or later. In the mean time if anyone has attempted to check in at the resort in the last year or so for a 7 day cruise we would love to hear from you.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I really don't like to be the bearer of bad news but...

I just checked with our TA at Dreams Unlimited and she confirmed that you do have to book a land/sea package in order to check in at the resort.

Please don't shoot the messenger!

After reading this post I decided to check further and called DCL again. This time the CM said that we could only do that if DCL made the room ressies. I had a lenthy discussion with that CM and with her supervior about CM giving out incorrect information and the fact that the written documentation they (DCL) sent out states that if you have a pre-cruise Walt Disney World Package you can check in at the resorts and not at the port. I am e-mailing guest communcations to see if they will consider better training for the CM and rewiting the document they sent out to more clearly reflect what the company is willing to provide. I am also go to recomend that instead of need to call two call centers to set up WDW and a cruise that they work together and have one CM be able to reserve both. No more musical phone calls. I know I am dreaming but if customer service is important they will do it. It can not be that hard. Even if the money comes from two subdivions of one company. WEll I had better shut up and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is another new day with problems all it's own. I will post any information I discover.

 

[HLAuburn]

 

[mickeym]

We did this last July. Stayed overnight at POR and checked in at the DCL desk for the Western cruise once we had our room keys. We took the Disney Bus to the port and walked straight onto the boat. We did not have to check in again at port. Our keys from the resort were also our keys for the ship. Just remember to have them put charging privaleges on them at the resort, otherwise you may have to go to customer service on board for a new key. It was nice getting off the bus and having everyone turn and watch us as we passed the lines of people checking in and just went on board. No waiting for pictures or long lines to be announced on board.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We did this last July. Stayed overnight at POR and checked in at the DCL desk for the Western cruise once we had our room keys. We took the Disney Bus to the port and walked straight onto the boat. We did not have to check in again at port. Our keys from the resort were also our keys for the ship. Just remember to have them put charging privaleges on them at the resort, otherwise you may have to go to customer service on board for a new key. It was nice getting off the bus and having everyone turn and watch us as we passed the lines of people checking in and just went on board. No waiting for pictures or long lines to be announced on board.

When you checked in at POR, did they give you your dining rotation? Was it printed on your KTTW card? Was your stateroom number printed on your card?

Just wanting to know if you get the same card at POR that you would have gotten if you checked in at the port.

Sorry for the questions, just trying to fiture out how this works. Thanks!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Double post. Sorry!

 

[mickeym]

Your stateroom number is never printed on the KTTW card, probably for security reasons in case it was lost. Our KTTW cards from the resort are the same as you receive when you are just staying at the World, they do not have they dates of the cruise or your dining rotation on them. We did not know our rotation until we saw the paperwork left in our stateroom. My KTTW key stopped working during the cruise, so they gave me a new one at the Customer Service desk which did inclue the dates of our cruise, dining rotation and table number.

 

[DrCavin]

Reading all these posts has taken longer than checking in at the terminal

 

[goinback]

We did this last July. Stayed overnight at POR and checked in at the DCL desk for the Western cruise once we had our room keys. We took the Disney Bus to the port and walked straight onto the boat. We did not have to check in again at port. Our keys from the resort were also our keys for the ship. Just remember to have them put charging privaleges on them at the resort, otherwise you may have to go to customer service on board for a new key. It was nice getting off the bus and having everyone turn and watch us as we passed the lines of people checking in and just went on board. No waiting for pictures or long lines to be announced on board.

Did you have a Land -Sea package or did you book seperately?

 

[buf68]

just subscribing, I'd love to hear some more recent info about this.....

 

[mickeym]

It was not a land and sea package, but we had DCL book our rooms so they would be covered in our travel insurance policy. My daughter also did this on her cruise this past March.