Disembarking time

[kayleesmom2]

We are planning a Disney Dream cruise for May 2011. We had everything planned when my husband's work informed him today that he can not have the last day of his vacation that he had scheduled. We get back into port on Sunday and was planning on driving halfway home to Tennessee on Sunday and finishing the drive on MOnday since we have 2 small children (5 and 2). NOw they say he can not have the MOnday off. It's a 10 hour drive and I'm wondering what's the earliest we can disembark the ship? Also, can we request an early disembark time even though we do not have a flight scheduled?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

We are planning a Disney Dream cruise for May 2011. We had everything planned when my husband's work informed him today that he can not have the last day of his vacation that he had scheduled. We get back into port on Sunday and was planning on driving halfway home to Tennessee on Sunday and finishing the drive on MOnday since we have 2 small children (5 and 2). NOw they say he can not have the MOnday off. It's a 10 hour drive and I'm wondering what's the earliest we can disembark the ship? Also, can we request an early disembark time even though we do not have a flight scheduled?

You don't need to request an early disembark time. You just go to the atrium (or wherever they are disembarking on the Dream) and wait in line to exit. If the ship docks at regular time they usually start just prior to 8 a.m. You should be home in plenty of time even if they start late for some reason.

 

[mmouse37]

Everyone MUST be off the ship by 9:00-9:30 am (which should be interesting considering there will be so many more people onboard than the Wonder and Magic)...but...barring any ship delays you should have no problem.

DCL is different than other cruise lines by not making you sit in a lounge until your deck is called. Anyone can leave the ship as soon as they are cleared by customs. Keep watching the posts of cruisers in the first few weeks of the Dream to see what kind of reports there are for debarking.

MJ

 

[adventure_woman]

You'll make it no problem. We're driving down from MI, and TN is actually our halfway/stopping point. Last year it was just DD then 3 and she did great. This year we'll have DD#2 - 9mths...we'll see how THAT goes!! The portable DVD player is your friend..

 

[goofy4tink]

We were driving out of the parking lot at 7:27 on departure morning. I remember because 7/27 is my birthday and my dh commented on it. We were among the first group that left....probably about 10 before us.

 

[tvguy]

Everyone MUST be off the ship by 9:00-9:30 am (which should be interesting considering there will be so many more people onboard than the Wonder and Magic)...but...barring any ship delays you should have no problem.

DCL is different than other cruise lines by not making you sit in a lounge until your deck is called. Anyone can leave the ship as soon as they are cleared by customs. Keep watching the posts of cruisers in the first few weeks of the Dream to see what kind of reports there are for debarking.

MJ

I'd make a point of lining up early to make sure you are among the first off the ship to speed your departure, and maybe the kids will sleep for a while in the car if you get them up early.
As MJ notes, Disney does not have an organized disembarkation system, which seems just fine with most Disney cruises. I prefer an organized system, rather than standing in line.
But I think planning on being among the first off, or the last off, will reduce your risk of waiting in line.

 

[vbreslin]

We disembarked this morning from the Wonder at approx 8am. We were in our car and on the way out of the parking lot by 8:30am.

 

[dorkeemn]

Been on three cruises with Disney and never had a wait in line to get off ship - all 3 times we ate at topsiders, saw the pirate show rehearsals and then left at our own pace.

this last time was the longest it took us to find our luggage in customs - about 15 minutes.

 

[inkkognito]

We skip breakfast altogether on our cruises because we're eaten enough by the end! We're always off the ship before 8 a.m. and back home to Orlando by 9 a.m. There can be delays in the ship's return or disembarkation sometimes due to problems (I don't even want to think about the Panama canal return...took literally hours), but that is not the norm.

 

[scamper45]

we were off the magic at 7:15 this morning. I grabbed ceral and fruit the day before and kept it in our room so we had breakfast in the cabin. went to deck 3 at 6:45 lined up and were out of the terminal by 7:30. It was a breeze. It is usally cleared by 7 to get off. We made a 10:15 flight and were back in Ohio by lunch time!!