Magic NY To Puerto Rico - Nov 5, 2016

[lilluv117]

Online check in begins at midnight. The first arrival time is a couple of hours before boarding time and the NY port is not as interesting as the Cape Canaveral one, so the earliest arrival time may not be ideal depending on your ability to entertain yourself. I do remember there was a little character interaction when it got close to boardING time.

Thanks so much for the info. This is our first Disney cruise and our first departure from NY for a cruise. So you pick an arrival time but that doesn't mean you board at that time? Do they give you a boarding time too? I'm trying to understand what to expect. We live in Queens and will probably get a ride into the city so I'm trying to figure out when is a good time to get there. Thank you so much for your input!

 

[rcchello]

Based on your arrival time and the time you actually arrive they assign you a boarding number. When boarding starts they call the numbers in order. After about 20 minutes it is board at will. So if you arrive at the port anytime after boarding starts you can probably just walk on after you check in.

 

[rcchello]

The Disney Magic will be docked right next door to the Intrepid museum, so you could drop off your luggage and head over to the museum. We just took pictures from the deck of the Magic last time.

 

[lilluv117]

Thanks so much for the replies! I really appreciate it!

 

[lilluv117]

So now that the bookings have opened up for everyone, even first time Disney cruisers like myself, what did everyone book? And was anyone able to get a Palo brunch? It was showing no available times for the entire cruise by the time my booking window opened up at midnight last night. Is this normal? I was kind of hoping it was a glitch. Lol. We got 12pm arrival time and tickets for the princesses & frozen meet & greets for Day 3 in the morning. That's also Pirate night. And I booked a Josh van Dyke excursion but it looks like such a short time on the beach that I'm not sure if I should keep it or take a taxi to one of the other beaches. I read about Long Bay Beach or Smuggler's Cove.

I'd love to hear some of your plans or any thoughts/input on what you recommend for my plans.

 

[rcchello]

If you want a Palo reservation you should try once onboard. The one time I couldn't get a reservation online, I was able to get one just after boarding. The place to get reservations will be in the schedule you will get while waiting to board or ask as you board.

 

[JoiseyMom]

So now that the bookings have opened up for everyone, even first time Disney cruisers like myself, what did everyone book? And was anyone able to get a Palo brunch? It was showing no available times for the entire cruise by the time my booking window opened up at midnight last night. Is this normal? I was kind of hoping it was a glitch. Lol. We got 12pm arrival time and tickets for the princesses & frozen meet & greets for Day 3 in the morning. That's also Pirate night. And I booked a Josh van Dyke excursion but it looks like such a short time on the beach that I'm not sure if I should keep it or take a taxi to one of the other beaches. I read about Long Bay Beach or Smuggler's Cove.

I'd love to hear some of your plans or any thoughts/input on what you recommend for my plans.

Yes, for first timers that is normal. They do hold reservations for when you board. Brunch only happens on sea days, so there are only 3 of them. Dinner (you can do both) is easier to get. When you check in at the port, you will receive your Navigator (the daily schedule of events). It should say in there where to go and what time to go for Palo reservations when you board. If the time is 1:00, get there at least 30 minutes earlier if you really want Palo.

Also, if you keep checking online there might be some people cancelling at times. Good luck!

 

[lilluv117]

If anyone still needs flights, they seem to have dropped. At least to JFK on JetBlue. I see some returning that Saturday for $130.

 

[Chinglan]

Hi, everyone!

We are from Maryland. Glad that I found this board today.

This is our first Disney Cruise. Very excited.

I will be traveling with my 2 boys, 11 and 4.

 

[lilluv117]

So I was just checking the available excursions and it appears that the Jost Van Dyke Beach day has been added. I had booked the beach transfer but would rather more time at the beach. When I checked the time of this excursion it lists 10am-5pm but our itinerary has our onboard time as 4:45pm. Do you think this excursion will be cancelled? I wonder if I should switch it back to the beach transfer. I would love if they'd move the time up to 9am-4pm or something like that. Has anyone done this excursion before? Can you go back to the ship early or are you pretty much tied into their return time?

 

[Leeba]

Hi all -I had booked "GTY" (guaranteed) room status, and this morning they assigned my room. So if you're waiting, go check, because maybe yours was assigned too.

 

[lilluv117]

Did you like your room assignment? I was thinking of booking that category next year.

 

[stang66dad]

My wife and I went on the Disney Magic weekend cruise out of NYC back in 2012 and are so excited to be back! This time with our boys who have no idea they are going on the cruise! Every time we ask them what vacation they want to go on next they both say Disney Cruise!! Can't wait to see their reactions

 

[stang66dad]

Hi all -I had booked "GTY" (guaranteed) room status, and this morning they assigned my room. So if you're waiting, go check, because maybe yours was assigned too.

We did the same and we are in 2022!

 

[ACDSNY]

Our cruise is getting closer...I can't wait!

 

[stang66dad]

Does anyone know if we have a formal dinner night?

 

[lilluv117]

Does anyone know if we have a formal dinner night?

Someone here posted that 11/6 is formal night so that's what I'm going by.

 

[stang66dad]

Really the day after we set sail? Interesting.

 

[lilluv117]

I just got an email from Disney cruise lines with tips for the sailing and one of the sections says there is no formal evening.

"Your voyage does not include any formal evenings. However, if you'll be dining in one of our adults-only restaurants, we recommend a dress or pantsuit for women and a jacket and tie for men. You may also want to consider a tux, which is available for rental during your cruise."

 

[lilluv117]

So if there is no formal night, does that mean no lobster dinner?