On board airline check in. Sounds complicated

[janetanne]

Is it easier? And do I still need to check my bags at the airport?

 

[mmouse37]

Is it easier? And do I still need to check my bags at the airport?

As long as you are a flying to a US destination then you do not have to do anything at the airport except go through security.

DCL will provide your boarding passes and airline luggage tags right to your cabin, you will place your bags in the hall the last night of the cruise and not see them again until your home airport. You will just leave the ship in the morning with your carryons. You will board a DCL bus to the airport (your carryons will go under the bus).

Just make sure you let DCL you want to take part in this and that you meet all the requirements.

We have used the OAC program several times and for us it is well worth the $35 pp one-way transfer fee.

Here is the info from the DCL site.

Onboard Airline Check-In

Enjoy the comfort and convenience of Onboard Airline Check-In when you purchase air or ground transportation through Disney Cruise Line.

When you register for Onboard Airline Check-In, you are entitled to:

Receive your boarding passes and check your luggage for your return flight before you disembark the ship.
Skip luggage claim at the port terminal.
Bypass the airline check-in counter at the airport.
Here's how it works:

Reserve air or ground transportation through Disney Cruise Line and sign up for Onboard Airline Check-In when you check in for your cruise at the port.
On the day prior to disembarkation, your airline boarding passes and valet luggage tags will magically be delivered to your stateroom, along with a letter answering common questions you may have.
Attach the tags to your luggage and leave your bags outside your stateroom on the evening prior to disembarkation. Disney Cruise Line will collect and deliver your luggage to your airline.
When you arrive at Orlando International Airport, proceed to security with your boarding passes already in hand and continue on to your scheduled departure gate.
Available to Guests flying out of Orlando International Airport on domestic flights (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) on AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines and US Airways.

Pre-registration is required and scheduled flights must be after 11:25 a.m. On the day your cruise ends. Guests are limited to 2 bags per person and each piece must not exceed 50 lbs. Additionally, some Guests may be selected to check in at the airport and will be unable to use this service.

We recommend that you allow a minimum of 4 hours at the beginning and end of your cruise for travel time, customs/immigrations clearances and security checks at Port Canaveral and the airport. Additionally, on the day of your sailing, all Guests must board the ship no later than 3:45 p.m. Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail with us.

For more information, please call (800) 951-3532. Guests under age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

MJ

 

[Patrickprincess]

As long as you are a flying to a US destination then you do not have to do anything at the airport except go through security.

DCL will provide your boarding passes and airline luggage tags right to your cabin, you will place your bags in the hall the last night of the cruise and not see them again until your home airport. You will just leave the ship in the morning with your carryons. You will board a DCL bus to the airport (your carryons will go under the bus).

Just make sure you let DCL you want to take part in this and that you meet all the requirements.

We have used the OAC program several times and for us it is well worth the $35 pp one-way transfer fee.

Here is the info from the DCL site.

Onboard Airline Check-In

Enjoy the comfort and convenience of Onboard Airline Check-In when you purchase air or ground transportation through Disney Cruise Line.

When you register for Onboard Airline Check-In, you are entitled to:

Receive your boarding passes and check your luggage for your return flight before you disembark the ship.
Skip luggage claim at the port terminal.
Bypass the airline check-in counter at the airport.
Here's how it works:

Reserve air or ground transportation through Disney Cruise Line and sign up for Onboard Airline Check-In when you check in for your cruise at the port.
On the day prior to disembarkation, your airline boarding passes and valet luggage tags will magically be delivered to your stateroom, along with a letter answering common questions you may have.
Attach the tags to your luggage and leave your bags outside your stateroom on the evening prior to disembarkation. Disney Cruise Line will collect and deliver your luggage to your airline.
When you arrive at Orlando International Airport, proceed to security with your boarding passes already in hand and continue on to your scheduled departure gate.
Available to Guests flying out of Orlando International Airport on domestic flights (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) on AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines and US Airways.

Pre-registration is required and scheduled flights must be after 11:25 a.m. On the day your cruise ends. Guests are limited to 2 bags per person and each piece must not exceed 50 lbs. Additionally, some Guests may be selected to check in at the airport and will be unable to use this service.

We recommend that you allow a minimum of 4 hours at the beginning and end of your cruise for travel time, customs/immigrations clearances and security checks at Port Canaveral and the airport. Additionally, on the day of your sailing, all Guests must board the ship no later than 3:45 p.m. Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail with us.

For more information, please call (800) 951-3532. Guests under age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

MJ

I used this on my first cruise and i loved it. it really dose save time. Another great thing about this is you don't have to deal with gummpy ticket agents. TSA that's another matter

 

[Texasmomof3]

How do they do the fees for checked bags for those airlines that charge to check bags? Am I right that Southwest doesn't participate?

 

[jetskigrl]

How do they do the fees for checked bags for those airlines that charge to check bags? Am I right that Southwest doesn't participate?

They take care of the charge and it shows up on your on-board account. You just need to fill out a form (included with your documents) with all the flight information and turn that in when you check in for the cruise. If I recall correctly, that is what authorizes them to collect the baggage fees for you, if required.

I don't believe that Southwest is participating (it isn't listed on the documentation as one of the participating airlines).

I absolutely loved the onboard check-in. After dealing with all our bags on prior to the cruise (getting them from car to hotel, from hotel to shuttle, from shuttle to porter, etc), it was such a relief not to have to deal with them until we arrived at our home airport.

 

[godalejunior]

Is this done for the MR cruises as well? What airlines participate?

 

[DL1957]

We just did this on our 12/11 cruise it was great!

 

[godalejunior]

We just did this on our 12/11 cruise it was great!

Did you use it on an MR cruise? What time were you off the ship?

 

[JohnsonsFour]

How does it work when you have a Southwest flight? Can you print boarding passes from the ship but take the bags to the airport to check?

 

[godalejunior]

I just got off the phone with DCL and they said as of 04/03/11 they are no longer doing the onboard airline check in for MR cruises.

 

[jdb in AZ]

How does it work when you have a Southwest flight? Can you print boarding passes from the ship but take the bags to the airport to check?

You can use their early bird check-in which will automatically check you in and give you a low boarding number. Then you can just print off your boarding pass when you get to the airport. Or you can have a trustworthy friend/relative check you in at the 24-hr mark. You would still have to print off your boarding pass at the airport.

Or you can go online on the ship and check-in at the 24-hr mark, but the Internet on the ship is way slow, and expen$ive.

And yes, you have to schlep your own bags to the airport, tho friendly porters are available to help.

 

[Cobrastrike]

Our TA set us up for OAC for our return flight on our first DCL cruise in Apr 11. We drove from London, Ontario, Canada down to Detroit airport rather than grabbing a flight out of Canada just so we could take advantage of this. We're doing this again for our next cruise - it was so worth it.

 

[Texasmomof3]

Another stupid question. What happens if you don't have to pay for baggage fees? (i.e. first class, elite traveler status) Is there a way that they know this and don't charge you? I would hate to get charged when I'm not supposed to pay.

 

[Daniellenbella]

One warning about the onboard check in, we flew Air Tran & DCL messed up our seats. It was myself, DH and DD7, none of us were sitting together, not even close to each other. When we got to the airport we went to the check in counter and the agent was able to get myself & DD together but DH was SOL. The agent says she sees it A LOT from Disney.

However, we still think it's worth it. We'll do DCL return transfers & onboard check in next time we cruise also.

 

[mmouse37]

Another stupid question. What happens if you don't have to pay for baggage fees? (i.e. first class, elite traveler status) Is there a way that they know this and don't charge you? I would hate to get charged when I'm not supposed to pay.

I had heard of a few people being charged when they were not supposed to be so I made sure I went down to Guest Service with my airline credit card that I have that waives bag fees and they pulled up my OAC file and noted it. I was not charged the bag fees.

MJ

 

[kcashner]

It isn't complicated at all, and it is Magical!

You are correct that Southwest does not participate. Currently you have a couple of options; you can pay the fee for the automatic A pass, you can waste a lot of on line minutes trying to check yourself in from the ship, or you can have someone at home do the check in for you. If you are cruising concierge, the concierge will do it for you. If you are in steerage like I am, GS will not do it for you.

 

[DL1957]

Did you use it on an MR cruise? What time were you off the ship?

We were on the Dream out of FL. We got off the ship around 8:30. We had a 2:00 flight to Virginia.

 

[DL1957]

One warning about the onboard check in, we flew Air Tran & DCL messed up our seats. It was myself, DH and DD7, none of us were sitting together, not even close to each other. When we got to the airport we went to the check in counter and the agent was able to get myself & DD together but DH was SOL. The agent says she sees it A LOT from Disney.

However, we still think it's worth it. We'll do DCL return transfers & onboard check in next time we cruise also.

We flew Airtran and paid the $10 for assigned seating. So worth it when traveling with a group.

 

[Daniellenbella]

We flew Airtran and paid the $10 for assigned seating. So worth it when traveling with a group.

That's a good idea, thanks!