port arrival times:pros & cons, please!

[ez]

We are trying to figure out the best time to get to port with the least amount of standing around waiting. We also want to be on the ship fairly early and begin our vacation. When would you suggest arriving?

 

[christinou]

I think that it depends on which cruise, 3-4 or 7 days.
When we went on the 3 days, we got there at 10:45 and it really was not crowded at all, as the buses come in later from the resort, from what I understand on the 7 days, a lot of people do come to port earlier.....
So how is that for a non-answer?

 

[BabySam99]

I agree with Christi, we took the 10:40 shuttle from the Radisson at the port and there were no lines or any problems. We were about 5th in line to board. The terminal is so cool that we didn't mind the wait at all.

Have fun!!

 

[markey]

Been on 4, and to us the best time to arrive is 11:45 to 12:00.
Boarding is just about ready to begin, started at 12:00 on 8/9. When we entered the terminal the counter lines were empty, walked right up. By the time DH arrived back all he had to do was show his ID and we walked right on the ship, 12:20, no line there either because the long line was through. The first rush is over and for us this is the best. 1st cruise arrived too early 10:45 too long a wait, 3rd cruise too late 1:15 ate too many shrimp and was not hungry for dinner. 2 cruises at above times were just right.

 

[jrabbit]

If you have kids to check into the clubs, Palo ressies or Spa ressies to make, the earlier you are in line the better. Since *** (Mickey Vacation Time) goes past so quickly, I prefer to stand in line in the terminal wait to get on the ship, so I can get the kids checked into the clubs, and make any needed ressies with SHORT lines on board, so I can get to lunch with a short line and then enjoy the rest of the time until the safety drill enjoying the ship, getting to know our room steward, taking a hop in the uncrowded pools and hot tubs, etc.

HOWEVER (which I just had to add to confuse things )
Since DCL is x-raying you luggage BEFORE you enter the terminal, the line to board the ship moves much, much quicker than it did in the past and you can try to "slip in" between the initial rush and the second rush (when the DCL busses from the resorts start arriving).

We view waiting in line outside the ship and parks as time well spent - you can get a "days" worth of things done in a short period of time if you are there early.

 

[gassmandy]

Have to agree w/ jrabbit! We feel the wait in line goes by so quick. It's fun to build excitement and anticipation! Plus we've always struck up conversations w/ people in line. You have to wait somewhere--rather be close to the ship than sitting at home (for me since I live in Melbourne--but hotel for most others)!! We always check-in, stake our spot in line, and then trade turns walking around and getting a little danish and coffee from the snack bar thingy. It makes your first day that much longer--which I love!

 

[alexandrew]

for us, getting onboard as soon as allowed is the way to go, especially on the 3 or 4 day....Lest we not forget that embarkation day is also day 1 of the cruise....time is precious!!!

 

[froggymomma]

I must confess, I am still unsure when I should arrive. We are going on a 4-day Wonder cruise. We really don't care about Spa or Palo reservations. The only thing I would like to do is speak to someone (unsure who) about DS's dairy allergy.

We are using FL Tours from the Poly. I would like to get there before the Disney buses start arriving, but not so early we - and our 4YO son - have to wait for too long. Does anyone know when the Disney buses start rolling in, or point me to a website that has that info?

From what I've been reading it sounds like if we left the Poly around 10-10:30, we would get to port at a reasonable time. Can anyone help steer me towards 10 or 10:30?