Arriving at PC in multiple vehicles with different PATs

[squirk]

I can't find that but "search" on the DCL site never works well for me. So I'll take your word for it. This is what I recall:

• You chose to split your family across 2 staterooms, knowing both would need to check-in separately.
• You set your reminder for the wrong date to do online check-in.
• You did online check-in late and got 1:30 PATs for both reservations.
• You managed to get one reservation changed to an 11:30 PAT but no luck yet with the other.
• You've chosen to arrive at the port terminal in separate vehicles, rejecting suggestions to arrive in 1 vehicle or to take DCL transfers.
• You want DCL to accommodate both reservations at the early PAT and allow boarding together. Despite many posts on 3 threads suggesting the only way to guarantee what you want is to arrive at the later PAT.
• And throughout discussions you repeatedly say you aren't trying to game the system or break the rules.

Sometimes we have to live with the consequences of our own choices even if not the ideal. It seems you are really getting worked up over this arrival and boarding situation that you are destined to have a very stressful start to vacation. If I were you I would put it behind me and focus on making the later PAT work -- enjoy a relaxed morning at the resort, have a good breakfast maybe late morning as a brunch so you aren't starved at boarding, caravan in both vehicles to the port, arrive and test and board all together. Accept the situation, leave the stress behind and get on with enjoying your cruise.

Um, thanks for the supercilious lecture? I guess?

 

[cwis]

Um, thanks for the supercilious lecture? I guess?

When facts hurt sometimes it is not the lecturer's fault.

@lanejudy took the time to share a piece of advice that maybe you should be considering. You are sincerely overthinking and overreacting something which is relatively pretty minor. I mean people have to embark on the ship and they cannot all embark at the same time.

Do your best to enjoy your time on the cruise.

If the later PAT is too much an inconvenience for you nobody on this forum will stop you showing at the earlier PAT you have. I'm pretty confident they will let you in. You would be surprised how many people make mistakes, honest or not, when planning a Disney vacation, and the majority of those are not taking the time to go to a board like this one to help raise their awareness about rules. Remember people here are mostly focused about “diving” into how things work for a Disney cruise. This is for a reason we advised against using the earliest PAT and use the latest one: doing otherwise is rude and against the rules. You are probably not the only party in this situation, and you will benefit a personal gain over them if you chose to bend the rules and not follow them at your advantage.

But that's your call. You to decide. We're not the Disney Cruise Line police.

 

[squirk]

When facts hurt sometimes it is not the lecturer's fault.

@lanejudy took the time to share a piece of advice that maybe you should be considering. You are sincerely overthinking and overreacting something which is relatively pretty minor. I mean people have to embark on the ship and they cannot all embark at the same time.

Do your best to enjoy your time on the cruise.

If the later PAT is too much an inconvenience for you nobody on this forum will stop you showing at the earlier PAT you have. I'm pretty confident they will let you in. You would be surprised how many people make mistakes, honest or not, when planning a Disney vacation, and the majority of those are not taking the time to go to a board like this one to help raise their awareness about rules. Remember people here are mostly focused about “diving” into how things work for a Disney cruise. This is for a reason we advised against using the earliest PAT and use the latest one: doing otherwise is rude and against the rules. You are probably not the only party in this situation, and you will benefit a personal gain over them if you chose to bend the rules and not follow them at your advantage.

But that's your call. You to decide. We're not the Disney Cruise Line police.

Well, as I said earlier, more than once, I am not looking to contest any policy. I just want to know what the policy would be in this grey area. Assuming there is a policy at all, and we’re not subject to the whims of the agent who greets us at the port.

If both reservations had the late PATs, the issue would be cut and dried, and this thread would not exist. But I have one earlier PAT. Disney allowed me that PAT. And I never would have dreamed they would allow linked reservations to have two different PATs, so I’m in unfamiliar territory.

All I was looking for was information from people who might have some experience in something like this.

For example - do I *have* to load up the cars so there’s no mix-and-match? Or can I allow my adult son (who’s on my res) to ride with my wife (who’s on the other res) so he can help unload the luggage for the porters? She has an arthritic condition and it’d be better if he could wrangle that heavy stuff vs. her.

I wasn’t looking for presumptive value judgements. But I guess that’s a message board for you.

 

[AquaDame]

The policy is only those with the early port arrival times should be the folks arriving at that time. If you would all like to be together then the later time would be the correct move per policy. If you want special treatment due to a medical reason, then you are going to be at the whim of the port agent unless you are able to call ahead or do something else to get them added officially to the earlier port arrival time. Until that happens even DCL is just making assumptions on what security at the gate chooses to do when you arrive.

I'm not aware of there being a policy about who carries which checked luggage as long as they all get valid tags on them. I don't recall the porters taking time to check IDs and scanning bags but I've also never driven - we've always hired transport. They just look for tags and grab.

 

[HeatherLassell]

Well, as I said earlier, more than once, I am not looking to contest any policy. I just want to know what the policy would be in this grey area. Assuming there is a policy at all, and we’re not subject to the whims of the agent who greets us at the port.

If both reservations had the late PATs, the issue would be cut and dried, and this thread would not exist. But I have one earlier PAT. Disney allowed me that PAT. And I never would have dreamed they would allow linked reservations to have two different PATs, so I’m in unfamiliar territory.

All I was looking for was information from people who might some experience in something like this.

For example - do I *have* to load up the cars so there’s no mix-and-match? Or can I allow my adult son (who’s on my res) to ride with my wife (who’s on the other res) so he can help unload the luggage for the porters? She has an arthritic condition and it’d be better if he could wrangle that heavy stuff vs. her.

I wasn’t looking for presumptive value judgements. But I guess that’s a message board for you.

So, yes, you do have to separate the vehicles by the groups. 11:30am PAT in one vehicle arriving at 11:30 and the group with the 1:30 PAT in the other vehicle not arrive at the port until 1:30.

Don't worry about the bags (your wife won't have to lift them) because the first vehicle will arrive, stop at the porters, open the trunk and the porters can help remove the bags. They are very helpful. Or just have the heavy bags come with the people in the 1:30 PAT vehicle. All the porters do is make sure the bags have a tag on them, and take them away.

 

[squirk]

The policy is only those with the early port arrival times should be the folks arriving at that time. If you would all like to be together then the later time would be the correct move per policy. If you want special treatment due to a medical reason, then you are going to be at the whim of the port agent unless you are able to call ahead or do something else to get them added officially to the earlier port arrival time. Until that happens even DCL is just making assumptions on what security at the gate chooses to do when you arrive.

I'm not aware of there being a policy about who carries which checked luggage as long as they all get valid tags on them. I don't recall the porters taking time to check IDs and scanning bags but I've also never driven - we've always hired transport. They just look for tags and grab.

Thanks. It seems kind of loosey-goosey, even on the DCL site.

“If you are traveling with another party and your desired port arrival time is no longer available, please select a later time. And we will do our best to accommodate the entire group at the same time.“

So….just taking that at face value, does that mean everyone comes at the earlier PAT and they’ll try to accommodate you all at once, or everyone comes at the later PAT and they’ll try to accommodate you all at once?

This could probably be wordsmithed better.

 

[HeatherLassell]

Thanks. It seems kind of loosey-goosey, even on the DCL site.

“If you are traveling with another party in your desired port arrival time is no longer available, please select a later time. And we will do our best to accommodate the entire group at the same time.“

So….just taking that at face value, does that mean everyone come at the earlier PAT, or everyone come at the later PAT?

I'd say that the "choose a LATER time" would suggest to chose a later time. I've been linked with people many times but we've always managed to get the same PAT. Linking a reservation is just for the convenience of sitting together at dinner. It's 2 separate cruise bookings which as you've seen requires 2 separate online check-ins and can lead to different port arrival times. It's not a big deal to not have the same PAT, all be it I understand it's annoying especially when its a family.

Just save yourself all this stress and board together at the 1:30. Once you're on the ship you're going to have a great cruise!

 

[squirk]

I'd say that the "choose a LATER time" would suggest to chose a later time. I've been linked with people many times but we've always managed to get the same PAT. Linking a reservation is just for the convenience of sitting together at dinner. It's not a big deal to not have the same PAT, all be it I understand it's annoying.

Just save yourself all this stress and board together at the 1:30. Once you're on the ship you're going to have a great cruise!

Thank you!

 

[n2mm]

We recently cruised with family with different PATs. It was not an issue. We opted for one car. Our PATs were 10:45 and 11:15. No one ever said anything. We actually had forgotten about it. We also were boarding groups 6 & 12. during checkin the CM told us the entire group could board on the #6 group. We did, and again it wasn’t an issue. So we fret over it prior to arriving for no reason. We did have to use a luggage cart on the back of our explorer for the additional luggage, but we only had to pay to park one car for the week.

 

[squirk]

We recently cruised with family with different PATs. It was not an issue. We opted for one car. Our PATs were 10:45 and 11:15. No one ever said anything. We actually had forgotten about it. We also were boarding groups 6 & 12. during checkin the CM told us the entire group could board on the #6 group. We did, and again it wasn’t an issue. So we fret over it prior to arriving for no reason. We did have to use a luggage cart on the back of our explorer for the additional luggage, but we only had to pay to park one car for the week.

Thanks for the first-hand info. Very much appreciated.

 

[happycamper47]

We also were boarding groups 6 & 12. during checkin the CM told us the entire group could board on the #6 group. We did, and again it wasn’t an issue.

It all depends on who's there. We were with friends, same PAT, but different boarding group and they had to wait and were not allowed to enter with us. We didn't realize they were turned away and weren't behind us so we waited at the entrance to the gangway after we got scanned in.