We just got home from the cruise trip, staying over in LA one day and flying back today. What a trip it was. Thanks to all the 'green people' on shore who waved goodbye to us as we left the harbor. Did you see us on the 10th deck crying and waving to you? 
You all were quite visible with those shiny green things all amassed in one place. Thanks! 
A lot of questions have arisen over boarding and debarking. I thought I would share some of our experience to help those following us.
Arriving early:
The terminal at San Pedro is officially open on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. However, I heard some were there as early as 9:30 and got in. We were told by the Bell Captain at the Marina Hotel that there are no seats at the terminal when you arrive.
We found plenty of seats around the terminal and plenty to do and see while we were waiting. I don't think it hurts to arrive either early or late, depending on your tolerance for waiting and the need you have to be one of the first to be onboard.
We arrived around 10:40 via the Marina Hotel's free shuttle van. As we approached the port from Harbor Blvd. coming North, we could see the beauty of the Magic ahead. Disney had put up a few touches to decorate the terminal. A hard balloon of Sorcerer Mickey stood atop the terminal. As we rounded the drive to be let off in front of the terminal, another hard balloon of Nemo graced the center median.
Our van let us off at this center median and we crossed the lane to a crowded terminal. Repo cruisers were still debarking at this time and there were hundreds of Inaugural cruisers arriving ahead of us. After a little confusion as to how we check our luggage, we figured it out.
The terminal is a long building with several bays indicating Embarkation Lobbies. Porters with baggage carts are milling around in front of these bays and along the walkway and the center median. You must check your bags to go onboard(what you don't carry on) through one of these porters. Tips are expected, suggest $1 per bag is fine. Be sure to have your Disney luggage tags on, provided to you in your docs you get a couple weeks before your cruise.
Once you get your bags checked, you can proceed to the Disney part of the terminal, easily identified by castle turrets on either side of the doorway and a big DCL banner right above. No pics are allowed once through this doorway. As you walk in, DCL personnel welcome you at every step and help you get acclimated and pointed in the right direction.
An escalator to the terminal check in is to your right. At Cape Canaveral, your carry-on bags are scanned before going in. Not so here. You get scanned much later. Once up the escalator you will see two big check in areas on the left and right. To the left are the lines for Castaway Club members(previous Disney sailors) and the lines for non-US citizens. To the right are lines for first time cruisers. Both lines moved as quickly. My hubby got in line to check in at 11:00. He was in line 20 minutes before reaching a check in CM. He was through in 5 minutes and back to me where I was sitting down waiting for him.
As you come in to this area, before you even get in line, you get a boarding card which gives you your zone number, much like check in for Southwest Airlines. When your zone is called, you will board the Magic. Zone One is reserved for concierge guests and those who need assistance boarding, just as is for Cape Canaveral, where these guests get preferential boarding.
Zone Two on up is first come, first served. Our arrival at 10:45 or so made us zone 4, but your mileage may vary in future trips. We didn't feel at all as if we waited too long or missed the first crowd. We had a pleasant embarkation, but then the excitement in the terminal was palpable.
The Wait
There were groups of seating all along this long terminal. Video monitors were overhead, but hard to hear. Disney classic cartoons were playing on the monitors. Because the terminal is so cavernous, the audio for these toons was not so good unless you were right under the monitors. It looked as if they also had some play stations set up with drawing paper and crayons to keep little ones from getting bored.
Once we had our check in done, we headed down the long terminal to the right. This is where boarding will take place. This is also where you may check in for the Kids' Clubs if you haven't already online. If you did check in online, you can now get the pagers and the Navigators for your kids' age groups for the entire week.
Disney had a mariachi band set up to play music for us. A backdrop of the ship served as a place for the characters to come out for shots. A Shutters photographer got the shots, but they also were nice about taking some with your cameras. Remember, you are still not permitted to take any pics inside this terminal because of customs/immigrations regulations. However, the Shutters people were allowed to get the character pics.
Curiously, with all this security, you could still get out the side door on the far right and go to the little crew store set up at the port. A sign said passengers were welcome. I went here to buy a California lotto ticket. If I win, the drinks of the day are on me.
About 12:30, it was announced boarding would begin by zone.
Boarding and Welcome Aboard Pics
Our own zone of #4 came up quickly. We were in seats in front of the boarding area, which is just to the left of the Kids' Club check in area. It is well marked. We got in a roped off queue and proceeded to the scanners. We had our Passports and KTTW tickets ready and did have to show both at the front of the queue. Scanning is the same as it is at the airport or at Cape Canaveral.
Once through we go outside the terminal, parallel to Deck 4 of the Magic. Welcome Aboard pictures are taken before we enter the gangplank. Once through with the pictures, we walked onboard onto Deck 4, midship. We had one rollaboard and one handbag. We were asked our names and announced on the top step of the 4th deck atrirum stairs. Then a CM carried our bags down the stairs for us to the atrium of Deck 3.
From there we chose to go to Parrot Cay for lunch. Cabins are not ready to enter until 1:30, just like sailings out of Cape Canaveral.
Debarkation
Listen carefully to Rachel's debarkation talk on the TV on Friday. A few things are different from Cape Canaveral. Passport and Birth Certificate lines are in separate places. All members of your party must have passports to go to that line. That was my understanding and I didn't see an exception to that around us.
Your luggage tags are the same as in Cape Canaveral sailings. We had the same 5626 cabin on this trip as on last year from Florida. Both times, we had the Daisy Duck gray tag to put on our checked luggage going off the ship. Finding your luggage will be exactly the same. The coded rooms are well marked and our luggage was easy to find, once through customs.
At breakfast you get a sticker, indicating your debarking zone. Wait until your zone is called before proceeding to Deck 4 to leave the ship. Once off the Magic, you will now go to the lines for Customs. This is where you show your passport. They asked us what our birthday was and where we were born while looking at us and our passport pic. They asked us if we had food items or liquor or tobacco. We also had to fill out a questionaire on our purchases, just like the ones for Florida debarkation. No change there.
Once through customs we retrieved our luggage. Then the fun begins.
A trip to the zoo or 'How to Find Transportation Out of There with 2600 of your closest friends.'
Dis'er Poconosboatniks said this wise thing to me as we waited for our transportation away from the port. "Disney has leaving the port down to a science in Florida." In San Pedro, not so much.
We were told by Enterprise Rental car that we could call from a courtesy phone at the port and get a shuttle within 5 minutes. We called Enterpise at 8:50. Their office was closed. oopsie.
My hubby then kept calling on his cell phone as we huddled on the walkway outside the terminal with 2600 of our closest friends, also trying to get out of Dodge. Enterprise office opens at 9 and not before. They promised a shuttle was on the way. We told them were outside the terminal and we were people with luggage. How could they miss us?
Three shuttles later, as we were passed up by families who were younger and faster at getting on a shuttle, the Enterprise guy took pity on us and grabbed Bob to go ahead of me. He promised to come back for me and the luggage which was holding the entire cosmetics section of the Benton, Arkansas Walmart Superstore. But hey, I threw out the People Magazine I read during Cruise week, so I was traveling lighter than embarkation. But still.
15 minutes later, he was back and taking me across the street to the Enterprise location where hubby was now checking in for our rental. We debarked the ship and went through customs and luggage retrieval in less than 20 minutes. It took us an hour to get across the street to the Enterprise office to get into a car.
I do believe most of that was our own unfamiliarity with the ways of this port. Also it will probably go more smoothly as each cruise comes back. Just remember the rental offices are not likely to open before 9 and you will most likely debark before that.
Big tip, the closer you get to Nemo and the middle median, the more likely you can beat out the confused older couples from Arkansas with the befuddled expressions and the Supersize makeup bags.
You all were quite visible with those shiny green things all amassed in one place. Thanks! A lot of questions have arisen over boarding and debarking. I thought I would share some of our experience to help those following us.
Arriving early:
The terminal at San Pedro is officially open on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. However, I heard some were there as early as 9:30 and got in. We were told by the Bell Captain at the Marina Hotel that there are no seats at the terminal when you arrive.
We found plenty of seats around the terminal and plenty to do and see while we were waiting. I don't think it hurts to arrive either early or late, depending on your tolerance for waiting and the need you have to be one of the first to be onboard.
We arrived around 10:40 via the Marina Hotel's free shuttle van. As we approached the port from Harbor Blvd. coming North, we could see the beauty of the Magic ahead. Disney had put up a few touches to decorate the terminal. A hard balloon of Sorcerer Mickey stood atop the terminal. As we rounded the drive to be let off in front of the terminal, another hard balloon of Nemo graced the center median.
Our van let us off at this center median and we crossed the lane to a crowded terminal. Repo cruisers were still debarking at this time and there were hundreds of Inaugural cruisers arriving ahead of us. After a little confusion as to how we check our luggage, we figured it out.
The terminal is a long building with several bays indicating Embarkation Lobbies. Porters with baggage carts are milling around in front of these bays and along the walkway and the center median. You must check your bags to go onboard(what you don't carry on) through one of these porters. Tips are expected, suggest $1 per bag is fine. Be sure to have your Disney luggage tags on, provided to you in your docs you get a couple weeks before your cruise.
Once you get your bags checked, you can proceed to the Disney part of the terminal, easily identified by castle turrets on either side of the doorway and a big DCL banner right above. No pics are allowed once through this doorway. As you walk in, DCL personnel welcome you at every step and help you get acclimated and pointed in the right direction.
An escalator to the terminal check in is to your right. At Cape Canaveral, your carry-on bags are scanned before going in. Not so here. You get scanned much later. Once up the escalator you will see two big check in areas on the left and right. To the left are the lines for Castaway Club members(previous Disney sailors) and the lines for non-US citizens. To the right are lines for first time cruisers. Both lines moved as quickly. My hubby got in line to check in at 11:00. He was in line 20 minutes before reaching a check in CM. He was through in 5 minutes and back to me where I was sitting down waiting for him.
As you come in to this area, before you even get in line, you get a boarding card which gives you your zone number, much like check in for Southwest Airlines. When your zone is called, you will board the Magic. Zone One is reserved for concierge guests and those who need assistance boarding, just as is for Cape Canaveral, where these guests get preferential boarding.
Zone Two on up is first come, first served. Our arrival at 10:45 or so made us zone 4, but your mileage may vary in future trips. We didn't feel at all as if we waited too long or missed the first crowd. We had a pleasant embarkation, but then the excitement in the terminal was palpable.
The Wait
There were groups of seating all along this long terminal. Video monitors were overhead, but hard to hear. Disney classic cartoons were playing on the monitors. Because the terminal is so cavernous, the audio for these toons was not so good unless you were right under the monitors. It looked as if they also had some play stations set up with drawing paper and crayons to keep little ones from getting bored.
Once we had our check in done, we headed down the long terminal to the right. This is where boarding will take place. This is also where you may check in for the Kids' Clubs if you haven't already online. If you did check in online, you can now get the pagers and the Navigators for your kids' age groups for the entire week.
Disney had a mariachi band set up to play music for us. A backdrop of the ship served as a place for the characters to come out for shots. A Shutters photographer got the shots, but they also were nice about taking some with your cameras. Remember, you are still not permitted to take any pics inside this terminal because of customs/immigrations regulations. However, the Shutters people were allowed to get the character pics.
Curiously, with all this security, you could still get out the side door on the far right and go to the little crew store set up at the port. A sign said passengers were welcome. I went here to buy a California lotto ticket. If I win, the drinks of the day are on me.
About 12:30, it was announced boarding would begin by zone.
Boarding and Welcome Aboard Pics
Our own zone of #4 came up quickly. We were in seats in front of the boarding area, which is just to the left of the Kids' Club check in area. It is well marked. We got in a roped off queue and proceeded to the scanners. We had our Passports and KTTW tickets ready and did have to show both at the front of the queue. Scanning is the same as it is at the airport or at Cape Canaveral.
Once through we go outside the terminal, parallel to Deck 4 of the Magic. Welcome Aboard pictures are taken before we enter the gangplank. Once through with the pictures, we walked onboard onto Deck 4, midship. We had one rollaboard and one handbag. We were asked our names and announced on the top step of the 4th deck atrirum stairs. Then a CM carried our bags down the stairs for us to the atrium of Deck 3.
From there we chose to go to Parrot Cay for lunch. Cabins are not ready to enter until 1:30, just like sailings out of Cape Canaveral.
Debarkation
Listen carefully to Rachel's debarkation talk on the TV on Friday. A few things are different from Cape Canaveral. Passport and Birth Certificate lines are in separate places. All members of your party must have passports to go to that line. That was my understanding and I didn't see an exception to that around us.
Your luggage tags are the same as in Cape Canaveral sailings. We had the same 5626 cabin on this trip as on last year from Florida. Both times, we had the Daisy Duck gray tag to put on our checked luggage going off the ship. Finding your luggage will be exactly the same. The coded rooms are well marked and our luggage was easy to find, once through customs.
At breakfast you get a sticker, indicating your debarking zone. Wait until your zone is called before proceeding to Deck 4 to leave the ship. Once off the Magic, you will now go to the lines for Customs. This is where you show your passport. They asked us what our birthday was and where we were born while looking at us and our passport pic. They asked us if we had food items or liquor or tobacco. We also had to fill out a questionaire on our purchases, just like the ones for Florida debarkation. No change there.
Once through customs we retrieved our luggage. Then the fun begins.
A trip to the zoo or 'How to Find Transportation Out of There with 2600 of your closest friends.'
Dis'er Poconosboatniks said this wise thing to me as we waited for our transportation away from the port. "Disney has leaving the port down to a science in Florida." In San Pedro, not so much.
We were told by Enterprise Rental car that we could call from a courtesy phone at the port and get a shuttle within 5 minutes. We called Enterpise at 8:50. Their office was closed. oopsie.
My hubby then kept calling on his cell phone as we huddled on the walkway outside the terminal with 2600 of our closest friends, also trying to get out of Dodge. Enterprise office opens at 9 and not before. They promised a shuttle was on the way. We told them were outside the terminal and we were people with luggage. How could they miss us?
Three shuttles later, as we were passed up by families who were younger and faster at getting on a shuttle, the Enterprise guy took pity on us and grabbed Bob to go ahead of me. He promised to come back for me and the luggage which was holding the entire cosmetics section of the Benton, Arkansas Walmart Superstore. But hey, I threw out the People Magazine I read during Cruise week, so I was traveling lighter than embarkation. But still.
15 minutes later, he was back and taking me across the street to the Enterprise location where hubby was now checking in for our rental. We debarked the ship and went through customs and luggage retrieval in less than 20 minutes. It took us an hour to get across the street to the Enterprise office to get into a car.
I do believe most of that was our own unfamiliarity with the ways of this port. Also it will probably go more smoothly as each cruise comes back. Just remember the rental offices are not likely to open before 9 and you will most likely debark before that.
Big tip, the closer you get to Nemo and the middle median, the more likely you can beat out the confused older couples from Arkansas with the befuddled expressions and the Supersize makeup bags.
I am glad you made it home safely!
(Her theroy is, you never know what you'll be in the mood to wear....so take them all " just in case")
