LionQueen1978
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 5, 2015
- Messages
- 3
On fan sites and on the DIS board, there seems to be a huge emphasis on boarding as early as possible. If this is getting some people's cruise off to a great start, I'm glad. However, I thought I might advise the first-time cruisers that the staterooms will not be ready until around 1:00 pm and, (unlike at land resorts) there is nowhere to store carry on luggage before then. They may possibly find that the carry-on luggage slows them down at a time when they are excited to explore the ship. For those who truly wish to board early, my recommendation is not to overstuff the carry-ons in anticipation of an airline losing the checked luggage. If possible, use backpacks; that way, hands are free to handle the trays in the buffet line during lunch.
In the early years of the DCL (1998-2003), I don't believe that the website had a feature to book Palo (not sure about shore excursions). Therefore, had I cruised then, I would have been singing a different tune about boarding early. Now, it seems that one can take a more laid-back approach. My DH and I personally had a good experience doing a pre-night at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and taking the DCL bus (12:15 departure, in this case) to the ship. The Caribbean atmosphere really set the tone for the cruise. The next day, the bus was cute, and a video was shown to get guests pumped up about their particular itinerary. Upon boarding, we could go directly to the room to get rid of the carry-ons. The buffet, for its part, was not as crowded as it would have been at peak lunchtime. This actually made the first afternoon a smooth and pleasant experience.
In the early years of the DCL (1998-2003), I don't believe that the website had a feature to book Palo (not sure about shore excursions). Therefore, had I cruised then, I would have been singing a different tune about boarding early. Now, it seems that one can take a more laid-back approach. My DH and I personally had a good experience doing a pre-night at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and taking the DCL bus (12:15 departure, in this case) to the ship. The Caribbean atmosphere really set the tone for the cruise. The next day, the bus was cute, and a video was shown to get guests pumped up about their particular itinerary. Upon boarding, we could go directly to the room to get rid of the carry-ons. The buffet, for its part, was not as crowded as it would have been at peak lunchtime. This actually made the first afternoon a smooth and pleasant experience.
That's what we do every time! But it always surprises me how many are hard core swimmers! The pool is always super crowded! So another thing for first timers, you can bring your backpack and wear your swimwear underneath your clothes! I mean, personally I'd like to be able to dry off and change in my room, but it does seem like a popular thing to do! Pool party at the launch!
