Could you tell me about the back-to-back embark/disembark process

[Buddy Bear]

I just called DCL and they said you have to disembark the ship but you can leave all your stuff in the room if you are in the same stateroom.

This will be my 13th Disney cruise so I am aware of the embark/disembark process, but curious about minimizing the time between when you get off the ship and when you can get back in the terminal.

DCL says you need to be off the ship by 9 AM, but the terminal doesn't normally open until 10 AM - 10:30 AM. I figured if we "dragged our feet" leaving the ship we might be able to reduce the wait time off the ship before we can get back in the terminal.

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I just called DCL and they said you have to disembark the ship but you can leave all your stuff in the room if you are in the same stateroom.

This will be my 13th Disney cruise so I am aware of the embark/disembark process, but curious about minimizing the time between when you get off the ship and when you can get back in the terminal.

DCL says you need to be off the ship by 9 AM, but the terminal doesn't normally open until 10 AM - 10:30 AM. I figured if we "dragged our feet" leaving the ship we might be able to reduce the wait time off the ship before we can get back in the terminal.

Any feedback is appreciated.

You will be notified the night before the last day what your exact procedure is. But, generally, you will be directed to be off the ship by 9:30. You will go directly through the immigration/customs line and up the escalator back into the terminal (so no wait time to get back into the terminal). Generally, the wait time before check in/reboarding is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. Most times it's closer to the longer wait than the shorter one.

For our B2B, we were off the ship at 9:30. Check in opened (for us) at 10:15ish. We were directed to the Concierge waiting area. At 11:10 (just before Concierge) we were escorted back onto the ship.

One note - it's real important that you remember to bring your ID and check in paperwork off the ship with you. You'll need them.

 

[Buddy Bear]

Good point about the IDs and paperwork. Thanks.

 

[waggles02673]

Same deal with us this past May for our B2B. We got off the ship at 9:30 and went through customs, back up the escalator, checked in and back on the ship around 10:15-10:30. You will wait in the concierge waiting area in the terminal with others doing a B2B. If you wait till 9:30 to disembark be prepared to wait in a long line. Once you get back on the ship you can get back into your room and put your documents back in the safe etc. DCL does not want you coming and going back to your room once people start boarding. This goes for concierge guests doing a B2B as well.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

back on the ship around 10:15-10:30

Not always the way it works. We weren't allowed to board until just before Concierge at 11:10. Didn't have any time to "cross over" to our room, and we were just ahead of the masses heading for the buffet.

 

[kellytoothpicker]

maybe it was because we were doing a B2B at concierge level for both cruises, but we were led back on the ship by 10:30. we weren't able to access the CL right away since it didn't open until 11. it is amazing to me to see how fast they turn over the ship in-between cruises - silly, but it was one of the highlights of doing a B2B...and of course 2 stops at CC

 

[clten]

You will get a letter as Princess Shmoo said. If you have to meet in a lounge, they will keep an eye on the crowd and you'll be among the last off. If they are having you get off unescorted, we hang on the ship until it is mostly clear. If you are among the last off, that will minimize your time off the ship. Also it's more comfortable to wait on the ship rather than the terminal.

As far as getting back on, there's nothing you can do to speed that up. You'll check in once the new cruise is opened on the computer. (Have to wait until the first one is closed.) All B2B guests will board once the ship is ready. Sometimes it is early, more recently we've boarded just before new guests (15-30 minutes). We've done about 10 B2B cruises and the time on board before other guest has really lessened over the years. I say plan on reboarding just before 11; consider it a bonus if you are lucky enough to board earlier!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

maybe it was because we were doing a B2B at concierge level for both cruises, but we were led back on the ship by 10:30. we weren't able to access the CL right away since it didn't open until 11. it is amazing to me to see how fast they turn over the ship in-between cruises - silly, but it was one of the highlights of doing a B2B...and of course 2 stops at CC

We also got back on at 10.15 with 18 others. We were the only group in concierge.

 

[tinkerone]

our experience with reboarding has always been back on about 11:15/11:20, just before concierge boards. there has never been a lot of time between the two groups. i've always brought a book for the wait.
note that my experiences have always been out of p.c.. other ports may have different experiences.

 

[kiford]

We were back on at 10:30 just before they started letting people into the terminal.

 

[Trera]

We were on much earlier than concierge last week. We took the time to go the lounge and tweek our itinerary, put our documents back in our room, take some photos around a very empty ship and then happen to be in the lobby when the concierge guests were welcomed on board.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We were back on at 10:30 just before they started letting people into the terminal.

Which ship was this?

 

[kiford]

Which ship was this?

The Dream. In Dec 2012. I think that there was only two other families who did that B2B.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The Dream. In Dec 2012. I think that there was only two other families who did that B2B.

It seems that most of the B2B cruises that have the earlier re-boarding time (around 10:30ish) are the Dream ones. While the Fantasy B2B people appear to be boarding just before the Concierge guests (around 11:10). I wonder if it's because the Dream is used to quicker turnarounds with the shorter cruises?

Of course, there are some variations.