Disney changed my PAT and didn't tell me

[CaptainAmerica]

So this is weird. When I originally did online check-in, I ended up with the following PATs:

Stateroom 1: 11:00 AM, Boarding Group 3
Stateroom 2: 11:15 AM, Boarding Group 4
Stateroom 3: 11:15 AM, Boarding Group 5

Today, all three rooms are showing 11:00 AM, Boarding Group 2. I'm certainly not complaining, but does anyone know what may have triggered this?

 

[kj2mom]

Were the new testing protocols applied to your sailing after your check in? Maybe they were allowing for the time to test everyone and now that they only have to test the people who haven't submitted their tests by midnight they are able to process more people earlier?

 

[lanejudy]

Any chance you registered for DCL transfers since you initial did online check-in? Boarding group #2 sounds like either CC level (I hadn't heard platinum gets early boarding again) or DCL transfers.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Any chance you registered for DCL transfers since you initial did online check-in? Boarding group #2 sounds like either CC level (I hadn't heard platinum gets early boarding again) or DCL transfers.

Hm it must be related to that.

I've always had DCL transfers booked, but I switched from pickup at the airport to pickup at the hotel and that must have triggered something.

 

[dcassetta]

Any chance you registered for DCL transfers since you initial did online check-in? Boarding group #2 sounds like either CC level (I hadn't heard platinum gets early boarding again) or DCL transfers.

I cannot speak to other ports, but this was true for Alaska. Group 1 was concierge, group 2 was those who used Disney transfers, and group 3 was whoever had the earliest PAT but did not use transfers. CC level did not seem to matter.

 

[mmouse37]

So this is weird. When I originally did online check-in, I ended up with the following PATs:

Stateroom 1: 11:00 AM, Boarding Group 3
Stateroom 2: 11:15 AM, Boarding Group 4
Stateroom 3: 11:15 AM, Boarding Group 5

Today, all three rooms are showing 11:00 AM, Boarding Group 2. I'm certainly not complaining, but does anyone know what may have triggered this?

Are you taking transfers? When is your cruise? We booked on May 27th for a July 4th cruise and did online check 30 days out. A few days after checking in we added transfers from Miami airport. My PAT has not changed at all. I was hoping it would since my daughter's cabin which is linked to ours has a much later boarding group than ours.

Back in April when we cruised out of Miami we also checked in and later on added DCL transfers from the hotel we were staying at (EB Hotel) and our PAT did change with a #2 boarding group. Was curious why this time it did not change.

MJ

 

[anricat]

Online checkin opened last night for our cruise on the Fantasy next month. What's interesting is that it seems (from our FB group informal poll) all the people with DCL transfers from the Hyatt or from WDW hotels didn't choose a PAT and got super early boarding groups. Most were auto-assigned PAT of 11 and boarding groups 2 or 3. All the people with DCL transfers from the airport (even if they are staying at the Hyatt but their reservation says "airport" for pickup) had to pick a PAT and got later boarding groups. My family falls into the airport category and I was really surprised to pick a PAT (1:15 PM by the time I got to it this morning) and get assigned a boarding group of 21. We are staying at the Hyatt, but my transfer on my reservation says "Orlando Int'l Airport, FL."

Last month from a WDW resort hotel, we didn't pick a PAT and were assigned 10:30 with a boarding group of 3 and it had that verbiage about arriving at our leisure or something like that.

 

[lanejudy]

We are staying at the Hyatt, but my transfer on my reservation says "Orlando Int'l Airport, FL."

Did you book the Hyatt through DCL, or call to let them know you are staying at the Hyatt? I believe on those guests on a DCL list are allowed to board transfers directly from the Hyatt lobby; others board from the main airport location. And I think transfers from WDW resorts and the Hyatt leave earlier than the first bus from the airport.

 

[anricat]

Did you book the Hyatt through DCL, or call to let them know you are staying at the Hyatt? I believe on those guests on a DCL list are allowed to board transfers directly from the Hyatt lobby; others board from the main airport location. And I think transfers from WDW resorts and the Hyatt leave earlier than the first bus from the airport.

No, we booked the Hyatt independently. It was cheaper than directly through DCL. I think that's the difference.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Did you book the Hyatt through DCL, or call to let them know you are staying at the Hyatt? I believe on those guests on a DCL list are allowed to board transfers directly from the Hyatt lobby; others board from the main airport location. And I think transfers from WDW resorts and the Hyatt leave earlier than the first bus from the airport.

No, we booked the Hyatt independently. It was cheaper than directly through DCL. I think that's the difference.

FWIW, I booked the Fairmont Vancouver Airport independently and Disney let me purchase the transfer from the hotel. My understanding of the policy was originally what you're describing, that I'd have to walk over to the normal airport pickup rather than the hotel pickup, but when I called them about something unrelated they offered to switch it for me.

 

[lanejudy]

My understanding of the policy was originally what you're describing, that I'd have to walk over to the normal airport pickup rather than the hotel pickup, but when I called them about something unrelated they offered to switch it for me.

I'm not familiar with the Vancouver transfers. I was responding about the Hyatt MCO which only recently began transfers directly from the Hyatt lobby. I believe you can book the hotel independently, but you do need to inform DCL of that reservation in order to be included in the lobby pick-up.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'm not familiar with the Vancouver transfers. I was responding about the Hyatt MCO which only recently began transfers directly from the Hyatt lobby. I believe you can book the hotel independently, but you do need to inform DCL of that reservation in order to be included in the lobby pick-up.

I'm not familiar with Port Canaveral, but in Miami and Vancouver their airport transfers include things like in-room luggage pickup and other "concierge" type service, which is why they used to restrict service to people who booked the hotels through Disney.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm not familiar with Port Canaveral, but in Miami and Vancouver their airport transfers include things like in-room luggage pickup and other "concierge" type service, which is why they used to restrict service to people who booked the hotels through Disney.

Makes sense. At MCO, until this past winter, there wasn't a Hyatt lobby pick-up. Guests who stayed at the Hyatt and booked DCL transfers walked to the airport location (former Magical Express); it didn't matter if you booked the Hyatt through DCL or on your own, all boarded the transfer bus from the airport.

 

[Clarkson U]

Online checkin opened last night for our cruise on the Fantasy next month. What's interesting is that it seems (from our FB group informal poll) all the people with DCL transfers from the Hyatt or from WDW hotels didn't choose a PAT and got super early boarding groups. Most were auto-assigned PAT of 11 and boarding groups 2 or 3. All the people with DCL transfers from the airport (even if they are staying at the Hyatt but their reservation says "airport" for pickup) had to pick a PAT and got later boarding groups. My family falls into the airport category and I was really surprised to pick a PAT (1:15 PM by the time I got to it this morning) and get assigned a boarding group of 21. We are staying at the Hyatt, but my transfer on my reservation says "Orlando Int'l Airport, FL."

Last month from a WDW resort hotel, we didn't pick a PAT and were assigned 10:30 with a boarding group of 3 and it had that verbiage about arriving at our leisure or something like that.

Online checkin last night had a number of problems and people on FB plus members of our travel party in their own reservation had problems with the site crashing, clocking or just working slow. Given what you said I feel blessed to have boarding group 6 with a 11:30 PAT and we are only gold CC but did do this at midnight last night and was done in less than 20 minutes.

 

[anjuan]

We've traveled stayed at the MCO Hyatt twice since COVID. Both times I didn't book through DCL and called DCL to have them note on my reservation that I was at the Hyatt. Both times I was automatically assigned a low boarding group number. Last October they did have a bus specifically for the Hyatt guests. I did not have to go down to the airport area. In October we were pretty much the first ones to the port and tested right after the people who were b2b.

The second time in March we left about an hour later than the first time (around 10:30) and were definitely not the first ones to the port. I'm pretty sure that some buses through the airport area arrived before we did. By the time that we were in the main lobby they had already called our boarding group number.

 

[anricat]

Followup for me. My TA called DCL. Apparently, even though she told them Hyatt, our reservation said MCO. They flipped the switch and changed it to Hyatt and now I have a PAT of 11:15 and a boarding group of 5. All sorted out!

 

[mmouse37]

I'm not familiar with the Vancouver transfers. I was responding about the Hyatt MCO which only recently began transfers directly from the Hyatt lobby. I believe you can book the hotel independently, but you do need to inform DCL of that reservation in order to be included in the lobby pick-up.

Recently leaving from the Hyatt itself since cruising restarted? Only because we took DCL transfers from the Hyatt Lobby back in 2012 so its not new but may be new since restarting.

In a similar vein to the OP....we stayed at the EB Hotel in Miami where DCL was providing transfers but I did not book through DCL. I had Chase points that I used but when I asked if I could still add the transfers I was told no problem. But, I did not get the DCL info letter upon check-in so we were not ready to hand over our luggage when the guy appeared at our room to collect it. He graciously came back 20 minutes later to pick up the luggage.

MJ

 

[mmouse37]

I'm not familiar with Port Canaveral, but in Miami and Vancouver their airport transfers include things like in-room luggage pickup and other "concierge" type service, which is why they used to restrict service to people who booked the hotels through Disney.

In April I booked the EBHotel in Miami on my own but booked DCL transfers and they came and picked up our luggage. I didn't know they were coming as we didn't get the info letter upon check in but we had that perk.

MJ