Disney Fantasy, August 18, 2012 - Western Caribbean

[VeryBeachy]

We were lucky really. Bookings for us were at 2:00pm Sunday afternoon. So no getting up in the middle of the night. Check in was at 5:00pm but it did take me 1hour 40mins to check in the two cabins. I was ready to scream by the end of it. But got an 11am port arrival time which I'm happy about.

That's great that you were able to book during your afternoon. I got the 11am port arrival time too. Went back this afternoon to book a Palo Brunch... it took forever and I almost gave up. Finally after 45 minutes I got the time/day I wanted. That's too bad it took so long for you to check in your cabins. I would have been screaming myself!

 

[Cruisebound]

That's great that you were able to book during your afternoon. I got the 11am port arrival time too. Went back this afternoon to book a Palo Brunch... it took forever and I almost gave up. Finally after 45 minutes I got the time/day I wanted. That's too bad it took so long for you to check in your cabins. I would have been screaming myself!

Where do you find out about port arrival times? I want as early as possible. I tried to do the on-line check in but they told me I can't until June 4th!

 

[Cruisebound]

Two whole weeks until I can check in. I'm gonna explode!!! Oh, I sure do hope there's a brunch ressie left.

Less than 13 weeks everyone! I still find myself kind of thinking that it's still so far away but, really, it'll be here in just a blink.

I am going to be really bummed if I can not eat at Palo's just once! What time can we start on-line check in on the 4th? I have paid my cruise in full now and like you very anxious about making my reservations!

 

[VeryBeachy]

Where do you find out about port arrival times? I want as early as possible. I tried to do the on-line check in but they told me I can't until June 4th!

Your on-line check in time depends on where you live

My understanding is that the "zero hour" is 12:01am Pacific Time. I live in Virginia (Eastern Time) so my check in time started at 3:01am. If you're at the Disney Cruise site a few minutes before your time, be sure to log out and back in. Reloading/refreshing the site doesn't do the trick.

When you select the "My Online Check-In" tab, you'll be prompted through several pages to get to the part where you select your port arrival time from what is available. (You can skip past a lot of it and fill a lot of the information later... like passport number, etc.)

If there aren't any Palo times slot available when you do the on-line check in, there are two things you can do. First is to keep checking back. People do cancel. (And many book several days and hold them until they decide what they want to do.)

The second thing you can do is check once you're on the ship. When you check in at the port, you will be given that day's Navigator. There will be a time/location listed for dining changes. If there are openings, you'll be able to book Palo. And if there aren't, you can be placed on a waiting list and called if an opening becomes available.

Hope this helps!

(More seasoned cruisers....feel free to jump in and correct me if I have any of this wrong!!)

 

[It'sWDW4me]

Where do you find out about port arrival times? I want as early as possible. I tried to do the on-line check in but they told me I can't until June 4th!

I am going to be really bummed if I can not eat at Palo's just once! What time can we start on-line check in on the 4th? I have paid my cruise in full now and like you very anxious about making my reservations!

If this is your first DCL cruise (as it is for me), your check-in is on June 4th. At midnight (EST) we can book excursions and Palo/Remy/spa (I believe spa is available at midnight). At 3:00 am (EST), we can check in. From what I've read, you select your port arrival time somewhere near the end of the online check in process.

I'm REALLY hoping to be able to book Palo brunch as an early birthday surprise for my mom and I DEFINITELY want to get an early port arrival time to check out that beautiful ship! If I can't get a Palo reservation on the 4th, my plan is to keep checking online DAILY (never know when someone will cancel a ressie). If I STILL don't have a ressie by the time we sail, I'm running to try to snag a ressie as soon as we get on the ship.

Here's some for luck to all of us patiently waiting for June 4th!

 

[Cruisebound]

Your on-line check in time depends on where you live

My understanding is that the "zero hour" is 12:01am Pacific Time. I live in Virginia (Eastern Time) so my check in time started at 3:01am. If you're at the Disney Cruise site a few minutes before your time, be sure to log out and back in. Reloading/refreshing the site doesn't do the trick.

When you select the "My Online Check-In" tab, you'll be prompted through several pages to get to the part where you select your port arrival time from what is available. (You can skip past a lot of it and fill a lot of the information later... like passport number, etc.)

If there aren't any Palo times slot available when you do the on-line check in, there are two things you can do. First is to keep checking back. People do cancel. (And many book several days and hold them until they decide what they want to do.)

The second thing you can do is check once you're on the ship. When you check in at the port, you will be given that day's Navigator. There will be a time/location listed for dining changes. If there are openings, you'll be able to book Palo. And if there aren't, you can be placed on a waiting list and called if an opening becomes available.

Hope this helps!

(More seasoned cruisers....feel free to jump in and correct me if I have any of this wrong!!)

Thanks! I am from Virginia too.

 

[olympia]

Your on-line check in time depends on where you live

When you select the "My Online Check-In" tab, you'll be prompted through several pages to get to the part where you select your port arrival time from what is available. (You can skip past a lot of it and fill a lot of the information later... like passport number, etc.)

If there aren't any Palo times slot available when you do the on-line check in, there are two things you can do. First is to keep checking back. People do cancel. (And many book several days and hold them until they decide what they want to do.)

The second thing you can do is check once you're on the ship. When you check in at the port, you will be given that day's Navigator. There will be a time/location listed for dining changes. If there are openings, you'll be able to book Palo. And if there aren't, you can be placed on a waiting list and called if an opening becomes available.

Hope this helps!

(More seasoned cruisers....feel free to jump in and correct me if I have any of this wrong!!)

good information!
I live in Spain so I should make the reservation at 6 a. m. i can´t sleep that night

 

[VeryBeachy]

I checked last night... there are currently plenty of Palo Dinner and Brunch openings still available.

Dinner is available every night and Brunch is offered on the two At Sea days and the morning before we dock in Costa Maya.

And all the excursions are still available. Keep in mind that some of the shorter excursions (3 hours or less) at Grand Cayman and Cozumel usually offer two time slots.

 

[VeryBeachy]

Thanks! I am from Virginia too.

Yay Virginia!!

Are you and your family flying in or driving down?

 

[Cruisebound]

Yay Virginia!!

Are you and your family flying in or driving down?

We are driving down a week before the cruise. We are going to IOA/US, Discovery Cove, Sea World, and now they have offered free admission to Aquatica with our Discovery Cove admission.

In the past we have flown but I want to pack liberally for the cruise i.e. gown and dressy clothes for the girls, bottles of wine, pirate costumes, FE gifts.....

We are starting our trek at 4AM and driving straight to Orlando on the 11th. On the way home we will stop in Savannah, GA for the night.

 

[Cruisebound]

I checked last night... there are currently plenty of Palo Dinner and Brunch openings still available.

Dinner is available every night and Brunch is offered on the two At Sea days and the morning before we dock in Costa Maya.

And all the excursions are still available. Keep in mind that some of the shorter excursions (3 hours or less) at Grand Cayman and Cozumel usually offer two time slots.

Whew! I was a bit scared I just want to get what I want ya know.

 

[DizzyFORDisney]

We are driving down a week before the cruise. We are going to IOA/US, Discovery Cove, Sea World, and now they have offered free admission to Aquatica with our Discovery Cove admission.

In the past we have flown but I want to pack liberally for the cruise i.e. gown and dressy clothes for the girls, bottles of wine, pirate costumes, FE gifts.....

We are starting our trek at 4AM and driving straight to Orlando on the 11th. On the way home we will stop in Savannah, GA for the night.

Sorry to jump in...

But we are driving straight down that day too (from PA to Ft Lauderdale for the week!!) Going to do some day trips: Everglades, drive to Key West, don't know what else yet. Then cruising on the 18th!!! CANNOT WAIT!!!!

 

[my4girls]

Hi Everyone! Just book Captain Marvins 2 stop stingray tour at the special Fantasy time of 12:00pm. Is anyone else booked for it? This will be done at 2:30 so lots of time to wonder around the port. One excursion booked, two to go.
I'm having trouble doing my on line check in because my new passport has not arrived. I hope I can still get 11:00am boarding time. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[4redheads]

Hi everyone,
From all that we have read everyone is excited to start the cruise, if the wait doesn't do us in first.

We will be taking the train a week earlier from Cleveland to have a family reunion in Orlando.
Our crew:
Dad- Jim
Mom-Susan
the 4 red heads:
Gretchen 13 and who looks just like Merida from the new Disney Movie Brave, especially with her long bushy hair. She is glad there is a princess just like her now.
Walter 11
Heidi 9
and Marcie 7

How do we sign up for the FE list?

Hope to meet you soon!

 

[Cruisebound]

Anyone have any experience or advice for a shore excursion with a one year old?

For Grand Cayman, I think we are just going to take a Taxi to 7 Mile Beach and rent some stuff, but not sure what the rest is going to be.

This sounds good and inexpensive. I am thinking of doing the same thing. My 12 yo twin daughters can speak some Spanish so I am hoping they can use their skills a bit.

I have heard great things about 7 mile beach.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

I checked last night... there are currently plenty of Palo Dinner and Brunch openings still available.

Dinner is available every night and Brunch is offered on the two At Sea days and the morning before we dock in Costa Maya.

And all the excursions are still available. Keep in mind that some of the shorter excursions (3 hours or less) at Grand Cayman and Cozumel usually offer two time slots.

Thanks for the info! That's a relief to know. With less than 2 weeks to go, I hope that enough openings remain for all of us.

I TRY to keep in mind that, while there may be thousands of people on the ship, only a very small fraction of them are uber-planners like us (well, I'll speak for myself anyway).

 

[olympia]

This sounds good and inexpensive. I am thinking of doing the same thing. My 12 yo twin daughters can speak some Spanish so I am hoping they can use their skills a bit.

I have heard great things about 7 mile beach.

que bien!!!! Alguien habla español!!!
Si quieres puedes practicar conmigo, ya que mi ingles es muy básico

a question?.As I know the excursions hours?
thanks

 

[VeryBeachy]

Hi Everyone! Just book Captain Marvins 2 stop stingray tour at the special Fantasy time of 12:00pm. Is anyone else booked for it? This will be done at 2:30 so lots of time to wonder around the port. One excursion booked, two to go.
I'm having trouble doing my on line check in because my new passport has not arrived. I hope I can still get 11:00am boarding time. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I've read great things, here on the disboards, about Captain Marvins. We chose the Grand Cayman Island tour (10:30am - 12:30pm) which will leave us plenty of time to wander around afterwards.

You should be able to skip past that part and go on to select your boarding time. As long as you go back to complete everything before the deadline (a certain number of weeks before the cruise date), you should be okay to skip past the id part.

Because I'm a return cruiser, my passport number was already in the system. However, my husband and son (who both traveled with me on the last cruise)... their passport numbers weren't listed. And I was able to skip past that part... because I was anxious to select the port arrival time.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Hi everyone,
From all that we have read everyone is excited to start the cruise, if the wait doesn't do us in first.

We will be taking the train a week earlier from Cleveland to have a family reunion in Orlando.
Our crew:
Dad- Jim
Mom-Susan
the 4 red heads:
Gretchen 13 and who looks just like Merida from the new Disney Movie Brave, especially with her long bushy hair. She is glad there is a princess just like her now.
Walter 11
Heidi 9
and Marcie 7

How do we sign up for the FE list?

Hope to meet you soon!

Hi Susan
Glad your joining us. Not too long to go now. Thank goodness. Its all starting to seem real now that we are booking excursions etc.
DVC_Chris is taking care of the FE list. If you PM him, he will be able to add you.

 

[my4girls]

Thanks Verybeachy!! It worked . I was able to get the 11:00 am sign in. Now I have to wait until June 4 for my Mom and Sisters room. I hope it won't be a problem to get them at 11:00 am.

Has anyone done the Dune Buggy and snorkle in Cozumel? What if you have 9 people in your party, will they put 3 people in each car or will one person be left on their own with some strangers?