Embarkation change DCL Treasure 10/18/25

[Girl of the South]

Maybe RCCL is better at shooing people off the ship.

 

[rhit2004]

Just a heads up for people driving to the port to sail the Treasure. We had an 11:45 PAT on 10/18. They did not let us in the terminal until almost 12:00.

So you got into the terminal less than 15 minutes after your scheduled time? Seems like a minor issue.

Having a Port Arrival Time (PAT) opposed to a Boarding Time does confuse people (not saying you are one of them). It is not uncommon that people think the PAT is the time you can expect to get onto the ship ---- when it is actually the time you are allowed to enter the terminal to start the check-in process.

 

[DCLMP]

Maybe RCCL is better at shooing people off the ship.

The last group disembarks at 915. I believe they give you a disembarking time. I don't think they have scheduled breakfast times so leaving the ship is a little more staggered.

 

[DCLMP]

So you got into the terminal less than 15 minutes after your scheduled time? Seems like a minor issue.

Having a Port Arrival Time (PAT) opposed to a Boarding Time does confuse people (not saying you are one of them). It is not uncommon that people think the PAT is the time you can expect to get onto the ship ---- when it is actually the time you are allowed to enter the terminal to start the check-in process.

On some cruise lines that is the time you check in and walk on the ship. I could see where that could be confusing if you are not used to the way Disney does it.

 

[DCL58]

So you got into the terminal less than 15 minutes after your scheduled time? Seems like a minor issue.

Having a Port Arrival Time (PAT) opposed to a Boarding Time does confuse people (not saying you are one of them). It is not uncommon that people think the PAT is the time you can expect to get onto the ship ---- when it is actually the time you are allowed to enter the terminal to start the check-in process.

About to become Pearl with DCL, so we are well aware of the difference in PAT and BG. We sail out of PC multiple times per year - 4 times so far this year for 29 nights.

Every other time we have sailed in the last 3 years, our PAT group has been allowed into the terminal before the actual time on our boarding pass. Most cruises, way before PAT. Until last Saturday. It was a drastic change from our other experiences. Even the port workers commented on the mob of people in lines outside the terminal.

Just a heads up to others - as this seems to be a change since our last cruises in July.

 

[DCLMP]

About to become Pearl with DCL, so we are well aware of the difference in PAT and BG. We sail out of PC multiple times per year - 4 times so far this year for 29 nights.

Every other time we have sailed in the last 3 years, our PAT group has been allowed into the terminal before the actual time on our boarding pass. Most cruises, way before PAT. Until last Saturday. It was a drastic change from our other experiences. Even the port workers commented on the mob of people in lines outside the terminal.

Just a heads up to others - as this seems to be a change since our last cruises in July.

I've been on 34 DCL cruises and I've had 5 or 6 really bad boarding experiences. All of them with the BG 1 or 2. I haven't cruised 34 times on another line to know if this is statistically normal or not. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a change. It's most likely just a one-off.

 

[DCL58]

I've been on 34 DCL cruises and I've had 5 or 6 really bad boarding experiences. All of them with the BG 1 or 2. I haven't cruised 34 times on another line to know if this is statistically normal or not. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a change. It's most likely just a one-off.

The workers all said it was a recent DCL change. Not my words. Theirs. All were unhappy with the change since it was such a madhouse outside. There were 4 lines of people with my same PAT. They ran out of space and had people lined up in the sun beside the terminal. May be a temporary change, but it was a change to keep fewer people inside the terminal.

 

[sponica]

The workers all said it was a recent DCL change. Not my words. Theirs. All were unhappy with the change since it was such a madhouse outside. There were 4 lines of people with my same PAT. They ran out of space and had people lined up in the sun beside the terminal. May be a temporary change, but it was a change to keep fewer people inside the terminal.

Honestly, when we sailed the treasure in August, embarkation was a hot mess. We arrived via DCL transfer before the terminal was opened, they had just started letting people in the terminal when we were getting off our bus. Getting through the check-in/security was a breeze and we were probably upstairs by 1015/1020. Where we proceeded to wait for over an hour. I'm not sure what time they called our BG (5), but literally we were sitting in Coco at almost the exact same time as we were sitting in Arrendelle when we arrived to the Wish in Feb 2024 via transfer closer to 1130.

 

[DCLMP]

The workers all said it was a recent DCL change. Not my words. Theirs. All were unhappy with the change since it was such a madhouse outside. There were 4 lines of people with my same PAT. They ran out of space and had people lined up in the sun beside the terminal. May be a temporary change, but it was a change to keep fewer people inside the terminal.

Gotcha, well that's unfortunate. In FLL they designated lines outside and it's pretty much the norm in San Diego. Maybe when the complaints start coming in and showing up on social media they'll figure out a way to fix their boarding issues. If Royal can start boarding a ship at 10am I don't see why they can't figure it out.

 

[DCLMP]

Honestly, when we sailed the treasure in August, embarkation was a hot mess. We arrived via DCL transfer before the terminal was opened, they had just started letting people in the terminal when we were getting off our bus. Getting through the check-in/security was a breeze and we were probably upstairs by 1015/1020. Where we proceeded to wait for over an hour. I'm not sure what time they called our BG (5), but literally we were sitting in Coco at almost the exact same time as we were sitting in Arrendelle when we arrived to the Wish in Feb 2024 via transfer closer to 1130.

That sounds about like my normal experience every cruise. As a Pearl you breeze through security and check-in, but then you wait an hour for the cattle calls to begin. Praying they at least start boarding at 1130.

 

[sponica]

That sounds about like my normal experience every cruise. As a Pearl you breeze through security and check-in, but then you wait an hour for the cattle calls to begin. Praying they at least start boarding at 1130.

They were definitely running out of room in the terminal, it was just a sea of people everywhere. The terminal was still full when they got to BG 5.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Because Disney announces each person by name and welcomes them onboard with the crew clapping for them. This is very exciting your first cruse and some continue to love it but it slows things down.
Royal has two gangways open and uses both to quickly board everyone.

Honestly? I would cringe at that sort of attention on myself and if it meant that because so many people are boarding and we have to go at a very slow pace in order to do that I would much rather not. I get it when it's about this whole "magic" biz that Disney is trying to carry through onto their cruise line but frankly people just want to be on the ship the most, just the same as they want to be in the parks the most. What happens at the entrance in the end is less important than getting the vacation actually going, to many that is.

 

[DCLMP]

They were definitely running out of room in the terminal, it was just a sea of people everywhere. The terminal was still full when they got to BG 5.

Sounds about right. When we cruised out of San Diego there was heat wave and it was 100 degrees. They had a medical emergency an elderly man passed out in line. That's not normal San Diego weather, but Florida on the other hand.,. I don't think having people wait outside is a good idea. People don't show up at the terminal with bottled water. Even WDW the lines are inside.