Flight check in on the cruise

[NZMUM]

We are flying home with Delta and was wondering how would we handle this. So Guest Services can check us in and print the boarding passes how about our baggage fees. How would we handle that?

They charge any baggage fees to your onboard account. They give you the baggage tags with your boarding passes. Put bags out the night before (except carry-on). Then you don't have to get your bags before going through customs. You pick them up at your home airport (assuming you use Disney transport to the airport).

 

[professorandmom]

Can you purchase the SW early bird for only return half of trip? Won't need it going to MCO.

yes

 

[NAB]

They charge any baggage fees to your onboard account. They give you the baggage tags with your boarding passes. Put bags out the night before (except carry-on). Then you don't have to get your bags before going through customs. You pick them up at your home airport (assuming you use Disney transport to the airport).

Plus don't buy any liquor while in port...lol We had that trouble when we bought a bottle in St Martin . You can't get though security with it so it has to be packed in your luggage. Luggage goes out the night before not to be seen until you home. Well the ship holds on to your bottle until 7:00 am the morning you get off. Which means it would be in your carry on.

So we ended up taking our luggage to the airport. Put the bottle in our suitcase when we picked them up in the terminal.

They did print our boarding passes for us still. Lesson learned. It would have been so convenient .

 

[Snowwhyt]

I always buy Early Bird for our return flights. It's worth it to not worry about it. But as mentioned, your other options are to sign up for the the free 50MB data package on the first day and use that, or have a friend or family member not on the cruise check you in.

Buying early bird or wifi are your options. Buying early bird is better as you won't have to fuss with spotty cruise ship wifi to check in while you're on vacation. Or, alternatively you could just check-in at the airport and be one of the very last people to board the plane.

We do early bird also for all our trips.... worth it!

I am on a 3 day with the Wonder. Would you be able to tell me where to find the early rate? I’m not aware of “early bird” prior to this post.

 

[NZMUM]

Plus don't buy any liquor while in port...lol We had that trouble when we bought a bottle in St Martin . You can't get though security with it so it has to be packed in your luggage. Luggage goes out the night before not to be seen until you home. Well the ship holds on to your bottle until 7:00 am the morning you get off. Which means it would be in your carry on.

So we ended up taking our luggage to the airport. Put the bottle in our suitcase when we picked them up in the terminal.

They did print our boarding passes for us still. Lesson learned. It would have been so convenient .

Good point. I did not think about that. You must have been really annoyed, I would have been once I realised. Something we will need to keep in mind in the future.

 

[NAB]

Good point. I did not think about that. You must have been really annoyed, I would have been once I realised. Something we will need to keep in mind in the future.

Yep wouldn't have bought that Guavaberry bottle if I would have known. No way to get it early either. Funny part is they inspected my suitcase too , the card was in it when I opened it to put the bottle in. Annoyed wasn't the word I would use...lol

 

[NZMUM]

Yep wouldn't have bought that Guavaberry bottle if I would have known. No way to get it early either. Funny part is they inspected my suitcase too , the card was in it when I opened it to put the bottle in. Annoyed wasn't the word I would use...lol

Well it was the polite, DIS friendly word

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I am on a 3 day with the Wonder. Would you be able to tell me where to find the early rate? I’m not aware of “early bird” prior to this post.

What we are referring to is Early Bird Check In (EBCI) for Southwest. You pay $15 per person and Southwest will check you in before the 24 hour mark. It alleviates the worry of having to have internet connection at the 24 hour mark to check in.

 

[Lori74]

We got home yesterday from the Fantasy and i’m surprised it’s not standard practice that they would check people in. We flew southwest and just approached guest services the day before. They only needed the confirmation number and we received our printed boarding passes at our door a couple hours after. We werent even made to feel like they were doing us a favor for doing so.

What boarding position did you receive?

 

[Snowwhyt]

What we are referring to is Early Bird Check In (EBCI) for Southwest. You pay $15 per person and Southwest will check you in before the 24 hour mark. It alleviates the worry of having to have internet connection at the 24 hour mark to check in.

Well still good info for me since I’m flying back on Southwest after my cruise! But to be honest I did think it was the DCL thing.

 

[mmouse37]

We got home yesterday from the Fantasy and i’m surprised it’s not standard practice that they would check people in. We flew southwest and just approached guest services the day before. They only needed the confirmation number and we received our printed boarding passes at our door a couple hours after. We werent even made to feel like they were doing us a favor for doing so.

I can understand why guest service would not want to make it standard practice....reason one is that one of the "perks" they advertise for their Onboard Airline Check-in Program is that you boarding passes and airline luggage tags are taken care of delivered to your cabin. Plus they take care of your luggage from the ship to our home airport. So, if everyone was able to be checked in for their flight at guest service that "perk" would lose some of its value.

Also, there are many people who are not on the Onboard Airline Program for whatever reason and if all those people wanted guest services to check them in it could be overwhelming.

Obviously YMMV as I have heard of them checking some people in and denying others.

MJ

 

[virtuoso1989]

What boarding position did you receive?

I got B49. It was after coming back from Castaway Cay and well within the 24 hr checkin period. I do agree that getting early bird is the way to go for the return flight. There were probably at least 10 families in the family boarding group and there were around 6 people behind me. Lol. Getting to the A boarding group is the safest coming from MCO.

I can understand why guest service would not want to make it standard practice....reason one is that one of the "perks" they advertise for their Onboard Airline Check-in Program is that you boarding passes and airline luggage tags are taken care of delivered to your cabin. Plus they take care of your luggage from the ship to our home airport. So, if everyone was able to be checked in for their flight at guest service that "perk" would lose some of its value.

Also, there are many people who are not on the Onboard Airline Program for whatever reason and if all those people wanted guest services to check them in it could be overwhelming.

Obviously YMMV as I have heard of them checking some people in and denying others.

MJ

We never used the onboard checkin program since our home airport is Midway and have to fly Southwest everytime. Yes, definitely YMMV, I was just surprised to see that some
people have been told no about being checked in.

 

[abayaflowers]

Early bird check in is much more likely to get A passes if you purchase the service with enough time before you travel...(remember, the Early bird folks are checked in by date of purchase...farthest out get processed first)

just my opinion

I agree. I have always purchased Early Bird Check in for all my trips especially on a vacation, because it will automatically check you in. I normally get the A group, and only once have I received the B group and that was not related to a Disney Cruise trip. Hope this helps.

 

[fredandkell]

We are flying home with Delta and was wondering how would we handle this. So Guest Services can check us in and print the boarding passes how about our baggage fees. How would we handle that?

Delta now has a feature where if you have the Delta app, they automatically generate your boarding pass and check you in 24 hours in advance, no effort required on your part (for domestic trips anyway). So you shouldn't have to do anything if you're flying Delta. Regarding baggage fees, you can pay those at curbside checkin at the airport the day of.

 

[Dug720]

I got B49. It was after coming back from Castaway Cay and well within the 24 hr checkin period. I do agree that getting early bird is the way to go for the return flight. There were probably at least 10 families in the family boarding group and there were around 6 people behind me. Lol. Getting to the A boarding group is the safest coming from MCO.



We never used the onboard checkin program since our home airport is Midway and have to fly Southwest everytime. Yes, definitely YMMV, I was just surprised to see that some
people have been told no about being checked in.

People have been told no because it is not something offered to guests not participating in onboard airline check-in. If it has been done for you it was a bit of pixie dust - and you can bet that if more people not in OAC start asking for it, that pixie dust will go away.

If the $15 early bird fee is too much, perhaps a cruise is too much also.

 

[zeferjen]

Maybe the reason we can afford cruises is that we don't waste money unnecessarily?

 

[richmo]

I'd say pay the early bird, if its important. Back when we cruised, I was going to pay for internet, but someone in the internet cafe was nice enough to offer to let me use their account for the few minutes it took to check in.

 

[Dug720]

Maybe the reason we can afford cruises is that we don't waste money unnecessarily?

Well, clearly being able to get a low boarding number is “necessary”. Your options (short of using an airline that gets that it doesn’t cost extra to let you select your seat in advance) are:

- pay for Early Bird
- pay for internet on board (or use your free internet)
- have a trusted friend or family member check you in

It is not standard practice for Guest Services to do it for you unless you are enrolled in OAC. Which you cannot be if you are on Southwest.

 

[professorandmom]

I'd say pay the early bird, if its important.

On a last minute Wonder cruise ($100 per night per person, no kidding) I waited until the ship docked before checking in. Got a fabulous C is for Center boarding number...before the cruise I had decided that the value of drinks on board were worth more to me than the center seat trip home: with two giant guys on either side - and an elbow in each side of my rib cage...yup, yummy beverages!

Value is all in the eyes of the beholder...