Getting to the Ship Early?

[KarBear]

So we are thinking of going to Disney and stay onsite and then get the Disney transfers to the port. I hear things about wanting to get to the port early or not getting there till later
My question is: what is the advantage of getting to the ship early?

If you take the express from Disney you don't get there till about 1pm.
Is this good or bad? Does it make a difference with when lunch is available?

 

[Castillo Mom]

Most people want to arrive early in order to get on the ship to start the fun as early as possible. I know we do! Some like to take advantage of early boarding to ride the Aquaduck with shorter lines, swim, etc.

As for lunch, the hours are as follows if on the Dream or Fantasy:

Enchanted Garden 12:00 - 2:00
Cabanas 12:00 - 3:00
Filmore's, Luigi's and Tow Mater's Grill: 12:00 - 3:30.

Another advantage of getting to the ship early is if you want or need to change your dining assignment, make or change Palo and/or Remy reservations, book Mixology, etc.

I'm others will add their thoughts on some other reasons I've missed. I say get there early if you can!

 

[jdb in AZ]

The staterooms aren't available til 1-1:30 p.m. so if you board before then you have to drag your carry-on luggage around with you.

If you arrive later and don't have lunch til after 2 p.m., that doesn't give you much time to digest lunch before it's time for dinner.

If you're on a 15-day cruise, then boarding an hour or two later really isn't a big deal. If you're on a 3-day cruise, then every hour counts.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

We had the earliest PAT last Oct when we were on The Dream. It was only a 3 nighter and we wanted to maximize our short time. We were the only ones in the pool for a while, it was fantastic. Those pools fill up quickly! We swam, then when it got crowded we went for lunch in Cabanas. The timing was perfect!!

 

[Tinked]

Waiting around in port canaveral can be a pain if you are new to DCL or silver or gold. Being platinum does have it's advantages. It does move quickly once they start allowing people on so if you don't arrive until 1 pm checking in and wait time can be shorter. I always liked the feeling of excitement that getting there early brings. Unless you have 4 or more people in your party it isn't worth taking a limo anyway. The important thing is to get there and start having fun.

 

[TAKTally]

We prefer to get the earliest PAT available when we check-in online so that we can get an early boarding number and maximize our time on board. We don't necessarily mind lugging around our carry-ons for a few hours, either. Our DD (6 & 7 at the time of our two cruises) likes to plan our first day (and whole trip if we let her!) down to the minute so she can ride the AquaDuck after lunch and getting her checked in at the Oceaneer Club/Lab.

 

[Scillycruisers]

So we are thinking of going to Disney and stay onsite and then get the Disney transfers to the port. I hear things about wanting to get to the port early or not getting there till later
My question is: what is the advantage of getting to the ship early?

If you take the express from Disney you don't get there till about 1pm.
Is this good or bad? Does it make a difference with when lunch is available?

We have taken the transfers for all 4 of our cruises - so convenient. We have had very little waiting at the port to get in; just once they held us on the coach for about 10 mins as there was a queue for security, but we were sat down and in air conditioning so no problem. Other than that we have gone more or less straight through security and never waited more than a couple of minutes to check in. By then its open boarding, so straight through to the boarding photo ( we waited for that once for about 15 mins, but you can skip it) then straight on to the ship. By then the rooms should be ready so you can drop off your carry ons and then go for lunch. We have never really bothered with the pools etc on embarkation, but have always done 7 days so not quite the same pressure to fit everything in.

 

[Dug720]

One thing to note... Unless you have to have the bag for a change of clothes or meds (clearly I'm not including any beverages you feel you have to bring as those you have to carry regardless), you CAN check portside what would be carry-on for the airplane.

When I cruised in February and I was getting on the port shuttle at MCO, I checked both the bag I'd checked with the airline AND the bag I'd carried onto the airplane, leaving me only having to deal with my backpack and a very small cross-body purse. Easy peasy.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

So we are thinking of going to Disney and stay onsite and then get the Disney transfers to the port. I hear things about wanting to get to the port early or not getting there till later
My question is: what is the advantage of getting to the ship early?

If you take the express from Disney you don't get there till about 1pm.
Is this good or bad? Does it make a difference with when lunch is available?

DCL Resort transfers start at 10.45 , some are later, and arrive an hour later at port.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

So we are thinking of going to Disney and stay onsite and then get the Disney transfers to the port. I hear things about wanting to get to the port early or not getting there till later
My question is: what is the advantage of getting to the ship early?

If you take the express from Disney you don't get there till about 1pm.
Is this good or bad? Does it make a difference with when lunch is available?

As others have stated, most people want to arrive early to maximise their time on the ship. The earlier you arrive, the pools and restaurants are quieter. If you're hoping to purchase an upgrade at the port, the earlier you arrive the better.

We sail concierge so we like to arrive a little earlier. Our rooms are almost always ready and we can arrange anything with the concierge team that we need when it's still quite.

 

[anricat]

We took a DCL transfer from the airport (stayed at the Hyatt MCO the night before) and we were in boarding group two. We pretty much had the run of the place for the first hour or so. Lunch wasn't crazy and the pools were empty. I think we were fourth in line when they opened the Aquaduck. DD rode the Mickey slide approximately 28 times with no line.

 

[anricat]

Oh, and I should note that we didn't really mind dealing with our carry-on bags. We found a little area to put them while swimming. Nobody bothered them at all.

 

[TestingH2O]

What time does boarding actually start (Dream)? And how long does it take from port arrival to boarding (assuming it's open)? I read somewhere to allow 4 hours from the airport to being on the ship, but that seem outrageous.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What time does boarding actually start (Dream)? And how long does it take from port arrival to boarding (assuming it's open)? I read somewhere to allow 4 hours from the airport to being on the ship, but that seem outrageous.

Boarding typically begins around 11:15-11:30 with Concierge and Platinum Castaway Club members, followed by boarding numbers. The Port Arrival Time you select is tied the actual boarding number you get at check in at the port. Earlier PAT = lower boarding number; later PAT = higher boarding number.

Once the boarding number being announced for boarding catches up to the number being issued at check in, Open Boarding is announced (generally around 12:30-12:45). Anyone holding any boarding number may board at this time.

The length of time from port arrival to boarding will vary depending on whether boarding has actually started yet, how early or late you arrive, whether open boarding has been called. For example, if you have PAT of, say, 1:00-1:15, but arrive at the port when they open (10:30), you could be waiting up to 3 hours to board, or you might board at 12:00, if Open Boarding is called by then. Or you could arrive at the port at 12:45 (with a PAT of 11:00) and basically walk right on.

It's about an hour from the airport to the port, so that adds some time, also.

 

[Zandy595]

.

 

[TestingH2O]

Boarding typically begins around 11:15-11:30 with Concierge and Platinum Castaway Club members, followed by boarding numbers. The Port Arrival Time you select is tied the actual boarding number you get at check in at the port. Earlier PAT = lower boarding number; later PAT = higher boarding number.

Once the boarding number being announced for boarding catches up to the number being issued at check in, Open Boarding is announced (generally around 12:30-12:45). Anyone holding any boarding number may board at this time.

The length of time from port arrival to boarding will vary depending on whether boarding has actually started yet, how early or late you arrive, whether open boarding has been called. For example, if you have PAT of, say, 1:00-1:15, but arrive at the port when they open (10:30), you could be waiting up to 3 hours to board, or you might board at 12:00, if Open Boarding is called by then. Or you could arrive at the port at 12:45 (with a PAT of 11:00) and basically walk right on.

It's about an hour from the airport to the port, so that adds some time, also.

Thank you so much for helping a newbie. A couple more questions.

OK, so we are concierge. Will we still get on early(ish) if we arrive at 11:00? That is the earliest you can arrive, right?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thank you so much for helping a newbie. A couple more questions.

OK, so we are concierge. Will we still get on early(ish) if we arrive at 11:00? That is the earliest you can arrive, right?

The earliest you can arrive is 10:30. As I said, boarding generally starts around 11:15-11:30. As Concierge, you can board at any time you wish (once boarding is started).

 

[TestingH2O]

The earliest you can arrive is 10:30. As I said, boarding generally starts around 11:15-11:30. As Concierge, you can board at any time you wish (once boarding is started).

That was a poorly worded question on my part. If we arrive at 11:00, will we be mired in security for so long that we will have a wait a long time to get on the ship?

 

[k14tweety]

Dcl newbie too... so when u do online check in are u assigned a time to arrive??? We will be driving so no transfer times. I wanna get there early to enjoy the ship but not so early we r just waiting in line with 2 kids

 

[totalfunk]

We are driving and parking so will be bringing our luggage, how early can that be dropped off? We will be arriving as soon as the ship ports from previous cruise as we have a princess onboard that we have not laid our eyes on since January!