Hitting a Park on Embarkation Day?

[DCLPrincess]

We always have breakfast and then head out. As PP stated the beachline is notorious for accidents so it's better safe than sorry. We also enjoy getting on the ship early.

 

[Ksquared]

Thanks for all the responses....I guess I should elaborate a bit. We will have our own car as we drive to Disney from New Jersey. We are staying at BW Villas so I was thinking of trying to get early Garden Grill breakfast, then hitting Soarin and then use a FP for Test Track. That's all we would do. I was thinking we could just walk back and pick up our bags and check out then hit the road. In my mind, I"m thinking we could accomplish this and be on the road by 10:30 ish. We are experienced park goers, just not cruisers. I will say we are getting 5 day park hoppers and the difference between the 4 and 5 day is minimal so that's not an issue. I am not the best planner when it comes to leaving for events, parties etc. and rarely plan for accidents/slow traffic which is never a good thing....I'm still on the fence I guess. My other thought was an early breakfast at Boma or Whispering Canyon or even just eating someplace close like Boardwalk Bakery or Garden Grove at Swan then heading out around 9 or 9:30 if we can.

Also, I still have not decided whether it's best to just park at the Port or at a nearby lot and I'm not sure how much time to factor in if we don't drive directly to the port. Any parking advice is also appreciated. Should we just pay to park at the port or is it worth it to save the $$$, park offsite but then have to shuttle into the port.

Because it's our first cruise and I'm not sure what to expect, my heart says just go to a park but my mind is saying that's not a great idea.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Thanks for all the responses....I guess I should elaborate a bit. We will have our own car as we drive to Disney from New Jersey. We are staying at BW Villas so I was thinking of trying to get early Garden Grill breakfast, then hitting Soarin and then use a FP for Test Track. That's all we would do. I was thinking we could just walk back and pick up our bags and check out then hit the road. In my mind, I"m thinking we could accomplish this and be on the road by 10:30 ish. We are experienced park goers, just not cruisers. I will say we are getting 5 day park hoppers and the difference between the 4 and 5 day is minimal so that's not an issue. I am not the best planner when it comes to leaving for events, parties etc. and rarely plan for accidents/slow traffic which is never a good thing....I'm still on the fence I guess. My other thought was an early breakfast at Boma or Whispering Canyon or even just eating someplace close like Boardwalk Bakery or Garden Grove at Swan then heading out around 9 or 9:30 if we can.

Also, I still have not decided whether it's best to just park at the Port or at a nearby lot and I'm not sure how much time to factor in if we don't drive directly to the port. Any parking advice is also appreciated. Should we just pay to park at the port or is it worth it to save the $$$, park offsite but then have to shuttle into the port.

Because it's our first cruise and I'm not sure what to expect, my heart says just go to a park but my mind is saying that's not a great idea.

Your plan sounds totally realistic to me. If you don’t mind these few observations, question and suggestion.

The park and rides are not an issue for me, the dining is. It seems you have underestimated the opportunities for eating on a cruise. You haven’t shared your seating for dinners on the ship and that is my only question. It really impacts what I might do. There are plenty of food options while cruising and (most are) pretty good quality. That said, I would scale back the morning breakfast before the park. If you are early seating at dinner I would go with a really small breakfast, if you have the late seating then maybe a little more in the morning.

Plan on lunch on the ship even if you are arriving a little later. Cabanas buffet is open until 3 and there is a sit down lunch until 2 (Enchated Gardens if I recall correctly). Quick service by the pool is closed during the drill otherwise that is also an option, as well as snacks at the Vista and Cove Cafés.

 

[Quellman]

We have enjoyed breakfast at Polynesian, and then went to Magic Kingdom until about 1100 before heading to the port. We had annual passes, so cost didn't factor into the equation for a days worth of tickets and only a few hours of actual time. A nice breakfast will allow you to grab something while you wait for the staterooms to open up. There are a few different, but not entirely convenient routes that avoid the toll road. Your favorite maps direction website can help you plot the course. In my opinion, grab a great breakfast at EPCOT and enjoy the morning.

Also, I still have not decided whether it's best to just park at the Port or at a nearby lot and I'm not sure how much time to factor in if we don't drive directly to the port. Any parking advice is also appreciated. Should we just pay to park at the port or is it worth it to save the $$$, park offsite but then have to shuttle into the port.

We have only ever parked on site at the port. Sometimes there can be a line to get through the port arrival area before you get your car. But there is convenience with parking at the port. First, your car is in a covered garage, nice and shady for your interior in the hot Florida sun. There are porters that you par $1-2 per bag as a tip who literally will take them form you car and onto the boat for you while you park. It is the start to white glove treatment. No shlepping bags from your car to a crowded shuttle bus for a ride to port (yes you can drop eveyone and everything off at the port and then drive to the offsite parking, but then you are just eating time). At the end of your cruise, if you want, you can tip the baggage porter to gather your bags and then they will go with you to your car and load them in for you. At which point you literally just get in your car and head to your next destination. It is literally that easy.

As for the cruise itself, once you get on the ship, a general rule of thumb that most people do is either change in a bathroom into swim stuff and lounge on the deck, or eat. Others, like yourself may want to wander the ship a little to get used to the lay out. There isn't a more correct way to cruise.

 

[darnheather]

No way. For me cruising is all about the relaxation and that starts the morning of embarkation.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

The OP's plan sounds totally fine to me. As long as you're on the road by noon-12:30, I can't imagine that you would miss the ship's departure.

A lot of people really want to get on the ship ASAP; we've done enough cruises by now that an early arrival is not worth the rush and am happy to get on around 1 or 1:30. Things to keep in mind if you do elect for a later arrival:

1) Although there will always be some cast members clapping for your family when you get on board, if you come on later in the afternoon you are not going to get the "magic moment" of many people lining the railings of the atrium and clapping as you embark.

2) If there are experiences (meet and greets, changes in dining, tastings, etc.) that you are hoping to book on board, the later you get on the harder it may be to get those things.

3) You miss some pool/slide/Aqua Duck time, but meh, you'll have plenty of chances.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

One thing I want to add is that it is possible to go TOO EARLY. Especially if you have a later PAT. You may not have booked your PAT (Port Arrival Time) yet. The earliest are like 10 or 10:30. If you don't get one of those, leaving the hotel at 9 or 9:30 will be a waste as you will get to port and just have to wait longer. PAT is tied to boarding time, so getting there early doesn't get you on earlier unless you have an early PAT. And no one gets on until 11:30 or so.

I'm just saying that there is no sense in rushing. We didn't hit the parks that morning, but we had a leisurely breakfast, stopped to get some wine and other items along the way, dropped off our rental car and were still on the ship by about noon or a bit after. You could certainly stay at the parks until 11 or so and have no trouble making the ship. Remember the buses from the WDW hotels won't leave until like 1 PM or so.

Sure, there could always be a crazy incident, but most likely everything will be fine. You aren't planning to cut it close at all.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

My family will be staying at POP before the cruise, but we don't have any morning plans. We'll likely just relax and head over to AoA for a light breakfast(got that big buffet at Cabanas to look forward to) and maybe swim before the bus comes around 12:30-1. In the past, we were unable to get a late check-out so we had to be out of our room by 11.

 

[MomOTwins]

Thanks for all the responses....I guess I should elaborate a bit. We will have our own car as we drive to Disney from New Jersey. We are staying at BW Villas so I was thinking of trying to get early Garden Grill breakfast, then hitting Soarin and then use a FP for Test Track. That's all we would do. I was thinking we could just walk back and pick up our bags and check out then hit the road. In my mind, I"m thinking we could accomplish this and be on the road by 10:30 ish. We are experienced park goers, just not cruisers. I will say we are getting 5 day park hoppers and the difference between the 4 and 5 day is minimal so that's not an issue. I am not the best planner when it comes to leaving for events, parties etc. and rarely plan for accidents/slow traffic which is never a good thing....I'm still on the fence I guess. My other thought was an early breakfast at Boma or Whispering Canyon or even just eating someplace close like Boardwalk Bakery or Garden Grove at Swan then heading out around 9 or 9:30 if we can.

Also, I still have not decided whether it's best to just park at the Port or at a nearby lot and I'm not sure how much time to factor in if we don't drive directly to the port. Any parking advice is also appreciated. Should we just pay to park at the port or is it worth it to save the $$$, park offsite but then have to shuttle into the port.

Because it's our first cruise and I'm not sure what to expect, my heart says just go to a park but my mind is saying that's not a great idea.

This is totally doable. We ate at 8:00am at Garden Grill, were outside Soarin at 8:50, and done by 9:05. You could easily FP test track and be back at the hotel by 10:30. Other options are the character breakfast at Trattoria on the boardwalk (princes/princesses) or at Cape May Cafe (minnie/donald/daisy/goofy) at the Beach Club. We preferred the latter, and did a Cape May breakfast at on our embarkation day last week, as it was super fun to see the all the characters in their "beach party" attire and tell them all we would see them on Castaway Cay

It took us one hour and 15 minutes to get from Beach club to the port.

 

[Ksquared]

Your plan sounds totally realistic to me. If you don’t mind these few observations, question and suggestion.

The park and rides are not an issue for me, the dining is. It seems you have underestimated the opportunities for eating on a cruise. You haven’t shared your seating for dinners on the ship and that is my only question. It really impacts what I might do. There are plenty of food options while cruising and (most are) pretty good quality. That said, I would scale back the morning breakfast before the park. If you are early seating at dinner I would go with a really small breakfast, if you have the late seating then maybe a little more in the morning.

Plan on lunch on the ship even if you are arriving a little later. Cabanas buffet is open until 3 and there is a sit down lunch until 2 (Enchated Gardens if I recall correctly). Quick service by the pool is closed during the drill otherwise that is also an option, as well as snacks at the Vista and Cove Cafés.

We definitely plan to eat lunch on the ship and another reason I was contemplating breakfast is because we would be paying OOP and let's face it, food on the cruise is already paid for so why spend extra that morning so you have a good point there.

 

[Ksquared]

We have only ever parked on site at the port. Sometimes there can be a line to get through the port arrival area before you get your car. But there is convenience with parking at the port. First, your car is in a covered garage, nice and shady for your interior in the hot Florida sun. There are porters that you par $1-2 per bag as a tip who literally will take them form you car and onto the boat for you while you park. It is the start to white glove treatment. No shlepping bags from your car to a crowded shuttle bus for a ride to port (yes you can drop eveyone and everything off at the port and then drive to the offsite parking, but then you are just eating time). At the end of your cruise, if you want, you can tip the baggage porter to gather your bags and then they will go with you to your car and load them in for you. At which point you literally just get in your car and head to your next destination. It is literally that easy.

As for the cruise itself, once you get on the ship, a general rule of thumb that most people do is either change in a bathroom into swim stuff and lounge on the deck, or eat. Others, like yourself may want to wander the ship a little to get used to the lay out. There isn't a more correct way to cruise.

While it might cost more to park at the port terminal, I think that's where I'm leaning for the reasons you mentioned above. Why skimp on parking because in the scheme of things, it's a small cost of cruising overall. I kind of like the idea of just putting luggage in the car and getting on the road after the cruise as opposed to getting on a bus, going to another lot and then getting to my car. Convenience is definitely worth it.

And time saved by parking at the port could be spent wandering around the ship when we board.

 

[Ksquared]

No way. For me cruising is all about the relaxation and that starts the morning of embarkation.

This is the one reason I would just skip the parks that morning. I'm sure we will be tired from rushing around and it might be nice to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast so we can stay up late that night and enjoy all the ship has to offer. If we get up early so we can be packed and ready to rush over to the park, I'm sure we will be tired that night. But overall, I think we will have plenty of days to relax on board too so will that morning make a difference? That's what I'm weighing in my mind.....and believe me, I go back and forth all the time about it.

 

[Ksquared]

2) If there are experiences (meet and greets, changes in dining, tastings, etc.) that you are hoping to book on board, the later you get on the harder it may be to get those things.

Since this is our first cruise, I don't want to get on later and miss the opportunity to book some stuff on board so this is something definitely to consider.

 

[Ksquared]

One thing I want to add is that it is possible to go TOO EARLY. Especially if you have a later PAT. You may not have booked your PAT (Port Arrival Time) yet. The earliest are like 10 or 10:30. If you don't get one of those, leaving the hotel at 9 or 9:30 will be a waste as you will get to port and just have to wait longer. PAT is tied to boarding time, so getting there early doesn't get you on earlier unless you have an early PAT. And no one gets on until 11:30 or so.

I'm just saying that there is no sense in rushing. We didn't hit the parks that morning, but we had a leisurely breakfast, stopped to get some wine and other items along the way, dropped off our rental car and were still on the ship by about noon or a bit after. You could certainly stay at the parks until 11 or so and have no trouble making the ship. Remember the buses from the WDW hotels won't leave until like 1 PM or so.

Sure, there could always be a crazy incident, but most likely everything will be fine. You aren't planning to cut it close at all.

I definitely would not plan to cut it close regardless if I went to a park or not.....but being new to cruising, I have no idea about Port Arrival Time vs. boarding time etc. so not going early and not going late sounds about right to me...and in this scenario, going to the park is fine.

 

[Ksquared]

This is totally doable. We ate at 8:00am at Garden Grill, were outside Soarin at 8:50, and done by 9:05. You could easily FP test track and be back at the hotel by 10:30. Other options are the character breakfast at Trattoria on the boardwalk (princes/princesses) or at Cape May Cafe (minnie/donald/daisy/goofy) at the Beach Club. We preferred the latter, and did a Cape May breakfast at on our embarkation day last week, as it was super fun to see the all the characters in their "beach party" attire and tell them all we would see them on Castaway Cay

It took us one hour and 15 minutes to get from Beach club to the port.

At least I know my timeline is doable since your timeline above is exactly what I was thinking. I did think about Cape May Cafe as well......that could be allot of fun