Is Port Arrival Time linked to flight arrival time?

[Lisa Lisa]

I finished online check-in a little while ago for our 3/23/13 cruise, and I ended up with a 1:30-2:00 port arrival time. I made the mistake of booking excursions and onboard activities first but, even still, I got to the PAT step of the online check-in process by about 12:15. Our flight gets into MCO at 11:04 a.m., and now I'm wondering whether DCL prevented me from choosing an earlier time because of our flight arrival time. In any case, we should be at the terminal well before 1:30 and I'm not looking forward to yet another wait!

 

[shburks]

I finished online check-in a little while ago for our 3/23/13 cruise, and I ended up with a 1:30-2:00 port arrival time. I made the mistake of booking excursions and onboard activities first but, even still, I got to the PAT step of the online check-in process by about 12:15. Our flight gets into MCO at 11:04 a.m., and now I'm wondering whether DCL prevented me from choosing an earlier time because of our flight arrival time. In any case, we should be at the terminal well before 1:30 and I'm not looking forward to yet another wait!

No. It's not. It's just what was available when you got to choose your PAT. Hopefully the port area will have cleared out and they'll be allowing everyone to board by then.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

I hope so, too! I still find it hard to believe, though, that at 12:15 a.m. 90 days out, the earliest PAT was 1:30-2:00.

 

[shburks]

I hope so, too! I still find it hard to believe, though, that at 12:15 a.m. 90 days out, the earliest PAT was 1:30-2:00.

I bet it's just because its a spring break cruise!

 

[Lisa Lisa]

I just moved our arrival time up an hour, and several earlier PATs opened up. This is important to know now that airport check-in and priority boarding for passengers taking DCL transportation are gone. DCL requires flight info as part of the online check-in process, and IMO they are padding things WAY too much. If we land at MCO at 11:04 a.m., it will not take us until 1:30-2:00 to get to the port.

Now my only concern is the fake arrival time I entered and whether that could present problems down the line. We booked our airfare on our own, though, so they're not going to hold the ship for us if we're late anyway.

 

[kcashner]

There is no relationship between your scheduled flight arrival and the available terminal arrival times. Also, there is minimal relationship between your scheduled terminal arrival time and the time you will actually be alcalllowed to board the ship.

What I would expect in your case--arrive at MCO at 11:04 (if you are lucky and flight is on time). Be at the Welcome Center by ???11:20 and on bus by 11:30. Arrive at terminal somewhere close to 12:30. It could be as late as 1 if everything doesn't run on schedule. Check in. By this time, they have probably called "open boarding" and you will be able to walk right on, or they are getting close and you'll have a minimal wait.

 

[woody73]

. . . Our flight gets into MCO at 11:04 a.m.

. . . What I would expect in your case--arrive at MCO at 11:04 (if you are lucky and flight is on time). Be at the Welcome Center by ???11:20 and on bus by 11:30.

Just curious -- what about checked luggage?

Woody

 

[Lisa Lisa]

There is no relationship between your scheduled flight arrival and the available terminal arrival times. Also, there is minimal relationship between your scheduled terminal arrival time and the time you will actually be alcalllowed to board the ship.

What I would expect in your case--arrive at MCO at 11:04 (if you are lucky and flight is on time). Be at the Welcome Center by ???11:20 and on bus by 11:30. Arrive at terminal somewhere close to 12:30. It could be as late as 1 if everything doesn't run on schedule. Check in. By this time, they have probably called "open boarding" and you will be able to walk right on, or they are getting close and you'll have a minimal wait.

I actually did the math pretty much the same way, which is why I was planning to choose 12:30-1:00 as our PAT. When I entered our actual arrival time at MCO, though, all PATs before 1:30-2:00 were grayed out. This morning I changed our flight arrival time to 9:04, and all the PATs from 11:30 on opened up. I then changed it to 10:04, and all PATs from 12:30 on opened up. I ended up choosing 12:30-1:00. It may be the case that DCL has announced open boarding by the time we get there, but I wanted to hedge our bets!

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Just curious -- what about checked luggage?

Woody

Because we are taking DCL transportation, they will take our checked luggage from the airport to the ship, and vice versa.

 

[kcashner]

If you have DCL transfers, you do not need to claim your luggage at MCO. Disney has the system set up so that the bags with DCL or WDW tags on them are pulled before they would have been placed on the luggage carousel--this prevents idiots from taking the wrong bags! (in past years, this was the leading cause of missing Disney bags!)

You can choose to claim your own bags--in that case, do not put the DCL tags on them till you have claimed them. However, the purchase of DCL transfers at MCO includes the luggage handling in the seamless, "Magical" fashion.

 

[woody73]

Because we are taking DCL transportation, they will take our checked luggage from the airport to the ship, and vice versa.

If you have DCL transfers, you do not need to claim your luggage at MCO. Disney has the system set up so that the bags with DCL or WDW tags on them are pulled before they would have been placed on the luggage carousel . . .

Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like a great service for those who can use it.

Since we fly in from the west coast, we arrive at MCO at least a day early. So unfortunately the luggage service is not a option for us.

Woody

 

[kcashner]

Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like a great service for those who can use it.

Since we fly in from the west coast, we arrive at MCO at least a day early. So unfortunately the luggage service is not a option for us.

Woody

Yes, that is the downside to flying in the night before. Of course, you have no choice in the matter.

The other ports that I've used do not have this service available regardless of transportation choice. At the other airports, we've needed to claim our own bags and taken them to meet the DCL transportation.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like a great service for those who can use it.

Woody

I agree. I'm disappointed that we won't be able to check in for the cruise at the airport and will have to wait in line again at the terminal, but the luggage handling still makes DCL transfers worthwhile IMO.

Sorry you won't be able to utilize the service, but on the plus side, you will have much more control over how and when you get to the port!

 

[woody73]

Yes, that is the downside to flying in the night before. Of course, you have no choice in the matter.

That's right -- no choice whatsoever.

The earliest flight from LAX to MCO leaves at 6:00 am and arrives at 4:00 pm. That just won't do. So we have to fly in at least a day before.

Woody

 

[shburks]

That's right -- no choice whatsoever.

The earliest flight from LAX to MCO leaves at 6:00 am and arrives at 4:00 pm. That just won't do. So we have to fly in at least a day before.

Woody

We're flying from PHL in January and I'm just not chancing a weather issue and flying in the day before. Well, maybe I should say giving myself a larger window for delays!! Regardless, we'll be there the night before, too, and have to get our luggage for the night at Hyatt MCO but at least it'll be taken care of the following morning. Hyatt and DCL coordinate to get it from my room to ship.

 

[kcashner]

Arriving in Orlando the day before the cruise is a much better option for the vast majority of us. Those on the west coast have no option, but for me, it is a much better way to start a vacation. If I fly in the day of the cruise, I have to be up before the crack of dawn, hope there are no delays, canceled flights, missed connections, etc. and arrive at the terminal a bit frazzled. If I fly in a day ahead, I have a lot more options if something doesn't go as scheduled. Best case, all goes as planned, I get a good night of sleep and arrive at the terminal ready to start my vacation.