We last cruised a year ago on the Disney Fantasy before the dry dock. Just wanted to share some notes about logistics and some differences I noticed on the first day.
Dcl transfers at MCO, now uses characters to organize groups by bus for check in as you arrive. Got there at 7:30am. among first to get pass for the first bus. At 8am, they were still handing out for the first bus, but that quickly transitioned to other busses after that. Saw concierge line at check in as well but didn't notice anyone taking advantage of it.
A woman at the dcl transfers desk was able to confirm that all of our luggage that we had labeled pre flight for the cruise was headed for the ship.
At about 8:50 the first bus had arrived and the check in process for the bus began and they called for groups with Captain Hook to get in line. Huge improvement over the past process where they tried to not have anyone stand in line until the first bus arrived, but still let people line up starting at 8:45 even if the bus didn't arrive until much later. Last year there was additional delay due to fog before the first bus arrived so we we're standing a good long time.
First bus got us to the port at about 10:05am and we were the first to enter the terminal.
My husband had trouble getting through security at the port due to his Nintendo switch. They thought it was a Nintendo Wii which they disallow on the ship as they don't want people to try to configure cables into the state room TV. Husband had to explain and confirm with the supervisor that the switch is a fully portable console and did not need to hook up to the TV. They allowed him to bring it on.
At check-in, they gave us the kids club bands since we had already done online check in. Did not need to go to the separate kids club check-in in the terminal in order to get the bands, although it was available for those who had not done online check-in. This was a nice improvement over last year.
Mickey came out for pictures at 10:45am in front of the model ship. One of the cast members mentioned he typically comes out at 10:45am or 11am. There were people who started standing in line for him at about 10:30am.
We were in group 3, PAT of 10:30am, got onto the ship at 11:35.
Waited in line at guest services for the gingerbread house tickets. Options were for the Thursday, sea day at 8:30, 10:30, and 11:30am in Animators Palate.
I didn't notice Coke zero in any of the soda dispensers except on Castaway Cay. It was available, in a can, for an additional charge, about $2, from the bars.
I also wanted to highlight Joaquin who was one of the shutters photographers. On the first night, he was doing casual photos in front of the white background. We went after dinner and the show and there was no line. He ended up being our favorite photographer the whole trip. He spent about 10-15 minutes with us, going through different poses. It felt like a private session and they we're some of the best family pictures we've ever had. He was excellent with the kids and checked whether the picture came out after each one, whether everyone had their eyes open and when one of the flashes wasn't working, fixed it and asked if we wanted to retake those poses because the lighting wasn't right. The pictures he took were some of the best.
Another nice change was to the on board booking line waiting. You can tap your card to get in a virtual line and they'll buzz you on the wave phone when you're next in line. They have your place in line displayed prominently on a screen in the area as well.
Happy to answer any questions and I hope these notes are helpful for someone.
Dcl transfers at MCO, now uses characters to organize groups by bus for check in as you arrive. Got there at 7:30am. among first to get pass for the first bus. At 8am, they were still handing out for the first bus, but that quickly transitioned to other busses after that. Saw concierge line at check in as well but didn't notice anyone taking advantage of it.
A woman at the dcl transfers desk was able to confirm that all of our luggage that we had labeled pre flight for the cruise was headed for the ship.
At about 8:50 the first bus had arrived and the check in process for the bus began and they called for groups with Captain Hook to get in line. Huge improvement over the past process where they tried to not have anyone stand in line until the first bus arrived, but still let people line up starting at 8:45 even if the bus didn't arrive until much later. Last year there was additional delay due to fog before the first bus arrived so we we're standing a good long time.
First bus got us to the port at about 10:05am and we were the first to enter the terminal.
My husband had trouble getting through security at the port due to his Nintendo switch. They thought it was a Nintendo Wii which they disallow on the ship as they don't want people to try to configure cables into the state room TV. Husband had to explain and confirm with the supervisor that the switch is a fully portable console and did not need to hook up to the TV. They allowed him to bring it on.
At check-in, they gave us the kids club bands since we had already done online check in. Did not need to go to the separate kids club check-in in the terminal in order to get the bands, although it was available for those who had not done online check-in. This was a nice improvement over last year.
Mickey came out for pictures at 10:45am in front of the model ship. One of the cast members mentioned he typically comes out at 10:45am or 11am. There were people who started standing in line for him at about 10:30am.
We were in group 3, PAT of 10:30am, got onto the ship at 11:35.
Waited in line at guest services for the gingerbread house tickets. Options were for the Thursday, sea day at 8:30, 10:30, and 11:30am in Animators Palate.
I didn't notice Coke zero in any of the soda dispensers except on Castaway Cay. It was available, in a can, for an additional charge, about $2, from the bars.
I also wanted to highlight Joaquin who was one of the shutters photographers. On the first night, he was doing casual photos in front of the white background. We went after dinner and the show and there was no line. He ended up being our favorite photographer the whole trip. He spent about 10-15 minutes with us, going through different poses. It felt like a private session and they we're some of the best family pictures we've ever had. He was excellent with the kids and checked whether the picture came out after each one, whether everyone had their eyes open and when one of the flashes wasn't working, fixed it and asked if we wanted to retake those poses because the lighting wasn't right. The pictures he took were some of the best.
Another nice change was to the on board booking line waiting. You can tap your card to get in a virtual line and they'll buzz you on the wave phone when you're next in line. They have your place in line displayed prominently on a screen in the area as well.
Happy to answer any questions and I hope these notes are helpful for someone.
