Live from the PC Terminal 8/2/11

[twindaddy]

Arrived at the terminal from WDW in our own car. Pulled up about 10:45 and were allowed to unload and go into terminal right at 11:00. Our port arrival time via online check-in was 2:00.

We were thru security and checked in at terminal by 11:30. CM at check-in said she would move us up from boarding group 33 to group 20. They are currently boarding up to group 6.

Has been a VERY smooth experience and now we just hope for good weather!

This mean they are not enforcing the port arrival times, and they are just a suggestion? So basically all of this consternation by the Dis family has been for nothing?

It appears we're getting conflicting stories...

No kidding!

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

Any of the characters out for photos? With the new system I am wondering if that part is still going to happen ,hopefully with smaller lines?!

 

[molarman]

So much for enforcing port arrival times and keeping the crowds down in the terminal.

They may be enforcing it by giving boarding numbers according to arrival time. Wenarrived at the same time (11:00) with 11:00-11:30 arrival time and were given boarding group #5!! Boarding times were handwritten on a business card and weren't pre-printed as we had on our March MR cruise. The terminal wasn't packed at all at 11:40 when we boarded. It is working well.

 

[triptaker]

We arrived at the PC Budget Car Return around 10:15. <snip> Has anybody else notice them enforcing arrival times? <snip>

This is what a TA posted on facebook this morning:

Things really went very well today. They began boarding at 1130am and the terminal never got crowded. They are still not enforcing check-in times assigned online but are saying they will at some point. <snip>

Don't know that that answers any questions, as I'm not sure when "at some point" will be.

 

[truck1]

This is what a TA posted on facebook this morning:

Things really went very well today. They began boarding at 1130am and the terminal never got crowded. They are still not enforcing check-in times assigned online but are saying they will at some point. <snip>

Don't know that that answers any questions, as I'm not sure when "at some point" will be.

This mean they are not enforcing the port arrival times, and they are just a suggestion? So basically all of this consternation by the Dis family has been for nothing?



No kidding!

I think it is the way it is written/its intent.(basically keeping the terminal from over occupancy) I called a few times to ask about it, and the way it was explained to me,(several times, though I did have a few agents that didnt even know that the terminal time had/was changing) is that it will be enforced, if and when the terminal reaches its capacity. If for what ever reason, the terminal never reached its capcity, there was no need to turn any one away. Now if they terminal can accomodate say 1000, and there was 1500 in the terminal,(1000 in and 500 outside) and waiting outside, then the terminal would close until the occupancy was back below 1000. This would also include the DCL busses. If a bus arrived at that time, the guests would have be held on the bus.

 

[klcason]

I think it is the way it is written/its intent.(basically keeping the terminal from over occupancy) I called a few times to ask about it, and the way it was explained to me,(several times, though I did have a few agents that didnt even know that the terminal time had/was changing) is that it will be enforced, if and when the terminal reaches its capacity. If for what ever reason, the terminal never reached its capcity, there was no need to turn any one away. Now if they terminal can accomodate say 1000, and there was 1500 in the terminal,(1000 in and 500 outside) and waiting outside, then the terminal would close until the occupancy was back below 1000. This would also include the DCL busses. If a bus arrived at that time, the guests would have be held on the bus.

Well said!

Hopefully folks will sign up for a port arrival time when they plan to get there. Of course there will be a small percentage who can't get the time they want. They will either conform or not. But if the bulk of the folks go when they are assigned the problem should at least be better! Hopefully

 

[DMMarla07860]

well from reading the thread it seems to me things went pretty smoothly I guess, which is good since I'm platinum and don't have to pick a time, although I guess things could change from now till February 2012 when I cruise the Dream again

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Sound's like it went really really well for DCL and the Port Authority and was pretty much a non-event!

(No one has posted pictures of a bloody nose or fight yet! lol!)

Local Police and other road users might have been inconvenienced with road jams, but on the whole due to the lack of complaints on the DCL DISboard, the messages that DCL never sent out or "were never read" worked to some extent and most have had a smooth and uncroweded boarding!

DCL or Port Canaveral Authority for your efforts today, must have been hard dealing with the few that will have been aggressive and rude!

Ex Techie

 

[Zandy595]

I'm very encouraged by the reports of smooth check-in and boarding. The only thing I'm a little worried about is the traffic lining up outside the terminal. DH has no patience when there are traffic problems. I think, to try to avoid that, we'll get there around 11:30am, instead of right at 11am. We have an 11-11:30 arrival time.

And who knows, maybe they'll figure out a way to deal with that traffic too.

*** My TA posted on fb that the parking garage was open before 11am and people were allowed to park and line up on level 3 until the terminal opened.

 

[DiscerningMom]

We will be on the cruise on the 7th, too! Do you have any concerns about TSE? (and I don't mean T.S. Eliot!

 

[DiscerningMom]

We will be on the cruise on the 7th, too! Do you have any concerns about TSE? (and I don't mean T.S. Eliot!

 

[MaleficentRN]

well from reading the thread it seems to me things went pretty smoothly I guess, which is good since I'm platinum and don't have to pick a time, although I guess things could change from now till February 2012 when I cruise the Dream again

This is what I am wondering about. If you are sailing in concierge or a platinum member, what is the benefit of lining up at 11am with everyone else and boarding at the same time?

 

[jrbdad]

This is what I am wondering about. If you are sailing in concierge or a platinum member, what is the benefit of lining up at 11am with everyone else and boarding at the same time?

I would think, maybe, to be one of the first onboard? Hard to know exactly when boarding will start - I'd get there when the terminal opened for that perk. But, maybe by the time I'm Platinum it won't be that important?

Good question.

 

[kritter]

This is what I am wondering about. If you are sailing in concierge or a platinum member, what is the benefit of lining up at 11am with everyone else and boarding at the same time?

I am sailing Concierge on the 16th and was wondering the same thing!!

 

[DSquare]

IMO the only reason to be there early is the chance to grab an upgrade. These are probably few and far between on the Dream but the Magic (in Sept-Oct) usually have upgrades available to purchase.

 

[kritter]

IMO the only reason to be there early is the chance to grab an upgrade. These are probably few and far between on the Dream but the Magic (in Sept-Oct) usually have upgrades available to purchase.

We are on the Aug. 16th Dream and it is totally sold out!!

 

[tinker6]

We are on the Aug. 16th Dream and it is totally sold out!!

My concern would be you if are leaving on a Saturday or Sunday - and there are many other ships in port also. What kind of traffic backup will there be then? I am concerned since we will be sailing out on a Sunday.

 

[jrbdad]

We are on the Aug. 16th Dream and it is totally sold out!!

We were on the 7/5 sailing, it was sold-out, and we were lucky enough to score an upgrade to concierge due to a last minute cancellation by another passenger.

We didn't make the switch until after dinner on the first night - so we missed out on the early boarding, but we has #2 so it was all good .

Just saying - you never know.

 

[kathi]

I don't think they will be allowed to continue with that line of cars. It's a public safety hazard and I doubt the traffic authorities will let that go on indefinitely.

 

[mesaboy2]

I don't think they will be allowed to continue with that line of cars. It's a public safety hazard and I doubt the traffic authorities will let that go on indefinitely.

Huh?