Nervous- Walk me through embarking

[cariann77]

We leave on Friday for WDW before our cruise on Monday!! This is our first cruise and I am so nervous that we aren't going to know what we are doing or where to go. Are things pretty self explanatory once you are there or am I going to be as overwhelmed as I think I am?

We are using Disney transportation from the parks to port. Will they handle our bags and making sure that they get on the ship or will we need to get a porter?

We've already signed up for kids club, meet and greets and aren't doing any special dining so we're all set there.

We do want to sign up for the free internet. Do this need to be done right away?

Any other newbie tips are greatly appreciated!! tia

 

[_auroraborealis_]

They're pretty self-explanatory. Honest. There are signs and queues and al that. Disney transport will handle your non-carryon bags.

You will need to check-in for the kids club, but if there is a line at the terminal do it AT the club instead of queuing unless you really dig queues.

I think the free internet has to be signed up first night, but not until you're on-board anyway. Waiting until after lunch is fine.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We leave on Friday for WDW before our cruise on Monday!! This is our first cruise and I am so nervous that we aren't going to know what we are doing or where to go. Are things pretty self explanatory once you are there or am I going to be as overwhelmed as I think I am?

We are using Disney transportation from the parks to port. Will they handle our bags and making sure that they get on the ship or will we need to get a porter?

We've already signed up for kids club, meet and greets and aren't doing any special dining so we're all set there.

We do want to sign up for the free internet. Do this need to be done right away?

Any other newbie tips are greatly appreciated!! tia

First, take a breath.

If you're staying at a WDW resort and using DCL transfers, you'll get a letter in your room the night before embarkation telling you when to have your bags ready for pick up (inside the room). Typically it's around 8:00. And it will also tell you where/when to sign in for your DCL bus. Once your (checked) bags are picked up you won't see them again until they show up at your room onboard. Be sure to keep your carry on bags with you, with your ID, travel info, and other important items.

As noted, you'll still need to confirm the registration at the kid's club, either in the terminal, or once onboard.

The free internet is available as long as you sign up for it by midnight the first night.

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

Lots of cast members are in the port area. They will direct you. Nothing to worry about. As long as You have your passport or whatever ID you are using you are golden.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Some things to keep in mind... Checked bags will not be delivered to your room until after dinner. So MAKE SURE you have anything you are likely to need during the day. For example, I recommend swim trunks for the kids.

What to expect: As Shmoo said, you will get a letter. Just get yourself to the bus. CM's will guide you from there. You will get to the terminal, collect your kids and bags and go thorough a small security scan (like an airport). After that you will go up an escalator. There will be desks to the left and a CM to guide you. You go there and they will give you some information, check you in, give you your cards and everything. You will also be given a boarding group number.

While you wait to get on the boat, you can sign your kids up - there is a desk there for that on the right. They will call boarding groups in order. When your number is called, you will go in the big ears. They will take a family photo of you (please get this - it helps shutters to identify you by facial recognition) and you will then proceed onto the boat. You will only be allowed in common areas until they open the gates (usually around 4pm I think? [edit: 1:30 - that's Shmoo!]). Then you will be allowed to your cabin.

On the first day around 4:30, they will do a life vest check [edit: muster - thanks again!]. Make sure you know where your life vests are and your area that you will need to get to (CM's will be there to help). PLEASE BRING CLOTHES FOR THE KIDS. they may be standing out there for 30+ minutes while cast find everyone and the outside areas can get quite cold although you should be okay in May.

Next, you will need to find dinner, but at this point, you can really relax - the hard stuff is over. There is deck entertainment that will kick off shortly after the life vest drill (the sail away party). Have a great cruise from there!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Checked bags will not be delivered to your room until after dinner.

Certainly not my experience. Most cruises we've had our bags before muster drill. Only once did they arrive after dinner.

open the gates (usually around 4pm I think?). Then you will be allowed to your cabin.

"Gates"? There is a strap across the doorway into the room passageway. They open usually around 1:30.

around 4:30, they will do a life vest check.

Not really a "lifevest check" it's the muster drill, so people know where to go for an emergency, and what to do once there. Yes, they will show you how to put the lifevest on. And it's a good idea to confirm that you have the proper amount and type of lifevest in your room.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Certainly not my experience. Most cruises we've had our bags before muster drill. Only once did they arrive after dinner.


"Gates"? There is a strap across the doorway into the room passageway. They open usually around 1:30.


Not really a "lifevest check" it's the muster drill, so people know where to go for an emergency, and what to do once there. Yes, they will show you how to put the lifevest on. And it's a good idea to confirm that you have the proper amount and type of lifevest in your room.

okay - strap. couldn't remember when the let you back. And I couldn't remember the name of the drill. Give me a break. The important parts were still correct

Admittedly, we have only been on 4 cruises, but in all of them, our bags were delivered while we were at dinner. We were told by our room steward that was how it was usually done. Maybe we were just unlucky.

 

[PurplePencil]

Just to let you know, you will not get a lanyard for your card (unless your DVC) since it is you first cruise. I HIGHLY suggest buying or making one for the kids, as it is easy loose otherwise

 

[cariann77]

Thank you!!! This was all very helpful info. I really appreciate it. I'm always the vacation planner in the family so the kids and my husband will look to me to know what they are doing. With it being our first cruise ever, I have no idea what to expect.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Oh... I forgot to answer. You can sign up for the "free" internet at anytime. [Edit: Shmoo says I am wrong on this one, so please do it embarkation day...] HOWEVER, I would download the DCL app if you get a chance. It has a map of the ship and a messaging system if all your family has it (instead of the wave phones), which can be really useful. There is no charge for using it, so get it now.

If you choose to use the internet - personally, I do what I need, then log off. if you leave your phone logged in, you will burn through those free megabits in no time. You can visit a CM at the customer service desk who can help you disable background apps in your phone, but I still find it better to just remember to log off when I am not actively using it.

My personal recommendation though.... TRY to live without the internet for a few days. You may think you can't, and it will be hard at first. However, you will find your cruise much more relaxing if you can unplug for a bit. I understand it's not always possible. Just a suggestion.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Thank you!!! This was all very helpful info. I really appreciate it. I'm always the vacation planner in the family so the kids and my husband will look to me to know what they are doing. With it being our first cruise ever, I have no idea what to expect.

It's difficult to plan for a cruise. It's not like the world. You mostly have to relax. You will have a GREAT time!

Like everything else Disney, get yourself to the bus and they will guide you from there. Disney is very good at herding people and not letting any of their little charges wander too far off course. Once on the ship, there are always CM's around and they will always tell you what to do. The captain or cruise director will make announcements about things you don't want to miss. They will deliver a navigator to your cabin every night telling you what is happening the next day. Your waiter at the dining room (who by the way will be with you every night and move dining rooms with you) is happy to help you as well and usually can tell you a lot about what is going on. They will be happy to provide suggestions as well about things not to miss.

If you make or have reservations, they will drop an invitation to your room (tucked in to the fish outside your cabin door) the day before so you don't forget. They will also drop off tickets for shore excursions if you purchased any.

The cabin lights are annoying (if you ask me) because you are supposed to put your card in the slot for the lights to turn on. Just put any card in there and it works. Bring along some spare plastic card (like a library card or something) and leave it in there all the time. Put a magnet on it and it sticks to the wall so you don't lose it!

When it comes to cruises, you will find that unlike Disney World, the mouse has done a lot of the planning for you this time. Cruises are meant to be relaxing.

Oh - don't miss the shows. They are fabulous. They are on twice every night opposite the dining rotation and worth it. The welcome show the cruise director will usually come out for a bit and give you some idea of what to expect, so go to that.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

You can sign up for the "free" internet at anytime.

The free 50MB package is only available up until midnight the first (embarkation) day.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

The free 50MB package is only available up until midnight the first (embarkation) day.

Weird. I could swear that the one cruise I did it on, it was available the 2nd day cause I didn't do anything on embarkation day.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Weird. I could swear that the one cruise I did it on, it was available the 2nd day cause I didn't do anything on embarkation day.

Possibly there was a problem on that cruise and they extended it, but it's generally only the first day:

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Possibly there was a problem on that cruise and they extended it, but it's generally only the first day:
View attachment 235232

Yeah - I corrected that post. Thanks for the fact checks!

 

[tivo4me1]

One other thing for the original poster, especially if she's a planner....the first few hours of any cruise can feel crazily hectic. You're dealing with luggage, bus transportation, registration, a busy terminal, the lure of Mickey (or whichever character is stuck doing meet-and-greets at the terminal), dragging your carry-on bags around the ship, figuring out where to eat lunch, waiting for your luggage to be delivered, finding your cabin on the loooong corridors, getting to the muster drill on time, etc. For what it's worth, on my first cruise this was all almost overwhelming. Now that I've done more than a few (with another starting a week from Friday!!), I always just approach those first few hours as a necessary, frantic evil. Once you get to the sail away party, you're going to start to feel more in a Disney mood, and by the end of dinner on that first night, you'll be getting ready for one of the most fun, but also relaxing, vacations you can image. Just don't let the first few hours of craziness get you down....you're gonna love it.

 

[chaseg03]

Some things to keep in mind... Checked bags will not be delivered to your room until after dinner."

We have always received ours before dinner. Often before sail away.

 

[elvispursley]

This! We've never received our after dinner (and it's a good thing since we tend to all change for dinner, even on the first night)

 

[clten]

OP, there are people to direct you through the whole process. As others have said, since you are taking the bus from the resort, you will get a letter the night before that gives you details on luggage pick-up and meeting the bus. If you have any questions on this part, the morning of the cruise, there will be a cruise representative in the lobby of the resort (generally where they tell you to meet for the bus), I have found the resort workers don't know the answers to your bus or cruise questions so don't bother. You'll recognize them by their uniform -- they have light blue "sailor" type tops. While they start luggage pick-up at 8, you do not need to be in your room for them to collect your luggage. If you won't be there, make sure your carry on luggage is well separated from the bags you want them to take (which you should place just inside the door).

Taking the bus from the resort to the port can be the most convenient but is not the fastest way to get there. So just know your pick up won't be until closer to 11am/12pm and your arrival to the port may be closer to 1 - depending on how many stops you have to make before heading to the port. So we usually just plan a relaxing morning at our resort.

Once you are at the port, the bus drops you off just outside the entrance. You will go in and go through security - just like at the airport with metal detectors and bags being x-rayed. Once through there, the only way to go is up -- the escalators or the elevators. At the top, there will be individuals there to give you a medical form to complete and direct you to the right line. Once you are checked in, chance are (unless things are very behind) you will be able to walk right on the ship. In Port Canaveral, you can't miss the way to the gangplank -- right though the Mickey Ears.

I know it's nerve wracking since you haven't done it before but Disney makes it easy and has people to guide you all the way through. So relax, it will all be fine!

Once onboard, your rooms are typically available at 1:30, so if you are there before then, you do have to carry around your hand luggage until 1:30. Do download the DCL app before you get on the ship - you can use that throughout the cruise without using any internet. You do have to sign up for the free internet package the first day. I usually wait until we are settled in the cabin -- there will be an information sheet in there to guide you through the process. Luggage starts being delivered shortly after cabins are opened and most is delivered by time the muster drill is over. So you may get lucky and get it early or you may be one of the last and if you head to the Sail Away deck party right after the muster drill, not see your luggage until right before 1st dining/show.

Enjoy your cruise. Hope you budgeted $250 to at least book a placeholder for the next cruise you will want to do!

 

[mammacaryn]

If you think your kids or you may want to do pools upon boarding or before rooms open, just wear your suits under your clothes (we always do this with the kids). Like others have stated, plenty of folks around to answer questions and help you out, don't hesitate to ask cast members questions. This is our first cruise with the new navigator app which looks great and much easier than the wave phones. Generally we disconnect but will use the free wifi for this. Also, we've done 4 cruises one on each ship and have ALWAYS gotten our luggage in plenty of time to unpack and change for dinner! RELAX AND HAVE FUN!