Online Check-in today - can't select PAT

[UNDDisney]

Today is online check-in for our June cruise. This is our 4th cruise and the first time I have encountered being unable to select a Port Arrival Time. The website message says I do not need to select a time because I am using Disney transfers. We are flying in to MCO the day before our cruise, so I was hoping to get an early PAT. Does anyone have any experience/guidance for this? Thanks!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Today is online check-in for our June cruise. This is our 4th cruise and the first time I have encountered being unable to select a Port Arrival Time. The website message says I do not need to select a time because I am using Disney transfers. We are flying in to MCO the day before our cruise, so I was hoping to get an early PAT. Does anyone have any experience/guidance for this? Thanks!

Even though you are flying in the day before, are you using the DCL transfers from MCO or WDW? If so, then DCL changed things since you last cruised. Anyone using the DCL transfers doesn't select a PAT now. You show up when you show up and your boarding number is assigned based on when you check in.

 

[UNDDisney]

Thanks @Maggie'sMom! Our transfers are from MCO. We just purchased airfare last week and it was much cheaper to fly in the day before, so we will shuttle to a nearby airport hotel and then shuttle back to MCO the next morning to catch the Disney shuttle. Thanks so much for the quick response!

 

[annacali]

Thanks @Maggie'sMom! Our transfers are from MCO. We just purchased airfare last week and it was much cheaper to fly in the day before, so we will shuttle to a nearby airport hotel and then shuttle back to MCO the next morning to catch the Disney shuttle. Thanks so much for the quick response!

We did exactly this 2 weeks ago. We got back to the airport by 10, walked right on to a DCL bus and were at the port by 11. We were in boarding group 11 so on the boat less than 30 min after boarding started.

As a bonus we were able to completely surprise my teens with the spring break cruise--we told them we had a 1 night layover in Orlando before we had to head back to the airport to get to our real spring break surprise destination. They thought we were getting back on a plane and didn't figure it out until we were standing in front of the DCL bus!

 

[Marie Fletcher]

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[panda123]

It sounds like some people who did DCL transfers and therefore could not select a PAT ended up with lower boarding group numbers when they checked in at the port. Sometimes group 15. A few folks mentioned being able to persuade the cast member to get them a lower group number when they explained that they assumed transfers would get a lower boarding number.
I've been considering removing transfers from my current reservation so that I can select an early PAT and then adding DCL transfers a few days later. When I did that for my December cruise, I was able to get a 10:30 PAT and boarding group 3.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

It sounds like some people who did DCL transfers and therefore could not select a PAT ended up with lower boarding group numbers when they checked in at the port. Sometimes group 15. A few folks mentioned being able to persuade the cast member to get them a lower group number when they explained that they assumed transfers would get a lower boarding number.
I've been considering removing transfers from my current reservation so that I can select an early PAT and then adding DCL transfers a few days later. When I did that for my December cruise, I was able to get a 10:30 PAT and boarding group 3.

A few weeks ago, there was a thread with DCL transfer folks and boarding numbers. From the reports on that thread, it was very consistent that those who got a PAT before booking the transfers got a low number, while those who booked transfers before check in got high boarding numbers.