Platinum Check In

[robandkelly13]

Hi! We will finally be Platinum on our upcoming cruise. I've heard we can check in at the concierge desk. Can someone tell me how the check in and boarding process works? Also, are there any "surprise" perks to platinum that aren't listed on the Castaway Club site?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi! We will finally be Platinum on our upcoming cruise. I've heard we can check in at the concierge desk. Can someone tell me how the check in and boarding process works? Also, are there any "surprise" perks to platinum that aren't listed on the Castaway Club site?

Thanks in advance!

Check in for Platinum is much the same as it is for everyone - except there is a separate check in counter for Concierge/Platinum Castaway Club members. Same boarding process. When you check in you'll be given a boarding pass with a number (#1). Boarding number 1 is called immediately after Concierge guests are boarded.

I've not run across any surprise perks. They're pretty much spelled out on the website.

 

[Sytrace]

Hi! We will finally be Platinum on our upcoming cruise. I've heard we can check in at the concierge desk. Can someone tell me how the check in and boarding process works? Also, are there any "surprise" perks to platinum that aren't listed on the Castaway Club site?

Thanks in advance!

PrincessShmoo is correct. There is a separate check in area for platinum (just did this a couple of weeks ago) and there was no line there at all. Just walked up and checked in, which was nice. Then you would go to where you would normally go to wait for your boarding group to be called. Concierge are in another section close to where they check in.

No other perks other than those listed that I can recall, but the past couple of times I was given $10.00 off a Rainforest length of cruise pass and of course the merchandise discount in the shops. And you can choose a box of truffles, a fruit platter or apple cider as an in cabin gift.

 

[waggles02673]

As mentioned in prior posts you check in at the Concierge checkin desk and will be in boarding group 1. Also you don't have to select a port arrival time and you will get an extra gift in your stateroom as a Platinum member. Room service will call you and ask what you would like and what the offerings are. Finally you get a free Palo Meal or Brunch for each member in your stateroom that is a Platinum member.

 

[DCLSailing]

Boarding party #1 is one of my favorite perks! Before Platinum we had a #2 on our card a couple times and that was pretty great too. I've checked in both at the Concierge and regular desk. It also takes off some of the pressure of arriving early.

 

[Trera]

As mentioned in prior posts you check in at the Concierge checkin desk and will be in boarding group 1. Also you don't have to select a port arrival time and you will get an extra gift in your stateroom as a Platinum member. Room service will call you and ask what you would like and what the offerings are. Finally you get a free Palo Meal or Brunch for each member in your stateroom that is a Platinum member.

Unless of course they are too young to go to Palo, LOL. ( this is the case with our 3 yr old DD) Although she did have the chocolate souffle when we stayed in the Roy suite on our last cruise.

 

[Quellman]

Unless of course they are too young to go to Palo, LOL. ( this is the case with our 3 yr old DD) Although she did have the chocolate souffle when we stayed in the Roy suite on our last cruise.

A three year old with Platinum is really crazy! Our three year old will be one cruise short of Gold before he turns 4.

 

[Trera]

A three year old with Platinum is really crazy! Our three year old will be one cruise short of Gold before he turns 4.

We have a good cry every time we look back at how much we have spent sailing DCL the last few years.................but you know what? it makes her so happy which in turn makes us happy.

 

[Quellman]

We have a good cry every time we look back at how much we have spent sailing DCL the last few years.................but you know what? it makes her so happy which in turn makes us happy.

I agree. I choose to spend my money on family things and Disney makes up a big chunk of it. Despite being 12 hours by car away, we got annual passes this year as well!

 

[Trera]

I agree. I choose to spend my money on family things and Disney makes up a big chunk of it. Despite being 12 hours by car away, we got annual passes this year as well!

I have 3 older kids and one thing I realized is that time goes by so quickly and once they are teenagers the fascination with Disney wears off................ so we work extra hard at enjoying time with our little one!

We just renewed our passes a couple of weeks ago. I would say we average going to WDW about once a month.

It helps that we live 3 min from WDW and 60 min from Port Canaveral

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Finally you get a free Palo Meal or Brunch for each member in your stateroom that is a Platinum member.

Actually, the free meal is for the Platinum member and all guests staying in the same room who are 18 and over.

 

[WDBRDWLK]

We are also platinum and love that we do not need to choose an arrival time, but I will say that DCL needs to do something about all the people who gather around the area near the entrance who do not have boarding #1. On our last cruise, I saw people holding their embarkation cards with the #3 and up just crowding the area. It made it really hard to get to the end of the #2 line. I even heard people say we were cutting in front of them, (they were holding #4) and I politely said that I was a platinum member with an embarkation #2 and was making my way to the front to board. DCL does make the annoucements on which embarkation card number is next but I think they need to have more cast members guiding the guests as to where they need to be.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are also platinum and love that we do not need to choose an arrival time, but I will say that DCL needs to do something about all the people who gather around the area near the entrance who do not have boarding #1. On our last cruise, I saw people holding their embarkation cards with the #3 and up just crowding the area. It made it really hard to get to the end of the #2 line. I even heard people say we were cutting in front of them, (they were holding #4) and I politely said that I was a platinum member with an embarkation #2 and was making my way to the front to board. DCL does make the annoucements on which embarkation card number is next but I think they need to have more cast members guiding the guests as to where they need to be.

Amen.

 

[WDBRDWLK]

I have 3 older kids and one thing I realized is that time goes by so quickly and once they are teenagers the fascination with Disney wears off................ so we work extra hard at enjoying time with our little one!

We just renewed our passes a couple of weeks ago. I would say we average going to WDW about once a month.

It helps that we live 3 min from WDW and 60 min from Port Canaveral

Our DS, when he was a teenager, did not want to hang out with us, even at Disney.. that all changed after college! We were his free vacation. Now that he is married and has a family of his own, we do a family vacation about every 18 months using our DVC resort.

Our DD on the other hand, always wanted to go to WDW with us and still does. Her and her husband were there this week and will be heading home on Sunday.

I am so jealous that you live so close to WDW!.. I would be there all the time!

 

[Trera]

Our DS, when he was a teenager, did not want to hang out with us, even at Disney.. that all changed after college! We were his free vacation. Now that he is married and has a family of his own, we do a family vacation about every 18 months using our DVC resort.

Our DD on the other hand, always wanted to go to WDW with us and still does. Her and her husband were there this week and will be heading home on Sunday.

I am so jealous that you live so close to WDW!.. I would be there all the time!

well, we think going once a month is all the time, lol. It seems like there is always so much going on during the weekends that we have a hard time going more than that.

I grew up in Orlando and our 3 year old DD has been to Disney more times than I went between birth and 21.

 

[Trera]

Amen.

Strongly agree also. Boarding the ship should be fun and exciting............and when you are struggling to get into the line and getting pushed out of the way with higher boarding numbers sneaking their way in it really puts a damper on the experience sometimes.

 

[Sytrace]

We are also platinum and love that we do not need to choose an arrival time, but I will say that DCL needs to do something about all the people who gather around the area near the entrance who do not have boarding #1. On our last cruise, I saw people holding their embarkation cards with the #3 and up just crowding the area. It made it really hard to get to the end of the #2 line. I even heard people say we were cutting in front of them, (they were holding #4) and I politely said that I was a platinum member with an embarkation #2 and was making my way to the front to board. DCL does make the annoucements on which embarkation card number is next but I think they need to have more cast members guiding the guests as to where they need to be.

This recent cruise there was definitely more CM activity and better control of the crowd for the majority of the time. There was a definite effort to keep the center clear and have people stand to the sides. They even had CM's asking to see your BG card to check that you were in groups 1, 2 or even 3. It was looking very favorable indeed!
And then the group of 10 adults who shoved their way in front of my 14 year old to be first thru the Mickey ears.
Oh well, maybe next time.

 

[ratt1345]

I was just on my 10th cruise this past October. So I will get to do my first cruise as a platinum member when we sail out of NYC this coming October for our Canadian coast cruise. It will be nice to have a free Palo meal.

 

[pudinhd]

As mentioned in prior posts you check in at the Concierge checkin desk and will be in boarding group 1. Also you don't have to select a port arrival time and you will get an extra gift in your stateroom as a Platinum member. Room service will call you and ask what you would like and what the offerings are. Finally you get a free Palo Meal or Brunch for each member in your stateroom that is a Platinum member.

I was not aware that you could choose a free brunch or dinner. That is very helpful to know! Thanks!

 

[NAB]

I was not aware that you could choose a free brunch or dinner. That is very helpful to know! Thanks!

I think we can not choose brunch not sure where I heard that though.

It is not apple cider either it is sparkling wine, five truffle chocolates , or fruit tray with Kiwi, strawberries , apples and more.

Receive 6 yellow bingo cards with any bingo purchase.

$10 discount on 3 day pass to the Rainforest room

10% discount select merchandise onboard the ship...no discount on Castaway Cay

Invited to the reception as well. This time they took pictures with Mickey at the table and not up on the stage. At the end they give you Mickey Head rice krispie sucker things. If you want the ones with chocolate on them go out sooner then later none left when we did...even went back to look for us.

You go on board after the family of the day goes on , boarding #1 we have done this twice now but found out that boarding seems to start before the eating places are open. We had to wait 15 minutes at the Garden one because we got on the ship at 11:30 and it didn't open until 11:45 same as upstairs at Cabanas they didn't have it open yet to go to the stations.

We got the same burlap bag silver and gold got with two coffee tumbler things inside.