Walking on without reservation

[3fish]

We are gonna be in Disney anyways. And just figured we would give it a try. Plenty of other places to check out if you can't get on.

Nothing wrong with giving it a go. Make sure to post your results please.

 

[3fish]

Sounds like you're all right depending on the circumstance. Money is probably the main factor.

Just a thought...
If the ship is not quite full, perhaps same day booking is no big deal and "voila you cruise." If you try and book when the ship is nearly full, then sorry "no Bueno for you." Or maybe if quite a few of the concierge suites are available, yet the ship is again at capacity, but you specifically ask for a premium suite, its just pissible you nay get in board and the "magic begins, you're treated as royalty."
You've booked the day of, got a concierge suite, a butler, and elevated your status as a Disney Cruise Member.
What's the answer if you don't try?

 

[SuperDry]

We just had an emergency last year and I went straight to FLL airport needed a flight to NY and to United and they would not sell to me at the counter. I had to call book On the phone from the parking lot, scramble through my iPhone and see what was available and I ended up on a standby for a later flight that didn't happen and got out next day.

You most definitely can book a flight very close to departure. There is no security requirement that the US gov't applies to advance purchase or check-in to domestic flights. Many airlines have their own rules, but they are typically along the lines of you must purchase the ticket at least 30 minutes prior to departure, and check in at least 15 minutes prior (longer if you have checked bags). The main computer check of passengers is done when the passenger checks in and the boarding pass is issued.

For international flights, airlines must turn in their passenger manifest to TSA at least 60 minutes prior to departure, so all passengers must be checked in by that time. Some airlines require ticketing 2 hours before int'l flights. But there's nothing like a 24-hour or longer restriction on airline ticket purchase for security reasons, although a last-minute purchase combined with other factors may get your boarding pass tagged for extra screening at the security checkpoint.

What you describe above was a situation where there were no seats. You said as much yourself: you booked a flight (probably for the next day), were put on the standby list for that evening's flight, but didn't clear. That in of itself tells us that the flight was full. That's why you couldn't buy a confirmed ticket for the same day, not because of any security concern. There are tons of businesspeople that buy new same-day tickets all the time.

No other airlines had flights and it was an emergency for my dad who ended up having bypass surgery. While they did work with me on the phone agent was specific that because it was an emergency they tried to put me on standby but if it was leisure I couldn't just walk up and buy a ticket without 24 hour notice they don't do that at the counter anymore.

I'm not sure exactly what went on there. It may be a combination of agent mistake, a lack of communication, or loose use of terms. What you can't do is "buy a standby ticket for a discount" as a walk-up passenger. That hasn't existed for decades. You have to have an issued ticket with a confirmed seat on some flight before you can try to standby for another. There's no such thing as a last-minute standby discount. Any discount they have for last-minute travel is offered as a standard confirmed ticket through the normal channels.

Now, it's true that most people don't buy tickets at the airport ticket counter under any circumstances, and they may not be very well set up to handle it. United in fact is taking away the cash drawers at many airports and takes credit or debit cards only, and has a machine that you can put cash in and buy an instant debit card if you need one. And, there's no particular reason to do it at the ticket counter, even if you are at the airport. You might as well just call from a payphone, or use the smartphone application to buy a ticket. But if you really want to, the ticket counter will handle it, even same day, assuming there are any tickets to sell.

And I can't imagine that traveling International could be that easy. If it is then it does raise a valid security concern.

International is another issue. You need to be checked in at least 60 minutes prior, and probably ticket an hour before that. But same day is certainly possible. For flights inbound to the US, if you are not a US citizen and don't require a visa to enter the US, then you need an ESTA, which is like an electronic pre-check of your passport. They say you should apply for one at least 48 hours prior to travel, but many/most applications are approved online instantly and the 48-hour advice is for the cases where someone must review the application manually. But once you have the ESTA, it's good for 2 years, so you could board an int'l flight to the US booked just a couple of hours in advance.

 

[truck1]

I called and asked dcl about this. According to them you can call up to same day and book except in NY where it's 48 hours prior.
Theoretically you could book in the parking lot. However you will most likely be paying a higher price as dcl only goes up in price the closer you get and sail between 90 and 100% full. So chances are you may not be able to even get a reservation. Id be absolutely sure there's cabins available first.

 

[SuperDry]

As far as Disney Cruises go, as others have stated, you can book them over the phone at least up until the evening before departure, and possibly the day of. Closer than 3 days out, cruises drop off the website and you must call. What you can't do is get into the cruise terminal without a confirmed reservation. Even if by chance they let you in because you wanted to book on the spot, you're not going to get any sort of special deal as a result. DCL doesn't operate a Middle Eastern bazaar of sorts in the cruise terminal, selling unsold inventory at fire-sale prices or haggle for prices. If they offer a relatively last-minute booking discount, it's going to be the standard *GT discount rates that are talked about all the time here. There are some other cruise lines that offer unsold inventory last-minute at a deep discount through various opaque channels, but not DCL. They'll offer in-port discounts for upgrades if available, but not new reservations.