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What Time Can You Board Disney Cruise

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Luggage Drop & Health Screening

6 things to do RIGHT AFTER YOU BOARD your Disney Cruise

Once we arrived, we were directed to the luggage drop-off. There are still people ready to assist you with grabbing your luggage from the car. Make sure you put the luggage tags that you received in the mail onto your bags.

Once your luggage has been collected, youll be directed to the parking garage where you can pay for your parking and then start the required Health Screening process.

As you pull into the parking garage, an employee will can your Safe Passage QR code the Safe Passage website is the tool that Disney is using to collect either your pre-trip COVID tests or your COVID vaccination card .

We had chosen to upload our COVID vaccine cards into the Safe Passage website so we did not have to complete any further health screenings. The employee put a special paper under our windshield wiper and we were able to bypass the in-car testing and head directly to park in the garage.

If you did need to test , you would self-test in the car and then park and continue to a set of health screening tents they have set-up next to the parking garage.

Once your test results returned, as long as your COVID test was negative, youd be able to enter the cruise terminal.

Food On Disney Cruises

All meals are included in your Disney cruise fare, unless you choose to dine at Palo or Remy, adults-only restaurants where a dress code is enforced, reservations are a must, servers are experts, and food is a step up.

At the other Disney cruise restaurants, the attire and cuisine are more casual. There are more than enough menu options for kids, and vegetarians wont have a hard time either. As is the case throughout this experience, there really is something for everyone on a Disney cruise. You wont have strangers at your table, just your own party, but you do tend to be seated near the same people each time you dine, so conversation with neighbors becomes inevitable.

Our first restaurant experience on the Disney Wonder was at a new restaurant called Tianas Place, based on The Princess and the Frog, a movie in which Tiana dreams of opening a restaurant in Louisiana. Tianas Place transports guests to New Orleans, says Ozer Balli, the cruise lines Vice President of Hotel Operations. We have a grand tradition of transforming our stories into real life.

Check In Process For Disney Cruise Line

by Mickey Blog·December 10, 2018

The time has arrived for you to check in for your long awaited Disney cruise! Its almost as magical as boarding the ship itself. You have planned, prepped and now you get to check in and book all of your fun! If you have never sailed with DCL, the check in process can be exciting. Maybe even a little nerve wrecking. But dont worry! Weve compiled a step by step process of your Disney Cruise Line check in!

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Us Customs And Border Protection

After you have collected all of your luggage, you will enter the line for US Customs and Border Protection. An agent will call you forward and ask to see your passport or other accepted documentation. They will confirm your identity and may ask some general questions before allowing you re-entry in the port.

Can You Wear Jeans On A Cruise

Why Disney

Jeans are permitted as long as they arent fraying and dont have holes. The Code: Attire ranges from casual to formal. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime, and it consists of resort-style attire. The dress code is almost always elegant casual after 6 p.m., with the exception of the final evening of each cruise.

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Disney Cruise Line Fleet

While it may be a household name, Disney Cruise Line is actually a very small line. It currently has just four ships actively in the fleet, compared to 26 over at Royal Caribbean.

Out of the four, there are two smaller ships and two larger ones.

The largest two ships in Disneys fleet are the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy, at 1,115 feet in length and 14 decks high. These two ships have a passenger capacity of 4,000 people spread out across 1,250 staterooms. The overwhelming majority of cabins on these ships have an ocean view or verandah with only 12% being interior staterooms .

The Dream is a workhorse of short three- and four-night sailings from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas, home to Disneys private island, Castaway Cay. The Fantasy also normally calls Port Canaveral home but does various longer Caribbean sailings.

The smaller two ships in the Disney Cruise Line lineup are the Disney Wonder and the original ship in the fleet, the Disney Magic. These two ships are 984 feet long and 11 decks high, and each has the capacity for 2,713 passengers across 875 staterooms. On these two smaller ships, 70% of passenger cabins have ocean views or verandahs.

Disneys Wonder and Magic usually get around a bit more than the larger two ships. Depending on the time of year, you might find the Wonder sailing out of places such as Galveston, Texas New Orleans California or Alaska. The Magic can often be found in Miami, New York, Canada and Europe.

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We loved our last trip so much and I cant remember if I thanked you again afterwards for all your helpif not THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We all had a BLAST! We highly recommend Ft. Wilderness and the cabins what a great place to stay with a big family. We will definitely go there again and next time will plan some down time of relaxing and doing activities there for a couple of days.

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Having Inflexible Travel Dates

Some sailing dates cost more than others. Obvious examples are Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving. Expect to pay more on average if you are sailing on these very popular dates.

The summer months, with school vacation, are also more popular, so will be at a higher rate than a time in which most of the kids are in school.

If you can possibly be flexible with your dates then compare rates for different months.

Here you can see how the Cost of a Disney Dream Cruise varies according to the dates in 2022.

Not Exploring All The Stateroom Options

How Do You Pay For Things on a Disney Cruise | What is an ON BOARD ACCOUNT?

Always consider your stateroom options carefully. I know that when you first start look at Disney ships that it can seem like a overwhelming choice of cabins for you.

Which type of stateroom should I get? Which deck is the best? Will that location be noisy?

All of these are good questions. Here are lots of guides to help you choose a Disney Cruise Stateroom.

Always look carefully at the pricing of your Disney Cruise stateroom. Often you can get an Outside Stateroom with a porthole for a very small amount more than an Inside Stateroom.

Another thing newbies dont always realize is that, depending upon your party size, it may be cheaper to look at 2 staterooms rather than one.

Disney is one of the very few cruise lines to have some staterooms which sleep up to 5 guests. The Deluxe Oceanview Family Staterooms with Verandah sleep up to 5 guests.

However, there are relatively few of these Family Staterooms, particularly on the Disney Wonder and Magic. This means that they tend to be priced significantly higher than other staterooms.

Always look to see if it would be more economical to get one large stateroom or 2 smaller ones.

For instance you could choose a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah and an Inside stateroom close by. Or, depending upon price, even two Deluxe Veranda Staterooms. Compare the prices with the Deluxe Oceanview Family Stateroom with Verandah just to make sure you have the right choice.

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The Overall Disney Cruise Experience

If youre trying to figure out what type of trip a Disney cruise ends up being, Ill be honest: Theres so much to do onboard that it cant really be called a relaxing vacation, unless youre absolutely determined to make it that way. With all that goes onall the timeits easy to fall prey to some serious FOMO.

But thats not a bad thing. You come off the Disney cruise with so many new memories that having made the effort to show up to a majority of activities ends up having been worth it.

One strategy to avoid coming home exhausted: Tack on a couple of relaxing beach days after your cruise. We stayed along Galvestons seawall for a couple of nights afterward, at the beautiful Hilton in the San Luis Resort. This proved to be a good way to unwind, a worthy quiet counterpoint to the exuberance of the Disney cruise experience.

You Can Bring Some Alcohol Onboard

Disney Cruise Line Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne or 6 beers on board at the beginning of the voyage.

You can also bring on the same amount at each port-of-call for a Disney Cruise.

Any alcohol found in checked baggage will be removed, stored and given back to you at disembarkation.

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Disney Cruise Line Enforcing Port Arrival Time For All Guests Regardless Of Castaway Club Status

Following yesterdays Disney Dream restart at Port Canaveral, Disney Cruise Line is reminding guests that port arrival times are being enforced. Unlike in the years past since the debut of port arrival times, the times are seriously being enforced. If you show up 5 minutes early, you will be turned away. Also for the first time, Platinum Castaway Club members are REQUIRED to select AND adhere to the port arrival time. No, this isnt a perk being taken away, it the result of the new embarkation day procedures in place to promote physical distancing, and to allow Disney Cruise Line to operate as safely as possible while following necessary protocols. Concierge guests and those arriving by Disney ground transportation are an exception. Concierge may arrive at their leisure, but not before 1 oclock, while those on Disney transportation arrive based on their bus.

The parking garage is being partially utilized as a pre-cruise testing area for guest driving to the port, as a result, guests will not even be allowed to enter the parking area and park before their scheduled port arrival time.

When you arrive at the port by car, as long as you are after your port arrival time, you are sent to the parking garage. They scan your check-in QR code to see if you need to be tested or have provided proof of vaccination. Cars are sent to park based on that.

TouringPlans

Need A Place To Stay In Port Canaveral Before Your Disney Cruise

Embarkation on Disney Cruise Line

Those looking for a hotel to stay the night before your cruise, consider the Radisson in Cape Canaveral. Not only is it a nice hotel that is close to the port, it has on site cruise parking through ParkPort Canaveral mentioned above!

You can book a Cruise package where you can stay at the hotel and then leave your car during the cruise .

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Ventriloquism & Comedy Show

The show for the night in the Walt Disney Theater was ventriloquist and comedian Lynn Trefzger. The show was scheduled to start at 8:30, so we headed down at 8:00 to make sure we could get a good seat.

They are observing social distancing in the theater, only utilizing every other row, with about 4 seats in between each group.

We all loved the show! Lynn had four or five puppets that were absolutely hilarious. If you get the chance to see her show, I highly recommend it!

Paying With Disney Gift Cards And Not Keeping Track Of The Card Numbers

Using Disney Gift Cards for your onboard account or to pay for your cruise in the first place can be a great idea.

This is particularly true if you can get your Disney Gift Cards at a discount, or with some kind of points scheme so you get rewards.

One of the best ways to buy Disney Gift Cards and save money is in Target. They offer a debit card known as the Red Card, which gives you 5% off many purchases, including Disney Gift Cards.

As the Red Card is not a credit card there are no interest charges. It is linked to your bank account so you use the Red Card and the charges are taken direct from your bank.

Therefore with this method you will get 5% off your purchase of Disney GIft Cards.

Remember though that you do need to keep the cards until they have a zero balance and you have used the credit.

This is because if you pay for your Disney Cruise or use a gift card for your onboard account, any money you dont use will be credited back to the Card. This means you must have the Card number available so that this is possible.

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Disney Cruise Line Embarkation Process

The embarkation process has been honed to flow efficiently. Some rules that were previously in place but not enforced are now important to follow.

If you are arriving from Orlando International Airport or a Walt Disney World Resort and taking the Magical Express, you do not need to pick a port arrival time. One will be assigned to you. Simply follow those instructions and you will be set.

If you are driving or taking a private transfer to port, you will need to choose a port arrival time at the time of online check-in 30 days before your departure. This has always been the case, but I found everyone just showed up when they showed up and boarded the ship at arrival. The port arrival time is now strictly enforced and you will not be permitted to so much as enter the parking deck before the exact minute of your arrival time.

Face coverings are required indoors at MCO, on the Magical Express and at Port Canaveral. Once you board the ship, face coverings are required indoors only, except when dining, drinking or posing for a photo with characters. I found that we barely wore them, with so much time spent outdoors! Indoors they were easy to wear as it is nice and cool.

When you arrive at the Disney Cruise Line terminal, you will show your port arrival forms and Safe Passage clear to board, clear to sail documents.

Here is a short video explaining my embarkation experience:

On Board Disney Cruise Line

DISNEY CRUISE LINE Tips – What to do your FIRST DAY onboard!

There is so much to do on board a Disney cruise you wont know what to do first. The best place to start is with the Personal Navigator. This daily brochure will keep you up to date on the activities on board.

You and your kids will want to check out the Oceaneer Club, especially on departure day because its the only time adults can go in and check it out. You can register your kids and get their wristbands and pager set up.

You will also enjoy lots of time at one of the three pools. You may want to pack your bathing suits in your carry on so are ready to go. Whether you spend time at the Mickey pool or Goofy pool with the kids or spend some quiet time at the adult pool, you will have a blast.

What about a first run movie in the movie theater on board, on deck by the pool, or in your stateroom while the kids are napping?

When it comes time for a bite to you will find lots of options, from FREE room service to quality sit down meals and everything in between. Disney Cruise Line offers rotational dining where you can

Parrot Cay Character Dining

experience one of 3 different restaurants each night and your wait staff follows you so you get the personalized service you expect. You can also make reservation at Palo/Remy for a nice dinner without the kids.

Pirates In The Caribbean Party

Wow, so much fun for everyone in your family and you havent even been to a port yet!

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The Ultimate Guide To Disney Cruise Line Ships And Itineraries

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After decades of success making families smile and laugh at its theme parks, in the 1990s, Disney decided to try its hands in the world of cruising. Officially launching in 1998, Disney didnt just copy another cruise lines model for success, it created its own brand of cruising.

Disney went so far in charting its own path as to get special approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for the lifeboats to be yellow instead of regulation orange, to tie into the colors of Mickey himself black, red, white and yellow.

Now, Disney Cruise Line has four ships sailing in those signature colors, along with three more on order. In a normal year, those four ships take tens of thousands of families on sailings to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, Bahamas and even through the Panama Canal.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPGs cruise newsletter.

Disneys attention to detail transfers to its voyages on the sea. And some who think long lines and advanced theme park strategy when they hear the term Disney might be surprised at just how laid-back and relaxing a Disney cruise can be.

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