boarding a disney cruise ship

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Preparing for Your Cruise – Frequently Asked Questions

On the day our cruise begins, when will we be able to board the ship?

For most sailings, the cruise terminal opens at 11:15 AM. For a carefree boarding process, we strongly recommend that Guests complete their Online Check-In ahead of time and arrive during their designated Port Arrival Time. Guests who did not have an opportunity to complete their Online Check-In in advance or do not have a Port Arrival Time should plan to arrive after 2:00 PM. During your designated Port Arrival Time, representatives will verify your citizenship documentation and complete your check in. Guests will then be called by Boarding Groups to embark the ship. Please note that Boarding Group times may vary from Port Arrival Times. Guests who arrive prior to their Port Arrival Time will be asked to wait to enter the cruise terminal until their scheduled time. Be aware that, depending on location, there is no or limited seating or shelter from weather conditions outside the terminal.

Please note: Plan your arrival to ensure you will be able to complete your registration and board the ship prior to the Guest Onboard Time listed on your confirmation. Guests arriving after that time may be refused boarding.

Review a list of what to pack for your cruise .

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Disney Cruise Boarding Groups and Embarkation Day Guide

There are few things more exciting than waking up on the morning of embarkation day . The Disney Cruise countdown has finally reached the big day, and you’re feeling both thrilled and stressed at the same time!

But don’t worry, my family and I have navigated through many embarkation days throughout the years. My guide below will walk you through everything you need to know about embarking on your Disney cruise ship.

We’ll cover everything from port arrival to boarding group times to how the embarkation process works. Plus, I’ll provide a list of everything you need to know before boarding the ship, including what you need to pack in your day bag !

(This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy at the bottom of this page for more details.)

Cruise Terminal

If you are new to cruising, you may be hearing some unfamiliar terms during the planning process. One of those terms may even be the word embarkation .

Embarkation Day is the first day that you board the cruise ship to set sail on your much anticipated vacation. The Disney Cruise Line Navigator App even has a fun countdown to your specific cruise’s embarkation day, which makes it even more exciting!

This is one of my favorite features of the app before boarding the cruise ship. Even though embarkation day is an incredibly exciting time, it can also be quite stressful , especially if you aren’t sure what to expect.

Before discussing the time that you need to arrive at the terminal on embarkation day, I want to first talk about how you can get to the port . There are many different ways you could choose to arrive at the Disney Cruise Line terminal:

• motor coach
• DCL Transportation

My family finds Disney Cruise Line ground transportation to be the easiest method to get to the terminal, especially since we travel with our small kids. We prefer the DCL motor coaches because they handle our luggage, and they don’t require car seats for our toddler and six-year-old.

This allows for a much easier experience of getting through the airports with two little ones. We have used the Disney Cruise Line transfers in both Port Canaveral and Miami , and I highly recommend them for ease of use and peace of mind.

Port Arrival Time

The Disney Cruise Line terminals open their doors at different times depending on the port where you are embarking. The typical time the terminal opens is at 11:00 am. This means that, depending on your port, you will probably find that the earliest Port Arrival Time is at 11:00 .

Regardless of when your cruise terminal opens its doors, you should plan your arrival based on your Port Arrival Time and not on the time the doors open.

So, how do you get a Port Arrival Time?

During the Disney cruise online check-in process , you should have chosen a time that you would like to arrive at the port. The reason that you should arrive at the Disney Cruise Line terminal during your Port Arrival Time is that Disney will give you a boarding number BASED ON this selected time .

So, let’s say you chose a Port Arrival Time (PAT) of 1:00. If you show up at the terminal early at 11:00, Disney still has you down for a 1:00 arrival. This means that you will NOT receive a boarding number for a low group like Boarding Group #2. Instead, Disney Cruise Line will give you a boarding number based on your PAT of 1:00.

You may receive Boarding Group #15 even though you arrived at 11:00. This would mean a lot of waiting in the cruise terminal until your boarding group number gets called. So, the important thing to remember is to arrive at the terminal based on your Port Arrival Time and NOT at the time that the doors open.

Now, if you book Disney Cruise Line ground transfers through Disney, you will not need a Port Arrival Time . If this is the case, you will arrive at the port whenever your Disney motor coach drops you off. DCL will issue you a boarding group number based on your drop off time.

Embarkation Day Check-in Process

After you arrive at the Disney Cruise Line terminal and give your bags to a porter (don’t forget to tip), you will be guided to the main entrance of the building. At both Port Canaveral and Port of Miami, you will immediately go through security as you enter the building.

Health Questionaire

Disney Cruise Line guests used to fill out a health form at the terminal once they were past security. However, at the time of this writing, you can now answer the questions on your phone the morning of the cruise. We like to complete this task on our ride to the terminal .

The security process is very similar to the one at the airport. You will be asked to present your:

• Port Arrival Form
• Identification documents

Note that you don’t have to print the Port Arrival Form since it can be scanned on your phone. However, we find it helpful to carry a paper copy with us on embarkation day.

You then put your carry-on bags on a conveyor belt to go through an X-ray machine just like at the airport. On our most recent cruise out of Miami, we were permitted to leave on our shoes as we walked through the metal detector. However, we did put all metal and electronics in a bin to go through the X-ray machine with our bags.

Once you go through security with your family, you will be directed up to the main check-in area at the terminal. Make sure you notice the different lines available .

There is a line for first time cruisers, a line for Castaway Club members, and a line for Concierge guests. So, be sure to stand in the correct one. Even though the cruise terminal may seem to have long lines of people, the Disney crew members move you through the lines quickly.

They will have multiple check-in counters available. The whole process for security and check in usually only takes us about 15 minutes .

When you are at the check-in counter, you will show your Port Arrival Form and your identification documents again. They will make sure your documents match the information and the selfie style photo you submitted during online checkin.

Once you have completed check-in, you will wait in the terminal until your boarding group number is called.

Boarding Group Times

If you are wondering what time Disney cruise boarding usually starts, it can depend. However, it has been our experience that Disney usually starts calling boarding numbers at around 11:30 .

Disney Characters

While you’re waiting in the terminal for the boarding process to start, it’s a good time to look over the Disney Cruise Navigator App and activity options. Depending on where you are embarking, Disney Cruise Line may even have characters in the terminal for you to meet while waiting to board!

Boarding Group Numbers

Once boarding begins, you will hear group numbers called out in the terminal. They will start with Group 1, which is for Concierge and platinum guests. They will then continue in numerical order until everyone is on the ship.

Usually only 5-10 minutes goes by between each group number. Each boarding group contains (what seems like) hundreds of people, so there will be a line. Luckily, it moves quickly and you’ll be onboard in no time!

What to Do after Boarding

Once you have made your way onto the Disney ship, you may be wondering what to do after boarding. Depending on the time you step foot on the ship, you will probably want to grab lunch. Below, we will discuss our favorite embarkation day lunch spots along with other activities we complete soon after boarding.

Embarkation Day Lunch

Each of the Disney ships offers a sit-down meal for lunch in a main dining room . This is a good option for those who would like to be seated and served by a cast member.

Since my family and I tend to head straight to the pool deck after boarding, I usually grab a table for us all to sit near the pools. Then, we get food from one of the quick service windows near the pool.

These dining options are super kid friendly with entrees like hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, and pizza. There are usually healthier options like salads and wraps available too.

My husband loves the buffet restaurant , so he will typically get his food there and carry it to our table on the pool deck.

After eating lunch, I usually have a few house keeping items on my list to complete. One of the first places I visit is Guest Services for a stroller.

We like to borrow a stroller for our toddler to use during the cruise even though we don’t use it a ton on the ship because the hallways are so narrow. Additionally, the elevators can get really busy, so we often use the stairs, which obviously are not stroller friendly.

Still, the stroller comes in handy during nap times on the go and when you get off the ship in port. To borrow a stroller, you just visit Guest Services where they will put a temporary charge on your account. I think it’s around $250 .

Once you return the stroller at the end of your cruise, they will remove the charge from your account. I particularly like having the stroller when our toddler wakes early in the morning.

It’s nice to be able to stroll around Deck 4 while my older daughter and husband sleep in the room. We also take the stroller onto Castaway Cay with us. This makes it easy for my toddler to take her nap without the rest of us having to go back to the ship. The stroller that Disney Cruise Line has available on board is the City Mini Baby Jogger.

It has a storage area underneath that is super accessible. It also features a huge canopy with windows to keep your baby shaded. There is a handle on the seat of the City Mini that you simply lift to make the whole stroller fold up like a suitcase. You can store the stroller in your room under the bed or even in the closet .

Staterooms on the ship usually open at around 1:30 ; although, this time may be different on your sailing. If you have booked a concierge level room, your stateroom should be ready earlier than this as ours was open right after boarding.

I usually head to the room right at 1:30 to put our toddler down for a nap. As she’s napping, I organize our things in the room as much as I can. The stateroom host typically starts delivering luggage at this time .

I’ve also heard a lot of families like to order a cheese plate or snack from room service after getting into their rooms. I try to get as much as possible unpacked during this time if our bags have arrived.

Key to the World Cards

Key to the World Cards are now placed outside your stateroom door rather than handed to you at check in at the cruise terminal. For more information on these really important items, we highly suggest checking out our Ultimate Guide to Key to the World Cards .

DisneyBand+

I’m adding information about the DisneyBand+ here since we just talked about the Key to the World Cards. That being said, since you can use the DisneyBand+ during your port arrival and check-in process, we suggest purchasing your DisneyBand+ before your cruise .

You will still receive Key to the World Cards outside your stateroom as these must be used when leaving and re-entering the ship. However, the DisneyBand+ can take the place of the Key to the World Cards while on the ship since you can use the band to open your door and make charges to your account.

This is similar to Magic Bands at WDW. You can find more information on the ships and sailings where the DisneyBand+ is available here .

Muster Drill

At around 3:30, the captain will start making announcements about the upcoming Muster Drill. You can look on your Key to the World card or in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App to see which station you need to report to for this mandatory procedure.

For the drill, you will be asked to line up with your travel party from shortest to tallest . You stand shoulder to shoulder with the cruisers on each side of you. The Disney Cruise Line staff will then give you information on their emergency procedures. Once it begins, the muster drill only lasts about 15 minutes or so .

Sail Away Party

After the Muster Drill, most cruisers head to the pool deck to attend the Sail Away Party. We like to stand by the balcony above the pool deck to look down on the party.

However, if you stand on the deck near the stage, you have a chance of greeting the characters as they walk out into the crowd. The Sail Away parties are a great way to get even more pumped up about the cruise! Cast members and characters spend about 30 minutes dancing to fun songs and telling you about some of the fun activities planned for your trip.

Carry On Bag

As mentioned above, before you enter the cruise terminal, the porters will take your luggage from you. Even though it has been my experience that luggage tends to arrive to the stateroom by 4:30, this is not guaranteed.

Sometimes your bags may not be delivered to your stateroom until later that evening AFTER dinner . Because of this, you will probably want to pack an embarkation bag to carry on to the cruise ship with you.

I prefer to use a backpack as our embarkation bag because it’s easy to carry while still allowing full use of my arms. This is the backpack I use as a diaper bag, airport carry-on, and embarkation bag all in one! (Amazon Affiliate Link)

Packing List

The official Disney Cruise Line website provides a small packing list for your embarkation day bag. You can find their suggested list here. I have expanded on the DCL list, and these are the items I typically pack in my embarkation bag:

• lanyards- to hold your Key to the World cards
• reef safe sunscreen – We like Blue Lizard . (Amazon Affiliate Link)
• gallon zip lock bag- to hold wet swimsuits
• change of clothes for dinner (more on this below)
• prescription medications
• seasickness remedies – We use seasickness bands . (Amazon Affiliate Link)
• chargers for electronic devices
• identification (passports/birth certificates)
• Port Arrival Form (that you printed after online check-in)
• dollar bills- to tip driver and porters

If you have a baby or a toddler like I do, you will want to make sure to carry on your child’s diaper bag with baby essentials. This includes enough diapers and wipes to get you through the day. Also, don’t forget to pack a couple swim diapers for the toddler splash area!

What to Wear on Embarkation Day

Deciding which outfits to pack for your family can be a tedious process, especially if you aren’t totally sure what to expect at your destination. When I am planning outfits for embarkation day, I first take into account the weather.

We typically cruise in warmer climates, so that is what I will mostly focus on here. Obviously if you are going on an Alaskan cruise, your Disney cruise embarkation day outfit would look a whole lot different than mine!

Disney Cruise Outfits for Kids

Once I have a good idea of what the weather will be like on embarkation day, I determine the activities that my family will most likely be doing once we board the ship.

My kids love to swim, and they are usually most excited to experience the cruise ship’s pools and water play areas. Because of this, I dress both of my kids in their swimsuits so that they don’t have to waste time changing on board.

My toddler is still in diapers, so I like to put her in a swimsuit that still allows for easy diaper changes. We tend to dress her in a swimsuit that has separate bottoms or that has a bottom that snaps. This way we have easy access to diaper changes in the terminal and onboard.

I usually have my girls wear comfortable dresses over their swimsuits with flip flops or water shoes on their feet. This makes it easy for them to get undressed.

I also find it much easier to keep up with one dress per child as opposed to shirts AND shorts. You could even let your kids wear their swimsuit coverup to board the ship. We always see lots of kids doing this on embarkation day.

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I created a Disney Cruise Planner and Packing Guide (pictured above) that makes it super easy to plan your outfits for each day of your cruise. If you are interested, you can check it out in my Etsy shop above!

Disney Cruise Outfits for Adults

Since we usually spend our time on the pool deck after boarding the ship, my husband and I typically wear clothes appropriate for hot weather. My husband usually dresses in shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals. I tend to wear shorts with a T-shirt or a sundress with sandals.

I don’t wear my swimsuit under my clothes because I usually don’t swim on embarkation day. Instead, we let our older daughter swim while one of us sits on the side of the pool to watch her.

The other adult usually goes to the toddler water play area with our younger daughter. I like to wear flip flops or sandals for boarding so that I can easily slip them on and off on the pool deck.

Disney Cruise Dinner Outfit

Regardless of what you choose to wear on embarkation day, know that it’s a super casual day. Even dinner that first night of the cruise is a really casual experience .

As mentioned above, I make sure to pack our dinner outfits in our carry-on bag in case our main luggage does not arrive in time. However, we typically just wear our embarkation clothes to dinner.

After swimming, my girls will take off their swimsuits and put on the dresses they wore while boarding. (Don’t forget to pack underwear for the kids to put on too!)

I typically find the dining rooms cold on the ships, so I make sure to have light cardigans/jackets in our embarkation bag for each of us. My husband usually doesn’t change for dinner on embarkation day.

He just wears the same shirt and shorts from boarding. Since I tend to get cold in the evenings, I put a pair of jeans or leggings in the day bag as well. I change into these after the Sail Away party.

Disney Cruise Concierge Embarkation Lunch and Perks

On a recent Disney Cruise Line vacation, may family and I were able to upgrade at the port to the Concierge Level. If you are sailing in the Concierge Level with Disney Cruise Line, you will receive some special benefits on embarkation day. These are the Concierge perks that were available for us on embarkation day:

• Priority Boarding – Concierge guests are permitted to board the Disney cruise ship in Boarding Group 1 . This means that as soon as boarding becomes available, you will be escorted onto the ship.
• Private Embarkation Lunch – Concierge guests are able to attend a sit-down lunch on embarkation day in one of the ship’s main dining rooms. You will be served food and complimentary beverages (including alcoholic drinks) at this lunch. You will also meet your Concierge Team at this time.
• Stateroom – Concierge guests get early access to their staterooms on embarkation day. Instead of waiting for rooms to open at 1:30, we were able to go directly to our room after boarding and enjoying our lunch.
• Concierge Team – Your Concierge Team will make notes of your special requests at your embarkation day lunch. You can request a stroller, dinner reservations, or virtually anything you can think of without having to stand in line at Guest Services.

Now You’re Sailing!

Embarkation day is such an exciting time for your whole family! Hopefully this post has helped you feel prepared for your fun-filled day.

All the worries and stress that you feel pre-cruise magically seem to go away as soon as you climb onboard the Disney cruise ship. Just do your best to pack and plan for embarkation day, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself once onboard.

The embarkation day lunch, fun pool deck, and helpful cast members will have you feeling like you’re on a luxurious vacation in no time!

Shari is an experienced planner and organizer for Disney vacations, cruising, and U.S. travel. Her family vacation information, reviews, and tips provide insight for moms and dads everywhere. You can read more about her story, including her journey through breast cancer, in the about me page.

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My husband and I have been on 20 cruises, but the Disney Dream in February 2023 will be a first for us. We usually carry our luggage ourselves on RCL and Carnival. Is that allowed on the Dream?

I’m so excited to hear that you will be sailing on the Disney Dream! You and your husband are going to love the ship so much! I believe you are curious about whether or not you can carry on your luggage on boarding day. Disney Cruise Line will allow you to carry your own luggage onboard as long as it fits through the security machines. The DCL security machines look very similar to those used by Royal Caribbean and the airport. (I would assume Carnival also uses the same type of machine, but I have not sailed with them.) So, as long as your bags are the typical carry-on size and NOT huge suitcases, you should be fine. Hope that helps! Have a wonderful trip!

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Disney Cruise Advice: Tips & Tricks Onboard the Ship

LAST UPDATE: 2/14/24

On this page we have collected some useful Disney Cruise advice, tips, and tricks that can help you save time and have more fun while you are on a Disney Cruise. Read the advice below and you’ll have a much better idea what to expect, even if you’ve never been on a cruise before!

Thanks to Marjorie Treger and to MouseSavers.com readers Jeff Evernham and Aileen B, who contributed some great tips.

Disney Cruise Advice & Important Things to Know

Embarkation, first-day bag packing list, staterooms and what’s in them, knowing what’s going on & planning your day, oceaneer club and oceaneer lab, edge and vibe, port days/shore excursions, useful things to pack, things you don’t need to (or should not) pack, disney cruise wear, phone and internet.

• Spa: Treatments, Products & Fitness Center

Disembarkation

Additional tips & tricks, trip reports.

Other useful Disney Cruise information pages:

• For discounts and tips on saving money on the cruise itself , visit our Disney Cruise Discount page.
• For tips and tricks that will help you plan your cruise , visit the Planning Tips & Tricks for Disney Cruises page.
• For advice that will help you with excursions, tours and activities  while in port, visit the Tips & Discounts for Port Excursions page.

“Embarkation” means getting on the ship for the first time during your cruise; “disembarkation” or “debarkation” means getting off the ship at the end of your cruise.

“Port” is the left side of the ship as you face forward; “starboard” is the right side as you face forward. “Forward” is obvious; “aft” is the rear of the ship.

Cruise lines are required to ensure that every passenger knows the safety procedures and has been physically shown where they need to muster in case of emergency. A mandatory muster drill is held in the afternoon of embarkation day, usually around 4:00 pm. Everyone must attend in order to learn the location of your lifeboat station and other safety information. The drill takes 20 minutes or less and you do not have to bring your life jacket with you.

Make sure you turn off the cellular service on your phone while you’re at sea, so you don’t end up paying through the nose for “cellular at sea” service . There is a Disney Cruise Navigator app that you can use on most iPhones and Android phones without needing to pay for internet access. The Navigator app includes activity schedules and menus, and has a kind of text message feature that seems to work much better these days. We found that notifications were showing up quickly when people messaged using the app (our experience was with iPhone, we don’t know how well Android works).

“Cay” is pronounced “key” by locals – so unless you want to sound like a novice, remember this for Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island).

Disney asks you to select a P ort Arrival Time (PAT) when you do online check-in prior to your cruise. This arrival time was not rigidly enforced in the past, but lately, Disney has been enforcing people’s PATs pretty closely, especially during the early part of the boarding process. If you get to the terminal before 12:30, you will probably not be let in to the terminal until your time arrives. After 12:30 or so, Disney seems to just let people into the terminal as long as the check-in line isn’t completely full.

Bottom line: if you want to get on the ship as early as possible, definitely be ready to check in online on the morning your check-in opens! See below for when you can check in online:

• If you are staying at an official Walt Disney World resort or at Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport the night before your cruise, AND you booked that hotel as a package with the cruise, AND you are using Disney’s bus service to the port, your port arrival time is less important, and you may not even see an option to select one when you check in. From a Disney hotel, they’re going to assign you a bus, and generally you’ll just get there when you get there and the terminal staff will be ready to process and embark that whole busload of passengers. If you’re staying at the Hyatt, there will be multiple buses and you can take the first bus they’ll let you on. In either case, it’s rare to experience much wait no matter what your port arrival time is. But if you are offered the option to pick a port arrival time at checkin, pick the earliest reasonable time, just to be on the safe side. It can’t hurt, and it might save you some waiting.
• If you are staying in a concierge level stateroom or suite , you can check in and receive your port arrival time 40 days before embarkation day. That said, your shore-side concierge will likely offer to check you in on the first day you’re eligible, so effectively you can just let them handle it and they should get you the earliest arrival time (unless they know you won’t be arriving that early).
• If you are a Pearl member of the Castaway Club (25+ previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 40 days before embarkation day. 
• If you are a Platinum member of the Castaway Club (10-24 previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 38 days before embarkation day.
• If you are a Gold member of the Castaway Club (5-9 previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 35 days before embarkation day.
• If you are a Silver member of the Castaway Club (1-4 previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 33 days before embarkation day.
• If you have never before taken a Disney cruise, you can check in and receive your port arrival time 30 days before embarkation day.

When you arrive at Port Canaveral, you’ll hand off your bags to the dock workers. Tipping is theoretically optional, but it’s customary to tip them at least $1-$2 per bag, and we tend to tip on the high side for very helpful or friendly porters. Keep your carry-on/day bag with you. Get in line to go through check-in (during which time you’ll show your port arrival document several times), then get in line to go through security (you go through a metal detector and your carry-ons go through an x-ray).

The first people who will get on the ship are Group 1, which will usually be concierge level guests. Shortly after noon, announcements will be made for general boarding by group number. You’ll present your port arrival document as you board, have a family photo taken (or bypass the photo and get on the ship that much faster), and then your family will be announced as you arrive in the atrium of the ship. After that, the ship is yours!

Most people will head straight to lunch, and if you’re hungry, that’s a great idea. If you’ve brought your swimsuits in your day bag, this is a perfect time to enjoy the pool (or AquaDuck on the Dream or Fantasy and AquaMouse on the Wish), because the ship is still relatively empty and a lot of people will not have thought ahead. If you still need to make spa appointments, change your dinner rotation, sign up for shore excursions, book Palo, Remy or Enchanté, or book any specialty character meals or tea parties, now is the time to do that. You can also get your kids’ wristbands for the kids club. If it’s your first time on the ship, this is a good time to get a map and wander around familiarizing yourself with everything.

If you are a concierge level guest, there is a special concierge embarkation lunch, or you can go to the concierge lounge, where you can relax and enjoy a snack. You’ll be personally assisted with any bookings or changes you’d like to make (dining rotations, spa appointments, etc.)

At about 1:30-2:00, your room should be ready. Your bags will be delivered at some point in the afternoon (up until about 6:00 pm).

On the embarkation day, you won’t get access to your room until 1:30-2:00 pm, and you may not get all of your luggage until 6:00 pm (or occasionally even later), so its recommended you carry a bag that contains everything you’ll need between boarding the ship and dinner. If you want to swim or ride the AquaDuck or AquaMouse, for example, you will need all your swim stuff.

Here’s our checklist for packing our day bag. Some people like to use a rolling carry-on, but we prefer a small duffel. It’s your call; whatever you feel comfortable lugging around for an hour or two. You can also pack a small backpack for everyone to spread out the load.

• Flip-flops or water shoes (the deck can get hot )
• Reading material, iPad, videogames or other entertainment
• Camera, if you aren’t using your phone
• Medications you might need between noon and dinnertime
• Change of clothes for dinner, if what you wear to board the ship isn’t reasonable (though it almost certainly is fine, as long as it’s not a swimsuit).

The TV in your stateroom offers limited live TV programming, but a pretty extensive selection of Disney-owned movie and TV content. There is the Disney Channel, ABC and ESPN, all owned by Disney, plus some 24-hour news channels (MSNBC & Fox) and a small selection of basic cable channels. You can watch a huge variety of Disney movies and a few other family-friendly titles “on demand” (no extra charge).

Disney no longer provides the cordless Wave Phones; if you need to contact other members of your party, you are expected to use the Disney Navigator app on your phone. If you don’t have a compatible phone or don’t want to carry your phone, you have to fall back on the tried and true “let’s meet in XXX at YYY” or put a magnetic white board on your room door to exchange messages. Note that the kids club staff will only be able to contact you via the Navigator app, so if you don’t carry it around, you can’t be informed of issues with your kids.

Fire codes prevent cruise ships from having irons in staterooms, but irons are available for your use in the laundry rooms. Speaking of laundry, you can charge the cost of self-service laundry to your room key by swiping it through the readers on the washers and dryers.

Inside staterooms have no window (except the “ secret porthole ” rooms on the Wonder and Magic that are classified as inside but have an obstructed porthole). Inside staterooms on the Dream and Fantasy ships do have the “virtual porthole” that provides some light. It can be turned off with a switch by the bed. Bear in mind that on the Wonder, Magic and Wish (or on the Dream and Fantasy with the virtual porthole turned off), inside staterooms have no external light coming in to wake you up in the morning or give you a sense of what time it is. So if you’re anxious to get up and go in the morning, make sure you set an alarm or request a wake-up call.

A portable hair dryer can be found in a bag in the bathroom or in a desk drawer (call Guest Services if you can’t find it). It must be plugged into a European (220V) outlet at the desk. If you happen to be in a stateroom that also has a built-in hair dryer in the bathroom attached to the wall, we recommend leaving it alone; they don’t work well. Use the one in the drawer.

There is no longer a paper Navigator schedule given out in your stateroom, or even available from the front desk. You can only get the activity schedule via your phone or via the TV.

You can download the Navigator app for Apple or Android devices before you arrive at the embarkation port and then, once onboard, connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi network—complimentary for app use only. Downloading the app does not enable general-purpose internet access – you have to pay extra for that. In addition to giving you the ship’s daily schedule, the app has some information that isn’t in the paper Navigator, including menus for the various restaurants and some other useful tidbits. 

The Navigator app also has the all-aboard time and the local number of the ship’s agent, who is your contact if you have an emergency or are running late and might miss the ship (or have missed the ship). It’s not a bad idea to write those things down on a separate piece of paper to carry with you when you’re in port, just in case you lose your phone or the Navigator app gets flaky. If you have an emergency and don’t have your phone or the info on paper, you can call the port and ask them who the port agent is for your ship, and then call Disney’s port agent to let them know what’s happening.

The Navigator app now has a FREE text messaging feature. The messaging feature is available on all five ships. You do not need to buy a data plan to send messages to other people in your party, assuming they also have a device that can run the app. We didn’t really use it much in previous years because there could be 20-30 minutes between sending and message and the recipient getting a notification on their phone, but on our most recent cruise everything worked fine. Also, if you get the newer internet service that you can leave on all the time (currently available on the Wish, Magic, Dream and Fantasy) it will work with iMessage, WhatsApp and other messengers, and it will work with SMS text messaging if everyone’s phone has Wi-Fi cellular enabled.

Onboard Entertainment & Activities Tips

If you’re curious to know what movies will be shown on your sailing before you get on the ship, call  Disney Cruise customer service (800) 951-3532 about two weeks before your cruise and ask.

Want to ride the AquaDuck water coaster on the Dream or Fantasy or the AquaMouse on the Wish? MouseSavers.com reader Bill V has this tip: “If you enjoy the AquaDuck during the day, find an EVENING to ride it as well! Riding it at night, with the red-and-white lights strobing around the tube at each of the supports, is a completely different experience than the daytime, not to be missed! Also, the lines are truly non-existent if you go during dinner or show times, far shorter than even the times when most passengers are ashore when the ship is docked–my daughter rode it one evening over a dozen times in less than 90 minutes, usually walking on with no line whatsoever.” (This advice would apply to the AquaMouse on the Wish as well.)

Some special activities require advance sign-up at Guest Services. For instance, “Tea with Wendy,” (or “Tea with Alice” or some other character) is sometimes offered on some 7-night cruises, but has limited seating, and on cruises near Christmas, there is a build-your-own-gingerbread house activity, but they have a limited number of kits available. Check for those activities (they’ll generally be listed in the Navigator app) and sign up as soon as you can. Certain popular character meetings are also now requiring advance sign-up, usually on the first day.

Theater snacks : the theaters where the movies and shows are presented have concession stands selling expensive goodies such as canned sodas, bagged popcorn and candy, which can be charged to your room key. If you want to keep costs down, go up on the pool deck to the self-serve beverage station and get FREE sodas (or lemonade, tea, etc.) to bring into the show with you. You can also usually get FREE cookies from one of the counter-service locations on the pool deck and bring those along (or order cookies from room service, for only the cost of a tip). Concierge level guests on the Dream and Fantasy can get snacks, including cans of soda and sometimes popcorn, from the lounge. The snack bar at the theater has a refillable popcorn bucket that can be refilled for the rest of your cruise at a much cheaper price, so if you like popcorn, it’s a good idea to get one at the beginning of the cruise. Some people have brought popcorn buckets from previous cruises or from Walt Disney World and had them refilled, though that may or may not be official policy.

Embarkation Day

Once you’re onboard on embarkation day, you can eat lunch in one of three locations (or the concierge lunch if you’re in a concierge stateroom): the buffet, the pool deck food outlets (burgers, pizza, etc.) or a dining room (on the Magic, the primary lunch dining room is Lumiere’s; on the Wonder, it’s Triton’s; on the Dream and Fantasy, it’s Enchanted Garden; on the Wish, it’s been 1923 or Arendelle). The primary dining room lunch is a la carte with a normal lunch menu similar to the menu served on sea days. It has a tendency to fill up pretty quickly, so if you want to eat there, get on the ship as early as possible. There is also a lunch just for concierge guests in a different dining room.

Note that if you head for the inside dining room, you will encounter multiple crew members who will try to herd you to the buffet, which can handle more people. Just tell them you’d prefer the interior dining room. 

Breakfast and Lunch

During the cruise, there are usually two or three breakfast and lunch locations with different hours (check the Navigator app for hours). You can choose from one or more full-service restaurants with open seating (just show up when you want during opening hours, and they’ll seat you), or eat at the buffet.

Dinner Rotations

Your dinner arrangements — meaning your restaurant rotation schedule, and whether you have the early or late seating for dinner — are assigned before you embark on the cruise. You can find your restaurant rotation by checking the “My Plans” section of the Navigator app. It will also show your table number and seating time, as well as the recommended dress code and menu. If you have trouble using the app, Guest Services or any of the dining locations can help you get that information. 

If you want to change your seating or your restaurant rotation, do that as soon as you embark. The location on the ship where changes can be made will be listed in the Navigator app, or just go to Guest Services and they can point you in the right direction.

If you go to your assigned restaurant for dinner each night, your servers will be the same for every night of your cruise. On longer cruises they’ll get to know you, and may even have your “usual” beverage waiting for you at your table. If you are served something you don’t like, tell the servers and they’ll bring you something else. And if you want to indulge, they’ll be happy to bring you two desserts (or two appetizers, or even two entrees)! In true Disney style, if you have a special event you are celebrating, make sure your servers know. You will get appropriate special treatment (usually a special dessert, and perhaps some singing).

We recommend not rushing to dinner. If you show up five minutes or so after they begin seating you’ll walk right in. If you show up early you’ll just have to wait in line! Don’t wait too long, though: in order to get everyone served in a timely manner, each server really needs to get all the orders from all their tables at once. If you come too late, it throws off their timing, necessitating multiple extra trips to the kitchen and long delays for everyone. Also, if you won’t be at the regular rotation dinner one night, it’s helpful to tell your server or head server in advance, so they won’t wait for you to arrive to start service for the other tables.

We also recommend having the Navigator app open to your dinner reservation and table number the first time you arrive at each restaurant, so you can be seated more easily. But if you remember your table number, you can just tell the servers.  

Each restaurant has a “special” menu that is only offered at that restaurant, which will be used on one of the nights you visit each restaurant (the same night as the show, if there is one for that restaurant). On the other nights, you’ll get “standard” menus that are the same at all three restaurants (they change every night, but each of the three restaurants gets the same menu). 

Dinner Shows

The following restaurants have special shows and menus on one night of your cruise . These shows are one of the unique entertainment experiences on a Disney cruise, so try to see them if you can! Ask at Guest Services or ask your server which night it will be for your rotation. Move your Palo, Remy or Enchante reservations or change your dinner rotation if you have to. 

• Animator’s Palate (Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy) — On the Magic & Wonder, this show allows everyone in the family to design a character and see it animated. It’s pretty neat! On the Dream & Fantasy, the show involves interacting with an animated character (Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo). On longer (7+ night) cruises on the Dream & Fantasy, they may also do a version of the “draw your own animated character” show on the second night you visit Animator’s Palate.
• Tiana’s Place (Wonder) — A rollicking dinner show with the characters and songs from The Princess & The Frog.
• Rapunzel’s Royal Table (Magic) — A fun musical show with characters and songs from Tangled.
• Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure (Wish) — An elaborate show where you’re a guest at an engagement party for Anna and Kristoff, hosted by Wandering Oaken. Enjoy songs and characters from the two Frozen movies.
• Worlds of Marvel (Wish) — A loud action spectacle involving Ant-Man and the Wasp (and some guest Marvel characters) takes place during dinner. Most of the action is ostensibly taking place elsewhere on the ship (you watch it on screens on the walls of the restaurant), but live-action Ant-Man and the Wasp appear near the end to wave at diners.

Premium Restaurants

If you enjoy fine dining, we definitely recommend making a reservation for Palo, Remy or Enchanté, particularly on a 4-night or longer cruise. There is a small extra cost (larger for Remy and Enchanté) but it is well worth it for the cuisine, the atmosphere, and the opportunity to enjoy a nice dinner without the kids. The Remy and Enchanté dinners are especially elaborate, and are similar to meals that cost much more at Michelin starred restaurants or Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World. Palo can be found on all five Disney ships, though the menu is slightly different (and more steakhouse-oriented) on the Wish. Remy is only on the Dream and Fantasy, and Enchanté is only on the Wish.

Alternatively, consider booking the Palo, Enchanté or Remy brunch (offered usually only once or twice on most cruises). We find the premium brunches particularly fabulous and might even prefer them to dinner in Palo.

Palo, Remy and Enchanté are very popular, so book them as early as you can . If you’re not able to get a reservation in advance, check the Navigator app or ask a crew member to find the location where you can go and request a reservation onboard.

If you want to skip one of the regular rotation restaurants in order to dine in Palo, Remy or Enchanté, our suggestion is to call Disney to find out the dining rotations for your cruise and pick a night that is the second visit to a restaurant, since the first night is very likely to be that restaurant’s special menu (and will have a show, if there is a show at that restaurant). For example, if your rotation is “Enchanted Garden, Rapunzel’s Table, Rapunzel’s Table, Animator’s Palate”, pick the third night, since it is the most likely to be a “standard” menu.

Keep in mind that the dinner rotations and timing of Animator’s Palate, Tiana’s, Rapunzel’s, Marvel or Arendelle shows are subject to change, and in our experience the folks at the Disney call center don’t always have accurate information about when the show will happen. The people actually on the ship know, so if you want to be sure your premium dining doesn’t happen on a dinner show night, go to Guest Services or the dining reservation location listed in the Navigator app on the first day of your cruise and ask. If there’s a conflict, they can either reschedule your premium dinner or put you on a different main dining rotation.

Alternate Dining Options

There are always plenty of options for food: check the Navigator app to know which restaurants are open at what times.

In the past, Disney has opened up the buffet area (Cabanas or Marceline Market) for dinner on most nights of the cruise (usually all but the first night), but as a table-service venue, not a buffet. There’s no specific time, you just show up and choose from a limited menu that includes some of the same foods served in the main dining rooms (but without all the hoopla). Of late they haven’t been doing it, but all indications are that this is a temporary post-pandemic measure because of logistics issues, so it could restart any time. If you’d prefer a quieter dinner at your own dining time, ask if it’s an option on your cruise.

There are fast-food locations up on the pool deck, serving kid-friendly fast food. We think the burgers and other sandwiches on a bun are edible, and the mini-wraps are quite good. The pizza is not a highlight – the toppings are fine, but the crust is sub-par, except on the Wish, where it is pretty good. The Wish also has a barbeque window, and a Mexican food window with choose-your-own ingredient bowls, tacos and burritos (think Chipotle), and both of those options are quite good. The fruit is fruit; nothing wrong with it. The soft-serve ice cream is not very creamy, but it makes a nice snack on a hot day, and they usually rotate in some unusual flavors like mango or strawberry over the course of the cruise.

On most ships, there are some small snacks available most of the day. In the adult coffee bar, there have generally been free mini-desserts available during the day, and little antipasto nibbles during the evening, but we didn’t see them on the Wish. In the adult lounge area on the lower decks, there is usually a (small) hot snack buffet available for part of the evening, either in the pub or the hallway between the various lounges. Usually there’s something like a build-your-own nacho bar, plus some sort of hot savory like pigs in a blanket or egg rolls. Again, this little mini-buffet has not been present on the Wish. In the pub on each ship, there are about 4-6 extra-cost hot snacks & entrees you can order. Typically at least one of the pool deck food stations will be open until midnight, usually pizza. From midnight until breakfast time (6:30 or so) room service is the only food option.

On Alaska cruises, there have usually been some snacks on the front of the ship on the pool deck on the glacier-viewing day , including hot soup in small bread bowls, cookies and hot cocoa. They also usually do a special barbecue lunch that day on the deck behind the buffet, typically sausage, fish, and steak. Sometimes they have been known to serve elk or another Alaska specialty. Make sure you go out to the deck to check it out; we met many people who had no idea the cookout was happening and just ate regular buffet food instead of the fresh-grilled options just a few steps away.

Concierge guests have access to snacks and beverages (bottled water, soft drinks, coffee drinks) in the concierge lounge.

Kids’ Meals

There are kid’s menu options at all the table-service meals , but children are not limited to eating from those menus. Your servers will bring your kids whatever they want, including full adult appetizers, meals and desserts, and in fact if there’s something on the ship they can get or make, they’ll usually try to accommodate you even if it’s not on the menu. In other words, if all your kids want is french fries, that’s not a problem, assuming you’re OK with it.

It’s worth noting that asking your server to bring you something from another restaurant is not a trivial undertaking . They will almost certainly do it, because they really want guests to be happy, but don’t spring a request on them unless you really can’t find anything else for your kids to eat. And if possible, let the service staff know early if your child has specific food issues. If they know in advance that your child will only eat french fries and chicken fingers, they can have those ready each night.

If you have kids in the Oceaneer Club, they will be offered lunch and dinner if they are in the Club at the appropriate time. There are not usually a lot of choices, but what they’ll offer is going to be pretty simple and kid-friendly, like chicken nuggets and apple slices.

Two key things to be aware of: one, they usually don’t serve the kids dinner on the first night of the cruise (the day of embarkation). So if you have Palo or Remy reservations for that night, you’ll need to feed your kids yourself. Fortunately that’s easy: all you have to do is get food for the kids before or after your reservation from one of the fast-food restaurants on the pool deck. Two: be aware of when the kids are served. Meal times may be too early for your liking if you leave your kids in the Club.

Also, keep in mind that the Disney crew members will not make your kids sit down to eat. They will make sure every child is informed that food is being served, but they can’t and won’t make your children stop playing to eat, and there is one opportunity to eat for each mealtime. There are no snacks served in the club between meal times. It’s a good idea when you pick up your kids to check if they ate and if they are hungry.

Dine and Play Program

Please note : The Dine and Play program is temporarily suspended, but may return at any time. Ask about it onboard if you’re interested.

The Dine and Play program allows children to get their meals quicker and adults to check in a child for Youth Activities without leaving the dining room. The Dine and Play program is offered for families assigned to second dining, and is open to children ages 3-12. 

Here’s how it works: You arrive in the dining room and inform the server that your child would like to participate in Dine and Play. The dining room team brings the child’s meal first while serving the adults at a more leisurely pace.

About 45 minutes after seating begins, Youth Activities Counselors arrive in the dining room and sign in the child to Disney’s Oceaneer Club, eliminating the need for you to escort the child to Deck 5.

Adults are then able to enjoy the full dining experience with the knowledge that their children are having a great time in a safe, fun and comfortable environment.

Alternative approach: You can ask your server to feed the kids as fast as possible, and then have an adult walk them over to the kids club and check them in. It only takes a few minutes to get to the club and back. Some parents have told us their kids prefer this method over using Dine & Play, as you can get the kids to the club whenever they’re ready and there’s less waiting around.

Room Service

Room service is not a strong suit on Disney Cruise Line. The food, in our experience, is merely adequate. It is free (though a tip is welcomed) and convenient, though. Selection is mostly very basic and very middle-American: sandwiches, basic soups, chicken wings, a few salads, a cheese plate, burger, pizza or topped flatbreads. 

If the buffet or top deck restaurants are open, we suggest sending someone to the buffet or top deck instead of ordering room service . The selection in the buffet is much better and the food better prepared. The top deck restaurants have a more limited selection, but sending someone to the top deck for food has always resulted in hotter, fresher food when we’ve done it. That said, if you’re worn out, or come back really late from a port excursion, it’s nice to know they will bring you food any time.

Mickey bars (Mickey head shaped ice cream bars) and Smuckers Uncrustables (packaged peanut butter & jelly sandwiches) are not on the menu, but have usually been available on request.

Special orders are limited , but if you want something simple that is not on the menu, but is made with components used in items that are on the menu, such as a grilled cheese sandwich, plain salad without dressing, plain hamburger patty with no bun or just an order of french fries, they will usually make that for you on request.

Room service breakfast in the regular staterooms is a very basic Continental offering of various baked goods, cereal, milk, hot drinks and juice. There is nothing hot and no real protein, so if you like eggs and bacon in the morning, head for the buffet or whichever dining room is serving breakfast (it’s listed in the Disney Cruise Navigator app). We do sometimes use room service to get coffee delivered in the morning. Though lately we just have them deliver hot water, because we prefer the Starbucks Via packets to the ship’s reconstituted coffee product.

Guests in concierge staterooms and suites can order dinner from the rotation restaurants during regular dinner hours . Ask your concierge staff for a menu. All courses of your meal are brought at once, which doesn’t do good things for the quality of the meal, but it’s still better than the regular room service offerings. Concierge level guests can order hot breakfasts in their suites and staterooms during the cruise.

Many common beverages (including sodas) are available FREE most of the time , but there are situations where you could be charged for them. Here are the basic rules:

• The self-service drink station on the pool deck offers milk , juice , tea (hot or iced) , coffee, hot cocoa , lemonade, plain water and fountain sodas  at no extra charge 24 hours a day.
• The dining rooms (including Palo, Remy and Enchanté) offer milk , juice , tea (hot or iced) , coffee , hot cocoa ,  lemonade, plain water and fountain sodas  at no extra charge with meals. All other drinks can be ordered, but cost money.
• Castaway Cay offers milk , juice , tea (iced only) , lemonade, plain water and fountain sodas  for free. All other cold drinks (except iced espresso drinks) can be ordered at a bar, but cost money. No hot drinks are available. 
• Room service offers milk , juice , tea (hot or iced), plain water and  coffee free. All other drinks cost money. 
• All bars (including espresso bars) charge for all beverages , except plain tap water.
• Bottled water, canned and bottled soda and soft drinks , alcoholic beverages , mocktails , smoothies, shakes  and espresso drinks (and related drinks like chai lattes) always cost money no matter where you order them.
• The fountain sodas are all Coca-Cola products (which could change any time, but Coca-Cola has had a strong partnership with Disney for many years). The bars have a wider selection of canned and bottled beverages available, at a charge.

Consider bringing your own bottled water if you think you’ll drink a lot of it on shore excursions, Castaway Cay, etc. Bottled water on the ship or Castaway Cay is expensive. Consider packing a small carry-on suitcase with just bottled water. Then on the way home you’ll have room for all those things you didn’t plan to buy. (If you are staying on concierge level on the Dream or Fantasy, bottled water is provided in the lounge without cost.)

Disney allows each adult to bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or six 12 oz beers onboard at embarkation and at each port visited. Bottles must be sealed and they must be in your carry-on luggage.  Spirits (rum, vodka, whiskey, etc.) are not allowed (they will be confiscated and given back to you at disembarkation).

Sealed bottles or cans of non-alcoholic beverages can be carried on in any amount that will fit through the x-ray machines (carry-on bag sized, in other words). As for coolers, Disney officially says that you can only take aboard small (12″ x 12″ x 12″ max) soft-sided coolers for keeping things like insulin and breast milk cold. In practice, soft coolers can be any size that’s small enough to fit through the x-ray machine (again, basically the size of a carry-on bag), but no hard-sided or wheeled coolers.

Disney, like all other cruise lines, does not allow any beverages in checked bags , because checked baggage is stacked up and handled roughly during the loading process, which could cause containers of liquids to break and/or leak onto other people’s luggage. They do screen for those items. If they find disallowed items, the items will be confiscated and given back at the end of the cruise.

Coffee and Tea

Regular American-style coffee on Disney ships is unfortunately not good. The “drip” coffee they serve throughout the ship is made in a machine that looks vaguely like a coffee urn, but actually produces instant coffee on demand by mixing liquid concentrate and hot water. When it’s made in a properly-calibrated machine it tastes like OK instant coffee (not as good as Starbucks Via, but better than Folger’s Crystals). If the machine is out of calibration, it can be really weak or very strong.

If you like your coffee with cream and sugar or just aren’t picky about coffee, you may be fine with the reconstituted coffee . If you like quality coffee, you may want to order espresso drinks (at extra cost), which are available at most bars and sit-down restaurants and at the bar in the Wish, Dream & Fantasy’s buffets. You might also consider bringing Starbucks Via packets if you like them. In our experience the Via is much better than the reconstituted stuff.

If you’re a tea drinker, the news is better: there are a wide variety of Twinings tea bags (regular and herbal) at the main deck drink stations and in the dining rooms. And in the dining rooms, they almost always serve tea properly, with acceptably hot water and a small pitcher of milk upon request.

The iced tea served everywhere is unsweetened reconstituted iced tea from a soda machine (Fuze brand from Coca-Cola), but you can make your own iced tea by brewing fresh hot tea and adding ice and water, and that is much better. Our recipe: put two regular black tea bags in a cup of hot water, steep three minutes, stir in sugar if desired, then pour over a full cup of ice. Add water to taste.

Most bars on the ship have espresso machines , including the adults-only Cove Cafe on the pool deck and the all-ages Promenade Lounge on deck 3 (Wonder & Magic), Vista Café on deck 4 (Dream & Fantasy), and all bars and lounges on the Wish. Espresso is also available in the main dining rooms, the premium restaurants, and the Dream, Fantasy and Wish buffets. All espresso drinks cost extra, generally about the same price as on land. If you are a regular consumer of espresso drinks, be sure to get a coffee card. Each time you buy a latte, cappucino, etc. they will mark the card. Your sixth beverage is FREE! If you don’t fill your card during the cruise, hold onto it — it can be used on a future cruise, even on a different Disney ship!

Wine Packages and Refillable Beer Mug

Disney doesn’t have any “all you can drink” packages available. You don’t really need one for sodas, since they’re included (except at bars). Alcohol and other specialty beverages are always a la carte. There are, however, two programs that could save you some money (albeit with a few caveats).

Wine Packages

This is an opportunity to pre-pay for a certain number of bottles of wine, which you can enjoy at any of the sit-down restaurants. If you don’t finish one, you can get it recorked for the next night (and they’ll take it to the next restaurant in the rotation, or you can get it brought to you at Palo, Remy or Enchanté), or you can take it with you to your room. If you don’t end up drinking them all, you can take the remainder home. Your server will usually suggest buying one bottle per cruise night, but you can buy more or less if you like. The wines are all from a set list, which changes from time to time, and usually includes about 10-12 white wines and 8-10 red wines. There are two tiers, with the more expensive one including fancier bottles of wine. The wines on the list change regularly, but we think the choices are all pretty good, with a few real winners on each list. Disney pushes these packages aggressively: a brochure will be on the table your first night, and one of your servers will offer a sales pitch the first night.

We went to the trouble a few years ago to price out all the wines on the list and compare to the average cost per bottle from the packages . The price per bottle in the packages was about $2-3 cheaper than the average price of the bottles included in the package. However, the packages typically have only 5-7 selections that sell for more than the average price, and 12-15 selections that sell for less than the average price. So if you pick random bottles from the list, you’re very likely to end up spending more (or at least not much less) by buying the package. To come out ahead, you have to consistently order from the few bottles that are higher priced.

Frankly, our opinion is that it’s not worth the trouble, at least as a money-saving strategy . If buying your dinner wine in advance will help you relax, then go ahead; you certainly won’t lose much money unless you happen to always pick the cheapest wine on the list. And if you really love a particular wine or wines that you know are higher-priced, and you plan to only drink those, the plan will save you a few bucks per bottle.

Refillable Beer Mug

This is a large 21 oz glass souvenir beer mug that you can buy at any bar for $17 (last we checked). When you get it filled (at any bar or restaurant), you get 21 ounces for the price of a 16 ounce draft beer. One nice thing is that you don’t have to cart the mug around; they’ll give you a little token you can trade for a mug at any time. So you give the token to your server and get a mug of beer, and when you’re done you can give them the mug and ask for the token back. At the end of the cruise, just stop by any bar to get a nice clean mug to take home. The selection of draft beers is pretty good, and in addition to the standard American beers, there are always a few craft beers like Widmer or Full Sail and even sometimes a cider like Strongbow. (Disney Cruise Line advertises this as a 21 oz glass, but we heard from a reader who measured it and found it actually held 20 oz when filled to the rim.)

Purely as a money-saving strategy, it’s hard to get your money’s worth out of the mug unless you really like beer. However, if you like the idea of having a Disney Cruise Line souvenir beer mug, and the price seems reasonable, then the extra beer is basically FREE. Make sure to tell your spouse that when you buy it.

Disembarkation Day

Breakfast is served on the day of disembarkation. In fact, you’ll have an assigned restaurant and time for breakfast for disembarkation, or you can choose to eat at the buffet instead. It will be a much smaller selection than during the cruise: welcome back to the real world!

Regular guests do not have access to room service on disembarkation morning. Concierge level guests can order a standard Continental breakfast from room service on disembarkation morning.

Most kids find the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab, for ages 3-10, to be the best part of a Disney cruise. There is a lot to do, with great hands-on organized activities going on all the time.

Signing in and out is a relatively easy process considering what needs to be done to protect the children. However, you may have to wait in line either to drop them off or pick them up. Plan at least 5 minutes for the pick up or drop off process. If your children are 8 years old or older, they can be given the ability to sign themselves in and out on their own.

The Navigator app will tell you what’s happening and where your kids are at any given time. Check the app to see if your children will be out of the Club at the time you want to sign them out – for instance, they could be up on the deck playing basketball. Using the app to plan will save you a wasted trip. Also, when the kids are moving from one location to another, they will not allow you to sign them in or out, so there can be a 10-15 minute window where you have to wait.

You can keep your child signed in to the Oceaneer Club while at Castaway Cay. They will take the kids off the ship to special play areas for supervised games and activities throughout the day. If you do this, be sure to bring your phone with you. The Wi-Fi covers much of Castaway Cay and the app tends to work OK. But if you want your kids to join you for some time on the island, make sure you know their schedule of activities. They eat lunch fairly early, and are taken back to the ship before the beach closes.

Edge is the “tween” club for ages 11-14. Vibe is the teen club for ages 14-17. A 14-year-old can access both Edge and Vibe, but they will have to register for both. Disney will sometimes be slightly flexible about the age groups for these clubs, and will sometimes allow a child that is a little younger than the target age into the older teen club if they have space in the club your child wants to attend, especially if they have a friend or sibling in the older club. This is not guaranteed, but it’s worth asking.

The Disney Cruise offers many opportunities to meet characters . You will see most of the popular characters at some point or another on the Disney Cruise. Greeting times are available in the Navigator app. The lines for character greetings usually start forming about 15 minutes before the scheduled greeting time, so if you can get there 10 minutes beforehand, you won’t have a long wait once the characters arrive.

Some popular character meetings and meals may require advance booking . There’s no charge for the character meetings, but certain breakfasts or teas with characters may have an additional fee. You should book these as early as you can online; the bookings open on the same schedule as  booking excursions and Palo/Remy/Enchanté . You can also call or stop by guest services on the first day and ask about tickets; they may hold back some slots for onboard booking. Thanks to Sarah B and Rachel P for info.

Bring your kids’ Disney costumes, if they have any. The cruise is a great opportunity to get pictures of your daughter dressed as Belle with the “real” Belle herself, without her having to wear the costume all day.

If you’re on a 7-night cruise, you may have an assigned Character Breakfast on one of the days of the cruise. You’ll get a chance for photos with all the main Disney characters, including Mickey and Minnie!

Most of the character greetings will include a Disney professional photographer , so if your own photo doesn’t turn out you can still buy a memento from Shutters, the onboard photo location.

Read our tips, tricks and discounts on Port Excursions !

The list below is mostly based on reader suggestions. We have to admit, we have taken Disney cruises at various times without these, and everything went just fine. So don’t go too crazy with overpacking! But some of these are good ideas for specific needs.

• Water shoes – Always a good idea if you’ll be snorkeling or wading where there are coral reefs and sharp rocks. Also handy to protect your feet on hot sand, concrete or the pool deck; the sun can make the deck very hot and you’ll want some of these or some simple flip-flops while hanging around the pool. You can wear water shoes that are secure and not likely to come off on the AquaDuck, AquaMouse and AquaDunk, but flip-flops or water shoes that slip off easily will need to be stowed before riding.
• Safe Sea lotion – This is a lotion that protects against jellyfish, sea nettle, and seabather’s eruption , caused by jellyfish larvae that are sometimes called “sea lice.” There is actual independent research that backs this up – we’ve read it and are satisfied that it works. We want to reassure people that large jellyfish are kept out of the lagoon at Castaway Cay by netting under the water, so we’ve never heard of anyone getting a serious sting there, but people do occasionally get seabather’s eruption. At other beaches in the Bahamas and Caribbean jellyfish stings are not common, but they do happen. The peak season for jellyfish is summer (June-August) and they’re rare in winter. We actually had a very minor issue with seabather’s eruption on one trip to Castaway Cay (on some skin that didn’t have lotion; we failed to note that you need to apply some underneath the swimsuit for full protection), and we can attest that while it’s not the end of the world, it’s quite unpleasant and worth avoiding. Certainly the lotion is a cheap form of insurance, and there are formulations that include sunscreen, which you’ll need anyway. Another option is to bring some jellyfish after-sting gel  just in case, or some sources recommend hydrocortisone cream or antihistamine cream .
• Body Powder – If you’ve ever tried to wipe beach sand off your body, you know it tends to stick in an annoying manner. It turns out it sticks to your skin because of residual moisture, and if you just rub your skin with water-absorbent powder (i.e. scented cornstarch), the sand drops right off. We used to recommend a very useful little mitt that contained cornstarch-based body powder for wiping off sand. Apparently that mitt isn’t made any more, but you can get the same effect by just sprinkling the powder on a towel and wiping with that. Do make sure you’re getting plain cornstarch powder, or at least talc-free powder. Talc is not good to breathe.
• Robe – if you like to wear one in your room, you’ll need to bring your own unless you’re in a concierge room. Some people have had luck asking their stateroom attendant, but it’s not guaranteed they can get you one.
• Pop-up Hamper – We like the rectangular kind with a circular opening on the top, as opposed to the ones that look like a big round cloth-covered spring. The squarer ones seem to hold their shape better. They only weigh 8 ounces, fold down to a small circle, and fit nicely into hotel and stateroom closets.
• Dry box/case – Basically, a small waterproof box or pouch on a lanyard. Used by scuba divers and snorkelers, these are handy for any beach visit, because you can keep your ID and some money around your neck, instead of sticking valuables in your shoe and leaving them on the beach (yeah, everyone knows about THAT hiding place!)
• Clothespins – These have a variety of uses, from weighing down a shower curtain that wants to stick to you, to anchoring your beach towel to a lounge chair. You can clip your curtains together if you want to minimize light leakage in the morning. Oh, and you can use them to hang laundry up to dry, too (there’s a retractable clothesline in the bathtub).
• Night light – Particularly if you are staying in one of the Inside cabins on the Magic, Wonder or Wish, this is nice to have. It’s pitch black in those rooms when the lights are off. If you don’t want to use up a wall plug, you can get a USB light that plugs into an empty USB charger port. (It’ll also work in a laptop USB port, but not all laptops keep power to the USB ports when they go to sleep, so you’d want to check that first.) An LED flashlight or headlamp can also be handy if you need to get up in the middle of the night and don’t want to turn on lights.
• Magnets – The stateroom doors are metal (except for the doors in the concierge section of the Dream and Fantasy). You can stick magnets on them to decorate your door, and it makes it easier for your children (and you) to identify your room. Don’t bring anything you can’t bear to lose: these do get taken sometimes. Please note that you are not allowed to use any type of adhesive on your door, including removable gel adhesives that supposedly come off clean. You will be charged for any damage to the door.
• Multi-USB charger – When we have a lot of things to charge while travelling, normally we bring a  travel power strip , but as mentioned below, power strips are generally not allowed on Disney ships. Now we bring a multi-charger, which can charge 4 or more devices from one outlet. We’ve used Anker brand as well as Amazon Basics, and they’ve both been perfectly fine. You’ll need to also bring the USB cable for each device. We’d recommend getting at least a 40W model if you have anything more than just a phone or two. A 60W model typically has six outlets and might be just the thing if you have a lot of tablets and phones to charge, or you want a spare port to plug a USB night light into. Note that on the Magic and Wonder, they’ve installed a few more USA-type power outlets near the desk, and there are a couple of USB charging ports at the desk and on the alarm clock next to the bed. The Wish staterooms have tons of USB charging outlets at the desk and next to the bed, including two USB-C ports, so you can probably get by without a USB charger on that ship.
• Irons are NOT ALLOWED as they are a fire hazard. Fire is a huge danger on cruise ships. If you take an iron it will be confiscated from your luggage. Irons are available for your use in the laundry rooms.
• Rolls of quarters – In the past, these were needed for the self-service laundry onboard, but now you just swipe your room key for use of the washer, dryer, soap and dryer sheets. The cost is charged to your account.
• Over-the-door shoe organizer – Some people have used these to store toiletries or other small items. Disney now asks that you do NOT use them as they “scratch and/or disfigure stateroom doors and trim.” You will be charged for any damage.
• Seasickness medication – Unless you KNOW you get seasick on cruise ships, don’t bother bringing this. If you do get queasy, the ship’s health center or the guest services desk will give you FREE over the counter medication (generic meclizine, the ingredient in Bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine). If you get super-queasy the health center can get you prescription medication (for a fee).
• Beach towels – They are provided when you get off the ship on beach days.
• Power/outlet strip – These are not allowed on the ship. MouseSavers.com reader Christina N reports: “… they confiscated these from my bag and from others. They do not allow them as it blows circuits in the room.” Technically, they only ban extension cords, and power strips with surge protectors, but in practice people have reported having just about any kind of multi-outlet strip or adapter confiscated, because the people doing the screening don’t want to figure out whether your power strip is one of the “bad” ones. One thing not many people know is that there’s an open outlet behind the TV in most cabins on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy. The TVs are on a pivoting arm, so it’s easy to pull them out and expose the spare plug. Many smartphones and smaller tablets can be charged through a USB cable connected to a laptop, so if you take a USB cable you’ll only need one outlet, to plug in the laptop. Or you might want to pack a multi-USB charger like the ones mentioned above. And over time Disney has been adding USB charging ports to the outlets near the desk, so you might not need a power strip depending on how many devices you have.
• Extension cords – the only extension cords allowed on the ship are ones you can borrow from Guest Services ($50 deposit required; refunded when you return the cord). There are a limited number and availability is first-come, first-served. If you need one for a CPAP or other medical device, one will be made available, but all of the ships now have a plug next to the bed, so you shouldn’t need an extension for a CPAP. On the Wish, there are US-style plugs next to one side of the bed, and a European plug on the other side. So if you have a CPAP or other device that goes next to the bed, and you really prefer to sleep on a specific side, make sure you have the correct plug adapter and your CPAP power supply handles both 110 and 220 volt current (almost all of them do, but you should check).
• Hairdryer (maybe) – Hairdryers are provided, but the ones provided might not be up to your standards. If you’re not picky, don’t bother packing one.
• High chair / booster seat – Both are provided on request in the dining room.
• Pack and play crib – These are provided onboard (request when booking your cruise).
• Stroller (maybe) – There are some strollers available to borrow onboard (deposit required) and on Castaway Cay. However, there are a limited number and it’s first-come, first-served. If you have a little one, it’s not a bad idea to bring a small umbrella stroller along.

During the day and most evenings on the Disney Cruise Line, you can wear casual clothing. At dinner, you are asked to stick to “cruise casual.” Most men wear a collared shirt (aloha shirts and golf/polo shirts are fine) and long pants (chinos or dress slacks) or nice shorts. Most women wear a skirt, dress, nice pants or dressy capris. Disney requests no swimwear or tank tops at dinner, but in practice, dressier tank-style tops will usually be acceptable. People who show up to the main dining rooms in swimsuits are almost always asked to change.

There are times when dressing up to some extent is either required or encouraged:

• When having dinner at Palo, Remy or Enchanté, the dress code is basically “business casual plus.” Men are required to wear long pants suitable for professional work (which could include “nice” jeans), collared shirts and dressier shoes. Some men wear suits or even tuxedos. Women can wear pretty much anything “nice” that isn’t swimwear, casual t-shirts, shorts or sportswear. Semi-formal or even formal wear would not be out of place. At Brunch or Tea at either restaurant, the dress code is “cruise casual,” which basically means no shorts, swimsuits, tank tops or flip-flops.
• On 4-night or longer cruises, there will be one or two “optional dress up” nights that you can interpret how you will. Dressing up is not required, but some folks will make an effort to change for dinner. On our most recent Disney cruises we’ve seen a handful of tuxedos on dress-up nights and a few dozen men wearing jackets. A fair number of women were dressed in nicer outfits. Lots and lots of people were just in normal “cruise casual” outfits, so if you don’t like to dress up don’t feel like you’re under any obligation to do so. On the other hand, if you like to dress up, it’s a great opportunity. The crew and the Disney characters will be in nicer clothes, there will be photo stations where you can get a picture of the whole family in nice outfits, and you won’t feel overdressed in a gown or tux.
• Some people like to wear dressy or semi-formal clothing on the nights when they dine in Lumiere’s (Magic), Triton’s (Wonder) or Royal Palace/Royal Court (Dream or Fantasy), since those are the restaurants with the fanciest theming but this is not by any means required.
• Similarly, a few people like to dress in 1920’s inspired clothes when dining in 1923 on the Disney Wish. This is just a fun thing to do and not in any way required.

Where to Buy Disney Cruise Wear

If you’re looking for Disney-themed casual cruise wear (aloha shirts, etc.), a good place to look is DisneyStore.com . Unfortunately they only offer resort wear on a seasonal basis (usually spring and summer), but even in the winter it’s always worth looking to see if they have anything in the sale section.

DisneyStore.com  carries a significant amount of Disney Cruise Line clothing and other logo merchandise as well.

• See current discounts and offers for DisneyStore.com.

Your phone should still be able to reach a tower on land as long as the ship is in port, but once you are at sea, we strongly advise you to turn off international roaming and data roaming, to avoid having your phone accidentally use the “Cellular@Sea” service, which is very expensive. You can (and should) leave wi-fi turned on, so you can use Disney’s Navigator App to see the current schedules and menus and so forth.

You can also use the Disney Navigator App on your own phone to send messages to other people in your party. To get message notifications as quickly as possible, make sure that notifications are enabled for the Disney Navigator app, as well as background updates. Basically in our experience, the Navigator app needs to have all permissions set to “on,” including Location, Bluetooth, Notifications, and Background Update. You can (and perhaps should) turn those off again once your cruise has ended.

If you absolutely must use your phone to call or text while at sea, service may be available on Disney ships through the “Cellular@Sea” service. It is a very expensive form of international roaming and the ship must be 8 to 10 miles out to sea before you can access it. Most phones will just connect to Cellular@Sea without needing any special setup, but be aware that the service includes phone, text messaging, and data . If your phone is set to auto-update, you could end up on the hook for a large data charge because it decided to download a 100MB game update or something. Definitely turn off your cellular data, or set it to not use cellular data when roaming.

US phones will work in most international ports if you have turned on international roaming. You might need to arrange with your provider for that feature to be turned on in advance, but most providers have it set up by default. Depending on your provider, roaming may be very expensive (potentially over $2 per minute, and $10 or more per megabyte of data). Check with your provider for special international roaming packages, which may save you money if you plan to use your phone a lot.

Wireless internet service is available on all Disney ships . All internet is over satellite, and you shouldn’t expect speeds or responsiveness similar to what you get on land, though it’s usually good enough to send messages and emails and use Facebook and other social media.

Internet service on Disney ships is paid for by the day, and is theoretically “unlimited .” It’s pretty fast for cruise ship internet, but still slower than most land-based systems. You’re sharing bandwidth with all the other passengers and crew, so right after you leave a port, expect the internet to crawl as everyone starts posting pictures of their excursions to social media. If you have cellular internet service that works in that country (and is reasonably priced), you may want to post your pictures before you leave port via cellular rather than via wi-fi. If your cellular is flaky, get to the top deck and walk over to the side of the ship closest to land. Alternatively, wait until dinner time, when the wi-fi speeds will pick up considerably.

Prices are (so far) pretty reasonable for cruise ship internet, with a basic single-device plan that lets you use Facebook and similar apps (but not email or web) for $16/day (when purchased for the whole cruise), a fancier plan that includes email and web (but no streaming) for $24/day, and a premium plan that includes music streaming for $34/day. Video streaming is not supported on any plan , so no Netflix or Hulu. Plans cost a little more if you only buy a plan for individual days rather than the whole cruise, and there is a small discount for adding additional devices.

Spa: Treatments, Products and Fitness Center

Spa treatments are very popular and fill up early , so book them as early as you can . If you’re not able to get an appointment before you embark, go to the Spa when you get onboard and you’ll probably be able to arrange one in person.

We don’t recommend having any spa treatments done on the first (embarkation) day , because people are touring the Spa all afternoon and evening, making it busy and not very relaxing. It’s a good day to set up your future appointments, but not as good for actually having treatments done.

The changing rooms in the spa have fluffy robes for your use. Sadly, the robes are all “one size fits most” and aren’t big enough for many people. You then can choose a locker that contains a clean pair of spa sandals. The lockers allow you to set your own combination for secure storage of your personal items. We don’t find the sandals they provide very comfortable (again, they’re “one size fits most”), so we just wear a clean pair of sandals or flip-flops to our spa appointment.

You can change into your robe in the open locker room or in one of the toilet cubicles. Once you’re in your robe and sandals, an attendant will escort you to a quiet waiting room, where you can enjoy some water while you wait for your treatment. After your treatment you’ll be escorted back to the locker room, where you can use one of the spacious showers if you wish. Basic toiletries, disposable combs, etc. are provided. On the Dream and Fantasy, there is a dry sauna in the locker room that you can enjoy after your treatment for no additional charge.

If you are considering a Cabana Massage on Castaway Cay, here are a few things to consider first:

• The cabanas are rustic. There is no running water in them, so your massage therapist cannot wash her hands during your treatment. There is no air conditioning (there is a ceiling fan) or heat so it can be unpleasantly hot in the summer and uncomfortably cool in the winter.
• Your feet and lower legs will almost certainly be covered with sand by the time you get to the cabana, and there’s really no facility for removing it. (There is an outdoor shower near the waiting area, but you’ll then proceed across the sand to the cabana… you’ll get sandy again, trust us.) So the sand inevitably becomes part of the treatment. How you feel about having sandy oil rubbed into your skin is a matter of preference. And remember, the massage oil dissolves any sunscreen you’re wearing, so you’ll need to reapply it afterward, which enters the mix with the sand.
• When you envision this experience, you might think you would be relaxing to the sound of the ocean waves. Nope. The cabanas are located right above the lounge chairs along the beach (though visually separated by some plants), so you will hear the chatter of people sitting right below you.
• The Cabana Massage is billed as featuring “breathtaking views of Serenity Bay.” Well, that’s true for the massage therapist, but you’ll be lying on a table, and you won’t see the scenery from there.
• The Cabana Massage is more expensive than a regular massage in the ship’s spa, yet in many ways you are getting less for your money. If you have a massage on the ship, you’ll have access to showers, a locker room, robes and sandals, etc. With the Cabana Massages, you get none of that.

The Rainforest

The Rainforest is a lovely, relaxing co-ed spa area on each ship.

• On the Magic and Wonder , the Rainforest includes three tiled steam rooms (each a different temperature), some open showers with different scented “rain” programs and a few heated loungers.
• On the Dream and Fantasy , the Rainforest has a dry sauna, a hot steam room and a hammam (a large, tiled steam room that is less hot than the regular steam room), four scented showers with multiple “rain” programs, numerous heated loungers with views of the sea and two hot tubs on a private deck overlooking the water.
• On the Wish , the Rainforest has a dry sauna, hammam, a cryotherapy (cold) room, showers with rain programs, heated loungers, and a nice sun deck ( much larger than the one on the Dream & Fantasy) with two hot tubs and plenty of sun beds. The sun deck is tucked into the nose of the ship, one deck below the promenade, so there’s no ocean view, but you can see the sky and relax in the sun or the shade according to your preference.

You can purchase a day pass or a longer pass for the length of your cruise. A limited number of passes are sold on each sailing. Tip: the Rainforest Room is closed until around 5 on embarkation day, so you won’t typically get a lot of usage on the first day of the cruise. You may find it’s a better deal just to pay day-by-day, or ask if you can buy a shorter pass. The single-day passes for the sea day(s) will go first, followed by the full-cruise passes. A pass for the Castaway Cay day or other port day might be available same day, and could be a good alternative if you’re not interested in that port.

When you want to use the Rainforest, just tell the front desk staff at the spa and they’ll give you a wristband that opens the door to the Rainforest area. They will hold your room key while you are in the Rainforest. You then proceed to the locker room, where you can choose a locker and get a robe and sandals, if desired. A swimsuit must be worn since the Rainforest is mixed-gender.

Towels and drinking water are provided.

The spas on the Disney ships are operated by Steiner, a huge British spa company that runs spas for cruise lines and resorts. The staff do a great job performing the spa treatments, but Steiner trains them to offer product upsells at every reasonable opportunity. The result is that they almost always give cruise passengers a sales pitch on spa products. The products themselves are fine, but they are expensive and getting a sales pitch after your relaxing treatment can be annoying.

You’ll be given a “health form” before your treatment, asking about various health issues. Any issues you write on that form are used to help them sell you stuff (“Oh, I see you have very dry skin. You should try this cream.”). For that reason, unless you have an allergy or injury that directly affects your treatment , we recommend leaving the form as blank as possible .

Some people have tried writing “no sales pitch” on the form, but that is frequently ignored. Here are some other approaches we’ve used with success:

• A polite and friendly “no thank you” when they start showing the products or going through their list of recommendations is our first line of defense. That’s often the end of it! But if they start offering a second sales pitch, we make a concerned/confused face, pause for a moment, and say, again politely, “I’m really not interested, thanks.” The subtext you want to get across is that by not paying attention to your clear and polite “no,” they’re running the risk of affecting your overall satisfaction, with all that implies about things like tips and guest comment cards. You don’t need to make this explicit; the concerned face and second “no” usually does the trick.
• If they start the sales pitch while we are getting a relaxation treatment such as a massage or wrap, we usually just stay silent. We keep our  eyes closed and don’t respond to questions. Usually they quit talking, because it becomes quite awkward for them. But if they persist, we say politely, “Sorry, I’m trying to relax, and silence really helps me with that. Thanks!”
• If we are getting a haircut or pedicure, it’s harder to ignore the sales pitch. So instead we act very enthusiastic about every product they are pushing. Usually they’ll use one or more of the products on us during the service. If they offer samples we take them, with sincere thanks. When we go to check out, there is always a big stack of “suggested” products at the front desk. When they ask us what we’ll be buying, we say “oh, I want to see how the stuff I tried today works out, so I’m not buying anything right now.”
• Remember that no matter what happens, you can always change your mind about the add-on products when you check out. Until you sign the purchase slip, you haven’t purchased anything. Just say, “after thinking it over, I don’t need any products right now. Could you take these off the bill? Thanks.”

Fitness Center

A well-equipped Fitness Center can be accessed through the Spa on all of the ships. It’s usually open from early morning to fairly late – check the Navigator for specific hours. There is no charge to use the Fitness Center. The locker rooms, sauna and showers for the Fitness Center are shared with the Spa. Towels, robes and water are provided, and you can borrow an iPod shuffle if you don’t have your own iPod with you.

You never are expected to add any extra tip over and above the automatic gratuity amounts, which are listed below . You may , if you wish, add more, and you can even adjust certain tips down if you feel it’s warranted. Many people add extra gratuities purely because the service staff on a Disney cruise are extremely helpful and work very hard, but again, no one should ever make you feel like you are required to tip more.

Disney provides suggested tip amounts for the crew members who will assist you throughout the week: your server (takes your food orders for each dinner), assistant server (takes your drink orders at each dinner and delivers the food), head server (in charge of the overall dinner experience, special dietary requests and special occasions), and stateroom host/hostess (takes care of your room). As on all cruise lines, tips are the primary source of income for people working in these positions.

The suggested gratuities for your servers and stateroom host are automatically added to your stateroom bill. If you want to adjust the amount, you can go to Guest Services. Toward the end of the cruise you will be provided with slips indicating the tip amounts, which you can present to your servers during your last dinner on the cruise and leave in your room for your stateroom host. (They will get the money in their accounts whether you give them the slips or not, it’s purely a symbolic way of thanking them for their service. Don’t feel you need to do it if you don’t enjoy that kind of interaction.)

If you are staying in a concierge room, a separate form is provided to add tip for the concierge staff, with a suggested “average” tip amount. You can use your discretion to adjust it up or down based on how much help they provided your family. 

If you dine at Palo, Remy or Enchanté, many people add an additional tip to the per-person charge, though the basic charge is considered by Disney to cover the gratuity.

An automatic gratuity is added to all beverages ordered in bars and lounges; soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and bottled water from room service; and alcoholic beverages/smoothies/bottled water ordered in the dining room. There will also be a line where you can add an additional tip at your discretion.

You can add room service tips to your room bill. Even if your order costs nothing, you’ll be asked to sign a slip, and there is a space for tips on that slip. A dollar or two per item ordered is pretty common, but entirely optional.

You are allowed to give tips to crew members in cash, if you like, and they’re happy to take it in any major currency. If you have a meaningful amount of foreign currency (more than a few dollars worth) after your cruise that you’re unlikely to use anytime in the near future, feel free to leave it for your room host in addition to the automatic gratuity; they’ll be happy to get it.

As the skippers say on the world-famous Jungle Cruise, “You all have been outstanding on this cruise, but now I need you out standing on the dock!” Sadly, your cruise will eventually have to end, and Disney needs to get a few thousand people and their bags off the ship in the space of about 3 hours, so “efficiency” is the word of the day.

A few days before the end of your cruise you should be reminded to check the disembarkation instructions in the Navigator app , and you might get a paper form listing your specific disembarkation instructions. Disembarkation can feel very complicated and rushed, but it’s not that bad once you know how it works.

The first important decision is whether you want Disney to take your big luggage off the ship for you. If you have a lot of bags, or they’re unwieldy, you probably are going to want to have the bags moved for you, but if you can handle your own bags in one trip, that makes things immensely less complicated. These days we always choose to handle our own bags, but there are times we wonder whether it’d be easier to have Disney do it, usually when we’re wrestling our big roller bags down the gangplank. It’s worth trying it both ways if you go on multiple cruises, because you never can tell which one will feel easiest for you.

Whether or not you handle your own bags, you’re supposed to be completely out of your room on the final morning by 8:00 am so they can start cleaning and resetting it for the next guests (sometimes this time can change depending on the disembarkation port – check the sheet they give you or the app to make sure). This can make things logistically complicated, since if you want to do a table-service breakfast, it will be on a fixed schedule based on whether you are on the early or late dinner seating. The first breakfast seating starts early enough to get done before 8:00 am, but the later one does not. So if you plan to do table-service breakfast and you’re on late seating, you will have to take your luggage with you. Most people on late seating line up their bags in the hallway leading to the dining room. Don’t worry, no one will take your bags; your fellow guests are all far too tired. You can take smaller bags into the dining room and park them next to the table as long as they aren’t in the servers’ way. If you are planning an early breakfast in the buffet or you’re having sit-down breakfast on the earlier seating, you can just leave your bags in your room and then come back and retrieve them by 8:00 am.

Option 1: Disney Handles Your Bags

If you decide to have Disney haul your big bags to the terminal, then you’ll need to put most of your bags out the night before (typically by 10:30 pm – check the app to make sure). You need to hang on to at least one or two small bags to hold the stuff you can’t pack early, like toiletries and your pajamas. Make sure not to pack the clothes you’ll need to wear the next morning! You’ll get a set of luggage tags to put on the bags you’re putting out, and there will be a guide showing roughly when each group of bags will be ready to pick up in the terminal. For example, if you have bag tag “Donald Duck”, the sheet might say that your bags will be ready between 8:30-8:45 am. If you need to leave early to catch an flight or something, make sure you’ve got the earliest time they can give you. You can go to Guest Services to change your bag group if needed. On disembarkation morning, they will make periodic announcements about every 15 minutes, as each set of bags gets delivered to the terminal. They ask that you not leave the ship until your bag group gets called.

If you’re out of the room, but they still haven’t called your bag group, you’ll need to find somewhere to wait . In our experience, the lounges in the adult area of the ship are the most likely to have empty seats available, especially the main adult show lounge on the Magic, Wonder, Dream & Fantasy (Fathoms/Azure/Evolution/The Tube). Those are on deck 3, so you can just walk to the atrium when your group is called. On the Wish, there are fewer options on deck 3, so you may end up needing to go to another deck or sit on the floor. On the other hand, if you’re still in the dining room when they call your bag group, there’s not really any harm in waiting until you finish breakfast to disembark, assuming you don’t have transportation waiting for you. Typically they want everyone off by 9:30 am or so, so that’s your hard deadline.

When you get into the terminal, if you’re in a hurry, it’s not a bad idea to ask for a porter’s help. They’re usually lined up in the luggage area with carts, and they know the terminal well and will know if there’s any shortcuts or faster ways to get you into a cab or shuttle. They work for tips, and a typical tip is $1-2 per bag; more if they go above and beyond.

If you booked Disney’s transfers to Walt Disney World or the airport, then the timing is much more fixed. They will assign you a time to get off, and you really need to get off at that time so they can get you on the right bus. Arrange your breakfast plans accordingly.

Option 2: You Handle Your Own Bags

If you’re handling your own bags, there’s not really much you have to do the night before to prepare . Get mostly packed up the night before. Finish packing on the morning of disembarkation, get breakfast if you like, and then just leave the ship. You can leave any time after the ship is cleared, which will be 15-30 minutes after the ship is docked. They won’t necessarily announce to the whole ship that disembarkation has begun, because it’ll happen as early as 6-6:30 in the morning and they don’t want to wake everyone up with an announcement. If you can see that the ship is docked, just head down to deck 3 and wait for them to start letting folks off.

Skip the talks, except for the nature talks on the Alaska cruises, which can be excellent. The shopping talk is just a “rah-rah” for certain shops that are paying a marketing fee, and you might get a few coupons for free (junky) souvenirs. Both the shopping and disembarkation talks are replayed on the television repeatedly. Don’t waste your vacation time attending these lectures in person.

Read additional tips specific to the Disney Dream (which will also apply to the Fantasy) .

So what’s it really like to take a Disney cruise? Here are a few different perspectives on the experience:

• A look at what’s new and different on the Disney Wish , from a preview sailing in July 2022.
• A comparison of taking three cruises on three different ships in a six-month span between March and August 2014. It was rough, but somebody had to do it.
• Taking a cruise on the Disney Fantasy with a baby and a 3 ½-year-old , May 2012.
• First-hand report on the  Disney Fantasy  from March 2012: what’s new and different? See photos and learn more!
•   First impressions of the Disney Dream , from a preview sailing in January 2011.
• In summer 2007, friends of MouseSavers.com Ann and Danilo V wrote a travel blog about taking their 5 children to Europe for the summer. At the end of their trip they took a Disney Mediterranean cruise (10 nights roundtrip from Barcelona) in a Category 3 and a Category 4 stateroom. Then they did the 14-night Transatlantic cruise on the Disney Magic in the Walt Disney Suite!

Disney Cruise Line Information

DCL Fan is your source for Disney Cruise Line Information, News, and Discounts

The New Pre-Boarding/Boarding Process at Disney Cruise Line

With cruising requirements changing rapidly, I thought I’d take a moment and walk you all through our experience since things were a bit tricky to accomplish within the required timeframes. Now that Disney Cruise Line has updated its protocol in accordance with the CDC guidelines , some things might be a little more tricky, and the more you know about the process ahead of time, the better off you’ll be.

On my recent experience cruising on the Disney Dream , I was able to bring my 19-year old daughter who, at the time of our sailing, had only received one of her two required COVID vaccinations. So, for the purposes of this specific cruise, she was considered unvaccinated and there was a good bit of juggling to do prior to the cruise because of that.

Just as a reminder, a person is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving their second dose of the COVID vaccine. As we know, all passengers ages 11 and under are unvaccinated and must go through these pre-boarding steps in order to be permitted on a Disney ship regardless of its destination.

When Disney Cruise Line returned to sailing last month, they made it voluntary for passengers to share proof of vaccination in order to avoid additional testing prior to their cruise. Each member of your cruising party is required to create an online account on the Safe Passage website where they’ll upload either proof of vaccination or COVID test results. Anyone who chooses not to provide proof of vaccination is required to provide a negative PCR test result where the test is taken between 5-days and 24-hours prior to you boarding the ship. With Thursday’s update, that window will shrink from 5 days to 3 days beginning September 13th. Friends, this process was a struggle for me with a 5-day window and now that the window is shrinking, you are really going to need to put in the effort.

Although everyone ages 12 and up will be required to be fully vaccinated prior to their cruise, all guests ages 11 and under will still be required to go through the pre-boarding testing, so if you’ve got kiddos joining you, you’ll want to pay close attention.

Our debarkation day was Friday, August 20th so I had to make an appointment for my daughter to have a PCR COVID test performed between Sunday and Tuesday. We live in Florida and with the Delta variant running rampant down here, just getting an appointment (within a 50-mile radius) was a feat between her work schedule and available appointment times. Both CVS and Walgreens in our area offered the PCR test. Something else to keep in mind is that the PCR test results take 1 to 2 days – I wanted to have the full two days with the second day being the day prior to our departure. I like to leave extra time for just about everything in my world for the “just in case” issues that may pop up. The bottom line is that I wasn’t able to get an appointment for her until late Tuesday afternoon which had me moderately twitchy. We were staying at a Walt Disney World Resort the night prior to our cruise, so we were essentially heading out of town on the second day of that window. Fortunately for us, her negative test result was emailed on Wednesday afternoon so we were able to upload it to the Safe Passage site before their deadline of 48-hours prior to debarkation day.

Disney Cruise Line, at the time of our cruise, also required guests to purchase a travel insurance policy for anyone who chose not to provide proof of vaccination. The travel agents at Dreams Unlimited Travel recommend that you use insuremytrip.com which is a clearing house for travel insurance companies and will provide you with a list of different policies according to the parameters you set when you do your search. Never having purchased travel insurance through anywhere but Disney (which we couldn’t do this time due to the cruise being hosted), finding a policy for our 3-night cruise was very easy and also fairly inexpensive at less than $40. It is imperative that you print the policy out and bring it with you as they do ask to see it at the port check-in.

Fast forward to debarkation day as we arrived with all of the required documents securely in an envelope tucked into my purse. Once we parked our vehicle, we were directed over to the check-in tents that were set up adjacent to the parking garage.

One thing I was able to do since we’d uploaded everything that was required prior to our arrival, was to add the QR code for our Port Arrival Form right into the Mobile Wallet on my iPhone – I suggest that you do that if you are able. I had the printed forms with me as required in my handy little envelope, but much to my surprise, I didn’t need to pull it out at all as each crew member was able to scan my phone to get the information they needed from that code.

We were directed to stay together as we moved through the different areas during our check-in process. Our daughter was required to take a rapid COVID test and once she was finished, we were directed to another tent to wait for her test results to either appear on the screen or via email. The $65 charge for her test at the port was added to our cruise portfolio.

I received the email prior to the “clear” status appearing on the screen, so that was a good thing as we were pretty excited to board the ship. We only waited for 25 minutes from the time she took the test to the time we were allowed to head across the street and into the terminal where we proceeded through security and documentation checks.

It’s important to note again that we were traveling as Disney Cruise Line’s hosted guests, so we were there far earlier than any other guests who were arriving that day.

Now that rules are changing again soon and requiring that all passengers be fully vaccinated, the process and requirements to cruise will also change. If you’ve got a Disney cruise coming up, it is imperative that you check the Know Before You Go page for any updated information. Also, if you receive any emails from Disney Cruise Line, please be sure to open them, read them, and do what they are asking so that you don’t have to go into the consultation tent.

All in all, the extra legwork and additional cost we incurred were both WELL worth the trouble because experiencing a Disney Cruise Line vacation with the health and safety guidelines that are currently in practice was absolutely incredible!

Have questions? Please leave them in the comments below or join the discussion over in our DCL Fan Facebook group.

About Post Author

Jackie Gailey

Senior Editor at The DIS and DCL Fan | Disney Vacation Club Member | Thrilled to have been a ’13/’14 Disney Parks Moms Panelist (now planDisney) | Lover of all things Disney; the Magic of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line | ºoº

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Disney Cruise Embarkation – Tips Tricks and Hacks

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The first day of your Disney cruise is incredibly exciting. Embarkation is one of the best parts of any Disney cruise.

However, a lot of guests are confused as to a number of things that will happen on their first day or embarkation day.

Here we will make sure that you know everything you need to know about your first day, so you can make the maximum use of the time you have onboard!

Your port arrival time is important. Usually, these times range from 11 am until 1.30.

This will determine which Group Boarding Number you get when you arrive at the port.

Concierge Guests always get the earliest possible boarding time, so they will be the first to board. If you are sailing in a Concierge stateroom you will have a Group 1 boarding number.

Many Cruise Ports, including Port Canaveral, have their own Concierge Lounge where you can wait before you board.

Groups 2 and 3 are the ones with the early boarding times on Check-In.

Later boarding times follow in order.

Many guests find Port Arrival Time confusing.

As a general rule do not arrive any more than 15 minutes prior to your port arrival time.

I completely get that you want to just get on the ship and start your magical cruise, but if you arrive early you may not be allowed to enter the port.

This does depend upon which port you are cruising from, but mostly even if you are allowed in the port to check in, you will still have a while to wait.

Disney and other cruise companies stagger port arrival times so that not everyone arrives at once. 

The important thing to understand is that Port Arrival Time is related to your Boarding Number.

Usually, these range from Groups 1 to 30. The later your Port Arrival Time the higher your boarding number will be. So the later you will get on the ship.

So, if you have a later Port Arrival Time and arrive early what this means is that you will be waiting in the terminal building for a while until your number is called.

Or it may even be at certain ports, such as San Diego, that you have to wait outside the terminal.

There is no way to jump the line by arriving early!

The only exception to this is Concierge.

They do not have a Port Arrival Time as they will always be in Groups 1 and 2 for Boarding. 

Disney Cruise Luggage Tags

You will be sent your luggage tags in the mail.

Make sure that they are securely placed on all the bags that you want to check-in.

If you forget to do this or you haven’t received your Disney luggage tags on time, it is fine.

They will have labels at the port for you, but it is much quicker if these are already on your bags and ready to go.

Arriving at the Disney Cruise Port

Always make sure that you arrive in good time at your Disney Cruise port. A cruise does not wait for you – if you are late you could be watching it sail into the distance!

If you are sailing out of Port Canavera l you will go through the security and x-ray machines on the first floor. You will already have given your checked luggage to the porters.

If you have a Disney Cruise Transfer your luggage will already have been checked in for you.

The next time you see your checked luggage will be when it is delivered to your stateroom, which is usually in the early afternoon.

Always make sure that you have important documents and items such as your passport and any medications with you in your carry-on luggage.

Obviously, you will need your required ID items for the check-in desk.

Once you have cleared security in Port Canaveral you will go up to the second level.

You will have your Cruise Documents which shows your port arrival time and boarding number.

Concierge guests have priority. If you have an early check-in time you will have a lower number and be able to board more quickly.

It is essential that you have the correct ID. If you do not, you will not be allowed to board.

Check with your Travel Agent or directly with Disney Cruise Lines for the ID requirements for your cruise.

It does happen that guests are left behind as they have not brought the correct ID with them. Don’t let that be you!

Register with the Disney Kids Clubs

You are able to fill out all the paperwork online for the kid’s clubs for your children aged 3 to 12.

You can also do this online prior to your cruise.

This will include your child’s details, any allergies, who is authorized to pick them up from the club, and a password that they will use.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done this prior to boarding, but it does save you some time.

You can do this at the kid’s clubs when you are on board the ship.

However, if you have time you should do it right now. There isn’t much else to do while you wait!

Waiting To Board the Disney Ship

If you arrive early in the morning at Port Canaveral you are likely to be there will a lot of fellow guests waiting to get on board the ship.

Do not arrive earlier than your Port Arrival Time hoping they will let you enter the port building anyway. They won’t.

The ships usually start to board at around 11.30 am. in Port Canaveral.

The boarding process is usually quick.

As soon as your number is called you can get into the line. You will go through the Mickey Ears and begin your walk to the ship.

Your Key To The World will be swiped and you will be welcomed on board.

Should you get a Disney Cruise Embarkation Photo?

Usually in the port, before you embark on your cruise  Minnie Mouse will be there ready for you to have your photograph taken with her. Sometimes Mickey is with her too.

The lines are usually long, but if you know you have the time it’s a nice thing to have. Once you start the boarding process there will be another photo opportunity before you actually get on the ship.

If you want to save time you can skip the line. You will get on the ship slightly early, but miss out on the boarding photo opportunity .

Boarding Your Disney Cruise

The time has finally arrived! You are about to step onto your Disney ship!

A Cast Member at the door will ask you for your family name.

This will be announced over the microphone so that the whole lobby can hear.

You will be welcomed on board to the sound of applause from the assembled Cast Members in the lobby. If this all sounds a bit cheesy to you, then it most definitely is. However, it is a whole lot of fun!

Do You Need to Visit Disney Cruise Guest Services?

When you board you will probably already see a line at Guest Services. Do you need to join it?

You will if you want tickets for special character greetings such as The Royal Gathering.

Also, if you want to check to sign up for other activities such as Wine Tasting , or other special things which are not available online.

You can even put your name down for one of those coveted Castaway Cay Cabanas – it isn’t very likely, but there may be a cancellation and you will get lucky!

Disney Cruise Dining Reservations and Times

If you want to change your dining time or request a certain table now is your chance. 

Look at your Personal Navigator to see where on the ship the dining staff will be stationed to help you with this.

You can also make reservations at Palo and Remy and check to see if there are any Wine Tasting or Mixology Classes still available. 

Disney Cruise Embarkation Lunch

You will definitely never be hungry on a Disney Cruise – the eating starts as soon as you board. The buffet and one of the rotational dining restaurants will both be serving food.

The selection will be larger in the buffet, but it can sometimes be fun to go to the restaurant as it is likely to be less crowded.

Whichever option you choose, there will be plenty of food available.

For a complete guide to Disney Food including lots of pictures Click Here .

A Cast Member will be there to direct you where to go.

They usually direct you to the buffet rather than the restaurant, so ask if you want to dine in a rotational restaurant.

Disney Cruise Embarkation Lunch Menu

If you choose to have the Disney cruise embarkation lunch in one of the restaurants, there is a set menu for you to choose from. 

If you are sailing with Disney Cruise Concierge there is a separate lunch menu which is served in one of the rotational dining restaurants.

You can see much more information here about the Disney Cruise Embarkation Lunch options.

Explore the Disney Ship

This is a great time to start learning your way around and to begin exploring the ship. Cast Members lead tours of the ship which can be really useful for finding out about the major features of your Disney ship.

See your Disney Cruise Navigators to check the time of these tours.

The spa and the kid’s clubs are Open Houses until early evening so that you can take the chance to explore.

Disney Cruise Boarding Check List

• Check-in online
• Get to the port in good time
• Register for the Kids Clubs
• Decide Whether To Do The Picture
• Board Your Disney Cruise!
• Go to Guest Services

Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando.  In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.

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• Plan Your Trip

What Is The Earliest Boarding Time For Disney Cruise

Published: December 20, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Ranique Rooney

• Travel Essentials & Accessories
• Travel Tips

Introduction

Embarking on a Disney Cruise is a magical experience that takes guests on a journey filled with enchantment, adventure, and unforgettable memories. Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, one question that often arises is: what is the earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise?

A Disney Cruise offers a unique blend of entertainment, dining, relaxation, and exploration, all set against the backdrop of some of the most breathtaking destinations in the world. From sailing through the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean to exploring the glaciers of Alaska, Disney Cruises cater to families, couples, and solo travelers seeking a truly exceptional vacation experience.

Understanding the boarding process and knowing when you can board the ship is crucial to making the most of your Disney Cruise experience. Whether you want to start your adventure early or simply settle in before the ship sets sail, the earliest boarding time plays a significant role in your vacation plans.

In this article, we will explore the factors that determine the earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise, as well as tips on how to ensure you board the ship as soon as possible. So, if you’re ready to set sail on a magical journey, let’s dive into the world of Disney Cruises and discover the secrets of early boarding!

What is a Disney Cruise?

A Disney Cruise is a unique vacation experience that blends the enchantment of Disney with the luxury and excitement of a cruise. Disney Cruise Line, established in 1996, has become renowned for its exceptional service, immersive storytelling, and unforgettable entertainment onboard its fleet of ships.

These magnificent vessels are designed with families in mind, offering something for everyone. From elaborate Broadway-style shows and character meet-and-greets to thrilling water slides and world-class dining, a Disney Cruise promises a vacation filled with magic and adventure.

One of the standout features of a Disney Cruise is the attention to detail and personalized service. From the moment you step onboard, you are greeted by friendly cast members who go above and beyond to create a memorable experience for you and your loved ones. The ships are adorned with iconic Disney characters, themed venues, and enchanting decor, transporting guests into a world of fantasy and wonder.

Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of itineraries to stunning destinations all around the world, including the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, and more. Along with breathtaking ports of call, the ships themselves are destinations in their own right, offering a wealth of activities and amenities to keep guests of all ages entertained throughout their voyage.

Whether you want to lounge by the pool, indulge in gourmet cuisine, participate in exciting onboard activities, or relax at the tranquil spa, a Disney Cruise caters to your every desire. The ships feature expansive decks for sunbathing, children’s clubs for young cruisers, adults-only areas for relaxation, and themed restaurants that bring Disney’s beloved stories and characters to life.

So, if you’re looking for a vacation experience where your family can enjoy the magic of Disney while exploring breathtaking destinations and being pampered with world-class service, a Disney Cruise is the perfect choice.

Why is Boarding Time Important?

Boarding time is a crucial aspect of any cruise vacation, including Disney Cruises. The time at which you are able to board the ship sets the tone for your entire vacation and can have a significant impact on your overall experience. Here are a few reasons why boarding time is important:

• Settling In: Boarding the ship early allows you to get settled in your stateroom, unpack your belongings, and explore the various amenities and offerings onboard. Being able to familiarize yourself with the ship’s layout before it gets crowded can help you make the most of your time onboard.
• Maximizing Onboard Time: A Disney Cruise offers a wide range of activities, entertainment, and dining experiences. The earlier you board, the more time you have to enjoy everything the ship has to offer. From character meet-and-greets to spa treatments to exciting deck parties, maximizing your onboard time ensures you don’t miss out on any of the magical experiences.
• Priority for Popular Activities: Some onboard activities, such as character breakfasts or reservations for specialty restaurants, can fill up quickly. By boarding early, you have a better chance of securing reservations and participating in these popular activities.
• Exploring the Ship: Disney Cruise ships are like floating resorts with numerous venues, including pools, lounges, theaters, and restaurants. Boarding early allows you to roam around and explore the ship, getting a feel for the layout and discovering all the exciting spots you’ll want to spend time in during your cruise.
• Relaxation and Unwinding: With the hustle and bustle of embarkation day, being able to board early gives you the opportunity to find a quiet spot on the ship to relax and unwind. Enjoy a peaceful moment on a deck chair, take a dip in the pool, or indulge in a spa treatment—boarding early allows you to start your vacation on a calm and leisurely note.

Overall, boarding time is important because it sets the stage for your Disney Cruise experience. By boarding early, you can settle in, make the most of your time onboard, secure reservations for popular activities, and get a head start on exploring the ship. So, be sure to plan ahead and aim for the earliest boarding time available to make the most of your magical journey at sea.

Factors Affecting the Earliest Boarding Time

The earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise can vary depending on several factors. Understanding these factors can help you plan your embarkation day and ensure you have the best chance of boarding the ship as early as possible. Here are some key factors that can influence the earliest boarding time:

• 1. Arrival Time at the Port: The time you arrive at the cruise port can impact your boarding time. Generally, embarkation begins in the late morning or early afternoon, and each sailing has a designated check-in time to manage the flow of guests. Arriving closer to your assigned check-in time can increase your chances of boarding early.
• 2. Check-in Process: The check-in process plays a significant role in determining your boarding time. Before boarding the ship, you’ll need to complete check-in procedures, including presenting your travel documents, going through security screening, and receiving your Key to the World card, which serves as your identification and ship key during the cruise. The efficiency of the check-in process can impact the time it takes for you to board the ship.
• 3. Stateroom Availability: The availability of your stateroom can also affect your boarding time. As the previous cruise disembarks and the crew prepares the ship for the next group of guests, there is a process of cleaning and preparing the staterooms. Depending on the speed at which this process is completed, some guests may be able to access their staterooms earlier than others, allowing them to settle in before the ship sets sail.
• 4. Priority Boarding: Guests with certain statuses or accommodations may be given priority boarding. For example, guests staying in concierge-level staterooms, Castaway Club members (Disney Cruise Line’s loyalty program), or those requiring special assistance may have the opportunity to board the ship earlier than other guests. These priority boarding privileges can significantly impact the earliest boarding time.
• 5. Special Accommodations: If you have specific needs or accommodations, such as dietary restrictions, mobility assistance, or traveling with young children, it’s essential to communicate these in advance. Disney Cruise Line strives to cater to all guests’ needs, and by informing them ahead of time, they can make necessary arrangements, potentially granting earlier boarding if required.

While these factors can influence the earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise, it’s important to remember that they are subject to change. The embarkation process is managed by the cruise line to ensure a smooth and efficient experience for all passengers. It’s recommended to stay informed by checking the pre-cruise information provided by Disney Cruise Line or contacting their guest services for any updates or changes related to boarding time.

By considering these factors and planning ahead, you can increase your chances of boarding the ship early and start your Disney Cruise adventure with a touch of magic!

Arrival Time at the Port

The time you arrive at the cruise port plays a significant role in determining your earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise. Generally, Disney Cruise Line assigns each sailing a specific check-in time to manage the flow of guests and ensure a smooth embarkation process. Arriving closer to your assigned check-in time can increase your chances of boarding the ship early.

It’s important to plan your travel arrangements accordingly and allow sufficient time to reach the port. Factors such as traffic, weather conditions, and distances can impact your arrival time. To account for any unexpected delays, it’s advisable to arrive at the port a few hours before your designated check-in time.

Upon arrival at the cruise port, follow the instructions provided by Disney Cruise Line or port authorities. There will be designated areas for drop-off and parking, and helpful staff members will guide you through the check-in process.

Before you step foot onto the ship, you’ll need to complete the check-in procedure, which includes presenting your travel documents, such as your passport or government-issued identification, and filling out necessary forms. You’ll also receive your Key to the World card, which serves as your identification, stateroom key, and onboard payment method.

It’s worth noting that check-in times may be subject to change, so it’s recommended to stay informed by checking the pre-cruise information provided by Disney Cruise Line or contacting their guest services. By doing so, you can ensure you arrive at the port at the appropriate time and have a smooth start to your Disney Cruise vacation.

Additionally, if you encounter any travel issues or anticipate being significantly delayed, it’s best to inform Disney Cruise Line or your travel agent as soon as possible. They may be able to provide guidance or assistance to help you navigate the situation and minimize any impact on your boarding time.

Remember, arriving at the port on time is crucial to maximize your earliest boarding time. So, plan ahead, allow for extra travel time, and promptly follow any instructions or updates from Disney Cruise Line to begin your magical journey at sea on a positive note.

Check-in Process

The check-in process is a vital step in determining your earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise. It involves completing necessary procedures before you can board the ship and begin your vacation. Understanding and efficiently navigating the check-in process can help you board the ship as early as possible.

Before your cruise, Disney Cruise Line will provide you with pre-cruise information detailing the required documentation and steps for check-in. It’s essential to review this information carefully to ensure you have all the necessary documents and complete any required forms beforehand.

When you arrive at the cruise port on embarkation day, you’ll be directed to the check-in area. Disney Cruise Line has streamlined the check-in process, making it as efficient and seamless as possible.

Typically, the check-in process involves presenting your travel documents, such as your passport or government-issued identification, and filling out health questionnaires or other necessary forms. These documents are essential for verification and ensuring compliance with international travel regulations.

Disney Cruise Line also offers online check-in, allowing guests to complete certain portions of the check-in process ahead of time. By providing information ahead of your cruise, such as passport details and emergency contact information, you can expedite the check-in process and potentially save time on embarkation day.

Once you have completed the necessary check-in procedures, you will be issued the Key to the World card. This card serves as your identification, stateroom key, and onboard payment method during the cruise. Keep this card secure as you will need it for various activities and services throughout your time onboard.

The efficiency of the check-in process can vary depending on factors such as the number of guests checking in, staff availability, and unforeseen circumstances. Disney Cruise Line strives to make the process as smooth and organized as possible, but it’s important to be prepared for potential wait times.

To expedite the check-in process, it’s recommended to have all your necessary documents readily available, along with any pre-filled forms or online check-in confirmations. Ensure that your passport or identification is valid and not expired to avoid any delays or complications.

By being well-prepared, following instructions from Disney Cruise Line staff, and having all required documents in order, you can breeze through the check-in process and increase your chances of boarding the ship as early as possible.

Remember, the check-in process is an essential step in the embarkation journey. By approaching it efficiently and proactively, you set the foundation for a smooth and enjoyable Disney Cruise experience.

Stateroom Availability

The availability of your stateroom is another factor that can impact your earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise. As the ship prepares for a new group of guests, there is a process of cleaning, inspecting, and preparing the staterooms. The speed at which this process is completed can affect when guests can access their accommodations and settle in before the ship sets sail.

Upon boarding, you will receive your Key to the World card, which serves as your identification, stateroom key, and onboard payment method. This card will grant you access to your stateroom once it is ready for occupancy.

The crew onboard works diligently to ensure staterooms are ready for guests as quickly as possible. However, it’s important to note that the timing of stateroom availability can vary based on numerous factors, including the size of the ship, the number of guests onboard, and the complexity of the cleaning process.

Disney Cruise Line typically provides updates on stateroom availability throughout the boarding process. They will announce when staterooms are ready, allowing guests to proceed to their accommodations and start settling in for their cruise.

While waiting for your stateroom to become available, Disney Cruise Line offers various onboard activities, entertainment options, and dining venues to keep you engaged and entertained. You can explore the ship, enjoy a meal, or participate in scheduled activities until your stateroom is ready.

It’s important to have your essential belongings with you as you wait for stateroom availability. Carry items such as travel documents, medications, valuable possessions, and any other necessary items to ensure you have what you need during this period.

If accessing your stateroom early is vital for your travel plans or specific needs, it’s recommended to communicate this with Disney Cruise Line in advance. While they cannot guarantee early stateroom access due to operational concerns, they will do their best to accommodate your request if possible.

By staying informed of stateroom availability updates, being patient, and taking advantage of the onboard amenities and activities offered during this waiting period, you can make the most of your time until your stateroom is ready.

Remember, stateroom availability is influenced by various factors, and the crew works diligently to ensure a smooth transition for guests. Patience and flexibility will help you navigate this process and set the stage for a fantastic Disney Cruise adventure.

Priority Boarding

Priority boarding is a privilege that can significantly impact the earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise. Certain guests may be granted priority status, allowing them to board the ship ahead of other passengers and start their vacation early. Here are a few examples of who might be eligible for priority boarding:

• Concierge-Level Guests: Guests staying in concierge-level staterooms enjoy a higher level of service and exclusive amenities. As part of this enhanced experience, concierge-level guests often receive priority boarding, allowing them to embark the ship early and start enjoying the onboard offerings.
• Castaway Club Members: The Castaway Club is Disney Cruise Line’s loyalty program, designed to reward repeat cruisers. Members of different Castaway Club tiers, such as Silver, Gold, and Platinum, receive various benefits, including priority boarding. The higher your tier, the earlier you can board the ship.
• Special Assistance: Guests with special needs or requiring special assistance may have priority boarding to ensure a smooth embarkation process. This includes guests with mobility issues, disabilities, or medical conditions that may require additional time or attention during boarding.
• Other Special Circumstances: There may be other special circumstances or accommodations that warrant priority boarding. These can include large groups, VIPs, media personnel, or other individuals with specific needs or arrangements.

Disney Cruise Line prioritizes guest satisfaction and aims to provide a memorable experience for all. By offering priority boarding to certain guests, they ensure that these individuals have the opportunity to begin their cruise with ease and comfort.

During the boarding process, Disney Cruise Line staff will direct guests eligible for priority boarding to designated areas or queues. Here, they will receive assistance and instructions on how to proceed with the embarkation process. It’s important to have the necessary documentation readily available and to follow the instructions provided to ensure a smooth and efficient boarding experience.

If you believe you are eligible for priority boarding, it’s important to communicate this information to Disney Cruise Line in advance or during the check-in process. By providing the necessary documentation or information, you can increase the likelihood of receiving priority boarding and enjoy the benefits associated with it.

While priority boarding can provide an advantage in terms of the earliest boarding time, it’s essential to note that specific details and eligibility criteria may vary depending on the ship, itinerary, or other operational considerations.

By understanding the concept of priority boarding and being aware of your eligibility or any necessary arrangements, you can set the stage for a smooth embarkation and start your Disney Cruise in the most magical way possible!

Special Accommodations

When it comes to boarding a Disney Cruise, guests with special accommodations may have unique considerations that can impact their earliest boarding time. Disney Cruise Line is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all guests, and they are equipped to cater to a variety of needs. Here are some instances where special accommodations may affect boarding time:

• Dietary Restrictions: If you have specific dietary needs or restrictions, it’s important to communicate this information to Disney Cruise Line ahead of time. By doing so, the cruise line can make necessary arrangements to accommodate your dietary requirements. This may include providing specialized meals or ensuring that appropriate food options are available to you upon boarding.
• Mobility Assistance: Guests requiring mobility assistance, such as wheelchair users, may require additional time and attention during boarding. Disney Cruise Line is well-equipped to provide assistance and ensure a smooth embarkation process. By informing the cruise line in advance, they can allocate the necessary resources to support your needs and facilitate an efficient boarding experience.
• Traveling with Young Children: Families with young children may have unique considerations during boarding. Disney Cruise Line strives to make the process as seamless as possible for families by providing dedicated areas and services for families with babies, toddlers, and young children. Strollers, car seats, and other necessary equipment can be accommodated, allowing families to navigate the boarding process comfortably.
• Other Special Needs: There may be other special needs or accommodations that could influence the boarding time. These can include medical conditions, sensory sensitivities, or any other circumstances that require special attention or additional time during the check-in and boarding process. By communicating your specific needs to Disney Cruise Line in advance, they can make the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth experience.

It’s crucial to notify Disney Cruise Line of any special accommodations or needs in advance. This allows them to make the necessary preparations to accommodate your requirements and potentially provide you with the earliest boarding time to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Upon arrival at the cruise port, Disney Cruise Line staff will provide assistance and guide you through the boarding process. They are trained to cater to guests with special accommodations, ensuring that their needs are met and that the boarding experience is as seamless as possible.

Remember, effective communication with Disney Cruise Line is key to ensuring that your special accommodations are addressed and that you can enjoy the earliest boarding time possible. By providing the necessary information and discussing your needs with the cruise line beforehand, you can embark on your Disney Cruise knowing that your requirements have been taken care of.

Tips for Ensuring the Earliest Boarding Time

To maximize your chances of securing the earliest boarding time for your Disney Cruise, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:

• Arrive at the Port Early: Plan your travel arrangements to ensure you arrive at the cruise port well in advance of your designated check-in time. This allows you to navigate any unexpected delays and provides ample time to complete the check-in process.
• Check-In Online: Take advantage of online check-in offered by Disney Cruise Line. This allows you to provide necessary information and complete certain portions of the check-in process before your cruise. Online check-in can help expedite the on-site check-in process and potentially save time.
• Follow Pre-Cruise Information: Stay informed and review all pre-cruise information provided by Disney Cruise Line. This includes any specific instructions or requirements related to boarding time. Information can be found on the Disney Cruise Line website or through correspondence sent to you before your cruise.
• Ensure Required Documents: Double-check that you have all the required travel documents, such as passports or government-issued identification, readily available. Make sure these documents are valid and not expired to avoid any delays or complications during the check-in process.
• Communicate Special Accommodations: If you have any special accommodations or needs, such as dietary restrictions, mobility assistance, or traveling with young children, communicate these to Disney Cruise Line in advance. By doing so, they can make the necessary arrangements and potentially offer early boarding if required.
• Stay Organized: Keep all necessary documents, such as passports, identification, and boarding passes, easily accessible. This ensures a smooth and efficient check-in process and saves valuable time at the cruise port.
• Be Patient and Flexible: Embarkation day can be busy and bustling with activity. Be patient and understanding while waiting in queues or during the stateroom availability process. Utilize this time to explore the ship, enjoy onboard activities, or grab a bite to eat. Remaining flexible and open to adjustments will contribute to a stress-free embarkation experience.
• Follow Staff Directions: Listen to and follow the instructions and guidance provided by Disney Cruise Line staff. They are there to assist you and ensure a smooth boarding process. Pay attention to any announcements or updates regarding boarding procedures and stay informed throughout the embarkation process.

By following these tips, you can enhance your chances of securing the earliest boarding time for your Disney Cruise. The boarding process sets the stage for your vacation experience, so being prepared, organized, and informed will help you start your magical journey on the right foot.

Remember, boarding time may be subject to change, and operational considerations can impact the process. Stay proactive, stay informed, and enjoy the excitement of embarking on a Disney Cruise filled with enchantment, entertainment, and lifelong memories.

Understanding the earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise is crucial to ensure a smooth and enjoyable embarkation experience. By familiarizing yourself with the factors that affect boarding time and implementing the provided tips, you can maximize your chances of boarding the ship early.

A Disney Cruise offers a unique blend of Disney magic, exceptional service, and breathtaking destinations. Arriving at the cruise port on time, completing the check-in process efficiently, and being aware of stateroom availability are important considerations for securing an early boarding time.

Factors such as priority boarding for certain guests and accommodations for specific needs or restrictions can also impact boarding time. By communicating any special accommodations in advance, you give Disney Cruise Line the opportunity to provide early boarding if possible.

Following the tips mentioned, such as arriving early, checking in online, and staying organized, can help streamline the boarding process and increase your chances of setting sail as soon as possible. It’s important to remain flexible, patient, and attentive to instructions from Disney Cruise Line staff, ensuring a smooth and stress-free embarkation experience.

Remember, the earliest boarding time sets the tone for your entire Disney Cruise experience. It allows you to settle in, explore the ship, and make the most of the onboard offerings and amenities. By starting your vacation early, you can embark on a journey filled with magical moments, unforgettable adventures, and cherished memories.

Now that you have a better understanding of the factors affecting the earliest boarding time and valuable tips to ensure a smooth embarkation, you’re ready to embark on a truly enchanting Disney Cruise vacation. So pack your bags, gather your loved ones, and get ready to set sail on a voyage of wonder, excitement, and endless magic!

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Disney Wonder: A Complete Guide to What’s On Board

by Morgan Flaherty | Jan 23, 2024 | Cruise Itineraries , Disney Cruise Line , Disney Wonder

Discover the staterooms, dining options, entertainment, and more that await cruisegoers sailing on the Disney Wonder.

Planning to set sail on a cruise aboard the Disney Wonder? The second Disney Cruise Line ship first set sail in 1999, a sister ship to the original Disney Magic . On board, you’ll find stunning entertainment, fun characters, and fantastic dining to enjoy. We’re taking you through a full guide of everything you’ll find on the Disney Magic!

About the Disney Wonder

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The Disney Wonder had its first sailing in 1999, making it the second ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. The Wonder is a sister ship to the original Disney Magic, with a similar layout and design.

The ship had its maiden voyage on August 15, 1999, originally sailing three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas. Within the past decade, the itineraries for the Wodner have changed. Now, the ship sails on various itineraries with stops in Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and more. In fall 2023, the ship made history by beginning a new itinerary in Australia, sailing out of Sydney with stops in Auckland, Brisbane, and Melbourne. The ship eventually made its way back to Hawaii, with plans to return to Vancouver in 2024.

Onboard the ship you’ll find Broadway-style shows such as Frozen, The Golden Mickeys , and Disney Dreams , with restaurants inspired by The Little Mermaid , and The Princess and the Frog . In total, there are 11 decks to explore on the Disney Wonder, and we’re sharing a bit more of what you can find below!

Where Does the Disney Wonder Sail?

For 2024 and 2025 sailings, the Disney Wonder departs from ports in New Zealand and Australia, as well as San Diego, California, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Vancouver, Canada. The ship will offer cruises through Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Australia, and the Pacific Coast to enjoy, anywhere from two to fifteen nights.

Staterooms on the Disney Wonder

In total, there are 875 staterooms on the Disney Wonder, about two-thirds of what you’ll find on the newest ship, the Disney Wish. When it comes to choosing accommodations, you can choose from Concierge, which is the largest accommodation with a private verandah. Or, you can choose a non-concierge room with a private verandah, the second largest room available. There are also Oceanview rooms offering a porthole or two, as well as Inside Staterooms with no view outside.

Inside Staterooms

On the Disney Magic, you’ll have one inside stateroom option: a Standard Inside Stateroom . There is no exterior or ocean view to be found in these rooms, but they do sleep up to four adults in total. Your two options are:

• Deluxe Inside Stateroom
• Standard Inside Stateroom

The Deluxe Inside Stateroom has more square footage than the Standard Inside Stateroom , with 214 sq. ft. versus 184 sq. ft. Both types of rooms can sleep up to three or four, with a queen bed, single sleeper sofa, and upper berth pull-down bed available. The Deluxe Inside Stateroom also comes with a “split bath,” meaning there’s one bathroom with a vanity, sink, shower, and tub, then a half bathroom with a vanity, sink, and toilet. By comparison, the Standard Inside Stateroom offers one full bathroom with a vanity, sink, shower and tub.

Oceanview Staterooms

The Oceanview Staterooms offer a few of the sea from your room through one or two portholes. While these won’t have a deck for you to go outside, you will be able to enjoy some stunning views from a generously sized window overlooking the ocean. There’s just one option for this type of room:

• Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom

The Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms come with either one large porthole window or two smaller porthole windows. Each room sleeps up to three or four, with a queen bed, single sleeper sofa, and upper berth pull-down bed available.

Verandah Staterooms

If you want to spend some time gazing at the beautiful ocean views, you’ll want to consider a room with a private verandah . There are two choices on board the Disney Magic:

• Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
• Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah

The Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah  has a queen bed, a single sleeper sofa, and an upper berth pull-down bed, meaning it sleeps three or four people. For a larger group, you’ll want the Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah , which sleeps up to five with a queen bed, single sleeper sofa, wall pull-down bed, and upper berth pull-down bed. Both options come with their own private verandah.

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Being a princess is exhausting – mermaid watercolor tote, dlr castle by sunset art quality poster with hanger, issue 95 – once upon a time, concierge staterooms.

The Concierge rooms are the Disney Magic’s most luxurious accommodations. T here are four  types of concierge staterooms :

• Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah
• Concierge 2-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
• Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
• Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom

The Concierge Royal Suites have art deco décor, with two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a verandah, a living room, a dining salon, and more. They can sleep up to seven, making this ideal for larger families or groups. The 1-Bedroom Suite has a separate bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, a verandah, a living room, and a wet bar, and can sleep up to five. The 2-Bedroom Suite has two separate bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a verandah, a living room, and can sleep up to seven. Finally, the Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom sleeps up to five and also comes with a private verandah.

Dining on the Disney Wonder

Just like all of Disney Cruise Line’s ships, the Disney Wonder comes with a variety of different dining options. Whether you are looking for a full meal, a character dining experience, or just a quick bite to eat, you’ll find it on board the ship.

Like all other Disney Cruise Line ships, the Disney Wonder offers rotational dining for dinners. This style of dining allows you to try each of the main restaurants onboard during your sailing, though you can choose to skip a night or two of rotational dining and secure a reservation at a different restaurant not included with your sailing instead (at an additional cost). Additionally, you can choose to order room service. Here’s a look at all of the dinner options on the Disney Wonder :

• Tiana’s Place
• Animator’s Palate
• Palo Steakhouse (reservations required)
• Royal Court Tea (reservations required)

Aside from rotational dining, you’ll also find casual dining onboard that does not require a reservation:

• Daisy’s De-Lites
• Eye Scream Treats
• Pinocchio’s Pizzeria
• Pete’s Boiler Bites

For adults, there are also different bars and lounges available on the ship:

• Cadillac Lounge
• Crown & Fin Pub
• French Quarter Lounge

Entertainment on the Disney Wonder

On every Disney Cruise Line sailing you’ll find plenty to do — and the Disney Wonder is no exception! On the Wonder you can enjoy Broadway-caliber theater performances, character meet and greets, and fun for the whole family. Here’s a preview of some of the different entertainment options you’ll find during your sailing:  

• D-Lounge offers singing, dancing, games, trivia, and more
• Catch shows such as  Frozen, Disney Dreams , or  The Golden Mickeys
• Watch Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story or Disney Dreams — An Enchanted Classic
• Experience live entertainment at Azure or French Quarter Lounge
• Character meet and greets inside the Lobby Atrium and other areas of the ship
• Watch Disney films in the Buena Vista Theatre

For more information about the Disney Wonder, check out our full deck plans here. And make sure to catch up on all of our Disney Cruise Line coverage !

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All aboard! What you need to know about cruise boarding times and how early to arrive for a cruise

The big day is approaching, and you're finally getting ready to head to the cruise port and board your ship. How can you ensure you're prepared to start your vacation on the right foot? You'll need a plan for getting to the port and some knowledge about the embarkation process, including your cruise ship boarding time.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, cruise lines would often allow passengers to show up at the terminal on embarkation day whenever was convenient for them within a half-day window.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, lines began assigning boarding times to passengers or, more commonly, asking them to choose the window of time that they'd prefer in order to stagger the crowds. The new method has worked so well that it has largely remained in place for most cruise lines.

But what time do cruises board, and is there a best time to board a cruise ship? Read on to find out the answers, as well as when you should plan to arrive in your departure city before you set sail.

For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

When to arrive for a cruise

Ask "when should I arrive for my cruise?" and you likely mean one of two things: When should you arrive in your ship's departure port city before your sailing or when should you arrive at the cruise terminal on embarkation day?

The answer to the first question depends on how far of a commute you have to the cruise port. If you live within driving distance of your departure port, it's acceptable to make your way there the same day your ship leaves — unless you're looking at a multi-hour ride and don't want to cut it too close to boarding time.

If you're catching a plane, when to fly in for your cruise depends on several factors. I always advise flying in at least one day before you're scheduled to embark, just in case you encounter any delays or cancellations. That way, you have time to rebook yourself on a different flight if something goes wrong.

Related: Should I buy my flights through my cruise line

However, adding the cost of a pre-cruise hotel stay onto the overall bill isn't always doable for every traveler, especially those on tight budgets. If that's the case and you can find a super-early flight that gets you to your port city with some wiggle room, flying in the same day you sail is possible.

Either way, I recommend purchasing travel insurance (through a third party, not through your cruise line) that will protect your investment if something happens and you miss your ship.

What time do cruise ships board?

As for when to arrive at the cruise terminal on embarkation day, the answer depends on your boarding time.

Cruise ships usually begin boarding an hour or two after all passengers from the previous voyage have left the ship. Disembarkation generally wraps up by 10 a.m. at the latest, and some extra time is allowed for the crew to start on tasks like provisioning (restocking of supplies and food), bunkering (refueling) and cleaning of the vessel's cabins and public areas to ready them for the next round of guests.

Related: 27 cruise ship embarkation day do's and don'ts

Boarding begins roughly between 10 and 11 a.m., depending on the ship's schedule and how long it takes everyone from the last cruise to debark. Most cruise ships require all passengers to be on board no fewer than one to two hours before the scheduled departure time, which is almost always in the late afternoon or evening.

Best time to board a cruise ship

The best time to board a cruise ship is obviously when there are few lines and short waits. The trick is knowing when that will be.

Unfortunately, it can vary from port to port and ship to ship, but I prefer arriving in the early afternoon, usually around 1 or 2 p.m.

By then, the morning rush of "me first" passengers has usually died down, and it allows enough time between your arrival at the port and "all aboard," the cutoff for when all passengers and crew must be on the vessel. (If you're someone who prefers to spend as much time as possible on board, you can elect to choose an earlier boarding time, but be warned that there could be long lines and wait times.)

Alternatively, if you have upper-tier loyalty status, you're booked in a high-end suite or you've purchased one of several perks packages (like Carnival Cruise Line 's Faster to the Fun, Royal Caribbean International 's The Key or Norwegian Cruise Line 's Priority Access), you can arrive at any time to take advantage of priority boarding or special embarkation lounge access to make your wait more comfortable. The latter often includes a separate sitting area with snacks and drinks.

There are several other tricks — like completing check-in online or via your cruise line's mobile app before you show up — that you can employ to speed up the embarkation process.

What to expect when boarding your cruise ship

When you arrive at the terminal facility in your port of embarkation, you can expect the scene to be chaotic. Follow signs for the applicable arrival channel, whether that be parking or drop-offs via taxis, Ubers and shuttles.

Before you head inside, leave large bags with the porters, who will make sure they're safely loaded onto the ship. (Although it's not required, it's nice to give a dollar or two per bag as a tip.) You can't miss the porters and their baggage carts as they line up on the curb by the terminal.

When you enter the terminal building, you must show your ID and boarding documents and proceed through a security check. Your carry-on bags pass through a scanner, and you must walk through a metal detector. Although it's similar to the procedure at airport security, you won't have to take your shoes off or remove laptops or liquids from your bags (unless they find contraband alcohol or something else that looks suspicious).

Then, you'll proceed to the check-in desk, where an agent will help you complete the process. If you've already checked in online, the process will be faster. Exceptions are more advanced ports or cruise lines (like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity) that allow you to skip the check-in desk if you've already completed everything (check-in, onboard account setup and security photo) ahead of time using the app.

In cases where you don't receive a keycard at check-in, it will be waiting for you either at your cabin door or inside your room.

After check-in, you'll head up the gangway and onto the ship, where security will scan your card to log that you've boarded. (Each time you disembark or re-board in a port of call, you'll also have to swipe your card, so keep it with you.)

How long does it take to board a cruise ship?

The length of time it will take from curb to gangway will vary based on several considerations, including:

• Whether you're traveling light. If you have a carry-on only , you can proceed straight into the terminal building. If you have larger luggage, you'll have to leave it with a porter outside, which can take a few minutes.
• How technologically advanced the cruise terminal and cruise line are. At terminals where facial recognition is used, you can board a lot faster, as is the case for cruise lines that allow check-in and the setting up of onboard accounts via mobile app before the day you board. Technology allows passengers to skip traditional check-in methods, which usually involve waiting in line to speak with someone at the check-in desk.
• Whether you have priority boarding. If you're in the upper echelons of the line's loyalty program, purchased a package that includes priority embarkation or you're staying in a high-end suite, you'll have the privilege of boarding before most of your fellow cruisers, and the process will be expedited with dedicated lines and lounges.
• Whether passengers adhere to their assigned boarding times. The goal is to stagger the number of people arriving at any given time so it's more comfortable and streamlined for everyone involved. If people disregard their time, it can cause bottlenecks and slow down the boarding process.
• How crowded it is when you arrive. If there are lines for passenger parking, drop-off or check-in, it will take longer for you to make your way on board.
• How prepared everyone is. If travelers aren't organized and spend extra time rifling through their bags for their cruise tickets, passports and other items necessary for verification, it affects the flow of traffic at the terminal during check-in. This also applies to passengers who pack contraband in their bags, thereby holding up the security line.

Bottom line

It's a good idea to show up in your city of embarkation the day before your cruise if you're flying in. Ships usually start boarding shortly after the final passenger has disembarked from the previous sailing, usually between 10 and 11 a.m. Adhering to your assigned embarkation time will help to keep the boarding process running smoothly. (When choosing a time, aim for something in the afternoon, after the morning rush has died down.)

To ensure the shortest wait possible, make sure to check in and set up your onboard account online or using your cruise line's mobile app ahead of time. Also, have your ID and other boarding documents handy, and don't pack anything in your luggage that could cause you to be flagged at security.

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What Time Can You Board Disney Cruise?

Boarding a Disney Cruise is an exciting event that marks the beginning of a magical journey. However, knowing the exact time you can board can be a bit tricky as it depends on several factors. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore what time you can board a Disney Cruise and provide helpful tips to ensure a smooth boarding process.

The earliest boarding time for a Disney Cruise is typically around 11:00 a.m., but this can vary depending on the sailing. The exact time will depend on factors such as your online check-in, port arrival time, and carry-on luggage. It’s recommended to check in online as soon as your window opens, which is 75 days prior to departure for first-time cruisers, to secure an early boarding time.

The Earliest Boarding Time

The earliest time passengers are allowed to board a Disney Cruise is typically around 11:00 a.m., although this may vary slightly depending on the sailing. To secure an early boarding time, it is recommended to check in online as soon as your window opens, which is 75 days prior to departure for first-time cruisers.

Boarding Time Variations

Boarding times for cruise ships can differ depending on the cruise line and itinerary. Cruise ships usually begin boarding approximately four to five hours before the scheduled departure time. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, many cruise lines started assigning boarding times to passengers or asking them to choose their preferred time window to stagger the crowds. This method has largely remained in place for most cruise lines.

Factors Affecting Boarding Time

Several factors may affect the boarding time for a Disney Cruise:

• Online check-in: Completing online check-in ahead of time can help expedite the boarding process.
• Port arrival time: During online check-in, you will be asked to choose a port arrival time, which is the time Disney Cruise Line wants you to arrive at the port. Arriving during your designated time can help ensure a smoother boarding process.
• Carry-on luggage: Since your room and luggage may not be ready until the afternoon (usually between 2-3 pm), you’ll need a carry-on for essential items like medications, cruise documents, and a swimsuit.
• Travel documentation: At check-in, all guests must present valid passports or other acceptable proof of citizenship.
• Security checks: As you enter the Disney Cruise Line terminal, your carry-on bags will be checked through an X-ray machine, and you will pass through a metal detector, similar to airport security.

Special Boarding Times and Accommodations

Disney Cruise Line is committed to providing a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all guests, including those with special needs or accommodations. Families with children under 2 years old can ask to board early at the gate. Pre-boarding is available for customers with disabilities who need a specific seat, assistance boarding the aircraft, or need to stow an assistive device.

What to Expect During Boarding

During the boarding process, you can expect the following:

• Arrival at the terminal: The cruise terminal usually opens at 11:15 AM. It is recommended that guests complete their Online Check-In before arriving at the terminal to ensure a smooth boarding process.
• Terminal check-in: Disney Cruise Line typically begins checking guests in at 11:00 AM. Your actual boarding time will depend on your Port Arrival Time.
• Required documents: At check-in, all guests must present valid passports or other acceptable proof of citizenship. Make sure you have your DisneyBand+ charged and accessible for boarding.

What If You Miss Your Boarding Time?

If passengers miss their designated boarding time, they may face several consequences. Airlines typically require passengers to check in at least 30 minutes before departure, so arriving late may result in missing the flight altogether. In some cases, airlines may charge you for a new ticket if you miss a flight, but there may be exceptions depending on the airline’s policy.

Knowing when to board your Disney Cruise is crucial for a smooth and enjoyable start to your vacation. By being prepared and following the guidelines provided by Disney Cruise Line, you can help ensure a smooth and efficient boarding process. Remember, the magic starts the moment you step on board!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i board the disney cruise earlier if i’m a member of the castaway club.

Yes, being a member of the Disney Cruise Line Castaway Club does provide some advantages when it comes to boarding. Platinum, Gold, and Silver Castaway Club members have access to early online check-in, which could potentially allow for earlier boarding times.

Is there a specific dress code to follow while boarding the Disney Cruise?

There isn’t a specific dress code for boarding a Disney Cruise. However, it’s always a good idea to dress comfortably and appropriately for the weather. Also, keep in mind that you might not have access to your luggage until later in the afternoon, so it’s recommended to pack essential items, including a change of clothes if necessary, in your carry-on bag.

Can I bring food or drinks on board during the boarding process?

Disney Cruise Line allows guests to bring a limited amount of food and drink onboard. However, these must be packed in a carry-on bag, not in checked luggage. Alcoholic beverages are subject to certain restrictions, and it’s always best to check Disney Cruise Line’s latest policy before your departure.

What happens to my luggage during the boarding process?

Upon arrival at the port, your checked luggage will be taken by porters and delivered directly to your stateroom later in the day. It’s important to pack any essentials or valuables in your carry-on bag, as you won’t have immediate access to your checked luggage.

Do I need to print my boarding documents or can I use digital copies?

While digital copies are convenient, it’s always a good idea to carry printed copies of your boarding documents as well. Technology can sometimes fail or run out of battery, and having a hard copy could help avoid any potential issues during the boarding process.

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Ashley is a true theme park veteran, with insights gleaned from multiple visits to every park in the US. Her goal is to provide an insider's guide to making the most of your visit to any theme park.

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Boarding Time - Wish

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DIS Veteran

• Jul 28, 2022

I was wondering when boarding starts on embarkation day for the Disney Wish in PC? We are sailing concierge and are just wondering when to arrive so we can check in and board as early as possible. Thank you for any info you can share!  

Boarding in Port Canaveral generally starts around 11:30am. Boarding groups are called fairly quickly, with open boarding called around 12:30-1:00pm. However, the terminal opens at 10:30am. Concierge may enter anytime from 10:30 on to check-in, with boarding beginning around 11:30.  

Part of the Crew - Part of the Ship

lanejudy said: Boarding in Port Canaveral generally starts around 11:30am. Boarding groups are called fairly quickly, with open boarding called around 12:30-1:00pm. However, the terminal opens at 10:30am. Concierge may enter anytime from 10:30 on to check-in, with boarding beginning around 11:30. Click to expand...

IamAnniM said: We are on the Wish the end of Sept, concierge for the first time and staying at WDW the day before, I wonder what’s the earliest time DCL transportation will pick us up. So far we only hear we will be told the night befor….any other time I was picked up it was usually at NOON which kinda sucks as we really wanted to board early for this first time concierge Click to expand...

IamAnniM said: I wonder what’s the earliest time DCL transportation will pick us up. Click to expand...

• Aug 6, 2022

Marthasor said: We are going to book a private car to take us. We used the DCL bus once and we got to the port much later than I was hoping. Click to expand...

lanejudy said: Buses from the WDW resorts have been picking up early, sometimes before 9am. It depends on the bus route, which depends how many guests at each resort. But definitely not arriving anywhere near as late as pre-covid. Click to expand...

West of Boston and East of Nowhere

• Aug 7, 2022

Can I park my car in the garage before my port arrival time? I recall showing up "pre-Covid" at 10:25 and they wouldnt let me park.  

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Disney cruise review: Is a Disney cruise worth the expense?

Anna Sarjeant

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What it's like on board a Disney Wonder cruise. Photo / Supplied

Disney Wonder, one of 5 (soon to be 7) Disney Cruise Line ships, is returning to New Zealand in October. Is it worth booking?

Expectation: A Disney cruise costs a lot of money

The cheapest Disney cruise you can book on board the Disney Wonder when it returns to NZ from October 2024 to February 2025, is a two-night round trip from Auckland in an interior room, priced around NZ$960 per person. A big Disney blowout comes in at roughly $7000 per person for a five-night sailing in a Concierge Room, fully kitted out with a separate bedroom, living room and a walk-in wardrobe. In between these two fares, you’ll find Oceanview rooms with a porthole and Veranda rooms with a balcony. *Price correct at time of writing but subject to change.

Click here to read more about a Veranda Stateroom aboard Disney Wonder

Reality: It’s great value

While there are cheaper cruises out there, no cruise line is quite as family-focused as Disney, and that’s where Captain Mickey earns his higher price tag. A better way to describe a Disney Cruise is child-focused because they really do put their pint-sized guests first. There’s a mass of dedicated (and multi-age range) kids clubs, including a nursery for babies as young as 6 months, several swimming pools, cinemas, theatres, help-yourself-icecream, free-flowing soft drinks, deck parties and discos. Disney characters parade every corridor and entertainment is around the clock. All this (and more) is covered in your fare, alongside every meal, copious snacks and 24-hour room service. When you start adding up the “land” price of stage shows and three-course dining experiences, as well as the price of an international return flight you don’t have to pay for, the cost looks pretty good.

Top tip: It’s possible to keep spending to a minimum once onboard. Gratuities are additional, and customary, but avoiding alcoholic drinks, specialty dining, Wi-Fi packages and the gift shop (good luck!) will help.

Expectation: A Disney cruise is for kids

If your 6-year-old could design their ideal holiday, it would probably resemble a Disney cruise, complete with character meet-and-greets, hot dogs for dinner, Spider-Man encounters and a non-existent bedtime. We imagine if parents designed their perfect holiday, there would be palm trees and infinity pools, champagne on ice, afternoon naps and child-free bliss. And Goofy ain’t serving the mimosas, is he?

Reality: Adults love it

Anything Disney-related is undeniably a dream come true for children; none more so than meeting your favourite Disney characters in real life. A child’s excitement is to be expected. What’s surprising is how easily parents break the shackles of adulthood. Like Robin Williams’ transformation in the hit movie Hook , you’ll unexpectedly find yourself reborn as an enchanted younger self. Childhood memories will flood back with an intoxicating amount of nostalgia (such as picking your favourite Disney VHS and — shock horror for anyone born after 1996 — rewinding the tape! Long-forgotten Minnie Mouse toys; trying not to cry in front of your mates while watching The Lion King . Et cetera). Disney is a 100-year-old institution and there is no one on Earth immune to its magic.

Top tip : There’s also the dedicated adults-only area featuring a serene, splash-free swimming pool, hot tubs, Cove cafe and Palo, an a la carte Italian restaurant. With several youth clubs on board, you can easily make sulks and snotty noses a Mickey problem, not a parent problem.

Expectation: The pools will be crowded with children

Let’s hazard a guess, you’re expecting screaming children, toddlers throwing tantrums, pool bombs, and dare we mention it, a code brown.

Reality: Calm, calm, everywhere

Perhaps Captain Hook makes the most heinous kids walk the plank, but I found Disney Wonder to be a sanctuary of calm. Of course, you can find pockets of hyperactivity, notably if you want to queue to meet headline acts such as Mickey and Minnie, but overall, my family and I stole moments to ourselves all the time. On the first day, we had the entire top deck to ourselves, presumably while other families lunched, we often found the French Quarter Lounge empty, save for a live band and a sprinkling of grandparents; we walked the deck at sunset and barely saw a soul, and while our son napped, we enjoyed the sanctum of our Veranda Stateroom, with Disney movies on tap, and a delightful man who comes around at 1pm with treats. Never devoured a plate of macarons in bed? Do it — nothing says “holiday” more than crumbs you don’t have to vacuum.

Top tip: You’re never going to escape the madness of a Frozen stage show or a themed dinner with a life-size, trumpet-playing crocodile, but the beauty of a Disney cruise is that no matter how much of your body mass is Grinch, happy children are a happy sight.

Expectation: I won’t feel my child is safe on a cruise ship

Welcome to parenthood where intrusive thoughts reign supreme. Such as ― how am I going to sleep soundly in a room with a toddler that’s obsessed with opening doors? He’s going to karate chop his way out of the cot, swing off the door handle and pole vault into the sea.

Reality: Safety is Disney’s No 1 priority

The Disney Wonder cruise ship seems to have been designed for kids, by kids. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume Disney commissioned a gaggle of wayward children to run amok across a dummy ship to assess their reckless, highly unpredictable behaviour. We didn’t need to worry about our son once. If you’re in a Veranda Stateroom, the balcony doors are heavy — Fort Knox for a 2-year-old, and there’s an additional lock at the top, above your own head height, so there’s no way Houdini is picking his way out of there. In addition, all passengers participate in a compulsory safety drill, there are countless lifeguards on duty and a staff of 1000 team members all making your safety their top priority.

Top tip: Don’t stress the small stuff. The lady at craft hour gave my son felt-tip pens and he can’t stay within the lines — or on the paper — for toffee. They were the world’s most washable Crayola pens.

Expectation: The itinerary just says ‘at sea’.

Some itineraries don’t have any port stops so there won’t be any sightseeing.

Reality: There’s an app for that

Who needs a destination when 1700 guests are dressed up as pirates and Captain Hook is chasing Smee around the atrium with a sword? There is so much to do on a Disney cruise that there’s an app detailing hour-by-hour activities. In between all those already mentioned, from stage shows to character encounters, there are trivia quizzes and bingo games, dance parties and DJs. The adults-only area is home to a Cadillac Bar and an English-style pub called Crown and Fin with chessboards and board games. Adults can also partake in workshops such as beer tasting and chocolate and liquor tasting (for a fee). There are regular parties such as Pirate Night and Marvel characters gallivanting across the top deck. Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise company in the world with a fireworks show, and every dining venue showcases something unique and memorable. Our favourite experience was Animator’s Palate, an interactive dining room where what you draw before dinner later appears on the walls as a cartoon. Boredom is simply not possible.

Top tip: Download the app and study what’s happening the next day, the evening prior. Try to visit the Disney Cruise website before your trip so you’re not overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to do.

Top hacks for parents with small kids

• The first time you drop the kids off at a club, go 15 minutes early to fill in the forms and get a wristband sorted — it also gives younger kids some time to assess their new surroundings and doesn’t eat into your time allocated for mum and dad.
• Children have no patience for a queue, right? When the characters leave the photo areas, they tend to walk down Deck 5, past the play centres and nursery. Wait there for a quick meet-and-greet instead.
• I’m not saying try it, but twice we spilled coffee on an armchair and both times it vanished with a wet wipe. Disney Wonder is better than bulletproof, it’s childproof.
• Look out for the Diaper Dash and enter your baby/toddler into the greatest baby crawling race at sea!

Disney Wonder returns to NZ and Australia from October 2024 through to February 2025. For more information go to disneycruise.disney.go.com

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Disney Cruise Line names its newest cruise ship

I t was bound to happen sometime, but Disney Cruise Line waited until its last of three new sister ships to name one Disney Destiny.

The sister ship to Disney Wish, which debuted out of Port Canaveral in 2022 and the soon-to-debut Disney Treasure arriving in Central Florida this December, the third ship in what was originally called the Trident class had its keel laying ceremony Wednesday at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

It won’t start sailing until 2025, and its home port has yet to be named, but among the details revealed for what will be the eighth ship in the cruise line’s fleet was the theme of the vessel, “Heroes & Villains.”

As such, the filigree artwork for the bow will be of Minnie Mouse wearing a superhero-style outfit complete with a cape.

The cruise line said among the characters from which it will mine features on board will be classic Disney animation films, “The Lion King,” “Hercules” and “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”

Disney of course owns plenty of good vs. evil intellectual property including Star Wars and Marvel.

“The Disney Destiny will celebrate our most legendary Disney stories and characters, bringing them to life in new and exciting ways exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests,” said Sharon Siskie, senior vice president and general manager for the cruise line, in a press release. “As we continue to expand our fleet, the Disney Destiny will further strengthen our position as a leader in family cruising.”

Just like Disney Wish and Treasure, Disney Destiny will be powered by liquefied natural gas, a cleaner burning fuel that’s part of the cruise industry’s efforts to reduce emissions.

All three are the 144,000 gross-ton, 1,254-stateroom vessels but still targeting the 4,000-passenger capacity of its older ships, 2011’s Disney Dream and 2012’s Fantasy. The line’s first ships are the smaller Disney Magic that debuted in 1998 and Disney Wonder in 1999. They come in at 84,000 gross tons with 875 staterooms.

The line also is finishing construction for an Asia-bound cruise ship named Disney Adventure that will be the largest in the fleet at 208,000 gross tons.

Disney Wish became the line’s first new ship in more than a decade. It continues to do short three- and four-night Bahamas sailings while Disney Treasure will pick up seven-night trips to the Caribbean.

©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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1,500 passengers trapped on cruise ship at port because of visa debacle.

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A cruise ship at a port in Spain has been forced to hold all 1,500 passengers on board, after a group from Bolivia failed to obtain the correct visa documents to enter the European border-free Schengen area.

According to reports, cruise ship MSC Armonia remains detained in Barcelona, with authorities scrambling to sort the situation.

The debacle, involving 69 Bolivian passengers, is preventing the ship from continuing its journey until the situation is resolved.

The voyage has traveled from Brazil to cover a route in the Mediterranean Sea, with the 69 Bolivians in question including families and children.

In a statement, MSC Cruises initially thought the visa documentation was correct and appeared to comply with the necessary requirements for travel.

However, upon further inspection, the visas were “not valid” for entry.

“The passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil,” the statement read.

“We have been informed by the authorities that the visas are not valid for entry into the Schengen area. As a result, passengers have not been able to disembark in Barcelona, which was their final destination.”

One Bolivian passenger, who spoke to local media under anonymity, said she was being treated like “a criminal [in a] prison” despite being assured by a travel agency her visa was correct and valid for travel.

Some family members of the Bolivian travelers on board the cruise ship told Spanish media that the 69 passengers had been victims of a scam.

According to the claim, as published in Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, an agency in South America had offered the visas online and charged up to $10,000 per person.

It is understood the ship will remain in port while it works with authorities while the investigation continues.

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Eight passengers stranded on African island after Norwegian cruise ship left without them

A dream cruise vacation has turned into a nightmare for eight passengers left stranded on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe after their ship left without them because they were late to return from a private tour.

The tourists — six from the U.S. and two from Australia — were aboard the Norwegian Dawn, a Norwegian cruise line ship , which departed from Cape Town, South Africa, on March 20 for a 21-day voyage up the coast of Africa set to end in Barcelona, Spain, on April 10.

But on Wednesday, the group of eight tourists was late to return to the ship by more than an hour for the all-aboard time of 3 p.m. from a private excursion on the island, which was not organized by the cruise line.

Jay and Jill Campbell of South Carolina were part of the group that was left behind.

They said that their tour’s operator notified the cruise captain that they were going to be late to rejoin the ship and that the local Coast Guard tried to get them on the vessel but that they weren’t allowed to board.

As a result, the couple and the rest of the group have been stranded for days on the island off Nigeria, grappling with language, currency issues and complicated travel to catch up with the ship.

“The lovely people of São Tomé were very gracious, very hospitable. They had reached out as much as they could to help us find hotels,” Jay Campbell said on NBC's "TODAY" show Tuesday morning.

“We were able to get to a tour agency there to arrange flights to the next port of call. ... Very difficult process — you’re dealing with multiple languages, language barriers, you’re dealing with different currencies ... finding someone that even has dollars ... trying to get an agent to understand where we need to get to.

"It’s one of those ‘You can’t get there from here,’" he added.

A Norwegian spokesperson called the incident a “very unfortunate situation” and said, “Guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time.”

The cruise line said that after the guests failed to return, their passports were delivered to local port agents, in line with protocol. The company said it was working with local authorities to understand “the requirements and visas needed for the guests to reboard the ship at the next available port of call.”

On Monday, the guests had made arrangements to rejoin the ship in Banjul, Gambia, but the ship was unable to safely dock there because of “adverse weather conditions” and “tidal restrictions,” Norwegian said. The guests were then contacted and provided with information to rejoin the ship at Dakar, Senegal, on Tuesday. 

Jill Campbell said they traveled through seven countries in 48 hours to arrive in Senegal on Monday night.

But the couple was reconsidering whether they even wanted to return to the cruise.

"We are considering whether or not we are going to board the ship. It is in dock here in Senegal," she said. "We believe there was a basic duty of care that they had forgotten about, so it does concern us."

"After what we witnessed, we truly believe that although there’s a set of rules or policies that the ship may have followed, they followed those rules too rigidly. I believe that they really forgot that they are people working in the hospitality industry and really the safety and well-being of the customers should be their first priority," she added.

Ultimately, the eight passengers did rejoin the cruise before 8:30 a.m. ET Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal, Norwegian told NBC News in an e-mail Tuesday evening, after this story originally published.

Norwegian said the passengers were responsible for making their own travel arrangements to rejoin the ship.

"Despite the series of unfortunate events outside of our control, we will be reimbursing these eight guests for their travel costs from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal," a cruise line spokesperson said in a statement. "We remain in communication with the guests and are providing additional information as it becomes available."

A silver lining of the catastrophe was that the Campbells were able to connect with another Norwegian Dawn passenger — Julia Lenkoff, 80 — who was also left on the island, but for a medical reason.

Lenkoff was on a different day tour Wednesday. She had "medically disembarked" from the cruise to seek local treatment on that day, Norwegian said.

Norwegian said that its care team tried to call Lenkoff several times and was unable to reach her and that it worked with its port agent in São Tomé and Príncipe for updates on her health.

The Campbells met Lenkoff and were able to put her in contact with her family in California, who flew her home — a move Lenkoff's daughter said "saved her life."

"She's a world traveler. She travels all the time. So this was going to be one of her bucket list trips, because she's been to 120 countries so far, and she wanted to get to 130," her daughter, Lana Lenkoff Geis, said in an interview that aired Tuesday on "TODAY."

Norwegian said Lenkoff was escorted on a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, then put in the care of airport staff members to continue her journey back to the U.S., where she has safely returned.

Breaking News Reporter