help me cure my FOMO about port arrival

[daisyx3]

The last two cruises DH and I had one night at WDW the day before (no parks) and then took a car service to the port so we would get there right at open. This cost twice as much as taking the DCL shuttle but I justified it because they were shorter (3 and 4 night) cruises. Now in May we have a 7 night on the Fantasy. I found out there was a Villains after hours the previous night, so I got tickets and booked a DVC studio at Bay Lake so we could walk back whenever. DH is thinking this time we should just take the shuttle and relax instead of rushing onboard to get up to Cabanas. But part of me just wants to get on the ship. I do see the beauty of getting there when the rooms are open, but I'm not sure about getting there at 2 or later.
I may wait until my check in to make sure I get my palo brunch, etc., and don't have to make any onboard changes to make my final decision, but can if you have good stories about taking the shuttle and getting to the port in a timely manner, share them!

 

[SG131]

I think trying to get a Palo brunch would be the only reason I’d try to get to port early. Though we weren’t able to get that and did Remy instead which I thought was fantastic. The shuttle didn’t get us there very early, but we had a really relaxing start. We slept in, had breakfast at Ale and Compass then boarded the shuttle. We were plenty full from breakfast that we didn’t need to eat when we first got on the ship and especially on a 7 day cruise, you will have plenty of chances to eat at Cabanas.

I’m an overpacker so the thought of shelping all of my carry ons to lunch was extremely unappealing. As was changing in a bathroom in order to crowd into a packed pool with said belongings all siting pool side. It’s nice to come on board and be able to get into the room right away. It made for a very relaxing first day and we had plenty of time to settle in and explore a bit before muster.

 

[Rob1872]

Unless you are trying to show up early to see if there is an upgrade available at the port, don't kill yourself getting to the terminal right when it opens. You've got a 7 night cruise. You won't miss anything if you show up on board at 1:30 instead of 11:45. Plus, you will have a relaxing morning instead of sitting around the terminal for 2 hours waiting for boarding to commence. Do you want to start your peaceful vacation in a throng of cruisers all throwing elbows so they can get to the loungers by the pool before someone else beats them to it?

 

[coast2coastmickey]

We took Disney transportation from the Beach Club on our cruise last year and it was wonderful. We did a couple of hours in Epcot before the bus picked us up around 11:30, and we were at the port around 1pm after stopping by a couple of other resort, We were onboard by around 1:30. It was nice being able to not wait long for security, check in, and to use the restroom without feeling rushed or surrounded by a ton of people. We also didn't feel rushed getting pictures before boarding the boat.

Also, it was nice to take our carryons and stroller straight to the stateroom so we weren't lugging it all around with an 18 month old.

While it would have been nice to get on the boat earlier, it worked for us and we'd totally do it all over again.

 

[SL6827]

Its a 7-night, relax.

 

[mmouse37]

I can't believe I am saying this as I have always been a get there early and get onboard as soon as you can person....but our cruise last week made me rethink this a bit. We are Platinum and got onboard within the first 75 people and had lunch in Lumiere's. But, we had backpacks and carry ons and two strollers in the dining room and it was a lot. Lunch also took very long and many parties in our group kept having to leave the dining room to go secure Palo, princess gathering tix, etc. It was stressful. Next time I may just wait until room are open to drop off our stuff and then go do what we had to do.

MJ

 

[Marc D]

14 cruises in and we are still in the ‘get there ASAP’ group. But... we do not mind crowds, we always find something to do if we must wait a while and we do not carry-on anything except small personal bags. For that reason, we would never use the DCL shuttle from WDW. If you want a more streamlined experience in the terminal, you could get to port around 12:30.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We never rush! LOL Vacation for us means no rushing to get there. I enjoy no lines, basically walking on as soon as I am at the port and dropping my bags at the room. 90 minutes earlier is not going to make or break my cruise. You are on the ship for 7 days? Relax, enjoy your evening out and ride to the port the next day. Enjoy your cruise, sounds like fun!

 

[lklgoodman]

We always get to the port around 12:30 or 1. For our upcoming cruise we will get there around 11:30 and I am dreading it.(transport we're using only had early times from our hotel) I much prefer getting there later when it's not as crowded and being able to get into our cabin soon after boarding. We've always had a lot of time to do whatever we want when boarding later. No need to feel so rushed when doing a 7night cruise.

 

[clten]

The difference in the time you are actually on board the ship is very small. If you arrive when the port opens, you are waiting around for boarding. Chances are if you're among the first people onboard you may be boarding near 11:30, higher boarding number may be around noon. If you take the DCL bus from the resort, you may be there at 1 (we've had this many times with pick up at 11:30); check-in is quick since there are rarely any lines and you walk right on board. So what is that, about an hour to an hour and a half less on board time? (Even if your pick-up is later, typically you are at the port by 2 so that would be 2 hours or so less on board time.) For us, it is worth it to have a relaxing morning, avoid the having to push through a crowd when our boarding number is called, and then carry our bags around for an hour or 2. If it saves money on top of that, it would be an easy decision for me. But you say you have FOMO. What would you be doing on board that you would miss? You are still on vacation whether you are at your resort a little longer or on the boat a little longer. It's not like there are activities going on that you would really be missing out on.

 

[MomOTwins]

We're kind of in the opposite boat because we did resort-to-port DCL transportation on our first two three-night cruises and are now doing a private transfer for our 7 night. I thought the resort bus was nice; I liked the little video they play about the cruise, and it was comfy and all pretty seamless with the luggage pickup etc. I definitely would do it again on another trip. But I didn't like waiting around all morning at the resort for the pickup, the multiple stops at other resorts adding extra time in the car, and then getting to Cabanas super hungry at 2/2:30 only to eat dinner three hours later. I thought that given there were some negatives, it might be nice to try out another option this time and see if it works better for us. I recognize there will be pluses and minuses of private transfer too (increased cost, waiting around in the terminal) but I figure I won't know until we try. So I'd recommend the same: try the bus, maybe you'll like it better.

 

[Pooh93]

I don't think I can help as we always pick the earliest port arrival time. By the time we check in, take some pictures, mill around, and then get ready for our group number to be called, the time passes quickly. We head to Cabana's which is not busy yet, get a table of choice, (by a window) grab our food and just let it soak in that we have made it onto the ship!!! By the time Cabana's starts to overflow, we take our carry on bags and head out and find another table (usually by the ice cream machines). My husband is content to hang with the bags while we explore a bit. By then, the rooms are about ready to open, if not already open and we head down to drop our bags.

Good luck with your decision and in the end you are still on the ship and setting sail!!! Enjoy!

 

[tinay]

I love being on the ship and the earlier the better! We always pick the earliest PAT and get to the port as early as they allow us. My whole family does not mind the wait at the port because they know that they will be on the ship soon. For the past 3 cruises, we have been one of the first to board and there is something so peaceful about being on the ship first... like a calming effect plus pure joy and happiness.

When we did WDW before the cruise, we did not want to take the shuttle from the resort to port because of the late arrival time to the port and would had to figure out a plan for lunch. We ended up taking the free Magical Express to the airport (super early) and then taking the DCL bus from the airport to port. My brother had a toddler and an infant at that time, so we did not want to deal with carseats with other car services.

 

[daisyx3]

I love being on the ship and the earlier the better! We always pick the earliest PAT and get to the port as early as they allow us. My whole family does not mind the wait at the port because they know that they will be on the ship soon. For the past 3 cruises, we have been one of the first to board and there is something so peaceful about being on the ship first... like a calming effect plus pure joy and happiness.

When we did WDW before the cruise, we did not want to take the shuttle from the resort to port because of the late arrival time to the port and would had to figure out a plan for lunch. We ended up taking the free Magical Express to the airport (super early) and then taking the DCL bus from the airport to port. My brother had a toddler and an infant at that time, so we did not want to deal with carseats with other car services.

That was us this last time with the early boarding, we were in group 2! I was so excited. It's just the two of us though, so the shuttle costs $80 total vs. $150 to take a towncar to the port; that's $70 I could spend on souvenirs or palo. That's the holdup in my head right now. Do I have to be early when I already HAVE been early, or should I experience the shuttle this time? Either way I can eat outside at Cabanas.

 

[RysMomma]

The only thing I don't love about taking the DCL transportation from the resorts is the waiting around part. The last two cruises, we did this and woke up more on the later side, but not too late because we had to have the luggage out by a certain time to have them pick it up for the ship. Then we went to breakfast, wandered around the resort, had the kids play around in the arcade, pin trade in the lobby, and check out the gift shop. After a while, we were bored and tired of waiting. Next year we're doing a seven night too but we're not doing time before at WDW. We're just going to fly in the night before and stay at the hotel in the airport. Then from there, we're going to take transportation to the ship. I'm not sure what time we'll get there just yet, but I guess we'll find out when we get closer! But,I will say other than that, DCL transportation is really easy!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

No contest. Go “late.” Sets the tone for the entire cruise, get on the ship relaxed and cool as a cucumber. That guy. The last time we got there early (10:30), they didn’t start boarding until after 12!!! Nightmare. People were so pushy and nasty. No Disney magic. People monopolizing the coin press machines with bags of money! People lying on the floor in every available space. Complaining, whining, kids crying, parents snapping. So lame. We didn’t get on until 12:30 and it was so ugh and frenetic once we got on, we vowed never again. Put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. We only do 1:30 pm or later arrivals now— on any cruise line, and all I can say is awesome. Still time to catch lunch and plenty of time to people watch/ look down on all the people who are all crazy miserable and snapping at each other because they got their extra 2 hours on board.

 

[GoofyCoaster]

It’s nice to arrive at the port 1:30-2ish, walk through a nearly empty terminal, wait in a super short check-in line, and go straight to your room to drop your carry-ons. But the DCL resort to port Canaveral shuttle made for an inefficient morning. Suitcases have to be outside your room by 8am. Our resort was the first pickup at 10:15, then the bus made three other resort stops, which took almost 90 minutes. It was around noon before we were off Disney property and on the highway. In the future, I’d enjoy pool time or a leisurely brunch at the resort, then arrange car service pickup for around 11:30.

 

[tinay]

That was us this last time with the early boarding, we were in group 2! I was so excited. It's just the two of us though, so the shuttle costs $80 total vs. $150 to take a towncar to the port; that's $70 I could spend on souvenirs or palo. That's the holdup in my head right now. Do I have to be early when I already HAVE been early, or should I experience the shuttle this time? Either way I can eat outside at Cabanas.

For me, I just want to get on that ship ASAP. I have always been on the ship early, so I cannot tell you how it is at a later time. Good luck! Have a magical vacation!

 

[jscottnc]

Save for our first time cruising, we have always taken DCL ground transportation. Since becoming DVC members, we have travelled the day before and stayed in a studio at OKW. On one cruise, the Fantasy had equipment trouble and was delayed coming into port. DCL arranged for a late checkout, a lunch voucher, and a delayed pickup that got us to the port ahead of boarding. This is something you don't get with a car service.

 

[MrFish]

Having done my first Disney cruise this August and not knowing what was what prior to this, I'll definitely be checking in much later for my next one. I dropped my family off first at about 11am in the hire car and then I returned later having dropped the car off. There was a massive queue of cars when I dropped them off and we waited ages to get to the terminal. They then waited in a massive check in queue in the terminal.

By the time I came back to them in the Uber there was no vehicle queues and no queues in the terminal. Made me realise that it's completely pointless getting there early and I'd rather just get to my room straight away and more importantly, free of any stress!