ARRIVING & BOARDING THE SHIP
Cruise Documents
Depending on your particular cruise package, your Cruise Documents will arrive anywhere from 2-6 weeks prior to your sailing date. . If you don't have them in your hands two weeks prior, you should call Disney Cruise Line or your travel agent.
When the documents arrive, look them over carefully to make sure everything regarding your cruise (sailing date, cabin number, passengers) is accurate. Take the time to fill out the documents before you leave for Port Canaveral. You will need the cruise documents fully completed for check-in at the Port.
DAY BAG
A carry-on or day bag is very important to bring with you into the Port! Your luggage has already been taken by the porters to load on the ship (that is, provided you correctly filled out the labels in your Cruise Documents). Your bags will make their way to your stateroom, but there are no guarantees as to what time they will arrive -- with occasional delays they may not arrive until the evening. If you have the early dinner seating, this could be a problem. Therefore, we recommend you plan ahead and pack the items you will need!
For those unfamiliar with the cruise, your luggage is collected upon arrival (or even earlier if you've booked a land/sea package or airport transfer with Disney) and you don't see your bags until later in the day. Thus, you want to have a well-stocked day bag. This should include passports, cruise documents, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, books, snacks, bottled water, camera, camcorder, extra batteries, diapers, bootles, food, change of clothes, toys for the boys. Some folks like to pack swimsuits so they can take advantage of the pools, as they aren't very busy on embarkation day. The most important thing, of course, is those cruise documents and photo identification."
I cannot overemphasize how important it is to keep your documents, birth certificate/passport, photo ID, and medications with you as well as any valuables. If there's something you'd be really upset to never see again, either carry it with you or leave it at home. (Not that there's a baggage handling problem, but better safe than sorry! If you accidentally pack your documents and/or ID, your luggage may be taking a cruise without you!
CHECK-IN
As you enter the upstairs check-in and boarding area, the counters for registering are on the left. Sometimes the lines are short, other times longer, it just depends. Remember if you are a Castaway Club member, you may access the special line to the far right.
During check-in you will turn in your completed cruise documents, have your identification checked and be issued your "Key to the World" card. These are almost identical to the cards you receive when you check into a Disney resort. Keep in mind, this card becomes just like cash! EVERYTHING on board ship is paid for with the card. NO cash is accepted (at least that I could determine). Your card will also lock and unlock your stateroom safe. It also contains your dining rotation sequence.
According to MDCG, US Customs laws require you to prove that you belong in the US before they will let you back in. A passport will always work for ID at registration, otherwise, a birth certificate and photo ID or green card is sufficient. The documents state that you need a raised seal on your birth certificate. If you don't have a driver's license, you'll need a state ID card or another government-issued picture ID. Minors don't need a photo ID, just a birth certificate.
Immigration has started to really crack down on ID over the last two months or so you may have been able to slide by previously with less-than-perfect ID, that's no longer the case. If you are using a passport, it needs to be a valid one -- not an expired one. If you are a US citizen using a birth certificate instead, it MUST be a certified certificate which is indicated by the raised seal. (This is stressed on the fluorescent orange stickers Disney now plasters on the front of your cruise document box.) Some birth certificates are hospital-issued and some are state-issued. Either is fine, but it needs to have that seal stuck on it OR embossed wording. Photocopies will absolutely NOT be accepted.
Once this process is completed, you may board the ship (if it has opened) or sit and relax on one of the benches. There is a small beverage stand with some munchies but, for the most part, no food is available here.
TIP: If you plan to arrive before the ship opens, be sure to bring something to read, activities for the kids and maybe even snacks! A cafe with specialty coffees, basic pastries and limited snacks opens at 11 a.m. There is a seating area with a television showing Disney clips.
BOARDING
Boarding is easy and Disney handles it very smoothly. As you check-in they will also give you a boarding number, for which will be called.
As you enter, don't be surprised to see a security guard with a bomb-sniffing dog! You will find yourself in a room, similar to airline security areas where you will pass through a metal detector and put your items on the scanning belt. (Don't worry, they aren't looking for food or liquor -- they are looking for safety reasons!) There is a turnstile to put your Cruise ID card into and away you go!
Before you know it, a Cast Member is asking your name and you step right into the atrium on Deck 4 of the ship. And about this time, my mouth always drops open and I just stand there!
Depending on your particular cruise package, your Cruise Documents will arrive anywhere from 2-6 weeks prior to your sailing date. . If you don't have them in your hands two weeks prior, you should call Disney Cruise Line or your travel agent.
When the documents arrive, look them over carefully to make sure everything regarding your cruise (sailing date, cabin number, passengers) is accurate. Take the time to fill out the documents before you leave for Port Canaveral. You will need the cruise documents fully completed for check-in at the Port.
DAY BAG
A carry-on or day bag is very important to bring with you into the Port! Your luggage has already been taken by the porters to load on the ship (that is, provided you correctly filled out the labels in your Cruise Documents). Your bags will make their way to your stateroom, but there are no guarantees as to what time they will arrive -- with occasional delays they may not arrive until the evening. If you have the early dinner seating, this could be a problem. Therefore, we recommend you plan ahead and pack the items you will need!
For those unfamiliar with the cruise, your luggage is collected upon arrival (or even earlier if you've booked a land/sea package or airport transfer with Disney) and you don't see your bags until later in the day. Thus, you want to have a well-stocked day bag. This should include passports, cruise documents, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, books, snacks, bottled water, camera, camcorder, extra batteries, diapers, bootles, food, change of clothes, toys for the boys. Some folks like to pack swimsuits so they can take advantage of the pools, as they aren't very busy on embarkation day. The most important thing, of course, is those cruise documents and photo identification."
I cannot overemphasize how important it is to keep your documents, birth certificate/passport, photo ID, and medications with you as well as any valuables. If there's something you'd be really upset to never see again, either carry it with you or leave it at home. (Not that there's a baggage handling problem, but better safe than sorry! If you accidentally pack your documents and/or ID, your luggage may be taking a cruise without you!
CHECK-IN
As you enter the upstairs check-in and boarding area, the counters for registering are on the left. Sometimes the lines are short, other times longer, it just depends. Remember if you are a Castaway Club member, you may access the special line to the far right.
During check-in you will turn in your completed cruise documents, have your identification checked and be issued your "Key to the World" card. These are almost identical to the cards you receive when you check into a Disney resort. Keep in mind, this card becomes just like cash! EVERYTHING on board ship is paid for with the card. NO cash is accepted (at least that I could determine). Your card will also lock and unlock your stateroom safe. It also contains your dining rotation sequence.
According to MDCG, US Customs laws require you to prove that you belong in the US before they will let you back in. A passport will always work for ID at registration, otherwise, a birth certificate and photo ID or green card is sufficient. The documents state that you need a raised seal on your birth certificate. If you don't have a driver's license, you'll need a state ID card or another government-issued picture ID. Minors don't need a photo ID, just a birth certificate.
Immigration has started to really crack down on ID over the last two months or so you may have been able to slide by previously with less-than-perfect ID, that's no longer the case. If you are using a passport, it needs to be a valid one -- not an expired one. If you are a US citizen using a birth certificate instead, it MUST be a certified certificate which is indicated by the raised seal. (This is stressed on the fluorescent orange stickers Disney now plasters on the front of your cruise document box.) Some birth certificates are hospital-issued and some are state-issued. Either is fine, but it needs to have that seal stuck on it OR embossed wording. Photocopies will absolutely NOT be accepted.
Once this process is completed, you may board the ship (if it has opened) or sit and relax on one of the benches. There is a small beverage stand with some munchies but, for the most part, no food is available here.
TIP: If you plan to arrive before the ship opens, be sure to bring something to read, activities for the kids and maybe even snacks! A cafe with specialty coffees, basic pastries and limited snacks opens at 11 a.m. There is a seating area with a television showing Disney clips.
BOARDING
Boarding is easy and Disney handles it very smoothly. As you check-in they will also give you a boarding number, for which will be called.
As you enter, don't be surprised to see a security guard with a bomb-sniffing dog! You will find yourself in a room, similar to airline security areas where you will pass through a metal detector and put your items on the scanning belt. (Don't worry, they aren't looking for food or liquor -- they are looking for safety reasons!) There is a turnstile to put your Cruise ID card into and away you go!
Before you know it, a Cast Member is asking your name and you step right into the atrium on Deck 4 of the ship. And about this time, my mouth always drops open and I just stand there!
