Ahoy, Larry!
Welcome aboard planDisney! With less than a week until embarkation, I completely understand wanting to have everything squared away before you step onboard. Preloading Disney Gift Cards is one of my favorite ways to budget for a cruise because it means there's less to think about once the vacation officially begins!
When you add onboard credit through the
Onboard Gifts option before your sailing, you'll be asked to enter the first and last name of the Guest who will receive those funds. Don't let that throw you off! My family does this on every Disney cruise, and I simply enter my own name because I select the option during
Online Check-In to cover the onboard charges for everyone in our stateroom.
That setup makes things really easy. Any onboard purchases made by my crew are charged to the onboard folio and the
Disney Gift Card balance is used before the credit card I have on file. Once the gift card has been spent, any remaining charges automatically roll over to the credit card. If you've selected the same payment setup during Online Check-In, your Disney Gift Card can absolutely help cover purchases for your entire stateroom until the balance reaches zero.
If everyone in your crew is planning to pay for their own onboard purchases using separate payment methods, I'd actually wait and bring the Disney Gift Card with you instead of preloading it. Once you're onboard,
Guest Services can apply the gift card exactly where you want it, making it much easier to split charges between different Guests.
I hope this helps as you get everything squared away before embarkation day! Having your Disney Gift Cards loaded ahead of time is one less thing to think about once you step onboard, leaving more time for the important decisions...like whether your first stop should be the buffet or the pool.
Sea ya real soon with sunshine on deck and fireworks lighting up the night sky,
Dustin