Hi Bob,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you so much for asking us a question about your upcoming Disney Cruise Line voyage!
For my family’s first few trips, we always tried to arrive at the port as early as possible, to ensure we didn’t miss a single moment of Magic. I’ll admit that we’ve gotten a bit more relaxed about our port arrival time, just to be able to arrive at a more leisurely pace. An added benefit is that, by the time we arrive (usually around 1 PM), the port has moved to an “open boarding” system, which means we can walk right onto the ship. Plus, because our staterooms are typically ready at around 1:30 PM, we can usually drop our stuff off in our rooms and then head off for a late lunch at
Cabanas or
Marceline Market.
That said, I still get an earlier
Port Arrival Time, just in case I do want to start the cruising portion of our vacation more quickly. So, based on my experience, even if you have an 11:30 AM port arrival time, you can absolutely arrive later in the day.
Please review your cruise documentation carefully to check what the “all aboard” time is for your sailing. Although the ship may be scheduled to leave at 4:00 PM, your all aboard time might be earlier. I would highly recommend planning to arrive at least 2 hours before that “all aboard” time, just to make sure that you don’t get tripped up by any last-minute travel snags along the way. And don't forget to do your
Online Check-In to save even more time at the port!
Please don’t hesitate to come back and see us if you have any other questions. We’re always happy to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Lynne