Ahoy, Sherri!
Welcome aboard planDisney! It sounds like you’ve assembled quite the crew — part seasoned Castaway, part fresh-faced recruits — ready to set sail on a Disney adventure together. With you at the helm as a
Platinum Castaway Club member, I can already picture you leading the charge like Captain Jack Sparrow… though perhaps with a bit more direction and fewer detours to mysterious islands!
When it comes to the Platinum express lane at the port, here’s how the treasure map looks. Since you’re all on the same reservation, the key detail will be whether you’ve booked one stateroom or multiple. If you’ve scored a five-person stateroom and you’re all bunking together like the Fab Five, then yes — your entire crew will be able to follow you straight into the Platinum check-in line and
enjoy your elite Castaway Club benefits both at the terminal and throughout your voyage.
But if you’re split into different staterooms, that’s when the plot twists like a Big Hero 6 scene. In most cases, only those actually in your stateroom will be allowed to use the Platinum check-in. Since your
Online Check-In window opens earlier than your Silver and first-time sailors, you can often grab an earlier Port Arrival Time and boarding group. You could wait until the Silver/new cruiser windows open to choose matching times so you board together — but just know it might mean forgoing those earliest boarding slots.
Now, even if you sync your arrival times, the check-in lines themselves can still be a wildcard. I’ve seen Cast Members work a little magic — sometimes letting my group stick together through the Platinum line, other times sending us through the standard line because it was actually shorter than the Platinum one (that felt a bit like skipping the standby line and going straight into the ride!). On one particularly pixie-dusted day, we were even sent through the Concierge line. It all just depends if the terminal is busy. The moral of the story? No matter which line you take, you’ll all end up together on deck with that first sail-away breeze in your hair, ready to start your own happily-ever-after at sea.
I hope this helps you chart the best course for a smooth embarkation day with your entire crew. Whether you’re stepping onboard through the Platinum lane, the first-timer line, or whichever path the Cast Members steer you toward, the moment you hear that magical “Welcome Aboard” will be the true start of your adventure!
Sea ya real soon as we ride the wave of summer’s final stretch in Disney style,
Dustin