Colorful Ship at Night
  • On Mar 29, 2025
    Cyrus from CA Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    I purchased transportation for a Disney cruise. My port arrival time is 2pm (booked last minute). Our flight arrives at 9am that morning in San Diego. Will we have to wait at the airport for several hours for transportation or will they pick up early?

    Hey, howdy, hey, Cyrus!

    I don't blame you for wanting to get on your Disney cruise ship as soon as possible. My family and I feel like that before each of our cruises too.

    About a day or so before your cruise embarks, you should receive an email with more details about your airport transfer to the cruise ship terminal. That information will include the latest and most important instructions for you to follow. But I'm happy to share with you details about my personal experience. Hopefully, this will give you an idea of what you might expect as you get ready to embark on an adventure Where Magic Meets the Sea.

    On our most recent Disney cruise out of San Diego, California, we arrived at the baggage claim area of the San Diego International Airport around 10 AM. We met up with fellow Disney cruise passengers (for the most part, we are all quite easy to spot!) and we checked in with the Disney Cruise Line representatives there. We ended up waiting at the airport for about an hour and a half before we boarded one of the first few Disney buses heading to the port.

    Our wait in the airport was comfortable. There was ample seating. And restrooms and a snack stand were conveniently nearby. The airport transfer team appeared to prioritize getting us to the ship as soon as possible. Rather than wait until there were enough passengers to fill each bus, we ended up riding a bus that still had many empty seats. We had a Port Arrival Time of 12:15 PM. But that didn't appear to matter. As we stepped off the bus, instead of sending us to the lines of Guests awaiting their Port Arrival Time, we were simply ushered toward the cruise terminal, passed through security, and took seats in the terminal to wait for our Boarding Group to be called. This made us think of our Disney Cruise Line ground transfer service as a sort of Lightning Lane service into the cruise terminal!

    I hope your Disney Cruise Line vacation is magical, Cyrus. Please let us know if you have any more questions. And we'd love to hear back from you on how things went for you on your transfer from the airport and on your cruise.

    Have a magical time, Cyrus!
    ~Tony

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Meet the Panelist: Tony, Utah

Coming to you from the Beehive State, I’m a Disney-loving dad and husband, buzzing with excitement to share advice and tips for making your Disneyland Resort vacation as magical as possible! I’m excited to help you discover the storytelling magic of the “Happiest Place on Earth!” Learn More About Tony

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