Ahoy, Mary! Welcome to planDisney. It won't be long before Captains Mickey and Minnie welcome you aboard your
Disney Cruise Line vacation. Oh boy! Oh boy!
With your cruise on the horizon, it's time to talk about the pre-arrival online check-in and get you ready for clear skies ahead. I'm glad you cruised by with this question so we can chart your course.
Depending on the
Castaway Club levels of the people in your stateroom, you can complete the online check-in 30 to 40 days before your cruise. You can do this for everyone as soon as the person with the most cruises is eligible. If this is everyone's first cruise, it's 30 days before.
If you share the information and photos with your daughter, she can easily complete the process for everyone in one sitting.
For the check-in, she will need to upload a few things for each Guest, including the
required citizenship documentation and a photo for identification and security on board. The citizenship document is usually a picture of the "photo page" of your passport or birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID. The security/identification photo is something you can quickly take with your cell phone. You need a picture of your face to your shoulders, with no hats or other items that block your face or distracting backgrounds. And if you plan to put a credit card on file for onboard charges, she can add one here.
Since you are from different households, you may want more than one credit card on file. You can do this during the check-in. But you may find it easier to use one card with the check-in and then go to Guest Services once on board for assistance adding another card and assigning it to specific people.
One of the last steps is to select your Port Arrival Time, which is when you can arrive at the port to check in and board the most magical ship that ever sailed.
I always set my travel documents aside with my luggage since
you also need them when you check in at the port. Rather than stashing them away, I put them in my carry-on bag. I also have a "visual check" rule when leaving the house for our adventure at sea. I want to
see them with us as we go.
If we can help with any other questions, please come see us again at
planDisney. We love to help you SEAS the adventure!
Bon Voyage!
Jana