Ahoy, Alyssa! Welcome to planDisney, where we aim to answer all of your questions about Disney Cruise Line to set you on course for smooth sailing during your vacation.
It sounds like you have an amazing surprise planned, so I understand wanting to keep the second sailing a secret from your kids for as long as possible. The
Guest Services desk onboard will definitely be aware of your back-to-back reservations because you will undergo a different procedure for disembarkation day than the rest of the guests. Towards the end of your first sailing, you will receive
a letter from Guest Services that will outline where and when to meet. Then, on disembarkation day, a cast member will escort all of the back-to-back guests together off the ship for processing before bringing you right back on deck. Generally, the process takes around an hour and then you will be some of the first guests onboard for your second sailing.
Due to the different disembarkation day procedures, your stateroom host or hostess will also be aware that you are doing back-to-back sailings. If you have booked the same stateroom for both sailings, then you typically do not have to pack up your belongings between sailings and they will know for that reason. Alternatively, even if you have booked two different
staterooms, the host or hostess will still know at some point because they help move your luggage to your next location on the ship.
As for the
rotational dining team, it is difficult to say whether they will know or not because that depends on whether you are assigned to the same staff for both sailings. Although you may have the same dining team for both itineraries, it is not guaranteed and that is what would make the difference.
Just keep in mind that the cast members found on Disney Cruise Line are the absolute best and want to do everything that they can to provide your entire family with a magical experience onboard. If you really want to keep the second sailing a secret for as long as possible, then I recommend discretely letting both your stateroom host or hostess and rotational dining team know that you don’t want to spoil the surprise for your kids. You just need to have faith, trust, and, of course, a little pixie dust!
I hope that your entire family has an incredible time on both of your Disney cruises. If you have any other questions, then we are here to help at planDisney. Happy sailing!
Catherine