Disembarking the Disney Cruise Line

Disembarking the Disney Cruise Line

            So, how does Disney handle getting 2000 to 4000 people off their ships quickly and in an orderly fashion?

            The night before you return to port you are asked to pack all your bags except your carry-ons and place them in the hall outside your stateroom by 10 PM. You’re given character color-coded tags to place on your bags. Remember your character and color. These tell you when you will disembark and where your luggage will be so you can pick it up. Your stateroom host will pick up your bags and put them in a secure holding area until the next morning.

            Make sure you keep your passport and other identification, plane tickets/boarding passes, medication, cell phones, electronic devices and any other items you’ll need for your trip to your next destination with you.

            The ship will pull into port around 5 AM and guests will start disembarking around 9 AM. Between 5 and 9 AM the bags are unloaded and either put onto buses to be delivered to the airport for Disney to check in for the guests or they are put in large waiting rooms for those guests with other forms of transportation. Some will also be loaded onto buses to be taken to Disney World resort hotels for post-cruise stays.

            While your luggage is being unloaded and sorted trash and recyclables are also being unloaded from the ship and new supplies of food and necessities are being loaded. Guests can go to one of several restaurants on the ship to get breakfast before disembarking.

Depending on where you are going after the cruise and the time you need to be there you will be given a specific timeframe to disembark. Those with earlier scheduled flights will disembark first.

If you drove to the port or had somebody drop you off at the port and they will be picking you up your luggage will be waiting in one of many large rooms. They are designated by color and character. You’ll walk around the room until you find your luggage and retrieve it. If you wish you can ask for a porters help to get your bags outside. It is only proper to tip the Porter if they assisted in finding and carrying your bags.

Disney does have an Onboard Airline Check-in system for those that book air or ground transportation. You can check-in and get your boarding pass while still on the ship. This will save you time and hassle at the airport.

I will be very honest. I am a big fan of letting Disney take care of your luggage. If you are doing just the cruise you can ask Disney to pick you up at the airport and take you to the cruise. You will not even have to get your luggage! Disney will pick up your luggage and put it in your cabin! When you disembark Disney will take your luggage and you back to the airport. Disney will even check your luggage in for you. You will not have to touch your luggage at all! This was fantastic when my family traveled to Disney as a pack in 2005. There were 15 of us, three on ECV’s with disabilities. We only had to handle the luggage at our home airport when we first check that in to go to Disney and when we returned to pick it up to go home. Disney picked us and our luggage up from the Orlando Airport and took us to Disney World. Then they picked us and our luggage up at Disney World and took us to Port Canaveral for the cruise. After the cruise they picked the luggage and us up and took us back to the Orlando Airport the flight home.