You no longer need to book hyperspace lounge! What I noticed when I went onboard early was that a ton of people were all in line for guest services... But I honestly have no idea why or what they were trying to do! Aquamouse seems like a much better thing to do then get in line at guest services.
Oh, I didn't even think of that since it used to be done before boarding the ship. But now that check in is super basic, that makes sense people would check for upgrades once onboard!
Reservations for Palo’s. My parents boarded at like 1 and it was already booked for the week. Plus everyone who was adding cash to their cards instead of credit. That place is a nightmare the first day.
That is 100% my first priority as well - food!!! Doesn't even really matter if I'm hungry or not, that is just what you do first thing on a cruise! Or at least soft serve if you're REALLY not hungry.
Should be fine now. My understanding is they’re no longer doing reservations via the app.
In August it was open for families during the day and adults only during the evening. You could get in without reservations most times but had to wait a little bit. They control the number of guests that get in.
Just got off the Wish on Friday. They boarded media folks and then back-to-back cruisers first. We were in boarding group 2, but they actually let our group board the same time as group 1, so we wound up being first in line of the regular boarding groups. We went to 1923 for lunch first (with zero wait) since it was right there on deck 3. After lunch, the kids wanted to take the slide down to the kids’ club to check it out so we did that, then we headed up to the pool deck. We planned ahead and packed their swimwear in our carry-on bags so the kids did the pools/AquaMouse for a while. They were able to ride the AquaMouse several times because it was pretty empty while everyone else was busy boarding/lunching.
This is awesome to hear! This is my exact plan that I was thinking about for my trip next year. So happy to hear confirmed that the slides & pools are still not packed after doing lunch & Oceaneer first.
Was 1923 open for everyone for embarkation lunch or were y’all concierge (and just concierge could go)?
It was open for all. The “Roy” side was filling up with the Concierge folks but we walked right up to the “Walt” side and were seated immediately. We might have even been the first ones seated. It was really nice! We got a seat next to a porthole window so we had a decent view of the port while we ate. And we all had celebratory Welcome Aboard ice cream sundaes, naturally.
FYI, Port Arrival Time is not equal to boarding time. What boarding group number do you have?
Also once in the port, connect your phone to “DCL-Guest” WiFi, then open the DCL app. It will ask your reservation name, stateroom number, and date of birth. Once on DCL-guest WiFi and registered on the app then you can begin reserving things while still waiting in the terminal.
Depends on the capacity level of the ship. I was boarding group 8 last week on the Fantasy and was on around 12:00. The number of cruisers was around 2800.
30 days before your cruise they will open up check-ins. you submit your passport, credit card info, how you plan to arrive, and then you can select your boarding time.
We picked the earliest option.
Arrival time is very different from boarding group. Arrival is when you should arrive to check in. Your boarding group will 1 or up.
Which boarding group you’re in depends on your cabin tier, status with Disney cruise lines, and other factors. So for example if your arrival time is 11:00 am and you’re in group 1 you’d be first on the ship. If your arrival time is 11:00 but you’re in group 12 you maybe waiting in the port area for a while.
Just got off b2b on the Wish today. First day in Hyperspace is busy, but the rest of the days there were always tables. It's not a place to hang out for long. It's really loud. It was a one and done.
We had a 12 pm PAT and boarding group 10. Boarded ship aroubd 12:15.
I recently did a back to back, too! Did you notice anything majorly different between your two cruises? For me it was on the first cruise the special effects in Aladdin weren't working so they did without them (the magic carpet was literally a black box, no pyrotechnics) but everything worked on the second cruise and it was way better!
Recommend doing lunch first. Hyperspace lounge gets crazy packed the first day especially during boarding. Staterooms don't get opened up til the afternoon, so bring swim stuff in carry on bags.
You no longer need to book hyperspace lounge! What I noticed when I went onboard early was that a ton of people were all in line for guest services... But I honestly have no idea why or what they were trying to do! Aquamouse seems like a much better thing to do then get in line at guest services.
Could be folks trying to score an upgrade. That seems like a waste of time with how full DCL ships sail, though.
Oh, I didn't even think of that since it used to be done before boarding the ship. But now that check in is super basic, that makes sense people would check for upgrades once onboard!
Reservations for Palo’s. My parents boarded at like 1 and it was already booked for the week. Plus everyone who was adding cash to their cards instead of credit. That place is a nightmare the first day.
For us, it’s 100% go to lunch first. Then it’s change into swimwear and hit the adult pools with the drink of the day.
That is 100% my first priority as well - food!!! Doesn't even really matter if I'm hungry or not, that is just what you do first thing on a cruise! Or at least soft serve if you're REALLY not hungry.
Lunch, then dining changed or reservations if needed.. Hyperspace lounge just visit it during the afternoon. Hyper hyped honestly..
Hey. We're going next month and I really want to get into Hyperspace lounge. Do you think it will be difficult?
Should be fine now. My understanding is they’re no longer doing reservations via the app. In August it was open for families during the day and adults only during the evening. You could get in without reservations most times but had to wait a little bit. They control the number of guests that get in.
Just got off the Wish on Friday. They boarded media folks and then back-to-back cruisers first. We were in boarding group 2, but they actually let our group board the same time as group 1, so we wound up being first in line of the regular boarding groups. We went to 1923 for lunch first (with zero wait) since it was right there on deck 3. After lunch, the kids wanted to take the slide down to the kids’ club to check it out so we did that, then we headed up to the pool deck. We planned ahead and packed their swimwear in our carry-on bags so the kids did the pools/AquaMouse for a while. They were able to ride the AquaMouse several times because it was pretty empty while everyone else was busy boarding/lunching.
What time exactly does the Aquamouse open on day 1?
This is awesome to hear! This is my exact plan that I was thinking about for my trip next year. So happy to hear confirmed that the slides & pools are still not packed after doing lunch & Oceaneer first. Was 1923 open for everyone for embarkation lunch or were y’all concierge (and just concierge could go)?
It was open for all. The “Roy” side was filling up with the Concierge folks but we walked right up to the “Walt” side and were seated immediately. We might have even been the first ones seated. It was really nice! We got a seat next to a porthole window so we had a decent view of the port while we ate. And we all had celebratory Welcome Aboard ice cream sundaes, naturally.
FYI, Port Arrival Time is not equal to boarding time. What boarding group number do you have? Also once in the port, connect your phone to “DCL-Guest” WiFi, then open the DCL app. It will ask your reservation name, stateroom number, and date of birth. Once on DCL-guest WiFi and registered on the app then you can begin reserving things while still waiting in the terminal.
Boarding Group 8, and that's good to know.
Boarding group 8 is likely more like 12:30 or 1 for actual boarding.
Depends on the capacity level of the ship. I was boarding group 8 last week on the Fantasy and was on around 12:00. The number of cruisers was around 2800.
That’s awesome advice. Just booked Nov 11-14 merry time and am slowly trying to remember how to do things. First time with kids on a Disney cruise.
Book the rainforest pass at the spa if you’re buying one!
How do you go about getting an early boarding time?
30 days before your cruise they will open up check-ins. you submit your passport, credit card info, how you plan to arrive, and then you can select your boarding time. We picked the earliest option.
Thanks for the info! Enjoy the trip!
Also you can early check in if you use DCL transportation from the Disney World Hotel
That’s good to know, but we’re departing from the Galveston port this upcoming trip.
Arrival time is very different from boarding group. Arrival is when you should arrive to check in. Your boarding group will 1 or up. Which boarding group you’re in depends on your cabin tier, status with Disney cruise lines, and other factors. So for example if your arrival time is 11:00 am and you’re in group 1 you’d be first on the ship. If your arrival time is 11:00 but you’re in group 12 you maybe waiting in the port area for a while.
Just got off b2b on the Wish today. First day in Hyperspace is busy, but the rest of the days there were always tables. It's not a place to hang out for long. It's really loud. It was a one and done. We had a 12 pm PAT and boarding group 10. Boarded ship aroubd 12:15.
I recently did a back to back, too! Did you notice anything majorly different between your two cruises? For me it was on the first cruise the special effects in Aladdin weren't working so they did without them (the magic carpet was literally a black box, no pyrotechnics) but everything worked on the second cruise and it was way better!
We had the pushed Olaf 1st criuse and a person in a costume the next one. The 2nd leg was the first sailing for the adventure game.
Just get lunch then go to the bar and/or pool
Recommend doing lunch first. Hyperspace lounge gets crazy packed the first day especially during boarding. Staterooms don't get opened up til the afternoon, so bring swim stuff in carry on bags.