David Kriso
Disney Cruise Line is a world class cruise line in a world all its own. Disney Cruise Line has four gorgeous ships in its fleet, with three more in the planning stages. With all of the amazing services that its competitors provide, Disney knows how to top them. It’s all about making a family’s cruise experience all the more stress-free and of course, magical. The day which all families look forward to is their sailing day. They get to see their staterooms for the very first time. Their cruise vacation is officially underway. The least favorite part of their cruise is disembarkation. Rather than putting up with the unnecessary stress, Disney Cruise Line offers some magical touches of their own to make both parts a painless experience. What magical touches do they provide? Families should “be their guest” and discover them all.
When a family prepares for a Disney cruise, there is no shortage of excitement. Regardless of age, the enthusiasm is highly evident. Some families have a traditional countdown, some check off days on the calendar, and some like to like to pull out the luggage two weeks ahead of time. As sailing day draws nearer, families will receive their cabin tags in the mail. Before heading for the pier, or the airport, the cabin tags are to be attached to the luggage. Once the bags are taken off the plane, they are quickly sorted out and shipped to the pier. Later, they will appear outside the stateroom door like “magic”. The same service is provided to families when transferring from their resort to the pier. If driving to the pier, the process is just as fast. The porters kindly take the bags away to be put before a crystal ball, and Cinderella’s fairy godmother casts her security spell on them. Once the spell has been deployed on the bags, they’re sorted. A short time later, they are loaded on board. They’ll appear outside the stateroom door like “magic”. How’s that for a “magical” start to a sailing day?
Disembarkation is no family’s favorite day of a Disney cruise. Why must it be a negative experience? Disembarkation, to Disney Cruise Line, marks the countdown to a family’s upcoming cruise. Disembarkation day is treated as a “See ya real soon!” day. There are no good-byes, only warm expressions of “Thank you!” and “You know where to find us!”. Upon disembarkation day, a families are given a series of options. The easiest of options is the express walk-off, or “Express Checkout”. Guests can hold on to all of their luggage and leave the ship without any assistance from cast members on board or shore side.
The next option is the general disembarkation. Families are issued their luggage tags with an assigned Disney character (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc.). Families are to write their contact information on the tag, so they can locate their luggage in the luggage hall. Families must place their luggage outside the stateroom door by 10:45 pm. Why 10:45? No family wants to see their luggage transformed into a patch of pumpkins. On the luggage tags, there are two blanks provided. On the blanks, a families should indicate how many bags they have all together. For instance, each tag should read “1 of 6”, “2 of 6”, and so forth. In the luggage hall, all of the luggage is laid out by character and by stateroom number. This is done so that families don’t have to spend a long time searching through a sea of luggage. In Toy Story 2, Andy didn’t like it when Woody was missing, did he? It is the utmost painless process imaginable.
The third option Disney Cruise Line guests are provided is known as “On board Check-in”. This option is far more painless than the general disembarkation. On a family’s sailing day, when checking in at the terminal, they’re offered this service. Families are presented with a form to fill out. On the form, the families provide their airline and flight information. This form must be turned in on board at the guest services desk. There, guest services provides their magical touch. Guest services will print out the family’s airline tickets and their luggage tags for their flight. The tickets and luggage tags will be delivered to their stateroom prior to disembarkation. The next step is for the families to attach the luggage tags to their bags. Just like the general disembarkation, families must place their luggage outside their stateroom door by 10:45 pm. Instead of their luggage being laid out in the luggage hall, their luggage is shipped to the airport. The next time families will have to handle their luggage is at the baggage claim at their home airport. Quite magical, agree?
A cruise vacation is the single most rewarding travel experience families could have. Of all the popular cruise lines, Disney Cruise Line tops them all. Disney Cruise Line tops them all with a spectacular sail-away celebration, on board entertainment, shore adventures, on board dining, and on board activities. Most of all, Disney Cruise Line tops all cruise lines in regards to sailing day and disembarkation services. Families don’t like dealing with the stress of handling their luggage from point A to point B. Disney easily eliminates this inconvenience. From shipping luggage to the pier and back, to helping families locate their luggage expeditiously, Disney Cruise Line has it all down to a science. Disney Cruise Line is all about families. Disney Cruise Line is about top-notch service. More importantly, Disney Cruise Line is all about magic. When it comes to sailing day and disembarkation, Disney Cruise Line truly knows how to roll them together into one. When families sail on any Disney ship, they are truly discovering uncharted magic.
