HOW EARLY CAN I BOARD THE SHIP? For Bahamian and Caribbean cruises, check-in registration begins at 11:00 am and embarkation begins at 1:00 pm. All Guests must board the ship no later than 4:00 pm. Please plan your arrival accordingly to avoid the possibility of not being permitted to sail.

Early boarding on a Disney Cruise Line (DCL) ship is determined by your Port Arrival Time (PAT) and your "Boarding Group" number, which you select during the online check-in process. To get the earliest possible boarding, you should complete your online check-in the moment your window opens—which is 120 days out for Platinum Castaway Club members and 75 days out for first-time cruisers. However, certain guests are automatically granted "Priority Boarding." This includes those staying in Concierge-level staterooms and high-tier (Pearl and Platinum) Castaway Club members. These guests are often among the first to be called (Boarding Group 1 or 2) after the initial family-of-the-day welcome. If you have a later PAT, arriving at the port early won't necessarily help, as security will often ask you to wait until your assigned time to enter the terminal to prevent overcrowding. Once on board, even if you are early, your stateroom won't be ready until around 1:30 PM, so most early boarders head straight to the Cabanas buffet or the pool deck to start their vacation.