TRAVEL LOG: Day 1-Part 1 of Embarkation Day – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream
The day has finally come! We’re setting sail on our four-night Very Merrytime cruise on the Disney Dream. Our cruise departs from Fort Lauderdale, and to avoid travel problems the morning of the cruise, we drove from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale the day before. We were very excited to arrive at the new Disney Cruise Line terminal at Port Everglades and get onto the ship. Embarkation (the process of getting on a cruise ship) can be chaotic and a bit confusing for first-time guests. Learn more about our embarkation experience and get some tips for your own future cruise below.
1 – The Night Before
The night before a cruise is filled with excitement. It’s also a time to charge any electronics you want to use for the cruise, and for us, that now includes the new DisneyBand+. DisneyBand+ is just like MagicBand+ (used at Walt Disney World and Disneyland) and is designed to make your cruise vacation easier. We recommend fully charging the bands the night before your cruise so that you’ll have a full battery for your first day! We’ll be charging it every night so we can use all the features throughout the cruise.
2 – The Morning of Day 1
Our drive to the port from our hotel was estimated to be only about 10 minutes, but we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get ready and have breakfast. It’s always hard for me to sleep in on embarkation day because I’m so excited. When packing up your items, we recommend a small carry-on bag for valuables, medicine, swimsuits, and a change of clothes. Many people also carry a small bag or backpack. You’ll need something to carry your travel documents, identification, and DisneyBand+, so make sure you don’t pack those in your luggage!
If driving to the port, give yourself time to drop off luggage (see #4) and park. If you’re taking a shuttle or other type of transportation, you probably want to arrive about 10-15 minutes before your scheduled arrival time so that you have extra breathing room if there are any delays.
3 – New Cruise Terminal at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, FL
In 2021, Disney Cruise Line announced the addition of Port Everglades as Disney’s second year-round homeport (with Port Canaveral in Central Florida being the first). The Disney Dream set sail from the port for the first time on November 20, 2024. A second seasonal ship is expected in 2025.
Port Everglades offers everything under the sun, from Caribbean cruises to world voyages to fast ferry getaways — all from the vacation paradise of Greater Fort Lauderdale. Port Everglades’ location in the heart of South Florida and the neighboring Caribbean makes it one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world, typically hosting nearly 4 million passengers annually. Guests enjoy the Port’s proximity to three international airports, including the rapidly growing Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) less than two miles away. For pre-and post-cruise stays, Port Everglades is a short drive to the sweeping beachfront, a vibrant art scene, world-class restaurants, craft breweries, entertainment, shopping, casinos, and family-friendly activities — including the area’s namesake, the Florida Everglades.
4 – Arriving and Luggage Drop-Off at the Cruise Terminal
The first thing you’ll do when you arrive at the terminal is drop off your luggage at the curb. If you’re driving, you’ll be directed to a place to pull over, and you’ll hand your luggage to a porter. If you’ve arrived by a motorcoach transfer, you’ll be directed to where you will hand over your luggage. You’ll want to make sure the luggage tags Disney provided are on your bags so they can be delivered to your stateroom. However, if you’ve forgotten your cruise luggage tags, there will be some blank ones at the curb. You’ll just need to add your information to the tags, so a Sharpie or a pen will be needed.
5 – Parking at the Cruise Terminal
If you drive, you’ll then park your car. You’ll pay for parking when you leave the port. Parking prices vary by port (click here for port addresses and parking information), and you’ll pay a fee per night. Our cruise was a four-night, so we’ll pay the daily rate times four. After you’ve parked, make sure to take a photo or make a note of what level you are on and what row. You don’t want to spend time looking for your car after your return!
6 – Going Through Security
Before you proceed to the check-in area, you’ll need to go through security. The process is much like at the airport. Your identification will be checked, as well as your cruise boarding pass. You’ll have any bags with you scanned, and you’ll walk through metal detectors. In the security area, you’ll want to have your phones put away as you are not allowed to take any photos. Be sure to follow any instructions from the officers.
7 – “Finding Nemo” Themed Cruise Terminal
The new cruise terminal is perfectly themed to the Disney and Pixar’s film, “Finding Nemo.” Favorite friends from the film are displayed on colorful murals. The more than 104,000-square foot terminal was reimagined by Walt Disney Imagineering exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests to provide a seamless embarkation experience. The terminal also has plenty of fun photo backdrops for photos.
8 – Using DisneyBand+ to Check-in
One of the reasons we recommend purchasing your DisneyBand+ is that boarding is made easier (at United States ports only). You’ll still need your boarding pass code, but the crew can scan your band to ensure that the bands are linked to your account so that you can use them with no problems once on board. Since you don’t get your SeaPass cards until you go to your stateroom around 1:30, it was nice to have our bands to use before that. We were able to use them for photos, purchase drinks, and enter our rooms with the bands, all before we had the cards.
9 – Waiting for Your Boarding Group
If you’ve arrived a bit early, you may find you’ve finished the check-in process before you can board the ship. The cruise terminals have waiting areas for those who are quite ready to board the ship. The one at Port Everglades is very large. We only waited a few minutes, and then our group was called! You’ll have the opportunity to take some photos with ship backgrounds before you head onto the ship. For our cruise, we had fun Very Merrytime Cruise props to hold for our photos!
10 – Stepping Onto the Ship!
It’s tough to wait to get on the ship because the excitement is so high! Thankfully, though, after a short wait, our boarding group was called, and we could board the ship. One of the things that makes Disney Cruise Line so special is that there is a magical moment when your family boards the ship. The crew will announce your family name and will cheer as you board! It’s just another way Disney Cruise Line makes cruising magical!
Our Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream
Learn about Very Merrytime cruises along with cruise tips and advice in our travel logs below!
Travel Log Articles with Cruise Tips
Follow us on Instagram, where we continue to share more about our cruise!
Follow Along on Our Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL LOG: Getting Ready to Sail-Part 1 – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL LOG: Getting Ready to Sail-Part 2 – Packing for a Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL LOG: Day 1-Part 1 of Embarkation Day – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL DAY: Day 1-Part 2 of Embarkation Day – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL LOG: Day 2-Port Day – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL LOG: Day 3-Castaway Cay & Pirate Night – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVEL LOG: Day 4-Sea Day – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
TRAVE LOG: Day 5-Debarkation – Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Dream!
Our Review & 13 Tips & Tricks for the Best Very Merrytime Cruise on Disney Cruise Line!
Instagram Story Highlights
Click here for our Day 1 Instagram Story Highlight for photos and videos from our first day!
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Editor’s Note: Disney Cruise Line provided a complimentary Very Merrytime Cruise and special media-specific events during the cruise. However, as always, the thoughts and opinions about Disney Cruise Line contained in this article are entirely our own.