Are activities, shops,food outlets open when you board?

[susieh]

We have sailed with P&O before but not with Disney. On P&O the shops and activities weren't open or available until about an hour after the ship left port. The food courts weren't open until later than that - the only drinks available were the glasses of champagne they were selling for the departure 'party'.

Is DCL the same? I see lots of people saying board as early as they will let you but why? If it is like P&O there is no point as there will be no advantage to being on a 'closed' ship.

I really hope the answer is that everything is open as soon as you are on board as we are doing the 3 night cruise so any extra time we can have on board we will take advantage of :)

[SorcererMickey]

The activities start immediately as you board :yes: .

As you board the ship, you are directed to one of the two dining rooms available for lunch, Parrot Cay on Deck 3 (same deck you board) or the buffet on Deck 9.

When you finish, you can go right up to Deck 9 where the pools are. The times we've been on the DCL (9 :D ) by 1:30-2:00 the Mickey pool has been full of kids. Pluto's Dog House, the quick service counter by the Mickey pool and Scoops, the ice cream and fruit stations, will be open.

At the family pool, you'll find a steel drum band. At the quiet pool, the bar Signals, will be open.

The tours of the Vista Spa start around 2:00pm and Cove Cafe, coffee house/library for adults, will serve drinks and appetizers.

Even if you don't have kids, they will allow you to tour the kid's areas as families sign their kids up for their activities. Basically all of Deck 5, Oceaneer's Club, Oceaneer's Lab, Flounder's Nursery, is all dedicated for kids.

The excursions counters will be open on Deck 3 and you can walk around the "clubs" area.

The shops will not be open since they are "duty free" and the ship is still at port where taxes are supposed to be charged on all sales.

We like to get there just before 10:00am, when they open the DCL terminal for drop-off for people with own transportation. By 10:20-10:30 we are usually checked-in and waiting to board. Except for our first two cruises back in '98, we have never boarded later than 11:15am.

Check-out this link:

Satellite image - Port Canaveral - DCL Building (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.413861,-80.629488&spn=0.004617,0.007226&t=k&hl=en)

[tweenie123]

We got back from the cruise last week and boarding did not begin until 11.45am. All the cabins were available from 1.30pm but our luggage didn't arrive until 4pm, so it would be a good idea to pack your swimming gear in your hand luggage. The pools were rather crowded but we just sat on deck 10 which is open and got some drinks which was quite pleasant. After getting some lunch we had a walk around the ship as the atmosphere is so good. The time went really quickly and before you know it, it's time for the lifeboat drill at 4pm which is compulsory. Once you get back to your cabin, your luggage will have probably arrived and then it's time for the sail away party!

[Steamboat Willy]

Hey Mickey, Thanks for the great link.

Ever seen this one
http://www.disneypix.com/Multimedia/Satellite.htm