Online Checkin for Your Disney Cruise
Online Checkin is (1) week before your sailing date starting at 12:00AM EST / 11:00PM CST.
You will electronically sign various agreements.
Select Port Arrival Time, unless you have a hotel-to-port transfers booked. As you'll see below, there's really no reason to stay up this late unless you're interested in the Royal Gathering.
If you are not interested in booking a time for Royal Gathering, you do not have to stay up this late and can checkin online at your convience within the (1) week before your sail date.
Checking Process:
Usually online check in works well from your phone in the safari browser or on a computer browser.
Have the following information on hand:
Passports (or birth certificates and govt IDs)
Passport style photo for each person (nothing on head, shoulders up, etc.). I would have these pictures loaded on both a computer and phone, just in case one is working better than the other.
This process can take some time, so be prepared for it being slow from a technology standpoint.
Make Reservation for Royal Gathering
Reservation for Royal Gathering is (1) week before your sailing date (on DCL it says 30 days???) starting at 12:00AM EST / 11:00PM CST. This will book up immediately at midnight, so this is really your only reason to stay up until 11PM. If this is not important to your cruise experience, then I wouldn't stay up late for this!
The "Royal Gathering" onboard the ship is a free princess meet and greet!
Make the reservation via your Cruise Navigator app on your phone.
This experience is not a "must" but is a quick, easy, and free way to meet 3-4 princesses all at the same time while on board.
You can do the online check-in the following day when you wake up! It is done on the Disney Cruise app, under onboard activities.