What do I need to have prepared for online check-in?

[Meredisney]

If you have multiple staterooms, you have to do them one at a time. You can do it from one log in, just switch reservations.

Preparation:
1. have downloaded to your device 1) a clean headshot of each person (straight on, no eyeglasses, hats or hair accessories, shoulders included, cannot be the same as passport photo), low resolution and 2) passport photo. Must be JPEG file!
2. a document with each passenger's birthdate, address, cell phone, email address, passport number, passport expiration, safe word for kids club, emergency contact name, emergency contact phone number, credit card information
3. Flight information for all legs -- date, airline, airport from, airport to, confirmation number/record locator number, flight number, time departure, time arrival

For speed:
1. Upload photo and if it says it doesn't meet the criteria, click SAVE and move on. Deal with it after you get your PAT.
2. For Onboard account, select Cash to get through it quickly
3. For Travel Plans, select Driving to get through it quickly. I just used home address for the return.
4. Finish each stateroom then go back and fix photo, add credit card, add flight information.

You can change PAT times, so keep checking to see if any better ones become available closer to the cruise.

You can edit the Online Checkin information as much as you want (at least I have so far), until that piece of it goes under review and can't be modified.

Is this still the case with current cruises or was this just something that was done during COVID?

 

[Doingitagain]

Is this still the case with current cruises or was this just something that was done during COVID?

Although process was changing throughout COVID, I believe this is the regular checkin going forward. The special COVID stuff was mostly the vaccination and test information that was done through Safe Passage, not Disney.

 

[Mommb]

Is this still the case with current cruises or was this just something that was done during COVID?

Yes, the process listed above is basically what I used for my check-in 3 weeks ago. I needed to upload passport photos and separate photos for each passenger. I just now (3 weeks later) got notification that my documents were approved.

I also had to enter the other information — emergency contact, payment method, transportation plans, etc. — for each passenger, though I could check a box to use the same information for more than 1 person. I tried entering actual transit plans, but after several rejections, I gave up and said we were driving, as suggested above. After I got the port arrival time, I went back in a day later and entered the real information.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

OK, it's my first time up to bat with this check in madness since COVID changed everything.

Am I correct that, if my photos do not meet guidelines, I can just click a "save" button and continue on? So that I will still get a PAT, even if it winds up that I have to do all the passport/photo stuff at the port?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

OK, it's my first time up to bat with this check in madness since COVID changed everything.

Am I correct that, if my photos do not meet guidelines, I can just click a "save" button and continue on? So that I will still get a PAT, even if it winds up that I have to do all the passport/photo stuff at the port?

To respond to myself, yes, I still get the PAT. In fact it said our individual photos were not clear (?).

Total check in time about 20 minutes. Boarding group 16.

 

[Eeyore's the Best]

Hi, we are doing DCL transfer from Disney, am I correct that it doesn't really matter what boarding time we get? I know I need to do the check in I just wondered if there is any rush for it. Thanks!

 

[AquaDame]

Hi, we are doing DCL transfer from Disney, am I correct that it doesn't really matter what boarding time we get? I know I need to do the check in I just wondered if there is any rush for it. Thanks!

Correct; since you are on Disney transfers they are handling what time you get to the port.

 

[tlovesdis]

I was just reading all this helpful info and just want to make sure I understand...you need a photo you take of yourself and then a copy of the passport photo on your passport???

 

[tlovesdis]

Another question, and I hope it's not dumb, but can i do the checkin for both me and my best friend, if I have all her info or does she need to do it herself?

 

[tlovesdis]

Ok I probably should have thought of all my questions at once but here's another... is it midnight eastern time? So I could check in at 9pm here in CA?

 

[Clojel]

Question - when you get your PAT, do you get your BG on that same screen? Or sometime later in the check in process? If I run into some issues with photos, etc... and click SAVE so that I can move forward and get a good PAT, does the fact that you've run into photo issues impact the BG you get? Or no?

 

[Doingitagain]

I was just reading all this helpful info and just want to make sure I understand...you need a photo you take of yourself and then a copy of the passport photo on your passport???

Your headshot must be a different photo than the one on your passport,

 

[Doingitagain]

Another question, and I hope it's not dumb, but can i do the checkin for both me and my best friend, if I have all her info or does she need to do it herself?

I do the checkin for three separate linked staterooms, I get the info in advance. See my post #2 in this thread for info.

 

[Doingitagain]

Ok I probably should have thought of all my questions at once but here's another... is it midnight eastern time? So I could check in at 9pm here in CA?

Yes, midnight Eastern. I check in at 11:00 central time.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I was just reading all this helpful info and just want to make sure I understand...you need a photo you take of yourself and then a copy of the passport photo on your passport???

Yes…You need two photos.
1. Take a photo of your passport photo page. Just open the passport, lay it flat, and take a photo of the passport.
2. Also, take a head shot photo of yourself without glasses with shoulders included.

 

[mmouse37]

I was just reading all this helpful info and just want to make sure I understand...you need a photo you take of yourself and then a copy of the passport photo on your passport???

Yes.

 

[Mommb]

Question - when you get your PAT, do you get your BG on that same screen? Or sometime later in the check in process? If I run into some issues with photos, etc... and click SAVE so that I can move forward and get a good PAT, does the fact that you've run into photo issues impact the BG you get? Or no?

Your boarding group will show up on the same screen as your Port Arrival time, after you have entered all of the requested information. So as long as your have entered photos well enough to get a PAT, you will also get a BG. My photos were accepted on my first try, so I can’t say for sure, but I have no reason to believe that having photo issues gets you a later BG than you would otherwise get based on your PAT.

 

[Clojel]

Your boarding group will show up on the same screen as your Port Arrival time, after you have entered all of the requested information. So as long as your have entered photos well enough to get a PAT, you will also get a BG. My photos were accepted on my first try, so I can’t say for sure, but I have no reason to believe that having photo issues gets you a later BG than you would otherwise get based on your PAT.

Great thanks! We had several staterooms checking in and they all ended up with boarding groups that corresponded to their PATs so I think you are correct! Much appreciated

 

[Disturbia]

Has anyone used a passport card to check in? Did you upload a picture of it instead of the passport and was it accepted in the system?

 

[Nike4000]

Just want to thank everyone for the great information being posted in this thread. After diligently reading this thread and preparing multiple tools for check-in (Computer, iPad, and phone), I was able to get checked in with the 1st PAT and boarding group 2 for our upcoming Feb trip on the Disney Wonder.

Interesting note - neither my iPad or computer ever showed "Check in" as an option but the link appeared on my phone immediately at 11pm Central time. On my computer I tried three different browsers, Edge, Chrome, and Firefox with zero success. The app on my iPhone was ready to go, so that's what I used.

Having the head shots, photos of passport pages, payment info, and tricks for circumventing the transportation question were invaluable. Thank you to everyone for the helpful guidance!