As demand for cruises continues to surge, most cruise ships are sailing at full capacity these days, which at times can make your cruise vacation feel a little too crowded.
Finding an open lounge chair by the pool can feel almost impossible at peak times, and popular activities can sometimes require arriving early to secure a spot or wasting some of your vacation day waiting in long lines.
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On Disney Cruise Line ships, long lines often form for popular onboard waterslides as well as Disney character meet-and-greets, which can put a bit of a damper on a magical day at sea.
To help improve the onboard experience for passengers, Disney Cruise Line is working on a fix for this common cruise frustration. Recently, the cruise line started testing a new system that has the potential to work like a magic wand to make these frustrating wait times disappear.
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AquaMouse is a popular water ride featured on the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure cruise ships.
Image source: Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line tests in-app reservations for onboard activities
Passengers aboard the April 21 sailing of the Disney Wish have reported that the cruise line conducted a limited-time test during their sailing to help reduce wait times for popular activities like the AquaMouse water attraction and Disney character meet-and-greets.
During the test, passengers were instructed to use the DCL Navigator app while on board to reserve available times for these activities. For the AquaMouse water ride, additional reservation times were added every hour during the test period.
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At other times when the test was not underway, the ride did not require a reservation and passengers could line up as usual.
The reservation system was free for passengers to use during the test, just like riding the onboard water attraction does not come with any additional cost. Although WiFi is required to make onboard reservations, there is no cost to connect to the ship’s WiFi network when used exclusively for the DCL Navigator app.
Disney cruisers are mixed on onboard activity reservations
In Facebook group discussions about the test, Disney cruisers shared mixed opinions about onboard activity reservations.
Some cruisers think implementing a system to cut down on wait times would significantly enhance their onboard experiences. During peak times, wait times for the cruise line’s AquaMouse and AquaDuck waterslides can be 45 minutes or longer. A fleetwide reservation system for onboard activities would be a welcome addition to many cruisers who want to cut down on these wait times.
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Not every Disney cruiser loves the idea, however. Some parents worry that their kids who want to ride multiple times in a row might get less time on the ship’s water attraction if a reservation system is introduced.
Some cruisers also expressed concerns that WiFi connections at sea, which can sometimes be unreliable, could make it difficult to secure activity reservations.
Others don’t like the idea of having to use their phones during their vacations or feeling like they need to schedule every minute of their days. Some passengers appreciate that Disney cruises give them more freedom to be spontaneous during their vacations, unlike the experience at Disney Parks, where meticulous planning feels like a must to make the most of your magical day.
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