Disney Wish passengers who set sail to the Bahamas on May 16, 2025, were warned to expect delays at embarkation at Port Canaveral ahead of their weekend getaway.
Guests received a warning that the cruise line was still dealing with a technical issue with its Online Check-in that caused severe delays just days before in both Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral.
The result? All passengers needed to be checked-in in-person at the Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal 10.
“We need to verify all guests’ documentation during the check-in process at the terminal on embarkation day,” Disney Cruise Line said in an email.
“This includes reviewing citizenship documentation and capturing photos for each guest,” the email continued. “As a result, guests may experience an extended wait during the check-in process.”
Disney Cruise Line also made guests who arrived early wait outside until their designated check-in window opened to help smooth the process.
Guests who did not complete online check-in or who didn’t receive an arrival time ahead of embarkation were instructed to arrive no sooner than 2 p.m.
“Travel with any convenience items you may need should you encounter a delay at the terminal,” the cruise line also advised.
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The delays affected up to 4,000 passengers on the 144,000-gross-ton Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line’s first Wish Class ship.
The voyage is currently underway with calls at Nassau and the cruise line’s private destination, Castaway Cay, in the Bahamas.
The ship will return to Port Canaveral on May 19, 2025, at which time it will take its next group of passengers to the Bahamas on a 4-night adventure.
Not the Only Warning
Passengers sailing on May 19, 2025, may want to prepare for longer wait times, as this incident is not isolated.
While the check-in disruption is a rare operational hiccup for Disney Cruise Line, earlier in the week, a similar issue occurred on Disney Dream, which also carries 2,500 passengers.
During the boarding process in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on May 12, 2025, guests shared that the check-in process and a lack of direction at the terminal led to waits of more than an hour following scheduled arrival times.
“The line we’re in stretches back to the garage entrance (on the other side of luggage drop off),” shared one passenger, who also said staff was unprepared.
A week prior, Disney Magic, carrying 2,400 passengers, also experienced delays for its Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral that forced the ship to miss a 4 p.m. departure time.
However, a passenger on Disney Dream said there were no delays for their May 16, 2025, embarkation in Port Everglades, despite receiving similar warnings from Disney Cruise Line.
“Just boarded the Dream and had no issues. Even though we received the email warning us possible delays, we had no wait at all,” the guest shared on Reddit.
A crew member responded, saying staff worked 16 hours until 2 a.m. to fix the issue, “because we really wanted you to have a smooth embarkation. It means a lot to see that we made a difference!”
Disney Magic also sailed from Port Canaveral on May 16 on a 5-night voyage, followed by Disney Treasure on May 17, which is sailing to the Western Caribbean, but there has been no indication that there were any delays.
Disney Cruise Line has not revealed the cause of the technical issue or the status of its repair but the cruise line did say it was testing new app features in April.
