Disney Cruise Line Magic UK Staycation Cruise - OUR EMBARKATION DAY EXPERIENCE.

Testing & Boarding! To experience Magic At Sea all adults 18+ must be fully vaccinated, and children who are not fully vaccinated must submit a negative PCR test up to 5 days before sailing. On embarkation day, all guests must take a rapid flow test before boarding. We arrived and headed into the cruise testing area. There were Disney cast members directing you to the correct location. I wasn't sure how the embarking process would go, but it became clear that we would drop off our bags and then get our rapid COVID test (LFT) We are greeted by one of the Prenetics (Project Screen) staff members who hand us our swab and a bag. You either swab your throat and one nostril, or just two nostrils. You place the swab in the bag, hand it back. At this point, you wait for the email to say you're negative. It was so incredibly nerve-wracking waiting for the email to come through, and looking around at all the other guests waiting, the feeling was quite mutual. If you test positive for COVID, you'll have a chance to take another test and go through some health screenings. If you are denied boarding due to positive tests, you don't have to worry, you will be fully refunded. After about half an hour, we got the email to say COVID was not detected and we could head for the terminal. Excitement intensifies. We located the area where we check-in and from there we were bused over to the ship. We got off the bus and headed towards the ship. This was our first time seeing any Disney cruise ship in person, and we was a little taken back by the size and beauty of her. Finally Onboard! As we have not been on a Disney cruise before, We generally had no idea what to expect when We entered the ship. When you board the ship, a cast member is waiting for you who welcomes you aboard and sends you up the lift to deck 4. You're greeted by a cast member who assists you in getting connected to the wifi and making sure you have the Disney Navigator app set up correctly (we'll come back to that). Another cast member then calls you forward and asks for your family name, we put all our names together to make one. The cast member then (through his microphone) announces you and asks you to step into the Atrium. When you turn the corner and look down, Captain Mickey & Minnie are there welcoming you aboard. We won't lie, this choked us all up. We totally didn't expect or know they'd greet us, and it was just so, so, so good to see them again. After a wave and a few photos, we did our mandatory emergency drill where we find the location of our meeting point incase of an emergency. Because of COVID, all you have to do is go to your specific point and scan it with your phone. Cast members will be on hand to assist you. #liverpool #disneymagic m