Welcome aboard, John! I remember when my family and I first set sail with Disney Cruise Line, after having sailed with other cruise companies before. From the moment we stepped into the ship's atrium lobby as the Cast Members announced our family name and applauded our arrival, I knew that there was something special about sailing with Disney. There is so much magic onboard, and you'll not have better service or entertainment anywhere at sea, that I promise, John!
You can view your itinerary when you
log into your reservation on Disney Cruise Line's website. There you can view all of the details specific to your cruise, including at the all aboard time for embarkation day. You didn't mention which ship or port, but for example, at Port Canaveral, on the Dream, the all aboard time is usually 3:45, so guests must be checked in at the port terminal and onboard the ship by then. I'd never recommend pushing it even close to that time because no one wants to run into an unexpected delay and then miss the ship. Boarding usually begins around 11:30, but when you begin your online check-in (75 days prior to sailing for first time guests), you'll need to select a port arrival time from a list of options. This way, Disney knows when to expect you, and you can then plan to arrive in that window of time to check in.
Speaking of online check-in, be sure you don't wait too long to begin this process. Since return cruisers get earlier access to online check-in, they get to begin booking all the fun extras like
Port Adventures and some
special character experiences, earlier than
first time cruisers. So, log in as soon as you're able to be sure you can book any of your "must-do" experiences!
Have a magical cruise, John!
Marcy