Ahoy there Penny, and welcome to planDisney! I just fished your question out of the pool and would be happy to help you chart a course!
It's always a good idea to plan as far in advance as possible when it comes to a Disney Cruise Line vacation. With so much to see and do for all ages, it can sometimes feel like it will take all the way up to embarkation day to be sure you don't miss anything! The best part is whether you plan everything deck-by-deck, or just embark and wing it like my family sometimes does, sailing on the Disney Cruise Line fleet is sure to be an adventure for your crew!
I commend you for thinking about the "what ifs" in the unfortunate event you have to cancel your sailing before April 2023. I've had to cancel cruises over the years and while it's never fun, hopefully, it's more of a "see ya real soon" situation!
Currently, Disney Cruise Line has temporarily relaxed the cancellation fee schedule for all cruises departing before September 30, 2022 to 60 or more days pre-departure. While it's important to know that this schedule currently doesn't apply to your particular cruise, it's a good reminder to pull into port on the Disney Cruise Line website for the latest "Know Before You Go" and Frequently Asked Questions information every once in a while, as it is always subject to change like the tides!
The good news is even outside of these temporary changes, with enough notice, full refunds are available in most cases, with a few notable exceptions: reservations for "Categories with Restrictions" are non-refundable and non-transferable, and Suites and Concierge Staterooms often operate on a separate schedule as well. I know when I cancelled an Alaskan Cruise we had been looking forward to, at that time, a full refund was available all the way up until 119 days before our sail date!
Again, these are all subject to change, but one of my "planDrew-approved" bonus tips to keep you as informed as possible is to check the fine print on the bottom of any email you receive directly from Disney Cruise Line about your reservation - in most cases, you'll see the latest cancellation fee schedule there, too!
Now to your second question: If the winds turn favorable and you and your crew get to sail as planned in 2023, that's a fine bit of fortune! You can plan to keep your family together by reserving up to four staterooms on a single booking, OR if multiple family groups will be booking their own staterooms - by linking your reservations!
All you have to do to link a reservation is sail on over to your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app or the website under "My Reservations" with the confirmation number, date of birth, and last name of at least one Guest in each stateroom for the reservations you'd like to link! Remember, this doesn't assure your staterooms will be next to one another! You will have to select staterooms near one another during booking to accomplish that!
Or, you can do what I tend to do and let a Disney Cruise Line crew member assist you by calling them directly!
Penny, I sure hope the seas cooperate to get your crew aboard in April 2023! If you have any other questions as you continue planning, please drop me another line here at planDisney!
Andrew