Ahoy, Danielle!
Thanks so much for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. I'm so happy to hear you've got a Disney Cruise Line vacation right around the corner!
On your first afternoon onboard, the pool and the
AquaDuck should be open for a few hours prior to the Mandatory Guest Assembly Drill, and will reopen once the drill has ended. On our recent voyage on the
Disney Fantasy, Donald's Pool and Mickey's Pool were both open from Noon-3:30pm, and the AquaDuck was operating from Noon-3:00pm. The Assembly Drill began at 4:00pm, and lasted around 20 minutes. Next, guests were able to enjoy the
Sailing Away Deck Party at 4:30pm on Deck 11, Midship. Mickey's Pool and the AquaDuck reopened at 4:30pm, and Donald's Pool reopened at 5:30pm (The exact hours on your sailing may vary).
My kids love to have some pool time on our first afternoon onboard, so they usually wear their swimsuits under their clothes on Embarkation Day, and we bring along a day bag with sunscreen, sunglasses and other necessities for fun-in-the-sun. They swim up until time for the Assembly Drill (we make sure to have cover-ups in our day bags), then we head to our stateroom after the drill to get ready for dinner or the evening's entertainment, depending on whether we have Main or Late Seating for dinner.
I hope this helps with your planning and preparations for your upcoming cruise. Please let us know if you have more questions before your Disney Cruise Line vacation!
Have a magical day - Diane W.