Welcome aboard, Rebecca! You must be planning a magical adventure at sea with Captain Mickey and his crew!
If you're a first time guest with Disney Cruise Line, you'll begin your
online check-in 75 days prior to sailing. Castaway Club members, those who have sailed with Disney before, begin 90 or more days prior, depending on club level. When that big day arrives, log into your reservation and begin your check-in. There you can choose extra activities like Port Adventures, certain ticketed Character Greetings, and more! You'll also fill in all of your travel details, and then choose a
Port Arrival Time from the options there. This is the time that Disney expects you to arrive at Port Canaveral to check in.
The terminal opens at 11:00 and boarding begins around 11:30 or noon, but your Port Arrival Time is when you are to arrive at port. Upon checking in there, you'll be given a boarding number. Once that number is called, your family gets to make your way onto the beautiful Disney Dream as the Cast Members announce your family name and applaud your arrival! There is no better way to begin a magical vacation at sea than this, Rebecca!
Don't worry if the only Port Arrival Times left to choose from when you begin online check-in are later in the day, at 1:30 or so. The best part about a later Port Arrival Time is that you most likely will be able to board right away without having to wait, since the big rush of early guests will have already boarded. If you do arrive a bit before your official Port Arrival Time, it's not a problem. The all-aboard time, as you mentioned is usually 3:45, so as long as you're onboard before then, you'll be all set!
Have fun planning, and please let us know if we can help with anything else before you set sail!
Marcy