Yes, I felt the pressure and I never expected to get there past 12:00. The two previous times we cruised Disney, we drove and were on board with the first cruisers each time. I wanted to be on board for two reasons - Palos and the spa. I wasn't really nervous about missing the ship. I believe you have until 4:00 to board. I was nervous about not getting the reservation times I wanted. My fears were unfounded though. We got the dinner seating and the day we wanted at Palos and even though our choices were limited with the cabana massages, we were able to reserve those as well. Mind you, this was for the 7-day cruise where there are more nights to eat at Palos, so I'm sure that helps.
The only thing we really missed by boarding so late, was the welcome aboard buffet. I wanted to eat in Parrot Cay this time, just for a change of pace. It closed at 2:00. The buffet at Topsiders still was going strong, but since we had the early seating, we didn't want to kill our appetite.