Embarkation - Yup, everything you read here is true. They have it down to a science, to the point where at 12:45, we dropped our luggage off, parked and were on the ship within 15 or 20 minutes.
Stateroom - We did Central Park. Yeah, it was neat but you get no breeze like you do on the Oceanview Balconies (not sure about Boardwalk). I do like the layout of the room, and the big TVs. TIP #1 - Most of the stuff is on the Aft Side - Windjammer, The Boardwalk, Dining Room, Flow Riders, Zip Line, Aqua Theater, Concierge Lounge, etc. etc. We thought Forward near the elevators was great - and we walked - A LOT! So I recommend being close to the AFT staircases/elevators.
Public Areas - because of the layout, you don't feel like you are on a ship of 6,000 guests. There are multiple pool areas for example, so it never feels crammed even on sea days. There is the Promenade, but it is much wider than say the Voyager or Freedom Class ships. And with Central Park and Boardwalk, people cross the ship in various ways. In general I found the public areas are mostly nicer and larger than on even the Freedom Class ships. For example, the Windjammer feels much classier than on other ships. The only exception was the Cafe Promenade. We like to get coffee or a Diet Coke and sit in the comfy couches on the Freedom class ships. Here you only have small tables and chairs.
See above - our cabin was nice and Mark, our attendant was GREAT. But the Forward cabins are not the way to go. Almost everything is in the AFT section, and I would never book Forward on the Oasis.