I will try to give a fairly complete review here as I found that several that I read did not really give a full picture. Many folks seemed to have had a bad experience here or there and focused on that. Also, there was a lot of information I wanted, but did not find anyone writing about. With that said, here we go:

Embarkation:

Based on my Carnival cruises, I was really worried about waiting in line forever. Upon arriving at Port Canaveral (around 1 p.m.), we were dropped off and our bags were quickly grabbed by the porters (make sure you have the bag tags printed and attached to your bag). They were helpful and directed us to the HUGE line to enter the terminal. The line looked bad, but really moved along quickly. Tip: Take the inside track (closer to the wall) when the line splits, it will be much faster. Our family got split up and we ended up about 50-100 people in front of them by the time we were through the security checkpoint. It took about 15 minutes to get through the line and up the escalator. Once there, you get in line again (even faster line) to get your SeaPass and photo taken. They will use the photo to verify you every time you get back on the ship in a port. Then, you just get on the ship. From the time we arrived to the time we were sitting in the WindJammer Cafe eating lunch was less than an hour. Read more