The planning was easy to do, but the Disney travel website was a bit confusing to navigate. Took some time to find what I wanted to look at. Getting the planning DVD got my kids (4 yrs old twins) interested and excited. I didn't tell them until a week before we left.
Embarkation at Vancouver was easy. Once we pulled into the passenger unloading area at Canada Place, our suitcases were taken away. So make sure you have your room tags on them. They will not be delivered to your room till 4 - 5pm. I live in Vancouver, so we didn't need to worry about packing a day bag.
The process to get check in was really quick. Since I had done on-line check-in, we had a 'barcode' to present at the counter. My kids were also registered on-line for their Mickey bands (for the kids' club). (Once you are onboard, you just have to go to the club and they will put the Mickey bands on, no more forms to fill out. I saw line-ups for that, so to save time, do it on-line.) At the check-in counter, they also take you picture for the family for security purpose - I found out that as you disembarked at port, they would scan your Key to the World card and your photo would be on their screen.
Our room was what I had expected. On the planning DVD, we can see what your room looks like. We were on Deck 2. On the first night, very rocky and the window area (port hole) had some noise. I didn't know where it was from but I wasn't about to go check it out. After that night, it was all fine. It actually felt roomy for a stateroom.