As this was our first cruise (mid-30s couple/left the kids at Grandma's), I have no basis for comparison, but utilized CC suggestions heavily in deciding on cruise line, cabins, activities, etc. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to cruise again!
We drove from Colorado to Dallas to drop off our children and headed out to Houston the next day. We stayed with relatives here, so driving to Galveston was no problem. We arrived at EZ Cruise about noon where we parked and awaited a shuttle to the ship. We waited about 20 minutes (in the shade) for a shuttle as there were still some folks disembarking from the previous cruises. There were very few people in line for our Set Sail cards and pictures and we were on the ship by 1:00.
Our first task was to change our dinner time to the 2nd seating (8:30). We did this so that we'd have time to get ready on port days. I usually can't wait this long to eat, but it wasn't a problem at all and the extra time was welcome. We then headed to our aft cabin to drop off our backpack (filled with useful items we'd need until our luggage arrived), check out the balcony, and headed to the Windjammer for lunch. The muster drill went smoothly and was over in less than 20 minutes.