My husband and I made a deal with our son that if he graduated from college in 4 years we would go on a great vacation to celebrate. (It was cheaper than another year of tuition!) He chose a cruise which of course we just loved considering that we were also going!!!!
We stayed at the Radisson at the Port the night before we left. Very nice to relax and a good breakfast before we left. The best part was the free parking and shuttles... Leaving on the trip seemed a little unorganized to us since there were loads of people crammed together on the sidewalk at the front door- maybe using a side door would be better to open up the entrance to the building. The pickup afterwards was flawless. We were picked up as soon as we walked out of the building and within 15 minutes we were in our car on the highway.
Embarkation was ok- it seemed a little slow but I'd rather be safe than sorry.... I don't mind the checks for safety reasons and it makes it better for all of us. Of course it was my choice to cruise in August and it was hot that morning but we lived and got on board just fine.