Embarkation - Arrived a little later than planned, around 12:30. Husband dropped us off (myself and 2 children ages 14 and 5) with all of the luggage, as he parked the car at the Pier's garage, which cost $180 for the 8 days. The porter loaded our 2 huge & heavy luggage (tipped $5) and off we went through the security line and then check-in, which was divided into deck levels. It was a long line, but it was quick. After you show them all of your documents, credit card, picture ID's, they give you your sail & sign cards. Then off you go to another line where you insert the s&s card and they take your picture to attach to the encoding of the card. All together, the process was about 1 hour and we were on board by 1:30 pm.
Cabin - We went straight to our balcony room #7238 on the Verandah deck which was ready for us. It was a lot smaller than I thought from all the pictures I saw on webshots, but it was definitely acceptable. We stepped out onto the balcony which was small but a definite must have. Being the anal person that I am, I checked the sheets and found nasty stains on them. Surprisingly enough, there was a knock on our door and it was our Steward, Prasit. He introduced himself and stated that he needed us (as well as other cabin passengers) to sign a form stating we didn't require any syringe and hypodermic needle disposal (?). So my husband signed it and we told him that we wanted the sheets changed. After he saw the sheets he was apologetic and said he will change it later that night because he cleans from 6am-12pm and 4-9 pm. That was fine with us. I also had my husband wipe down the sink & toilet with Lysol wipes because you can never be too clean. The bathroom was TINY! Everything in there is within arm's reach, literally. The toilet smelled from day 1, but we were prepared with our scented oil can from Target. The shower curtain is flimsy, but it didn't pose a problem for any of us.
Muster Drill - Take heed of other posts....arrive late to the drill! We had muster station B which was on deck 3. They line everyone up against the wall maybe 4-5 people deep. If you were in the first two lines against the wall like we were, it gets very warm and you may feel claustrophobic. Definitely ARRIVE about 5-10 minutes late. If you have young kids, also be warned those horns can get really deafening. If you notice a horn in close proximity, warn your children so they are not alarmed.