My wife and I embarked with another couple at Southampton, and as you may have read in other reviews, the check-in was a little slower than we have experienced on previous cruises from Southampton.
We had a balcony cabin on 'E' for Emerald deck, about mid-ship. It was advertised as 'obstructed' so the life-boat outside the window was no surprise. The view was not as obstructed as some cabins can be, but it was not possible to look down at the sea. If I were on for a longer holiday, I'd prefer to be a little higher up. Other than that the room was very pleasant. The bathroom is tiny but with a shower curtain rather the (more constricting) shower-door and felt more 'plasticy' than the rest of the cabin. More of the cabin later!
After dropping out bags we set off to explore. The ship layout will be familiar to anyone who has spent time P&O ships. You can't always get from the front to the back without changing decks. It isn't the easiest layout I've seen but you get used to it.
The view is (as advertised) obstructed by a lifeboat. It is not possible to see downwards towards the sea but the panorama is uninterrupted.There is more than enough hanging space but not a huge amount of drawer space.The bathroom is small but functional with a shower curtain rather than a more restrictive shower door.The only grip was that on our (2 day preview) trip, the walls squeaked so much we couldn't sleep. The joiner had to make a couple of visits to wedge the walls in place.