My mother and I embarked from Honolulu on Feb 25. We didn't have time to see Honolulu, so we took a taxi to the port (approx $20), and went straight to the baggage handling. Check in (around 1:30pm) was very easy - no line up. We then got on the ship and went directly to our room. Our luggage came a short while later.
Dining: The buffet was fine. We ate there for breakfast daily - eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, waffles, hash browns, etc. There are 2 lineups at either end of the buffet, so if one is full, just walk through the dining area and go to the other. Crossings and The Palace are the same, but at different areas of the ship. They have several constant menu items to choose (the steak is yummy), and other menu items daily. You can ask for 2 different dishes if you want. All their food is excellent. The speed of service varies, depending on the time you eat. We ate later most days, and had great service. We didn't try the other restaurants, as we didn't know what time we would be back to the ship daily, and they were booked up most days.
Ship: The pool area is fairly small, but you can usually get a seat somewhere. We were really only there in the evening, as we were out at port all day. The spa looked really good, but we couldn't decide on any treatments, so therefore we missed out. The steam room and sauna in the spa are free, and nobody was in there when we went. There are different specials offered for the first few days on the ship. Read the flyer that is delivered to your door. The shows were all excellent. They offered 2 times, usually 7pm and 9pm, and the later shows were always good seating available. The singers/dancers are excellent, and the comedian, Dave Heenan, was awesome, very funny.