I will preface this review by stating a few quick points about myself. I am a 30 year old male. I travelled with my girlfriend, my brother and his fiancée, and my Mom and Dad. My parents are cruise experts (been on the Summit multiple times). My brother and I have been on 1 cruise before and our lovely ladies have never been on a cruise before. So we had a diverse group to write this review from.
Embarking.
The embarking (getting on the boat) process was very smooth. Yes you will have to wait in line when you get to the cruise terminal but it is a relatively short line compared to what you just probably experienced at the airport. The cruise staff will take your bags and deliver them to your room (my rooms bags took about 1.5 hours, other 2 rooms in our group 2-3 hours). So pack what you will need for a few hours in your carry on. (change of clothes, bathing suit, medication. etc etc) We were fortunate when we got on the boat they made the announcement that all the rooms were ready for the guests to go to. (about 1:30ish). My parents said this was a pretty normal time but they have had to wait longer on occasion.
Ill keep this part short. Yes the stateroom is smaller then a hotel room. Yes the bathroom is small. Yes you will probably have to hold on in the shower if you use it while at sea. There is tons of storage in the room and the balcony is the perfect size. Put your suitcases under the bed. Bed is comfy enough. Hopefully you spend more time outside of the room then inside.