Hotel Pre-Cruise - Because my DH has Hilton points, we stayed at the Gallery One Hilton Doubletree. We would highly recommend it. Walking distance to the beach, across form grocery, next to a great mall and a water taxi stop are just some of the pluses. All rooms are suites so great for families or groups and they had a shuttle to the port for $8 per person.
Embarkation - Awesome....we were on the ship half an hour after arriving at the port. We ignored our RC phone call and arrived about 11 a.m. We did lunch in the Windjammer and were by the pool enjoying the sun by noon. Rooms opened at 1:00 and we received our luggage about 4.
Cabin - JS 9348...love the space in a JS and everything about it. Seems just right for us. We truly enjoy our private balcony so having chaise and comfy chairs along with all the indoor benefits seem worth the extra money to us.
We were in a junior suite 9348. It was a hump JS and we would opt for that area again. We have had JS class before and always enjoy it. For us it is worth the price jump for the extra space, closet, tub and extra balcony area. We truly enjoy our balcony privacy. As a note we have sailed on 8 other cruises and this was our first time to have a balcony that wasn't on the aft. We were afraid we would miss it, but have to say, we now prefer the side balcony. Much more air movement and with the hump, we also felt the view was just as good.