Embarkation procedure was simple and organized. It started with ID, and ticket check at the entrance of the dome. X-ray check, and getting our sail & sign card. Forty minutes later, we were on the Pride. We had no problem finding/getting to our room. We got a balcony room at Empress Level. The room is a good size room with lots of closet space. The bathroom is small but oh well - we're on a ship! After a short excursion around the ship, we found our luggage at our door.
The buffets at Lido deck are good- Enough variety and constantly good quality. The food at Normandie are also good - but the service made the dining experience much better. We opted for room service for our breakfast and Lido deck buffet for lunch as the meals at Normandie, everything is in former. It took at least an hour. We love pizza station too - the crust there is just tasty - better than most of the pizza we got back in the US. We went to David Supper Club for one night, and we felt that 3 hr dining experience was incredible. It made us realize that the food at David is like a custom artwork while those at Normandie are one size fits all mass-products. Yes! We can taste the huge difference. For us, we do not see any problem with food although I saw some negative review about food when I checked the forum.
In terms of Taj-Mahal shows, We went to six different ones - Around the World show was remarkable - the others are okay. It'll keep us occupied somehow! Pre-show Bingos were just rip-offs for us! As it's $20 for a sheet of 3 tickets.