This is the 6th Thanksgiving cruise my sister and I have taken, out of a total of 16 cruises on various lines. We had lunch in Miami and then joined the line for embarkation. From this we learned to get to the port before noon, unless we have VIP status. It took us approximately one hour in line to actually board the ship. We were delighted that the mandatory practice drill didn't require standing on the outside deck. The ship is large and has quite a number of passengers.
We had initially reserved a balcony cabin in June, as we watched the cost go down during the next few months, we were a little upset that suites were going for less than what we paid for a balcony and there was no automatic upgrade commensurate with our payment. We contacted the travel agency used and were upgraded to a mini suite....The difference between a balcony and mini-suite (as far as we could see) is a bathtub. So, unless you require a bathtub the value is not worth the cost. (Regular suites receive VIP goodies and concierge services, etc...mini suites do not)
We immediately went to reserve dinners in the pay restaurants for the week. We were informed that reservations were only allowed for the current evening and the next and they could not accommodate reservations for the entire cruise. HMMMM. On day two, we remembered the reading on cruise critic about the mystery dinner and attempted to make reservations...it was already sold out. I don't remember even seeing it advertised in the daily paper...I didn't meet anyone who had participated so can't even provide a second hand recommendation for you.