To preface, we were on the 8/19 Seven Night Alaska Cruise. I was with my family (parents are in 50s, 2 children in 20s). This was our second cruise ever, the first being a six night Caribbean cruise with NCL. We were in an Aqua Class cabin which gave us access to Blu (the AquaClass restaurant) and some other amenities which seemed inconsequential in hindsight.
Embarkation was very easy. Because we were in an AquaClass cabin, we were able to board anytime between 10am and 3pm. We were dropped off by an Uber in front of the cruise terminal around 2:15pm. It took us about 15 minutes to go through security/get our Cruise Pass and we were on the ship.
Our cruise was full (about 2,850 people) and the ship felt full at most times. There were very few public areas on the ship that were quiet and uninhabited during our days at sea. Although the ship felt slightly dated, overall it was clean and well designed.