Embarkation from Seattle took about 45 minutes from drop off to the room. Our room was ready by 1 PM when we boarded, so that we were able to drop off our hand bags and enjoy lunch. Our suitcases were in our room by 3 PM.
Smoking a allowed on balconies-we left our balcony several times while our neighbors were smoking cigarettes and cigars. We paid an extra $1000 for a balcony room and then were unable to use the balcony. For the forseeable future we're going to use Princess and Celebrity who don't allow balcony smoking.
Food Service: Lunch the first day was mediocre. The fruit tasted old, the lines were long and slow, and the serving staff were not organized. The food picked up after the first day, but the service during the first 2 days was slow with the no self-service policy. The staff is inadequate and not inspired enough to make it work well. After the first 2 days the service was better. We felt that the Lido food was mostly tasty and presented well. The food service by the Lido pool was especially good.
Great balcony, but unuseable much of the time due to neighbors smoking