First let me say this was my first cruise. It was my wife and I, plus our 6 year old son. I have been to Sandals, St. Lucia and Beaches, Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean before.
We flew into San Juan the day before the cruise and stayed at the Caribe Hilton. I'd say the Caribe Hilton is pretty much ideal for a pre-cruise hotel with its pools and bay and proximity to Old San Juan and the port.
On the first cruise day morning, we checked out Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It is a must see. We left the hotel at about 3pm for the port. It took us about 45 minutes to get onto the ship. Lines were not long at all. Our cabin was 9558. It is an ocean view cabin with a balcony. The cabin had a sofa that converted to a bed for our son. The room was in absolutely great shape. I have rarely seen a hotel room in as good a shape as the room was in. The room was extremely quiet.
Very quiet. You have great views from the balcony side to side. Close to the center of the ship. This cabin also has a sofa that can sleep one person. Plenty of closet space.