After reading the negative reviews (no center stairs, poor towels, congested elevators, no Promenade), we realized that none of these things mattered to us, and booked this Thanksgiving cruise on the Royal.
Embarkation was very fast--we arrived at about 2 p.m., and were processed in about 10 minutes.
Our cabin was Deluxe Balcony Obstructed on deck 8. The view from our cabin (E520) was very acceptable--only the white lifeboat supports on the sides and a blue platform about a foot up from our balcony floor.
Our Deluxe Balcony Obstructed was just fine--only the big white lifeboat support on each side. The straight-forward view was unobstructed. We could not see ocean below us. The balcony was small, but useable.