Having never been on one before, we were very happy with how everything went. We were lucky enough to be cruising with 30+ year friends that are seasoned cruisers and they showed us the 'ropes' so that we felt comfortable quickly. And, we got to board with them early since our reservations were linked!
Stayed at the San Juan Airport hotel since we only had about 10 hours before boarding. Basic room, clean, dated and cheaper than staying at one of the 'resort' type properties in 'town'.
Took a cab to the Port/Pier and was on the ship within 10 minutes of arriving at 11:30am. Ship did not depart until 8pm that night, so we had plenty of time to look around. Luggage arrived around 1pm. At this Terminal, there is a duty free store located in the area of where you will go on to the ship. We were able to buy soda, water and single serve bottles of hard liquor. If we could get the liquor into purses or pants pockets, that was acceptable. So, since we did not find any reason to buy the drink package (lots of time spent off of the ship), this enabled us to mix a few drinks in our room for the entire cruise.
Plenty of room in our cabin! Bed was a little tough to sleep on due to its' age. Pillows were also flat. But, I asked for 2 more pillows and was all good. Clean, good temperature control, nice balcony with 2 chairs and a small table. We brought way too much stuff! Was able to do a little laundry in our bathroom sink since I had brought some liquid detergent. Hung on the balcony chairs while we were in port and they were dry within hours. No noise problems. Did wake up a few times at night due to 'rocking' of the ship, but we also had 45+ mph winds on some nights. Dramamine was used on day 1 and one night. Other than that, not a problem. Shower was awesome. Great water pressure. Toilet worked great. Lots of closet space and hangers.