Background: I have been on Celebrity, RCCL, Carnival and NCL. I traveled with my husband and two of his friends. His friends were first time cruisers and one won the hairy chest competition. He got a very nice carnival robe and a plastic statue and was shown in the cabin frequently.
Embarkation - not too bad - better than Miami - a few too many lines but I think that's because they had to limit the number of people in the terminal at one time. Staff was nice and friendly.
The ship is in very good condition for 7 years old although signs of wear and tear are around if you look for them - scratches and dents etc - lets not forget the dent in the nose from hitting the cruise terminal a few months back.