My wife and I took the first cruise of the season up to Alaska at end April 2007. We live in South Africa and had to use a local agent- but the reservation was very smooth indeed. All the info we needed was on the website, so it was a piece of cake to brief the travel agent.
On arrival embarkation in Seattle was very smooth indeed though there were serious long queues. They moved quickly however and I reckon we were on-board in 40 minutes after arrival. We'd booked a suite- so through the trip had access to the private lounge, priority embarkation and disembarkation, and to a couple of drinks/ cocktail events with the Captain.
The cabin itself was great. Luxurious, spacious and well appointed. The balcony was fabulous for just relaxing on, though the temperatures- always around 2-10 degrees obviously limited our usage! Service was fabulous, and Rudi- our steward- was incredibly efficient and polite.(By the way that extended to all crew members- they were fantastic!) The one thing that struck my wife and I about the Oosterdam was that though the cruise was full, there very seldom appeared to be any crowds. There was always an available bar stool, or seat on deck, or table in the restaurant.