Embarkation: Got to pier at noon, fastest ever experienced with tons of windows open and fast, fast, fast processing. They keep your passport at the counter. Didn't get pushy about taking boarding photograph. Met with glass of champagne, found my cabin and went on usual exploration of ship.
Ship: Being designed and decorated for sailing in Hawaii it still work OK for this market cause the decor is very tasteful and not tacky Hawaii, nice staircase murals-artwork, all decor in all areas work except the Altizar dining room is a total blah. No decor or theme, just nice tables and chairs. Public rooms all pleasant and tasteful, was impressed how the Hawaiian theme worked just fine.
Food: Buffet very extensive with lots of specialty dishes and even a stir-fry and crepe section. Not enough places to sit when buffet gets busy which is quite often, I suspect this is because the two free fancy sit down restaurants are pretty skimpy on portions, whereas you can have your servers load you up at the buffet and selection is much more at the buffet than the menu restaurants. Food quality is OK, varies from dish to dish depending on how well a selection can be prepared or left sitting without getting soggy or goopy, salads where always great but some of the pre-made stir fry got really soggy quick. Everything is served up for you because of sanitation concerns which is just and proper. You do have to ask for a spoon tho when given your plate, and silver wrapped in a napkin. The Italian pay restaurant serves as overflow for the buffet for breakfast and lunch and is a very quiet place to seek out across the ship from the general seating area, but sometimes you have to walk a great distance to snag a table.