This was our first cruise so we have nothing to compare it to. The ship was visually pleasing I believe that is due to it just coming out of dry dock for a few refurbishments. They also seemed to work hard at keeping it well maintained (polishing the brass and painting areas outside).
Embarkation was very easy as we came a little later to the port with an arrival time between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. we were able to walk right up to the counter and through security with out having to wait in lines. Disembarkation went smoothly as well, we had scheduled a disembarkation excursion so we were one of the first groups off the ship. We did have to wait in the customs line but it was only about a 15 minute wait (on our day they were training new customs agents).
Our cabin was C242, I thought it was clean and nicely decorated. I had envisioned a very small room because that is what I've always heard about cruise ships, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. Our cabin was spacious, it was a balcony room which probably made it feel bigger, but the bathroom was still cozy, with just enough room for turning around in the shower. The bed was extremely comfortable, wish I could have taken it home with me.
I think that our room was very nice. It was large with plenty of storage for our belongings. I was expecting it to be small and cramped, this was not the case at all. I loved having a balcony, I'm not sure I will be ever able to not have a balcony. I would go out on the balcony in the middle of the night when I woke up and look for lights of the next island. I would also be out there when we pulled into ports. Again, the bed was the most comfortable bed I've been in. Also, the bed was larger than a queen, which is what it was suppose to be. I have a queen at home and the cabin bed seemed more like a king size bed.
Charlie was our guide for the day, we found him at the port. He was wonderful. He showed us alot of different areas on the island. He was friendly and funny. He was able to help us get to the luau that I waited to book. He brought us back to the ship so we could change while he dropped someone else off, then came back and brought us to catch the bus to the luau. I feel he went above and beyond.