My wife and I have been on Carnival and Princess. My sister and nephew just Carnival. We naturally often found ourselves comparing the experience to Carnival.
Embarkation- Smooth and easy less than 15 mins to get on the boat.
First Impression- Handed champagne as I walked onboard. Man this ship is swanky. Nice art work. Even the bathrooms are uppity up. Never seen a Carnival boat like this.