This is the first cruise my wife and I have taken, so we don't have a wide basis of comparison. But we did travel with two other couples, both with small children, and their experience mirrors our own.
Embarkation seemed like all heck was breaking loose, kind of like a Disaster Film, but actually was over fairly quickly. There were endless lines that moved fast, leading up to the boat, getting various forms, cards, etc. We came to realize that everything had been thought through, and the cards were your lifeline to everything on board. [Don't lose them!]
The Boat: the ship itself doesn't yet show its age. It's nicely done, with tones that, despite being bold, are somehow appropriate, even muted. The bars and restaurants were all themed, some a little kitsch, but I think that's part of the fun. It did NOT feel like a huge boat with enormous numbers of people. Somehow, the designers managed to make it seem intimate. There were always staff cleaning, relentlessly, giving the ship a sparkling edge.