Don't believe all the bad reviews - some people just complain about anything!
Check in at Southampton. Was the quickest check-in we have ever experienced. Was done in less than 2 minutes. We were on the ship in our cabin in just a few minutes.
We chose a cabin at the rear of the ship. There was slightly less storage space than other cabins we have been in but that was the only negative. The balcony was of a similar size to other cruise lines. There was noise from the engines now and then but I found it to be a "reassuring" noise. We also felt some movement - which we like.