it's typically an onboard credit. Royal caribbean, norwegian, and carnival have it for owning 100 shares. you can find what they offer on these boards and with an online search.
you will pick up your excursion at ward cove.
some excursions may allow you to stay in town and then take the general shuttle back if you choose to do so.
as you're coming in to dock, if you look out on the dock, you may see a light flashing, a blue light. that's where the bridge goes. THey put out a light indicating where they expect the bridge to go before they tie up.
generally, ships point their bow out for when they leave to make ite asy to leave. same with ports. same as why some people back into parking spots to make it easy to leave.
you may also check the port calendar and see who else is in port with you at ward cove. when i went on the sun, encore got there first and the shuttle lines were a bit long. i had an excursion though and left with the excursion.