Obviously there has to be some sort of boarding protocol, particularly on the big ships, otherwise it would be chaos and overcrowding. Just turn up at your allotted time. Luckily I am Ligurian and don't use the big ships, so no problem!
Simple answer. If you want spontaneity and not to be constantly organizing yourself, stick to the smaller ships. Lovely on Aurora at present. No queues, no pre booking, no stress!
At captain's welcome party he mentioned the 2025 brochure included Aurora. Hope she continues until then but nothing is guaranteed. However, a lot of money has obviously been spent on her recently, particularly all the new deck furniture and tv's (could do with both on Ventura!)
It is not the size of the ship, it is the ambience and amount of overcrowding I dislike. Britannia (about 10 times) is fine for me. Circa 3600 pax is enough. Prefer adults only too, hence two small ships best for me.