There was an eclectic gathering of people. Some hung out in the casino (which I had no idea they had before the trip), some hung out on the party deck, some caught shows and partied heavy in the evening. There was a surprising amount of activities on the boat. We went on 2 excursions which I agree were too short. Both tried to cram too much into the few hours we had and we felt rushed.
Because I was concerned about my vertigo and claustrophobia, I splurged and got a room with a balcony just in case I had an attack and needed to get outside asap. When I was choosing my room from the map, the balconies in the back of the boat (aka "aft" to us sea going folk) looked
slightly bigger than the ones on the sides, so that's what I got. It turned out that was a good choice (for me, anyway). There was a platform 2 decks below us that wrapped around the back of the boat, but there weren't any lounge chairs so noone hung out long. I hardly say anyone when I was outside and I was outside a lot. Mostly all I saw was 180 degrees of empty sea (rarely saw any other ships) and heard the wash of the water, which sounded very much like Turner Falls if you closed your eyes. It wasn't terribly hot in the middle of the gulf and at night it was just perfect. I ended up sleeping on the balcony 3 out of the 5 nights. SUPER relaxing.
Also, when you get away from Galveston, the water becomes the deepest, most beautiful color of blue I've ever seen. As the ship cuts through the water, it triggers light blue bioluminescent organisms that light up the trail its left behind it. It was super peaceful and serene.
Here's a video of a dude showing a room that was very close to ours:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNx0IKTRFhsHe shows the balcony at 1:22. Watch it in 1080p to see the color of the ocean and bioluminescent wash.
Since we had the kiddo with us we tried to find things to keep her interested. Me and the wifey want to go again soon, but just by ourselves so we can relax a little more. And so I can get a bj on that balcony