1.) I'd say the value of a TA depends on how much of a control-freak you are or aren't. Bear in mind that if you like to keep your finger on the pulse of all of your vacation details, a TA may not be for you. Use of a TA means you have very limited ability to manipulate your reservation info on the
DCL web site, and all inquiries/changes must generally go through your TA, who then may have to call DCL and then call you back. That may frustrate the more OCD among us.
That having been said, those on-board credits are hard to beat. For me personally, a good OBC trumps my desire to be pulling all the strings first-hand.
2.) As Schmoo said, three months out, you're pretty much paying "rack rates" unless you go for GTY (
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2914256).
3.) Assuming you are sailing out of Port Canaveral, note that while you are undoubtedly super-excited and will want to get on the ship ASAP on embarkation day, it's going to be very crowded at the terminal starting around 10:15-10:30. Seating may be hard to find, and waiting for your boarding group to be called can seem like forever with the throngs of people boarding ahead of you.
Even if you do manage to get on the ship relatively early, bear in mind that your room will probably not be ready until 1:00 at the very earliest. Until then, you have to schlep your carry-on luggage with you to Cabanas or the pool or whatever.
The alternative is to wait until after noon or so to arrive at the terminal. Remember that you have until about 3:00-3:30, I think, to board the ship. If you wait until after lunch, the bulk of the passengers will already have boarded, and the check-in process will involve a lot less of the "hurry up and then wait around" thing. By the time you make your way on board, your room might actually be ready. I totally understand that it'll be hard to wait, and you want to get on board as soon as humanly possible. However, if you don't do well with lines and crowds, a later check-in may suit you better.
4.) If you are traveling with kids and choose to try to get on the ship as early as you can, get to the terminal very early (I think they start letting cars in around 9:45-10:00 a.m.), check in and then immediately head for the kids club registration desk (across the main hall from the check-in counters). This line gets very long very quick.
Folks may tell you to skip this step and check into the kids clubs once you are on board, but in our experience, that's worse. Registering at the actual clubs is a tight squeeze in the hallway and seems to take just as long as registering in the port terminal, and who wants to immediately wait in a long line *after* you're finally on the ship?
5.) If you find you are loving the cruise, one thing I would make absolutely sure you do is book another cruise while still on-board. You get a 10% discount and a 50% reduction in deposit if you do so. You have plenty of time to cancel if you decide you won't cruise again, but that 10% discount is gone if you decide to book after you get off the ship.
But don't try to re-book the last night of your cruise; that's when everyone else will be trying to do the same thing. There are only, like, two people handling these rebookings, and sometimes only one is there. A line of 5-6 people ahead of you can literally take an hour to get through. Re-book as early in the cruise as possible.
6.) Finally, good call on giving yourself cushion days before and after. It's bad enough to have to get off the ship without having to rush to MCO or immediately jump in the car for several hours. If you find yourself with time for breakfast or even lunch on either day, check out Simply Delicious, in Cocoa Beach about 10 miles south of the port. The restaurant is really small, but the food is really good.
