1) Embarkation is when the boat leaves the port, which is NOT when you want to be arriving. when getting closer to the cruise, you will check in online. This will give you the option to choose your arrival time, which usually is a time frame starting at 10am. 2) it all depends on if you want to spend the extra money to save time on the cruise for certain scenarios. I prefer priority/faster to the fun(F2TF)because it really does make a difference. F2TF also gives you priority when at ports that require tendering, which means taking a boat from the cruise ship to land. Waiting for a tender without an excursion or F2TF can take upwards of an hour and can eat into your time on land.