Thanks for reading!
I don't think the side of the ship really mattered. Sometimes we looked out over the port and sometimes we looked out over the harbor. Either way, you could always see the other side from another deck. I usually sail on the port side, but found I didn't mind the starboard side. I really enjoyed our starboard room when we left Lisbon because we could enjoy the sites without leaving our verandah. Otherwise there's not much to see when you're crossing the Atlantic. The only time I thought I would regret not having a port side room was when we passed through the Gibraltar Strait. I thought we would be able to see the Rock of Gibraltar, but we couldn't. So, seeing the lights of Africa was so much cooler.
It was more important to me to have a room without connecting doors.
We started booking our private excursions about 9 months out so we could ensure they had availability. If you're using
DCL provided excursions, you can always look those up under Port Adventures in advance, but cannot book them until 105 days before your cruise.
Have a great cruise!