We were on a back to back on the Diamond in September for 2 weeks and loved it! We didn't feel cramped and had plenty of room for all of our 2 weeks worth of clothing and souvenirs. Never once did I notice any smells on any floors except when we first boarded and attributed that to anticeptics used to wash down handrails, door knobs, etc. I'm not really that sensitive to smells like others, but I sure didn't notice anything annoying. We were in cabin 707 (front) and yes you can very distinctly and loudly hear the anchor. It really didn't bother us though, just thought it was part of sailing and the ship is small and does have to anchor in most med. ports. We laughed about it with people also near the front. But if you are not early risers, you may want to consider this in selecting the locations of your cabin. Personally we very much enjoyed being upfront, didn't consider the anchor that big of deal, and would do it again in a heartbeat. We loved our 2 weeks on the Diamond and would be happy to do it all over again!
By the way, the weather during our Sept. cruise was absolutely perfect.