Krist.... never apologize for stoke!
I don't know what 11 footer you had.... but I am assuming it was a tanker, from your comment on slowness.
The new Allwave 9'5 is going to "yaw" back and forth more than your tanker, so you need to consider that when paddling for a wave.
The smaller, lighter board will react to much less weight shift than the big board.
If you paddle into a wave in classic "parallel stance", then you should be fine right around the handle
If you use a surf stance:
Back foot slightly behind the handle
Front foot slightly in front of the handle
Very easy to put more weight on the front foot, when paddling into a wave
then shift your weight slightly to the back foot, as you drop down the face.
Your going to love how much faster it releases into the wave, and how much quicker it turns.
Have fun!