What is the best cruise you've ever taken?

[KChiefs1]

My wife told me today that we are going on a cruise in 2006 & she has budgeted $5500 for it. Now we(or should I say she) have to plan a cruise for us to take....she has decided on either Alaska, Hawaii or a Mediteranean cruise.

She is talking about 12 night cruises(isn't that a long friggin' time on a boat?).

Has anyone on here been on anything like that? What kinda deal did you get? Who did you cruise with? I'm clueless about the whole deal, but I want to have fun for that kinda $$$$$$$.

[Phobia]

$5500? There better be oogles of hookers.

Can you seriously cruise anywhere besides the Carribean?

[Rain Man]

I've begun pondering doing a cruise at some point, but I've never been on one (other than a cool overnight ferry from Tasmania to Melbourne).

If you want to do something exotic, I've got a bead on a cool cruise down the entire Amazon river that I could share, but for two people it would run more than your budget.

[Rain Man]

Can you seriously cruise anywhere besides the Carribean?


I found a cool cruise earlier this year that started in Manaus, Brazil, in the middle of the Amazon, went down the river, across the Atlantic to Dakar, Senegal, in western Africa, then up through Gibraltar and Spain before coming to port in Rome. I was all set to sign up for the 2006 version, and the company went and retired the ship. That was a bummer.

[cosmo20002]

My wife told me today that we are going on a cruise in 2006 & she has budgeted $5500 for it. Now we(or should I say she) have to plan a cruise for us to take....she has decided on either Alaska, Hawaii or a Mediteranean cruise.

She is talking about 12 night cruises(isn't that a long friggin' time on a boat?).

Has anyone on here been on anything like that? What kinda deal did you get? Who did you cruise with? I'm clueless about the whole deal, but I want to have fun for that kinda $$$$$$$.

12 days is a little long for me personally, but I've never been bored during the week-long cruises I've taken. Cruise prices aren't bad when you consider it includes all food and lot of the entertainment. Booze, gambling, and end-of-cruise tips will cost you extra, as well as various side trips and activities when you are in ports--you can get a list of what's available before you go.

A 12-night Mediteranean for $5500 total might be pushing it, especially with in-port excursions, but I'm sure you could do a 7-day Alaska for that. If you do Alaska, spring for a room with a balcony, or at least a window--the views are amazing. I'd recommend Celebrity or Princess for the cruise line.

[Rain Man]

Depending on your timing, you can go to www.vacationstogo.com and check out their 90-day ticker. I've never used this company and so can't vouch for them, but they seem to have some screaming deals on cruises that are about to leave port and aren't yet full.

[KChiefs1]

12 days is a little long for me personally, but I've never been bored during the week-long cruises I've taken. Cruise prices aren't bad when you consider it includes all food and lot of the entertainment. Booze, gambling, and end-of-cruise tips will cost you extra, as well as various side trips and activities when you are in ports--you can get a list of what's available before you go.

A 12-night Mediteranean for $5500 total might be pushing it, especially with in-port excursions, but I'm sure you could do a 7-day Alaska for that. If you do Alaska, spring for a room with a balcony, or at least a window--the views are amazing. I'd recommend Celebrity or Princess for the cruise line.

So do you recommend the Alaskan cruise? How much fun is an Alaskan cruise? It just doesn't sound like fun to me.....but I've never been on a cruise before so what do I know...

[Hammock Parties]

$5500? There better be oogles of hookers.

Can you seriously cruise anywhere besides the Carribean?

The Mediterranean.

[luv]

So do you recommend the Alaskan cruise? How much fun is an Alaskan cruise? It just doesn't sound like fun to me.....but I've never been on a cruise before so what do I know...
I've never been on a cruise before either, but I know some people who have been on several. They said the Alaskan cruise was their favorite.

[Rausch]

$5500? There better be oogles of hookers.

Can you seriously cruise anywhere besides the Carribean?

That can be arranged.

The porn cruise is cheaper than that...

[keg in kc]

I've done an alaskan cruise. It was awesome.

[DaKCMan AP]

I've been on 6 carribean cruises, all with Royal Carribean.

I've done 7 night, 10 night, and 11 night. Every time I go I always want the cruise to last longer. I also want to take an Alaskan cruise.

[Fire Me Boy!]

My wife and I did a 4-day cruise to Cozumel for our honeymoon... no doubt we wanted it to last a whole lot longer. What a good time -- besides the honeymoon factor -- the food was outstanding, the people were genuinely nice, and the boat was great.

[Big Slick]

Depending on your timing, you can go to www.vacationstogo.com and check out their 90-day ticker. I've never used this company and so can't vouch for them, but they seem to have some screaming deals on cruises that are about to leave port and aren't yet full.

I used them for an all-inclusive resort vacation this summer, everything went well. I would assume cruises would be no different from the booking end of things...

[cosmo20002]

So do you recommend the Alaskan cruise? How much fun is an Alaskan cruise? It just doesn't sound like fun to me.....but I've never been on a cruise before so what do I know...

Depends on your personal preferences of course, but I already had done a couple of Carribean cruises. If you really like beaches and stuff, you might like that better.

I wasn't really up for the Alaska cruise when we went, but once I got there, I think it was my favorite. They usually only sail during the summer months, so the weather is nice. You won't stop at any beaches or do any snorkelling, but you can travel to glaciers, do some great fishing, and see some amazing sights. The Inside Passage portion of the cruise is just amazing. On-board activities on most of the larger cruise lines are going to be similar, you just probably won't spend as much time in the pool in Alaska. The weather's nice, but its not the tropics.

Go to the Celebrity website and check the Alaska cruise itineraries--it will give you details on on-ship activities, ports, and activities at the ports. On thing that impressed me about Celebrity (and the Princess cruise as well) was that although there are a couple thousand people on board, it never really felt crowded. No long lines, etc. (An exception might be the casino, which would get pretty crowded after dinnner.) I've heard some of the other lines (Carnival) can feel more packed-in.

[jcroft]

My favorite cruise was the Mexican Rivera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta). I was surprised I liked it better than the Caribbean and Bahamian ones I've been on, because I always thought I was more of a Caribbean kind of guy. But, Mexico was great. highly recommended.

[Scaga]

I'd book a 4 dat Carribean cruise for about $1500 and then buy her a new rack. ($5500 TOTAL)

The cruise would only last 4 days, but the rack would last a lifetime.

:)

[Bob Dole]

Bob Dole cruised over to Hot Springs, AR and back last Sunday. That's probably one of the better cruises Bob Dole has been on.