I have traveled/vacationed extensively; Europe, S.America, Africa, Asia, Alaska, etc. But I have never been on a cruise. I am looking to hear you experiences. Its things like: stuck on the ship, mediocre entertainment, mediocre food...and lots of it, unsolvable problems with the room, too many people, limited time at the destinations, extras cost extra money, etc., etc. that have kept me away and are making my trigger finger shy (never have this problem with cigars :-):-)).

Part of my fear is that the travel (on the boat only) days will be boring. I'm not a "lay by the pool and catch some rays all day" guy (except at the Playboy Mansion). I like to do things, especially "soaking up the local culture", whether through food, architecture, museums, etc. That's why I like to travel, not to take it easy by the pool. I can do that at home. I may sound biased without trying it, but after reading reviews of cruise ships online....forever, it seems like this is what its like.

So give me the straight dope (or be a dope giving it to me straight). Looking for your :-) on cruising (specifically carribean/island if possible).
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Hmmm cruises.... Well, typically I took longer cruises, normally 6 months or so. No pool or booze but All expenses were paid! It really was a good deal. Visit you local Navy recruiter and he will hook you up. :-)
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As long as the wife can come with me, we get a private room and bath with balcony, and I have my cigars. :-) Those are my only conditions.
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I LOVE cruising and have been on about 6 so far. All good things to say.

My last cruise my whole family (including my 1.5yr old at the time) caught the stomach flu from a sick passenger who lied about her illness before coming aboard. We were all isolated to our rooms for 24hrs each... and of course we caught it consecutively.. so we pretty much missed about 3 days. That being said they were wonderful to us and I wouldnt hesitate to cruise again.

If you get bored easily (like me) go for a bigger ship. They have everything from pools, spas, tennis, basketball, rock climbing, driving range (youll see) mini golf, dancing, shows, live music, comics.

I would highly recommend you try cruising... Try a carribean cruise to start, the water is calm and youll get to see a bunch of different islands .
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The last ship I was on had a beautiful Cigar bar, but due to that stomach bug I only visited... never smoked or bought any
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this one interested me a little.

http://www.freedomoftheseas.com/
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We love cruising. We have tried the land all-inclusive also but we get bored after a couple of days and the food is not as good.

these are the lines we like:

Royal Caribbean is really well run, clean ships, good food, not too snobby, usually a good bunch of cruisers.

Celebrity is a little more uppity but also runs great cruises.

Carnival - Party all the time.

Get one that goes to port more often. I'm not much for the pool either (I've got one here, why pay for one). Do not use the cruises excursions every day, we only do the cat/snorkel ones. The sight seeing trips are fun and cheaper with others off of the boat just hiring a cab. About $20 each if you can get 6 people together. Much better tour usually.

If you decide to do it, PM me and I'll give you some other tricks of the trade.
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Seth,
I just went on the Navigator of the Seas a couple of weeks ago (Royal Caribbean).
I have been on other Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line cruises.

I love it.
A great time to be had.
However, highly recommend you do a newer, larger ship like the Navigator and that you do a balcony.
Only way to go is with that balcony so you can wake up to a cup of coffee and a cigar out there.
The cruise I did two weeks ago was great with every regard.
The entertainment was wonderful.
The food was very good (fillet mignon one night - very good, lobster tails another night - very good also).
One night, we paid extra to go to the "Chop House" steakhouse.
I have got to tell you. I go regularly to Ruth's Chirs, Del Frisco's, Charlie's and other top steakhouses. This Chop House rivaled any of them. Truly amazing dining.
Remember, like anything in life, you generally get what you pay for.
If you book a cheaper cruise, you will get cheaper.
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I took my first cruise in the late 80's, and got hooked. I still take one at least every year of so. Here's my perspective.

The cost of a cruise today is actually less than it was twenty years ago. Other than TVs and computers, I can't think of too many things you can say that about. To do this the cruise lines have had to add/increase charges for almost everything on board, as their expenses have continued to increase. Pretty much everything is now "extra", and even things that were always extra have increased in cost dramatically. Specialty restaurants are pushed. Drinks are expensive. You'll be invited to purchase photos, excursions, bingo, lotteries, sodas, and so on. Activities include art actions, on-board shopping, and casinos, all designed to separate you from your money. You're constantly hit with marketing strategies from the moment you step on board.

None of this really bothers me because I recognize it for what it is, and I can choose to opt out. I can spend as little or as much as I want. The entertainment can be very good, the food in the main restaurants more than decent (certainly better than most of us eat on a daily basis), and the service more often than not is exceptional. The entertainment, food in the main restaurants, and service won't cost you anything. It's included in the basic cost of the cruise.

While some people get on board already convinced they're going to find a million things to complain about, I walk up the gangway knowing I'm going to have a great time even though everything may not be perfect. The complainers get what they want and I get what I want. It's mainly in your expectations.

Some lines are known for on-board activities, some for food, some for entertainment, some for catering to different age groups. You need to do your homework and figure out which are which, and then choose based on your own priorities.

Pick a cruise that hits at least four, preferably five ports in seven days. You won't have time to get bored. Trust me.
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This should tell you if I enjoyed the lobster dinner or not.

Image
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:-)
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Yes to cruising. It is an awesome experience. As for the picture of those South Texas crawfish, it would take more 5 to fill me up. We normally do at least 2lbs. LOL

tt:-)
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I just took my first cruise in October and I loved it. It was a Carnival 7 day cruise stopping at Montego Bay, Grand Caymen, and Cozumel.

I thought the food was good and they made a little effort to match it to destination, jerked pork tenderloin the night before Montego Bay for example.

We didn't have a balcony but I would definitely get one on my next cruise.

I didn't find the pools were really big enough for swimming but the hottubs on deck were nice at night.

The casino was a blast even though I'm not a big gambler. I went on a nice run playing blackjack the last few nights and ending up paying for my entire trip with a couple hundred left over.

The destinations:
1 - Montego Bay, Jamaica - I hated this stop up until we got to Margarittaville. That place rocked and had a water slide from the third floor into the ocean. I did notice that one of the snorkel/catamaran excursions made a stop here for an hour or two. I'll do that next time. The shopping locations were filled with people trying/nagging you to buy their drugs/junk. We did pay $5 to go on one of the beaches and do some snorkeling.

2 - Grand Caymen - Unfortunately it was raining this day. I went to some of the shops before stopping by Churchill's and grabbing some sticks to take to you guessed it.... Margarittaville.

3 - Cozumel - Went to one of the all-inclusive places and snorkeled, drank, rented jet skis, drank, got sunburned, drank, got a massage on the beach, drank and then we had some beers. Great stop!

I will say that the pictures your woman persuades you to take with the towel animals you find in your room at the end of the nights will be some of your favorites!
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[quote=phidelt076;131388]

We didn't have a balcony but I would definitely get one on my next cruise.

~ Agreed

I didn't find the pools were really big enough for swimming but the hottubs on deck were nice at night.

~ Agreed

The casino was a blast even though I'm not a big gambler. I went on a nice run playing blackjack the last few nights and ending up paying for my entire trip with a couple hundred left over.

~ Didnt go to the Casino

The destinations:
1 - Montego Bay, Jamaica - I hated this stop up until we got to Margarittaville. That place rocked and had a water slide from the third floor into the ocean. I did notice that one of the snorkel/catamaran excursions made a stop here for an hour or two. I'll do that next time. The shopping locations were filled with people trying/nagging you to buy their drugs/junk. We did pay $5 to go on one of the beaches and do some snorkeling.

~ We went to Ocho Rios... Dont go to the all inclusive beach party.. skimpy on food and drink. All we did was lay around. DO go to the 600 ft. waterfall climb... its long and not too step, great trip!

2 - Grand Caymen - Unfortunately it was raining this day. I went to some of the shops before stopping by Churchill's and grabbing some sticks to take to you guessed it.... Margarittaville.

~ Went here, it was also cloudy that day... This island has tons of shipwrecks, i suggest snorkeling or scuba if certified.. I Also agree on the choice of sticks.. pretty good selection and the margrittaville is one of the main things to do here.

3 - Cozumel - Went to one of the all-inclusive places and snorkeled, drank, rented jet skis, drank, got sunburned, drank, got a massage on the beach, drank and then we had some beers. Great stop!

~ We went to Costa Maya Mexico, its a small port with lots of shopping. We did a private beach tour which was great!


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Bottom line.. I loved the Carnival Cruise I went on. Great food, the only set back is alcohol, smuggle some in if you can!
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:-):-):-)

Ditto....and just think, they paid us to do it!!! Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Mediterranean, North Atlantic...all free on the taxpayers dime. Smoked stogies on the fantail, surf and turf nights, and of course....brought home many bottles of gin, rum, whisky duty free! Damn....just didn't know how good I had it! :-)
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I've been on a few cruises, all within the last five years. I can relate a few experiences...

* Avoid Holland America Cruise Line at all costs. Nice ship, big rooms, nightmare crew.

* If you go to the Carribean, be sure one of your stops is the Virgin Gorda in BVI. Unreal. The Eastern Carribean was much better than the Western Carribean, in my experience. Better ports, nicer weather, more to see, etc.

* Most cruise lines outline their smoking policy on their website. Make sure you can smoke stogies on your balcony - at the very least. Some allow room + balcony, some balcony only, some = none at all.

* Bring image-stabilized binocs, if possible, especially in the Carribean, lots to see :-)
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Where can you find the smoking options on the Cruise line websites
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For Royal Caribbean, under Customer Support, under Frequently asked questions.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/custom...33&faqType=faq

P.S.
Don't think I was able to smoke on my balcony.
Everyone did it.
Stateroom attendant won't care as long as you don't stink up the room.
I made sure the door was closed at all times.
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Thanks for the input all, very interesting. Intersting that all had mostly positive things to say. Good things to think about.
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Is it worth it to pay the extra money for the balcony, or are there plenty of other places on the ship were you can smoke?
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