Thanks so much for all of the good advice. I will be sharing it with my husband, especially** Count Blucher’s ** excellent point about the 2-carat sapphires.
araminty, I share your concern about the environmental impacts (and labor practices) of cruise ships. That’s a big part of why I haven’t been on a cruise before, and I don’t plan to become a frequent cruiser. But for this one particular trip, we’ve decided a cruise is the way to go.
Some things not mentions. (I’ve been on three - QE2 across the Atlantic, south Carribean and up the Orinocco, and Alaska.)
I agree that room size doesn’t count for much. We’ve always had inside rooms, to save money and, the last time, since we booked late, but I think next time we’ll splurge on a window.
We had good success with searching for cruise deals on line. The last time we went was during the bubble and before 9/11, so the companies might be cheaper to book directly now.
We’re big fans of the formal dining room, and getting a big table. We’ve always enjoyed meeting other people at dinner. On the QE2 we were at the table of the Chief Engineer, and got to go to a cocktail party in his cabin.
I agree with the person who mentioned do side trips far away. Ports are intereting, but there is time to walk around and buy cheap junk after the trip. Think about reserving early, since a lot of the good trips get booked long before the cruise. Some of them seem expensive, but I think it’s worth it, since it is an opportunity that you might not be able to repeat.
If you’re flying to your embarkation point, go the day before!!! When we flew to Vancouver for our Alaska cruise, the plane was hours late. Some people in the waiting room were going to leave that evening, and they didn’t make it. We were happy we were doing other things before embarkation.
Most ships have casinos. Unless you’re an addict, I’d recommend not gambling much. You’re the definition of a captive audience. I did the trivia games, but I’m good at that and I like winning things.
Explore. One of the best hours on the Alaska cruise consisted of sitting in the library, listening to a CD I had bought in Victoria, and watching the coast go by out the window,