Paulapoo,
You reminded me that both times we have gone to Alaska, the first day at sea was very rough. The first time we went, I put on a scopalamine patch before we left port. I'd never been on a cruise ship before, but I always get sea sick in smaller boats, so I was taking no chances - but my big strong hubby was having none of that seasick patch.

Well, the first day we woke up and went to breakfast. It was rough, and you could feel the ship rocking. I looked at my hubby and he was green. We went right back to the room, he put on a patch and went to bed. He was OK the rest of the trip.

This last trip, he went ahead and put on the patch the first day like me. Sure enough the next morning, it was rougher than the first trip we took. Many many people were sick.

I don't think the Caribbean cruises are as rough - but the waters getting from Vancouver to the Inside Passage of Alaska can be quite wavey! My motto is, "be prepared"

We went to the Eastern Caribbean for our honeymoon on Holland America (we were in our late 20's) and it was a wonderful cruise - like others have said very much an older - experienced crowd, but we found other honeymooners like us.

Last year we went to the Mexican Riviera on Royal Caribbean and we brought our two children (3 & 7) with us, and that was great. They have a kid's program that a lot of the kids stay in, plus there is an Adult Only pool area for those wanting time away from kids.

We are leaving in 3 weeks for the same cruise. Royal Caribbean is a nice "middle of the road" cruise line. I have heard Carnival is a party boat (at least the shorter cruises) but can't comment as I haven't tried them.

We have decided this is the best way for us to vacation. I love not having to unpack more than once and we can see different places. Our kids love it too! We are going to try the 14 night Hawaii cruise next year.

I have been on 4 cruises and all were on Carnival. All were different ships and they did the exact same things on each ship. Next time I go it will be on a different cruise line.

We're doing Canada / New England States in just a few weeks. Has anyone taken that cruise? We like ships that are geared to older people, as we are older people...:p

We are going on Princess. They have a hugh outdoor theatre where they show movies and they seem to have a lot to do. We have a lot of shore excursions planned, so I don't think we'll get bored.

We did Holland America on the Alaskan cruises and Rowdy's Mom is right. Don't take a chance.... Get the patch. Our first trip to Alaska in May of 2002 or 2003 and it was rough the first day. Then we went the week of May 12th, 2004 and it was never rough. So don't take a chance.

And have a great time, no matter where you go!

The only cruises I have been on so far are the Carribbean ones but we are doing one of the Greek islands next summer & would love to do an Alaskan some time as well.

I've never done Holland America. Of the ones we have done, I preferred Princess. My husband and I also think the balcony is worth the money. The first one we went on was an inside cabin & we much prefer the balcony.
Aside from the view which is very important, the rooms are just nicer and more roomy.

I know you will have a wonderful time. Don't get too uptight about the clothing thing. A nice black dress or even dressy pants can cover almost everything. Definitely don't skip the great meals regardless of how you are dressed.

The entertainment can vary widely but it is part of the experience.:)

My hubby and I were going for a 3 day. It was Royal Carr. We never got on the boat, they called the police and refused to give our $$ back. My husband was born in France, he had a birth certificate, but didnt have his citizenship papers (ex wife shredded them) This by the way is an excellent form of torture as it requires several hundred dollars, a few months and a trip to the federal building to be interviewed by homeland security to get a new copy. We never yelled or got angry. We totally went with the a$$ kissing approach to try to convince them to let us on the boat, I was very upset when about 5 cops surrounded us with their arms crossed and followed us out of the building. They said it was his fault for not being prepared, and that I chose not to board (like I would go alone) OK im done venting. I went on a 7day for my first. It was too long in my opinion.

I've been on about 6 cruises....my favorite line is NCL. Favorite cruise.....Southern Caribbean (you get a little mexico, a little caribbean). What you have to remember to bring is: Blow dryer (they don't supply), make sure your clothes are all ironed (bring hanging bag), bring wrinkle spray (they don't have irons). Make sure to bring sweaters (it gets cold at nite with all the air conditioning). Make sure to bring jeans or sweats to wear in the evening. I just got back from a cruise to Cabo and I brought shorts and beach clothes for the day and dresses for dinner but didn't bring items to wear at nite that were warm and casual. You have to embrace the cheesieness of cruising....to to all the fun and game they have! I'm sure you will have a blast wherever you go.

What a great post - hubby and I have been discussing the cruise ship thing...he for..me not..hahaha...because I can't swim. :eek: :eek: I love the water but I get freaky about big ships!! Anyway - I think he has convinced me to go and I for one would love to go see Alaska and thank you to all for the great advice for those that went. Hoping more will post about their experiences so that us "newbie cruisers" can get more ideas on where to go, what ship and what to bring.

I would have never known about the no iron thing...that was great advice to bring wrinkle spray. :thumbup:

I've been on 7 cruises. My favorite islands by far are Aruba and Barbados. I could take or leave the USVI. TeKal and the other places along the Mexican/Guatemalan coast are really cool too. I like the southern and western carribbean cruises the best. Here's my advice:

-Don't go over major holidays or school breaks. There will be less people aboard, and less children that are misbehaving with parents that don't want to supervise them.
-Get travel insurance. Since you book them long before you go, and because you're doing all kinds of crazy stuff you wouldn't normally do (snorkling, off road 4x4 ing, petting sharks/sting rays, parasailing, etc.) it's wise to have that insurance.
-Don't go Carnival. I've been on Carnival 4 of my 7 cruises. The first 3 were about 6-10 years ago, and it was newer and nice and really fun. My last Carnival cruise was my honeymoon 18 months ago in March, and it was the single most worst cruise I've even been on. :( That's a long story, but because of their mistakes, their lack of customer service and care, and because of the overall lessened quality of the cruise experience, I will not be cruising with them again, and caution others not to as well.
-Splurge on a room with a balcony (or at least a window). It's worth the extra $ on a week long cruise to do so.
-Get off that ship! Book your shore excursions ahead of time, so you know what you're doing on which days, and so you can make sure you get to do all the things you want to before they fill up. Also, then it's prepaid so you don't have to worry about it later on. When you plan them, think about what you're doing what day. For example, we went horseback riding for a 1/2 day in Aruba. Good thing it was our last island, and the next day was at a day at sea, because we were sunburned to a crisp, our butts hurt like no other, and we were SO tired!
-Take enough cash with you for spending on shore, and spread it out among the people and luggage you're taking. You can get some at the pursers' office on the ship, but they charge high fees, and the ATM's in port are even higher!
-Use the safe in the room. It's there for your valuables and extra cash. We took off our jewelry and put it in there any time we went ashore or went swimming, so it couldn't fall off or be stolen.
-Take something formal to wear. Depending on the length of your cruise, you will have 1-3 nights of formal wear. Everyone else will be dressed up, so you'll want to be too! Your husband may want to rent a tux from a local tux shop at a weekly rate. It's more expensive on board. Or, a nice suit will work fine too.
-Sunscreen is not an option, it's a requirement. That sun is FAR more powerful than it is in the US. I burned even though SPF 15.
-Buy some cheap watersocks and take old tennis shoes. If you're snorking, walking on a rocky beach, or doing something "dirty" like horseback riding, you'll want shoes you don't care about that can get dirty and wrecked.
-Don't have your nails done before you go!!! You will chip/damage them and there is NO nailpolish on board to buy, so you can't fix it. The ship charges way too much for manicures too, so it's best to go au natural and touch up your toes-bring that one bottle of polish! Also, if you have acrylic nails on, putting on sunscreen will dissolve them :eek: (Can you tell I'm experienced in that one?)
-Someone else said this too, but be cheesy with the cruise event staff. There are only so many things they have to offer to do on board with guests, and they try hard to make things interesting. Go to the silly games, participate in the skits/shows they need volunteers for. It's fun! We went on the "Newlywed/Not so Newlywed Game" on our honeymoon, and we got a free bottle of champagne, and then everyone recognized us for the rest of the cruise-we were mini-celebrities. It was kind of dorky, but fun!
-Don't spend much time in your room. Get out, play the games, go to the shows, EAT, do stuff!! You should only be in your room to sleep, change clothes, and bathe! Plus, though they try hard, the rooms aren't that big!

I have been on 8 cruises also.I loved Celebrity Cruise Lines. We did 2 Carnivals an 2 NCL & 1 RCL, 2 Princess.. Princess Cruise Lines were great too. Carnival was okay. Like most online I think its gears to the younger People. If you are young you will love it! Alot to do on it. Celebrity gears to the older people I think.. We still loved it. I am 53 an Still had fun.. they have all the "Stuff" the other Lines have.. You pick what you want to do. Some are a little pricey. I love to Snorkel and every line has that activity. Princess has great Shows at night. Really, I liked them all. I have been everywhere except over seas (which is next) I would suggest to go all out and get a cabin with a balcony. You will enjoy it in the morning to see the sunrises or sunsets.. and even have breakfast on. Its a once in a lifetime thing.. So go for it!:D