Going on a cruise next week

But not too tan, am I right?

 

The balcony room is worth it, IMHO, because when the pool is packed and there's not a chaise lounge to be found, I can read on the balcony with all the peace and solitude I could ask for. Kick up the feet . . . read . . . take a nap . . . or watch the ocean go by; life is good. There's no one to make sure you have a cocktail, but I can take care of that myself.

 

Plus you can have sex on the balcony, ala Toronto Skydome.

 

We're planning another cruise this year and while I'd like a window in our room, we decided to save the money because you spend very little time in your room. (Why would you?)

As others have said, we spent the most money in the casino and onn drinks (in that order). Avoid the casino if you can. The slots/video poker machines are really tight and the tables not only had goofy rules, you get hacks playing who don't know what the hell they're doing and will screw up your hand. (Release the hounds.) My advice would be to enter a tournament. We played in a blackjack tournament for something like $20 apiece and that was fun.

We got a fifth of tequila on board in our luggage figuring they can't possibly check the contents of bags belonging to 3,000 people and we had no trouble getting it through. We're going to take two this time. If they find it, so be it. We only lost $40. If they don't, we've saved a pile.

We didn't take any excursions in the Bahamas but we enjoyed sitting on the beach during two ports. Nassau, however, was a real dump. We're not going back there but if we ever did we decided to take an excursion inland to avoid the nasty area near the water.

Have fun! Best vacation I ever had and I've been to some nice places. (And leave the laptop at home and turn off the cell phone. You'll thank me later.)

 

Best thing about the balcony is the fresh air/being able to open the door to hear the ocean.

One other tip. Most cruise lines are pretty anal about having clean hands and minimizing risk of norovirus, but you might want to bring your own wipes just in case.

 

I've never done the cruise thing, but the wife and I have done quite a few beachfront vacations in the Caribbean. Have always wondered about a cruise and this thread has my interest piqued. Is there a particular cruise line that does it better?

 

That is an excellent idea. Why don't you get one organized?

 

I was horrified to get an email at work advertising an Adult Fantasy Cruise out of Key West.
Then I thought of SportsJournalists.com. Anyone interested in watching SportsJournalists.com folks fuck? Or participating in the actual fucking?

 

If you get a great deal on a balcony for an Alaskan cruise, then yeah it's worth the money, but the few cruises I've been on I didn't bother but one time. On an Alaskan cruise the deck isn't as crowded as a Bahama cruise. A lot of that is because even in the dead of summer the Alaskan air can be cold, so if nothing else the balcony room gives you a good window. But that being said, there are plenty of places on board inside where you can usually find a seat and a good view. We'd go to the game/family room on the ships that have them. It's not a room most people know about or go to, cuz it's just there.

I will often get off the boat at the stops, but don't pay for any excursions. Mostly I may walk to a store or two within range, then go back to the empty boat. Some boats do have activities for people who don't want to get off, but heck, it's also a good time to walk around the boat and find stuff you hadn't found yet with no crowd. Or just nap.

I've spent a few too many hours in the casinos. Gamble some, but also be aware, many ships will have bad payouts. And some ships that have poker rooms have ridiculous rakes. Have fun, but know before your play if you are getting screwed or not.

And as for food 24 hour room service is awesome. Your body knows when it's had too much. You paid for the food, go ahead and eat it. I live like a poor journalist on and at work. Live like a king when you can.

 

Well, that would be interesting. But I've kind of soured on cruises. Haven't been on one in three years. There's never enough deck chairs near the pool. I prefer now to just fly to a Caribbean island. Saint Maarten is usually where I go.

 

Bon voyage!
Fairwell!
Bon Voyage!

 

Some good points on here. My wife had long wanted to go on a cruise, and we took Norwegian Cruise Lines to Alaska last summer. It was a "kids sail free" week, and since we could just drive over to Seattle, it was actually more affordable than staying in Seattle hotels for a week.

A few tips:

* I agree about getting an inside room. You'll basically just sleep, change clothes and ____ in there (if no kids are around ).

* Be aware that the pools are salt water. I got a couple eyefuls of it before figuring it out.

* Book the shore excursions yourself. If you look into it ahead of time, you can save a good chunk of change.

* Use any onboard credit you receive to eat at one of the "pay extra" restaurants. Our kids were old enough (teens) to fend for themselves for one dinner, and we had a great meal at the Italian restaurant.

And on the nights you're aboard the ship instead of on-shore, go ahead and check out the entertainment. It was better than I thought it would be.