Tell me all about cruises

[Bernadine]

I’m thinking of doing a family cruise next spring, and I’m leaning towards either Royal Caribbean or Carnival and leaving out of Baltimore but really, I’m open to anything. H and I have never been on a cruise, so I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly!

[sju]

We have not cruised in a while but prefer Royal Caribbean over Carnival. I found a YouTube channel called Tips for Travellers and he is very good. We are interested in going on a Mediterranean cruise in the future and were looking for tips.

[ssmjlm]

Going out of Baltimore in the spring won't be super warm. The bay passage isn't bad, but then the Atlantic can be rough. Those are also smaller ships because of the waterways and bay bridge.

We love cruising, but we vacation to relax 90% of the time. I like being able to drop my bags, unpack, and then visit various islands each day.

We prefer Princess of all the lines. RC was ok, but I felt like they treated people weirdly. You had to stand in line for pool towels, they roped off areas of shows for certain guests and then left them empty if no one showed up. Their ships are huge and cool, but it's also really crowded feeling.

We're toying with a cruise out of Norfolk, since that's local. We could pay for a suite since no air fare. I'm waiting to see if the 2024 schedules are fuller.

[estrellita]

We went on a Disney cruise in Jan 2020 and IMO it was worth every penny. I felt like there was a lot to do, great food, amazing service, and everything seemed clean. I think you get a lot for the money. Other than tips, everything is included that you would need - food, non alcoholic drinks, entertainment, etc. We only paid extra for alcohol and souvenirs. You can add on things like excursions, spa services, reservations at the nice restaurants (but the included ones are great!), things like that, but there aren't really any hidden fees. I'd love to book another someday!

ETA: Sorry, missed the Baltimore part! I don't think they have any that leave from there but there might be some rare ones from NY maybe? Otherwise the majority leave from Port Canaveral in FL.

[fortnightlily]

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?

[dirtyred]

Do not take Carnival.  I like Royal Caribbean or Celebrity (Aqua class specifically).  I loved all the food--so good!  So many international dishes!  Desserts to die for!

Personally, I found the ship tours and classes offered more interesting than the shore excursions, but I'm nosy and like hearing about how everything works.

[ssmjlm]

Jan 11, 2023 8:09:45 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?
I have no felt crowded on any cruises. We did have to wait for ice skating, but they gave us a return time, so it wasn't bad, but the ice rink was small and limited supplies, obviously.

On princess and RC, we never had issues with pool chairs. The one carnival we did with extended family, they wanted front and center, but we were fine where it was quieter. I actually prefer being a deck up from the pool, but near the stairs, less traffic back and forth around you.

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?
We usually do ship excursions, so no. We've always had time before/after excursions and make it back on the boat.

One time in Alaska we were at the end of the line to get back on board, but we weren't "late." The excursion was later than planned getting back. If you are on a ship excursion they have to wait for you.

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?
My dad can't do rides, but has no issue with cruises. The Carribean and Alaska were always calm for us.

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?
I would get a balcony cabin. Being able to go outside and see the horizon can be helpful.

[rubytue]

We cruise fairly regularly, and very near in Baltimore. A trip out of Baltimore is on our list someday, because we want to sail down the bay, but nothing has ever worked out. Every time we have looked, the cost and ports don’t do much for us, and we end up flying to Florida and going from there. You just lose too many days in transit. And you really have to do in May or June to appreciate the 8 hour trip in the bay. The carnival one tends to just go the Cape Canaveral and Nassau, and that does not draw me in. The Bermuda trips on Royal have tempted us, but those are usually fall, so you lose the light for the bay passage. And then, the price is higher than Florida. So my advice is to not be stuck on Baltimore, especially if you goal is to go to the Caribbean. And even Bermuda is a better value out of New York. I hate this because I would love the local port.

On the other hand, if it’s a family trip, perhaps it’s less about going to the small islands and days in the ship with activities would be fine/good. FWIW, we’ve only been on Royal once (never carnival), but it was a very family demographic. The nights tended to feel like the adults were out on date night because the kids were old enough to be at the kids club by themselves, so mom and dad were going to party.

My coworker took the family on the carnival trip from Baltimore one year and hated it. They went at Christmas, and so Florida and the Bahamas weren’t warm enough or exotic enough. One of their kids got hurt on a slide and they didn’t like the response (I don’t remember details, and not a serious injury, just that she was I’ll huffy about it). Honestly, i take her opinion with a large grain of salt, but, it’s the only report I have of that cruise.

ssmjlm , is right, the ships tend to be smaller because of the Key Bridge (which is lower than the bay bridge). We would sometime be fishing in the patapsco at 4:30 ish when the ships leave, and that carnival whale tail always seems sooooooo close to the road deck. I’m sure it wasn’t as close as it looked, but from a distance, it looked like it cleared by inches. There is a newish shipping dock just outside the key bridge (sparrows point) because of the height.

[Deleted]

We love cruising! We've been on a dozen - Caribbean, New England/Canada, Alaska (highly recommend), Mediterranean, and Baltic. We've only ever gone with Royal, so I can't speak to the other lines. We're going on a cruise in early February out of LA and it hits 3 ports in the Mexican Riviera.

If we're cruising the Caribbean, we'll generally fly to Florida (Miami or Ft. Lauderdale) and board there. We've gone out of Port Liberty (Bayonne, NJ, which is an easy drive for us) for the New Enland/Canada itinerary, and last year we went out of Bayonne for a Carribean itinerary, but it was summer so the first 2 days of cruising we were able to be outside and use the pool. It really depends on the time of year and your itinerary. If you go out of Baltimore, that's a smaller port so it's limited to the size of ship. IIRC the RC Oasis class would not be able to be accommodated there. In the fall, the Caribbean can be dicey with hurricanes and rougher waters, but the ships can easily change course to avoid the worst of it. The rates are also cheaper this time of year. I can't say enough about the port in Bayonne - parking is easy, getting in/out from the cruise was a breeze.

It has never felt crowded to me, except on smaller ships on at-sea days because EVERYone is at the pool - but that's more when you're trying to get a seat directly at the pool. There are plenty of lounge chairs a deck up that overlooks the pool.

I would agree with the others who said to get a balcony room, the basic balcony staterooms are nice. There are 2 chairs and a side table out there. We've gotten room service for breakfast and eaten out there - go for the starboard side, the view is better when you're in port.

There in addition to the formal dining room, there are specialty restaurants (they all have a chophouse, some of the larger ships have Jamie Olivers Italian, I can't remember the name of the Asian restaurant - but that one is REALLY good). Wait until you're on the ship a day or two in and there are always deals.

The drink package depends on how heavy you drink during the day IMO. We don't drink a lot during the day - most of the time we're on an excursion, but if you're plan to lounge at the pool most day and have a couple of drinks during the day and a couple at night, then the drink package pays for itself (so about 4-5 drinks per day is what I think we figured it out to be). We pay for drinks as we go.

Can't say enough about the RC excursions. Take advantage of those because it's organized by RC and if there's a delay or issue, the ship won't leave without you, whereas if you do something separate from what the ship offers it's all on you - I don't ever want to worry about that.

Are you think a Caribbean itinerary? Or Bermuda?

[Jalapeñomel]

We did a Caribbean Carnival cruise, and it was ok. The food was mediocre, and I got bored and seasick, even with the patches. I swore off cruises after that one.

But in 2019 we did a Disney cruise, and it was super fun. The food was good, so much entertainment for adults and kids (as well as the kids club stuff). So if I had to do another one, I'd do Disney, otherwise, I'd skip a cruise and do an all-inclusive somewhere instead.

[rubytue]

Jan 11, 2023 8:09:45 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?

1. This will depend. We are not pool people, but I hear that the pool area can get crowded, people putting towns down at 6am to save chairs and not showing up til mid afternoon. Some ships claim to have policies that you can’t do this and they remove unattended items. From what I’ve heard, it’s rarely enforced. H like a few hours in a lounger in the sun, and he usually doesn’t have trouble finding one, but he will go to upper decks, front of the ship, etc. not by the pool.

2. Yes and no. We rarely do shop excursions, and I tend to stress getting back. I’ve never even been close to being late, but it can make me anxious. Like we get back an hour before last call, H wants to visit duty free before we go back, and I’m all “nope nope nope.” And I’ll get on the ship without him. That said, even is you do a non-ship excursion- they know the ship schedule, and they know if their tour misses the boat, there goes their future bookings. Usually, my stress moments are when we doing have something arranged, like we took a taxi to the beach. But, it’s not like I don’t feel I have enough beach time or that I’m leaving early. Just come 2:00, I’m starting to think about heading back. 

3. Not something I’ve ever dealt with, but I know people who do and swear by the patches. but then you get dry mouth wearing them for days. 

4. we are balcony snobs. We’ve once had a room with a porthole, for a charter music cruise so not much time in the room. But we are not highly social people and love to just sit on the balcony on sea days and read. I’m going on my first cruise in an interior with no window in 10 days. It’s also the charter music cruise, and I’m not going with H. We shall see how it goes. 

[buckeyegirl]

I have cruised with Disney, Royal, MSC, Norwegian and Carnival. They all had different styles and appeals. The only one I wouldn't do again is Carnival. I have cruised the most with MSC and have a NYC cruise booked for this summer. Usually it's me, DH, DS10 and DS6.

Our NYC MSC cruise goes to all ports we've been to and has lots of sea days. We are doing this cruise because it's cheap, we don't have to fly and we want to experience the ship. Many of the new ships are destinations on their own right.

Royal was a mega ship and very cool however, we can do 2 MSC cruises for the price of one Royal usually.

Disney was very nice but expensive as well. If my kids had more into character experiences it would have been worth it. We were not on the newest Disney ship. The newer Royal and MSC ships are way cooler with more kid activities than the Disney ship we were on.

We tend to book based on ship activities, price, then look at ports of call.

[NewGirlNic]

I've never cruised out of Baltimore. I have cruised out of NYC and never again. The trip down and back to the Bahamas the water was so rough. Even with the motion sickness patch I was so sick. I like to leave out of Orlando or Miami. I've also cruised out of Puerto Rico. 

I've done both Carnival and Royal. I think they are similar, with Royal being a bit nicer but not by much. Carnival is more kids/families (though there are lots of kids on Royal too). I think the newer ships on both lines are always the way to go. 

The food is okay. Better than a lot of all inclusives I've been to. They all have specialty restaurants you can pay extra for and those are always very good. Steakhouse, hibachi table/sushi etc. 

You'll never be bored. There is so much to do (both on the ship and when in port). Many of the ships have ice rinks, roller coasters, rock climbing, bumper cars etc etc. The evening shows are very entertaining. There is always things like comedy shows (they'll even have family friendly comics), karaoke, magic shows, game shows that the audience can be chosen to participate in. 

On sea days, the pools and lounge chairs can be hard to come by. I don't love the pools... they are salt water pools and VERY salty. 

My biggest gripe is how much they crowd the ships. It's like a herd of cattle getting into certain areas during busy meal times and off the boat in port. 

Get motion sickness patches for the adults. Kids I find are usually fine (unless yours have know motion sickness issues) I usually have Dramamine and SeaBands for DS and he's never had an issue. 

ETA: Get a balcony room if you can. It's worth the extra money and feels less like a sardine can. I love to be able to watch the sunrise from the balcony or get fresh air whenever I'm feeling a little seasick. 

[buckeyegirl]

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?
It can at times. However, most of the crowding is around the elevator. If you're fine using the stairs then a lot of the crowding can be eliminated. Pools are usually crowded. If you want a front row seat to the pool or to actually be in the pool it will be crowded. Pools are usually less crowded on port days.

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?
Not usually. People are usually getting off the ship at staggered times based on their excursions. There is usually a rush right when the ship starts to allow people off then it slows down.

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?
I don't get motion sickness so I can't speak to this too much. No one in my family has ever had an issue.

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?
The cabins are on the small side but I always try to get a balcony. I think that helps with making the room feel larger. Nobody in my group has ever been sick.

My son was 2ish when we went on a Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise. He was playing in a lobby that had a glass end table. He fell and hit his head. I was the only one with him. His head was bleeding profusely. I started screaming for my DH who was still in the room. Our housekeeper arrived first and rushed us to the medical facilities. They stitched him up and took complete care of him. I was never asked for any payment or insurance. No questions asked, they just treated my child. The waiter we had been with all week held our dinner for us. And as we walked back to the room that night we noticed the table had been removed. Royal's service for us in that situation was very good.

[icedcoffee]

We LOVE cruising because it's really affordable and feels luxurious. We would never be able to travel as often as we have if not for cruises.

We prefer Royal Caribbean by A LOT to Carnival. We'll actually probably never do Carnival again after our last one with them a few years ago.

Leaving out of Baltimore is SOOOO easy. It's a great way to travel with kids because no flying! That said..the ships out of Baltimore are kind of meh. Would you consider going out of Cape Liberty, NJ? They get better ships and it's still easily driveable.

We always get an inside cabin.  You really don't spend any time there.  :::shrug:::

[icedcoffee]

Oh...and we haven't done a Disney cruise and they sound great, but my god they are expensive and IMO the Royal Caribbean kids programs and stuff are really good so I think Royal is a really good "budget" option compared to Disney. I guess you need to decide if the price difference is worth it to you.

[tacokick]

I’ve done a cruise out of Baltimore once and my parents have many times.

It’s always been during cold weather and it was fine. The worst part was coming back to snow. My parents came to pick us up and were very late and we weren’t allowed to stay in the terminal once we passed security. My parents had our coats since we didn’t need them on board and it was so cold and snowing.


The upside was that even though it was cold, we didn’t need big coats on the ship for the parts going to and from Baltimore. It goes pretty quickly and we timed it so arrived back in the morning so we woke up to cold weather rather than spending a day in it. On the way there we just mostly stayed inside.

It’s fun leaving from Baltimore when you are local because you end up meeting other locals on board. We became friends with one couple we met there and spent time with them out in the “real world” for years.

We did not get seasick and we had a room with no window but high on the boat. I knew I was never going to sit on a balcony or sit in the room longer than it took me to fall to sleep so it didn’t make sense to pay for a window/balcony. The whole rest of the ship is windows.

Major drawbacks was it was a long trip and the sea days were boring. Major plus was we had a lot of time on the islands.

My parents had a great time on all their trips going both south to Bermuda and the Caribbean and north to Canada until they got norovirus on one and were quarantined to their room for most of it. That sounded horrible. Ships are really crowded and germ factories.

[shauni27]

Jan 11, 2023 8:09:45 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?

take what I say with a grain of salt, because I have never cruised, lol. But my best friend just returned from one that left from NY (her first ever) on a Norwegian cruise and these are her thoughts:

Even with a motion sickness patch she got very seasick. It was ROUGH until they got to the Caribbean. 
She loved the food.
She hated feeling like cattle to get on and off the boat at each port. She said it would take hours.
Their room was comfortable and had a balcony, so it was like expanded space for them.
These are the things that she has commented on most. She said she would never do a cruise again.

[luckystar2]

Jan 11, 2023 8:09:45 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?

1. I really wouldn’t say it felt super crowded. The first cruise I went on was a while ago and only had specific mealtimes. So it was crowded during that time. But I like the anytime diming and didn’t feel crowded with that. I didn’t use the pool much if any honestly. Our last cruise was carnival with my dd. She used it. The pools were SMALL. I was really disappointed with that. But they also had water slides so she enjoyed that more.

2. Ports - yes it always felt like herding cattle. My absolute least favorite part of cruising. I hate crowds and this sucked. Feeling rushed - at times. Some places we had more time than others. Our last cruise I only did carnival excursions so it did feel less stressful and didn’t have to worry about getting back on time. The other cruises I did my own shore excursions and that was stressful. One stop my friends and I were running to catch the ship. It was a close call. I like finding my own thing but it definitely has its cons too.
The nice thing about cruises is being able to see several places. But when we found a place we loved it was super frustrating to have to leave sooner than we would have liked.

3. My friend (who has cruised before) told us we wouldn’t feel anything when I went on first cruise. With a big ship you don’t always feel the movement. But we had bad weather and me and my friend who had never cruised before either both were sick. My second cruise was mostly ok. The third cruise, my dh dd and I all felt pretty seasick the first day or so. I had otc meds and the seasick bands. After a few days it was ok. After the cruise though I was very “seasick”. I had disembarkment sickness where I was feeling like I was swaying/rocking and dizzy for days after. It had never happened on my other cruises but now I’m kind of hesitant to cruise again because of it.

4. A regular cabin is claustrophobic. For my 3rd cruise I got a balcony and it was fantastic. It really helped feel not claustrophobic. It was nice if you wanted to get away from people to have our own private balcony. I really enjoyed grabbing coffee and sitting on it reading in the mornings or evenings. A big concern I would have nowadays is getting Covid and being quarantined. I would worry too much about that to cruise nowadays. But if I did cruise I would 100% get the balcony so you at least have that just in case.


Cruises are ok imo but it’s not my favorite. I think you have to understand what you’re getting into. My first cruise I went with friends and the one friend had gone before and really hyped it up. So I was more disappointed. Second and third cruise I enjoyed more because I knew what to expect.

Personally I would rather go to an island and explore. But a cruise is nice to visit more places and get ideas of where you’d like to visit again.

I’ve done RC, Princess and Carnival. They all had pros and cons.

[shinyhappy]

I haven’t been on a cruise in years, but my one piece of advice is splurge for a balcony. It will make the room feel bigger and less claustrophobic.

ETA-one more thing-I would not cruise out of Baltimore. If you can swing it, pay the extra money for a flight and cruise out of Florida. The prospect of rough, cold days on the Atlantic gives me anxiety.

[ssmjlm]

Couple additional thoughts:

If you go out of a non-local port, fly in the day before. Just save yourself a same day headache with travel, esp lately.

Some ports we're not really into, so we may walk around in the morning, but go back around lunchtime. The BOAT IS EMPTY. It's amazing. You feel like you have the pools to yourself basically.

Disney does not have gambling. My parents really enjoy the casino, so that is a big con for us on top of the pricing. Disney is especially pricey because the staff to passenger ratio is lower.

[Deleted]

Jan 11, 2023 11:32:07 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Couple additional thoughts:

If you go out of a non-local port, fly in the day before. Just save yourself a same day headache with travel, esp lately.

Some ports we're not really into, so we may walk around in the morning, but go back around lunchtime. The BOAT IS EMPTY. It's amazing. You feel like you have the pools to yourself basically.

ALL OF THIS!

[fortnightlily]

Talk to me about port/ship excursions, because when I just browse the websites I don't always see options through the cruiseline listed. Disney lets me search excursions: disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/caribbean/list/costa-maya-mexico/ but I can't find anything comparable on the Royal Caribbean website. Does that mean if I book RC I have to just arrange all the port tours on my own through a third-party?

[mags]

We prefer Celebrity or Princess
Carnival is awful IMO

Royal Caribbean have beautiful ships but too many kids for us. They would be my #1 choice if we had young kids. There is so much to do, the food is good, and the kids will love it.

We leave from NYC/NJ most of the time, but also have flown to other ports.

[majique]

Jan 11, 2023 12:06:21 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Talk to me about port/ship excursions, because when I just browse the websites I don't always see options through the cruiseline listed. Disney lets me search excursions: disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/caribbean/list/costa-maya-mexico/ but I can't find anything comparable on the Royal Caribbean website. Does that mean if I book RC I have to just arrange all the port tours on my own through a third-party?

You can search ports and excursions for RC here www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/shore-excursions

You might need to have an idea of ship and date to find excursions for specific ports.

[abs]

Jan 11, 2023 8:09:45 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?

1.  Yes and no.  It feels crowded the first day and at certain times (like lining up for shows or at breakfast in the buffet).  It's easy to find quiet spots, too, though.

2.  No to feeling rushed.  If you book excursions through the cruise line they will hold the boat for you if an excursion is running late.  You usually have plenty of time in each port though and it's never been an issue for us.  Do you feel like cattle leaving the boat?  100% yes.  It's one of my least favorite parts. They usually stagger it though and those with early excursions get priority.

3.  Yep.  Sea Bands or patches help tremendously.

4.  No.  The cabins are small but somehow spacious.  We do always get a balcony though.  My favorite thing is to sit out there and read on sea days.  Will you get sick?  Yes probably.  There are no Covid precautions.  You will get it.  Of everyone I know that cruised last year (including us) about 75% of them all got sick.  We didn't but only because we had gotten it a few weeks prior to sailing.  My MIL and SIL both tested positive within days of getting home though.

[stemmie]

Jan 11, 2023 8:09:45 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). There is a lot about it that sounds appealing. But then there are the things that give me pause about a cruise:

Does it feel super crowded? Is there a lot of fighting for space at the pool, or waiting in line for activities?

I've cruised twice, Disney Magic to Eastern Carribean and NCLA Pride of America around Hawaii. I have also planned cruises on Princess for my parents' 50th and to Bermuda out of NYC (Royal Carribean) for my niece's honeymoon. I never felt crowded personally, but I don't typically hang out around the pool during peak hours. It's not my thing.

Do you feel rushed at the port excursions? Herded like cattle? Stressed about making it back on board in time?

It depends. If this stresses you out, book the cruiseline's excursions and you'll not miss the boat. I have friend who have toured Europe and attempted to get into Rome who felt very rushed. On the Hawaiian cruise we overnighted at 2 ports which was great. The Bermuda cruises do this as well. 

If I'm prone to motion sickness am I going to struggle with seasickness?

My niece was sick as a dog crossing the Gulf Stream on the Bermuda cruise. This is unusual for her. She's a master diver and spends a far amount of time in boats on the ocean and has never been as sick as she was then. 

Do the cabins feel claustrophobic? Will I get sick and have to stay in my cabin the whole time?

I tend towards claustrophobia so I book balcony rooms. But I suspect any outside cabin would be fine. When my BIL and SIL were young they cruised a lot and always did an inside room so they could sleep in. They never hung out in their rooms. I often do.

Bernadine, I have heard too many bad things from friends who've done Carnival. IME, the "better" ports have the newer and better ships, so I wouldn't do a local port. Often you can get a better package price out of NYC, FL or PR than you can Boston, Baltimore or even NOLA. 

Cruises are really easy travel. They aren't my favorite kind of travel but sometimes they're cost effective or simpler. I could see them as a great family trip as the options for food and activities is broad enough to suit a range of tastes and ages. We did the Hawaii cruise to narrow down which island we'd return to. DS was middle school aged and enjoyed exploring the ship; he especially enjoyed the library for some reason and meals on deck. In Hilo he felt confident enough to go on an excursion without us and return to the ship while we spent more time in town. 

[redheadbaker]

I've been on four Royal Caribbean cruises. They are fun, though not my first choice of vacation. Food (especially breakfast and lunch) is mediocre cafeteria food. Dinner is better.

However, being emetaphobic, the risk of norovirus makes me anxious most of the time I'm on the cruise. And now add in COVID, and the environmental impact of cruising, and I pretty much never want to go on one again.

[meanie]

Our first and last cruise was on Carnival, the boat was being decommissioned after our cruise so it wasn't the fanciest - I'm sure they have much nicer ships!

Things we learned were -

Tip up front - most people do this, but my H was being stubborn about the idea of tipping up front and then no one came to service our room

Get a window - the trip back was long and we hit very choppy water, having a window helped us not feel super sick

Get to know the crew - we spent most of our time at a few places (like the same bar each night) and got to know the people working on the ship, they were super nice

I think our kids would love a cruise, even if it wasn't our favorite vacation. I would book every excursion and try to do every activity!

[livinitup]

I’ve had 2 friends go on the exact same cruise around the exact same time, and one loved it and one hated it.

“And then at midnight, they rolled out a pizza buffet! It was great.”
“And then at midnight, they rolled out a pizza buffet. It was terrible.”

“They had so many great live shows.”
“The live shows were the worst.”

I liked my cruise very much. But it really takes getting into the “cruise” mindset. And a little bit of work to match what you like with what they offer. My H and I always did the fancy lunch (with the limited menu) in the dining room (lots of salads) but loads of people skipped it and opted for the huge buffet. To each their own!