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I am thinking of booking a cruise for 14-15 months out. That gives me plenty of time to get passports which I have never had, my husband's expired years ago. (and cruises aren't too pricey where I live, I can save that moola)

Have you ever been a cruise? Was it a positive experience and loads of fun?

I want to get off the boat at every port just to get my passport stamped.

Please tell me your experiences, I have never done anything like this before and thought if I do retire after the next school year, I should go at least go somewhere for fun.

Chrons, Always good to see you

Most places don't stamp the passport anymore - I was disappointed..

I've been on a couple of cruises. It all depends where your interested to go.

Alaska or Hawaii or Cuba or ???

I think a cruise is the way to travel.

Patsy

The Caribbean is close and goes out from the home port or down in Florida. I thought try something tropical to see what it is like.

The wife and I took a cruise on Royal Caribbean a few years back.

I enjoyed it. She enjoyed it some, but, tending towards motion sickness, she was not really having as good a time as we expected.

I recommend taking some of the sponsored activities ashore, depending on which ports you travel to. Jamaica, for example, is NOT a place to go off wandering by your lonesome.

The whole process is designed to separate you from as much of your money as possible.

Research which ports of call you want, and pick the cruise that fits your wishes. A year from now, Cuba will be on the itinerary, too.

I recommend looking into the Viking Cruise Line and some of their river tours in Europe. The Rhine or Danube, perhaps.

Thank you for your insight Lars. I wasn't planning on Jamaica for a stop, I was thinking Bermuda, Bahamas and some of the smaller islands.

I saw that Cuba is in possible future dates, that would be an interesting stop.

Sorry computer error - I'll re-post

Patsy

I cruised the Mexican Caribbean - the ship was smaller & some did get sick from all the motion. One night it was rough and the plates on the dining room table were sliding.

I cruised the Caribbean - leave from Florida - cruised St. Thomas - St. Martin & a few other islands - return to Florida & spent a week in Florida - wonderful trip.

This ship was larger - no motion - very smooth - didn't feel any movement, and I didn't notice anyone sick.

And I'll cruise the Caribbean again - a lot of fun.

Carnival Cruise has a Cuba cruise started as of now. The cruise intentions are all on board will assist & apply efforts to improve the culture of Cuba. interesting?

I love cruising - I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Patsy

Well,..., you can book a cruise to Cuba today, but they won't start until may of next year, pending approval from Cuba's tourism board.

Looks like you'll have to drop 3 grand to make the trip.

Surely in the next year the options will improve, though.

Some relatives are making arrangement for a private trip later this year. Still a lot of paperwork to do. I put mine in to join them.

Going to take the Hemingway tour.



My favorite ports in the Caribbean are Costa Maya, and Belize.

Barbados is also on my list, but that's another cruise.

With a year to plan, you should be able to find a great cruise trip.

I went on one cruise and found its not my cup of tea. Lon appears to have taken quite a few cruises, perhaps he'll be around to add his views.

I just saw this thread while I was looking through topics on travel. I LOVE cruising. I've been on 9. First one was just local around LA, San Diego, Ensenada, Catalina, just to see if I liked it. I did and then #2- Out of Acapulco to Costa Rica, through the Panama Canal, to Aruba, Curacao, Santo Domingo, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico. #3 was Barcelona to Marseilles, Pisa, Pompeii, Rome, Florence, Naples, Sorrento, Sicily, Venice, Monaco, Paris.

#4 was the Mexican Riviera, 12 days, #5-Tahiti, Bora Bora-12 days, #6 was London to Norway, Iceland, Northern Ireland, #7 was out of New Orleans to Belize and a couple of ports. This was on Norwegian and I hated the ship. #8 was a short trip out of Ft. Lauderdale to The Bahamas. #9 was a 15 day cruise out of LA to Hawaii, 5 ports there and the cruise back. I've been on a couple of the smaller cruise ship lines, as well as Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival, Renaissance, (which sold out to another company, or so I heard. This was my favorite line.) Next to that would be Princess or RC.

If you didn't go already I hope you have a great time. If you did go, tell, tell, tell!

To go on a cruise - this is my biggest dream. I think that there are a lot of fun and interesting things there. Especially now such amazing cruise liners that they almost don't differ from the whole city. So I think that you should try this!

An update.

For our class reunion this May, some have organized a weekend cruise to Havana.

I am thinking it might a fun trip.

LarsMac;1517945 wrote: An update.

For our class reunion this May, some have organized a weekend cruise to Havana.

I am thinking it might a fun trip.


That sounds like fun, going as a class reunion. Never had a desire to go on a cruise, must be something I I don't understand about being confined in a closed container just drinking, eating and playing shuffleboard.

Oh well, whatever floats your boat.:guitarist



Of course, there must be more to it than all that I will never experience and maybe I am just bitter to miss out.

tude dog;1517948 wrote: That sounds like fun, going as a class reunion. Never had a desire to go on a cruise, must be something I I don't understand about being confined in a closed container just drinking, eating and playing shuffleboard.

Oh well, whatever floats your boat.:guitarist



Of course, there must be more to it than all that I will never experience and maybe I am just bitter to miss out.


There is a bit more to do than shuffleboard. They usually travel through the night, and you wake up in a new place.

I'm not sure I want to spend a weekend shut up on a big tin can with people I haven't seen in 50 years, though.

LarsMac;1517945 wrote: An update.

For our class reunion this May, some have organized a weekend cruise to Havana.

I am thinking it might a fun trip.


My wife and youngest daughter spent a month touring western Cuba and cannot recommend it too highly. A half day stopover would just be a taster but definitely worth it, especially if it includes the Saturday evening