Cruising - Lame or Not?

Dag. Well. If its use it or lose it might as well use it. Depending on how much vacation you get from work.

Just make sure it's not one of those time share hard sells where you have to go to a meeting about time share in each port. That would truly suck.

I am not a cruise person, in fact dread the days I am on vacation that the cruise ships arrive. That said if it's truly free with no catches, you should go. You really can't go wrong with any of the destinations. I would probably choose Caribbean out of Miami though. You can get pretty cheap flights to Miami, LA not so much.

I have had young friends go on cruises and some loved and some hated. The main complaint I heard was that drinks were charged ona card so you never knew how much they were until the end. If it's all includedn all the better. Otherwise don't listen to the restrictions on bringing bottles on from stopping points- everyone does it. Also there should be several options for dinner and most of the time they will be casual dress.
I think it could be kind of cool to leave from nyc- see the coast all the way down.
("Crusing" brings to mind another type of adventure!)

Ive taken NCL before...it was so much fun...there are movie theaters, pools, casinos and such...food and room service are free, but alcohol and gratuity arent...its a great way to see different places in a short amount of time... i was 22 at the time, im 27 now...

Damn, I thought this was going to be about the Vale of Cashmere :-)

Took an NCL cruise in July of '01 out of NYC up north to Halifax & we came back south with stops at Bar Harbor, Boston, Martha's Vineyard & Newport. We were on an older ship, the Sea, since retired by NCL and our cabin was very tiny. They started something new back then called 'Freestyle Crusing" that took lots of the formality and rigidity out of the cruise experience. They had various activities on board the ship and you could sign up for various tours at the ports of call or you could just wander around by yourselves. The crew & staff were very friendly and the food was excellent. If you drink you will get hit with a fairly stiff tab depending on how much you party that you have to settle up on the last day of the cruise. They have some special restaurants that cost a little more on board if you want to treat yourself. They had a piano/cigar bar that I found relaxing and pretty quiet. They had a small casino that didn't pay off very well as I remember. You get to sit with different people for each formal meal so you're not stuck with the same people at an assigned table as was the past practice of most cruise lines.

We did this for our 25th anniversary and our travel agent told NCL and we got some very special treatment & surprises from the staff during the cruise.

Overall I found it a nice experience and will do it again someday most likely with a larger group.

Good Luck

I just came back from an NCL cruise. Liked it alot. Left from NYC. The only problem is that the first day there (Bahamas) and the returning last day was too cold outside on deck to do anything. If you fly to Florida and then cruise all your time on ship will be is great weather. Or wait another month until NYC weather warms up. As far as the cruise the night life is great - every night there are shows to see, dancing , bowling, gambling you name it you can do it on ship. The islands we went to were ok. In Florida I went to the Kenndy space center, I enjoyed that. Freeport was a waste of time. But the main island we went to the Atlantis that was unbelievable. If you go take your bathing suit with you and spend the day there.

Personally, I love cruising, and it's what you make it. You will find the population aboard ranges in age from very young to very old. Go to www.cruisecritic.com and/or www.cruisemates.com and check out what others say about the cruises you're thinking of. You can also check out what people say about the ports of call. Aside from gambling, eating and drinking, every ship has a cinema, live theater, piano bar, night club, karaoke, a gym (you need to burn calories) and a pool deck where you can sun yourself. In ports, ships offer overpriced shore activities or you can strike out on your own. If you strike out on your own you should do some research on things to do first, and be very careful to be back at the ship on time, it will leave without you. NCL is a mass market line and generally avoids dangerous places.

Even though your fare is paid for, you will need to tip your waiter and cabin steward and pay for drinks (tips for drinks are automatically added to the bill). Whilst you can use a credit card to establish your onboard account, you can also use cash or travelers' cheques.

It is certainly possible to leave the cruise at a foreign port of call - if it is one of those cruises where you go from NYC to Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, you have to wait for the foreign port or pay the ship's fine for violating the Jones Act which prohibits non-US registered vessels transporting passengers between US ports. You will need to contact the purser's desk to make arrangements to settle your onboard account etc. You will also need to pay for your own trip home - one way international airfares purchased at the last minute are notoriously expensive - it would be far cheaper to lie back and think of England. If you do decide to leave at a port of call you will need a valid passport, and maybe even a visa for the country you're leaving the ship in.

What ever you do, enjoy and stay away from Mexico.