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After years of toying with the idea of cruising, we finally took the plunge in 2006 with Celebrity's Constellation. We had the best room steward of all times--when he saw us in the hallway, he ran to open our stateroom door for us--the food was superb (Michel Roux was the Master Chef) and it was the days of the blow-you-away midnight buffets...

Today, 13 cruises later, while the midnight buffets are gone, we enjoy cruising as much as ever. - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com.

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We did a lot of research before our trip and we kept hearing people raving about Glacier Bay. Now that I've been there, I can see why. It was a remarkable, memorable, once-in-a-lifetime kind of place. I'll see if I can capture it: it's a narrow channel ridged with snow-capped mountains the entire way, several large ice-blue glaciers with calving, water that in spots was completely littered with chunks of ice. It's remote, unspoiled and like no other place I've seen.

By the way, we took Princess, which specializes in Alaska. The benefits were a number of fabulous lecturers, including an interesting naturalist who narrated Glacier Bay while we were there; a seafood buffet; and many special touches.

- Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

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We've been on all your lines except NCL, so I'll offer a few highlights of each. A lot of your choice will depend on your interests:

* Celebrity--offers lectures and computer workshops, cooking demos, a bit better food (things like Solarium spa with made to order salmon), a bit of extra pampering (cold towels on the pier during Caribbean ports, in general, a more sedate crowd, glass blowing demos on some ships

* Princess--outdoor movie theater, a tad better service (particularly in the cafeteria), nice all around experience

* Royal Caribbean--great for active people; ships have features like rock-climbing, surfing from wave-making machines, miniature golf, etc. Oasis class ships have great water shows, ice shows and "neighborhoods" with a full-size carousel. Food isn't as good as the other two lines

Hope this helps. -- Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

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I don't know what port you're leaving from, but if it's Ft. Lauderdale's Port Everglades, I can recommend this site: http://www.porteverglades.net. Go to About Us; on the second row of icons, select Ship Schedule.

Two weeks before the trip leaves, the port publishes the pier number. After leaving from Port Everglades so many times, we've gotten to know where are all the piers are, so we know what to expect (more or less) for parking availability and traffic.

- Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com.

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We were just there in April--it's spectacular. The water is Caribbean turquoise blue and clear, and the swimming is good. There are plenty of lounge chairs everywhere--including under some palms for a bit of shade.

It's picturesque with colorful cabanas, small shops and tropical foliage, so it offers good photo ops. My spouse took a great shot of a hummingbird in flight from one pink flower to another.

It's not quite as large or interesting as Royal Caribbean's Labadee, but certainly nice enough and offers a very relaxing day at sea.

Hope this helped. - Diana,

The great thing about cruising is you can have it all--relax and be alone, be with people and on the go. It will work for both of you. I would recommend Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Princess for a first-time cruise. Just a few of the differences:

• RCI ships have more activities for people on the go (e.g., miniature golf, rock-climbing wall, ice skating rink)
  
• Celebrity excels with lectures, computer classes, cooking demos
  
• A Princess highlight is the Movie Under the Stars outdoor movie screen (think drive-in)
  

You can't go wrong with any of these. Fyi, I strongly disagree with your travel agent. If you're flying to pick up the ship, come in the day before to make sure you and your luggage get there in time. - Diana, www.musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com.

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I'll echo some of what others have said:

* Early is the best--you get great pricing and the best shot at the room you want.

* The middle period is the worst.

* As the trip gets closer, the price will either drop if the ship isn't filled or go up if it is. We've seen both. We booked our upcoming trip on Princess a year in advance and got a mini-suite for the price that the verandah rooms are going for now.

Few other things to consider

* Since deposits are refundable, you can book early and if you have to cancel, you can get your money back.

* If you work with a travel agent, ask him/her whether after booking, if the price goes down, you can have it applied. We were able to do this on several of our trips on Celebrity. The difference comes in the form of a shipboard credit, which you can use for expenses during the trip.

-- Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

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After many trips on Celebrity, HAL and RCI, last year we tried Princess for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed it so much, we're booked for our third on the cruise line. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

You asked about what kind of activities Princess offers. I have a Princess Patter newsletter from our trip this past April on the Caribbean Princess right now on my desk and thought it would help to highlight a few events from it. This was from Friday, April 19, a sea day:

- "Back to the Future" on Movies Under the Stars

- Caribbean Treasures shopping talk

- Adult water volleyball

- Seminar: "Detox for Health and Weight Loss"

- Morning Trivia Challenge

- Seminar: Relieving Back Pain

- "The Princess Bride" on Movies Under the Stars

- Ball Room Dance Class: Cha Cha

- Ping Pong Challenge

They did offer a wine tasting one day during the seven-day trip, but overall, Princess doesn't offer the same array of classes and lectures as Celebrity and HAL, which I think both excel in that area. But, it has lovely ships, great service and an all around good experience. Hope this helped a bit. - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

We were on the Caribbean Princess in April. At least in April they still had the little shampoo bottles and hand creams (they're quite lovely--so much nicer than the wall units!). - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

We were on a number of cruises before trying Princess--several Celebrity, several HAL and one Royal Caribbean. We were pleasantly surprised at our experience on Princess--so much so that we're booked on our third with the line. They're very similar to the other three we've sailed with--the differences are slight. Food and entertainment, for example, are pretty similar. Some highlights of Princess: handsome ships (we've been on Caribbean Princess and Golden Princess), Movies Under the Stars, huge closets in the staterooms (although I've only been in verandah rooms) and especially good service in the cafeteria.

In terms of the best time to book, we've found that the prices are the lowest far in advance and--depending how booked the trip is--towards the end.

Hope that helps! - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

We have been on 5 cruises in the past, 4 with Carnival and 1 with Disney. Due to Princess now sailing from the Houston port we are looking into the February 8th cruise to Cozumel, Roatan, & Belize. We have never sailed with Princess so I am looking for any advice or opinions. We haven't booked yet, so my first question is when would be the best time to book? I did notice that todays price is slightly less than last week...would I benefit by waiting longer to book? It will be my wife and I along with another couple...we are all in our 30's and this will be our break from the kiddos. We are fans of interior rooms...all I plan to do in my room is sleep, so I like it to be as dark as possible. Is there a certain level that you can recommend for the stateroom?

 

I am looking for any and all advice concerning this ship or Princess in general.

 

Thanks,

Brandon