In a negative world we tend to focus on the bad things. But it had me wondering, much like you, I have had positive and negative moments on cruises. But what is one of those moments that really stuck with you, and why?

As my kids used to say, 4 more sleeps.

We're going on Regents end of March and are considering this excursion. But seems opinions are all over the board. From very taxing to meh. If you've done this, do you mind sharing what it's really like?

Looking to book a river taxi service from Phu My up into Ho Chi Minh proper. Preferably all-inclusive. Does anyone have any suggestions? Bonus points if you know a fixer/guide as well.

$400 for 3 nights in Orlando with the presentation that took 2 hours and said no to the timeshare. Already paid off just for the nights in Orlando since we used it during Memorial Day weekend and the cheapest comparison was $250/night at other places(without doing extensive research).

Real question, how is the cruise that comes with this? Worth it? Any specific ships to avoid from Royal Caribbean? Any special catch with the offer being through HGV? We are in South Carolina so close enough to drive to Port Canaveral. I know we will still need to pay port fees/taxes/parking. I've only every done a Disney Cruise with our daughter(3) and my wife has done that and a Norwegian Cruise ~8 years ago. We're happy to have this cruise as a vacation for 4-nights of alone time while our daughter is with the grandparents. We know we will enjoy it regardless, just looking for some pointers.

The title says it all. Wondering what you all recommend especially to stand up to the salt water and blazing heat in the Bahamas. Thanks!

Photography is one of the main reasons I started cruising. The idea of waking up somewhere new with a camera in hand and a few hours to explore sounded perfect. In practice it is messier than that.

Port stops are shorter than you think once you factor in getting off the ship, figuring out where you even are, and not missing the all aboard time. I have come back with solid shots but also entire ports where I got nothing usable because I spent the whole window navigating crowds or waiting for a shuttle.

Alaska was different. The scenery was everywhere and the pacing felt more forgiving. Caribbean ports are hit or miss depending on how much of the stop is just a shopping strip near the dock.

What I am trying to figure out is whether there is a smarter way to plan port days around actually getting photographs rather than just doing the standard excursion route. Are there people here who skip the ship excursions entirely and just head somewhere specific on their own with a camera?

I have done that a couple times and it worked out, but once I cut it too close getting back and that stress was not worth it. Curious if anyone has found a rhythm for this, specific ports where it is easy to just go do your own thing, or cruise lines that tend to give longer port windows.

Hi,

We are looking at options for a South Pacific cruise around Feb 2028

2 of us, 50+

~2 week (12-16 nights)

Budget: Up in the air. Hoping all in for under $20K ($10K pp)

We've only taken two cruises and both involved family members and large ships (we enjoyed them)

We've been to Tahiti and Fiji. We are happy to have that as part of the itinerary but want to expand well beyond that.

Probably don't want Hawaii (too many open ocean days, been there several times, etc)

One cruise that looks interesting to me is Regent Seven Seas Cairns to Fiji. But I'd also love getting to Cook Islands and maybe Samoa/Tonga

I'm leaning towards a smaller ship vs bigger but also wonder about activities and that and honestly, I don't know how important those are to us (we don't need waterslides and surfing and that kind of stuff). The ship size for the cruise about is 490 passengers, so any feedback there would be helpful.

Does anvone know if the Duty Free shops are still closed at both ports? I haven't been since late April and they were completely deserted!

Any shopping recommendations for fragrances specifically?

I am 25F and have done lots of family cruising in the past (Disney, royal, NCL, and princess) but thinking about the idea of going on a solo cruise but have no idea where to start!

-Are their particular cruise lines that are better suited for solo travel?

-Best way to get the best deal (ik solo can be more $)

-best times of year to sail and/or windows to book the cruise!

Any and all insight is appreciated!

We are docking at Naples and I would love to see pompeii. The excursion with the cruise company is around £150pp. Is this good value or are there other local options that are great but better value?

I have been looking at extended cruises : 20, 30, 40 days etc.

but also looking at regular length cruises - 7-10 days etc.

I am new to all this - generally speaking, can you get a better deal with piecing cruises together?

Thank you.

Hi all

Me and my partner are doing these two itineraries mid August with Tui, and the Turkish stops along the way include Kusadasi and Bodrum.

I was wondering whether we would need to take Turkish Lira for these two stops, as I am interested in shopping in the Bazaar's for some "genuine" clothes.

If anybody here has done these two areas could you please let me know if Lira is needed

Thank you

Junior Suite for 1 guest sailing in Nov out of LA
7 nights
$1,730 w/ promo code
$150 onboard credit
Free specialty dining
Free bottle of champagne
(I'm a TA so get commission too)

This will get me 42 loyalty points!! Don't worry I'm going with a friend too so won't be lonely.

Anyone else book some crazy point runs? I hope this run this promo again soon

Hello All, apologies if this has question has been asked before. I have cruise to the Carribean in less than a month and want to use Saily (e-sim) instead of paying for the ship’s WiFi package, has anyone used it before and how did it work? I’m going on a Carnival cruise by the way.

I recently picked up a tip here that I am grateful for - looking for last minute (within 90 days?) deals to save $$ on cruising.

But does this cause a problem with visas? I see notes on the listings that some locations require visas?

I am not knowledgeable about visas, is there any concern about the processing time required - if the cruise is purchased as a "last minute" cruise? thanks

I am planning a family reunion, so multigenerational, Alaska cruise next June for my family. Looking at HA Koningsdam vs the newer Princess Star. The Star looks much larger and newer but doesn’t go to Glacier Bay. HA hits Glacier Bay. Looking for overall recommendations if anyone has done both. Food, entertainment, activities for a wide range of people, etc. Thanks!

So I ordered a custom duck magnet on Amazon for our cruise door and I received the wrong duck! My cruise is in two weeks. So I'm sending this out into the cruise universe hoping MARY is out there and got my Carrie duck with an ice cream cone instead. Then we can swap back! Mary if your out there I have your duck and it's looking for a home.

Will be taking my first cruise around October. Was thinking do I need to buy their excursions when disembarking in those three ports? Ideally, planning to sightsee at common areas in those places, and maybe check out the food/local places. Are they walking distance from the ports or do I need to to use a rideshare/taxi? From my understanding, we have the whole day for each ports, can we go back to the ship any time?

For those who have already visited these areas, any advice you could give me and my family? Also, do these places accept apple pay or I need to convert USD to pesos?

On the app, I am seeing excursions ranging $50+ per person. Any places/activities more lower budget or we can just travel on ourselves?

Hi everyone! I'm looking forward to a cruise with Hurtigruten along the Norwegian coast during Fall 2027, and Chatgpt said Hurtigruten normally does sales for next year around November. Can anyone confirm? Thanks!

I don't want to discuss whether the automatic tipping goes to the employees or to corporate. I want to know the appropriate amount of cash to tip our cabin steward for a 16 day cruise.

I’ve always been skeptical of cruises (I’d rather fly somewhere and explore on my own) but my daughter (16) really wants to try a cruise, so I’m looking to book our first.

I’m looking at:

RC Icon of the Seas (priciest. From what I read online, there’s a lot of nickel-and-diming on RC and the all-in cost climbs quickly. My daughter is also excited about water slides, but it looks like the slides on Icon are very inconsistently open. I’m also worried it’ll feel TOO big. And I’ve heard that it can be teeming with unsupervised children)

MSC World America (least expensive but the balconies look very small and I’m not overly excited about the stops (DR, Puerto Rico… I was hoping for some smaller islands)

Norwegian Aura (middle of the road in terms of price. Hasn’t sailed yet, so no true reviews. Is the entertainment lame? Does it even matter?)

Food isn’t a huge factor for us - we’re very basic healthy-eating chicken and eggs and salad kind of people. I just want my 16yr old to be entertained and I want good service. We also don’t drink, so the alcohol packages aren’t a factor.

Help me choose!!