OT..Anyone been on a cruise?

My wonderful DH and I are going to go on a cruise.  Looking at leaving around Jan. 3-5th.....my question is....who  has been on a cruise to give me suggestions on where to go?
 I looked last night and think we have it narrowed down to one that goes to Cozumel, or one that goes to Jamaica......this will be our first cruise......so looking at a 4 or 5 day one.....ANY hints, or advice will be greatly appreciated......

Love,
Holly

THAT'S the one hubby and I went on.. Man was it nice!!! I LOVED looking at the beautiful water around Cozemel, and Jamacia.. OMG it made me smile it was so beautiful,.. We went to see the gardens in Jamacia.. Just do as suggested DO NOT get off the beaten paths away from guides... it is safer and they LOVE Americans....I went on the Western Carribean Cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines that had about 4 stops all together Cozemel, Jamacia, and 2 other places..
ENJOY!!
Linda kay

I have been on 2 cruises and would go about every 6 months if I could afford it. My first one (October 2003) was to the Bahamas. It was a 5 day cruise. It was with Royal Carribean Cruise Lines. The second one (September 2005) was to New England and Canada. It was with Carnival Cruise Lines. It was a 6 day cruise. We had our hearts set that an Alaskan cruise was going to be our vacation this summer but Uncle Sam and the Federal Government had different plans with our money. We had to pay income taxes in excess of $1900 this year in addition to what we had paid all year long!! I have not been on a cruise since weight loss surgery and don't know how I would react with all the food all the time. I know on both the cruises we took I gained about 10 pounds that then was a struggle to get back off. AT least now I have my tool that helps me through all food situations. I know you will just love the experience.

Holly...you will love the cruise life, very addicting.  I am going to Eastern Carribean this Nov. on Holland America.  Ther is such a wide variety of food on these cruises that staying "sorta" good is no problem....yes I ate a few bites of fancy desserts at dinner but 3-4 bites was enough and I would cover it up with my napkin to say I AM DONE>>>lol.  I walked the steps of the ship most of the time instead of elevator.  Also most ships have a exercise room too.....ENJOY

I love to cruise, its my favorite type of vacation.  I also use to work on a cruise ship.  Sooo that said I have some very strong opinions. 

1) Be sure to "splurge" and get an outside balcony cabin.  The price difference can be a lot but its sooooooooo worth it.  Everyone says" but you just sleep in your cabin so why waste your money" Not true.  Love to sit out there at night and in the morning, heck I even take  naps on my balcony in the afternoons, it's heaven! 

2) Be picky abour your cruise line.  There is a difference between ships and lines and it can make a dissapointing difference in your trip.  I am not a Carnival fan. I feel like they skimp on everything from staff to quality of food.  Even their new ships, which I just took a tour of, fell outdated and love boat ish.  I am a big Celebrity Cruise Lines Fan.  Royal Carribean is my second choice. NCL is also nice but I am not 100% sure they to the itin you want.

3) Consider the ship size.  You want it to be large enough that you have lots of options, but if its to large then sometimes the crowds can be a little much.  In February we went on Royal Carribeans Freedoms of the Sea, their brand new ship and the worlds largest right now.  The upgreads on the new ship were awesome ( bedding, flat TV, surfing, and dinning) but sometimes I hated that it was hard to find a pool chair.  Our ship was fully booked, whihc is actually pretty rare for a crusie ship so that did not help either. 

These are just a few of my personal recommendations.  Like I said I have some strong opinions.  Feel free to PM me if you have a specific ship your looking at, heck I am probably been on it!!!!

Ok, I'm no help on cruises but did you notice that we are all from Indiana?  I grew up not far from New Waverly.  I'm originally from Logansport and my sister lives in Peru.  What a small world   Have fun on your trip.  I'm dying to go on a cruise...after paying for college x 2, then weddings, etc. 

Ummm..not to be a smart-aleck..ok, I guess I am gonna be one. You're on the Indiana board so yes, we are all from Indiana.

Now I feel dumb.  I don't know how I got to the IN board.  I only visit the lap band board.  Oh well, it was nice to chat about our state :)

I grew up in Logansport, but moved to New Waverly after college to be closer to the hospital in Peru.....small world it is!!!!!!

I was gonna say the same thing...but thought maybe I was missin' somethin'. LOl Shanna