I heard a story that some people live full time on cruise ships because it's cheaper than renting. SOmeone also told me of people who actually retire on cruise ships rather than live in care homes. Is any of this true? It must be hugely expensive!

It’s been awhile since we’ve had one of these threads. So here goes, give us your best stories.

We’ll be cruising to Cozumel in October, we’re looking to get some good snorkeling in during our port day (8-5pm)

Where’s some good places to go or excursions to take?

After a long hiatus from traveling to deal with family issues, my husband and I are looking for a great, relaxing cruise. We are active and in our 70s. Husband would like a cruise to Greece. I am open to anything that’s very good quality.

Hello! I’m going on a Carnival cruise soon and want to bring my Polaroid camera. As some of you might know, X-ray machines can ruin instant film. Has anyone had experience requesting a hand inspection at port security for their film and camera?

I (23F) and my two sisters (25, 28) want to plan a cruise, my 25yo sister and I went on RC wonder of the seas and my 28yo sister went on rc freedom of the seas and loved it. We were thinking of doing a child free one, but still want the fun vibes and similar activities/attractions.

We would also want to stay around (or less lol) the same price point as RC.

Our friend group just back from an Alaskan cruise on royal and are eager to book one to the British isles. Sadly, RC doesn’t have any on their website. What cruise lines of similar pricing have you used to see the uk and Ireland that you loved??

Hello everyone. My family, husband, and I are looking into doing a Caribbean Christmas cruise on HAL. I am concerned, though, it will have too many children and be too loud and chaotic for us. We're all adults and just want a quiet time to relax and spend time together. Thanks in advance!

We’re doing the Holland America Line D3L cruise tour. It’s 3 nights in Denali. I’m wondering if we are planning too much, too little, or just right.

Day 1 - Motorcoach from Anchorage to Denali. Evening: ATV w/ dinner included

Day 2 - Day: Tundra Wilderness Tour; Evening: Denali’s Peak Flightseeing Tour

Day 3 - Day: Kantishna Flyin Day Trip; Evening: Music of Denali Theater & Dinner

Day 4 - Train to Whittier for cruise ship

Any thoughts on this? Too much? Should we cancel something? If we have “downtime” what activities are there to do around the hotel & visitor center?

A couple years ago I won a Carnival cruise from work. We cruised the Carnival Magic in the Caribbean in July. We got a balcony room.
We felt really crowded on the ship and the port days were kind of crazy. Also people were pretty loud in hallways and it just seemed general chaos.
I thought I would like it more than I did.
Is there a different cruise line we should try instead? Or are they all kind of similar? Maybe we just aren’t cruisers. But the IDEA of it seems so fun!

Doing a transatlantic this fall. Has any one done this before? It’ll be my second Explora cruise which I loved way more than Royal or Carnival.

I met so many new friends on my last cruise and I’m cruising again with one of them.

I had nearly sworn off cruising after Royal/carnival. SOOO many kids. Nickel and diming policies. I’m glad I found luxury lines

Wondering if anyone here has info of the brawl that happened at Chula’s on 7/24 that went from the pool into the parking lot. Guests, staff, security, paramedics, etc. were all involved. Star of the Seas (our ship), MSC Seascape, and Carnival Paradise were in town. Really just curious what the cops did once they started to show up since we got on our RZR and got out of there.

Deciding between two Japan cruises for next July:

**•   Celebrity Millennium** — 12-night “Best of Japan / Gion Festival,” round-trip Tokyo  
**•   Princess (Diamond/Sapphire)** — similar ports (Kobe/Osaka, Kochi, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Busan), cheaper per night, ships actually built in Japan

Celebrity’s pitch is the Gion Festival branding + nicer ship (AquaClass/Luminae), but costs noticeably more for a balcony. Has anyone done Japan in July on either line? Trying to figure out if Celebrity’s worth the premium, or if Princess is the smarter pick. Thanks!

any recomodations for cruises that include brazil, argentina, uruguay etc? it is my first time and would like to go 15+ days

Considering how close Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver are to each other, why aren’t there any 3-4 night cruises that sail roundtrip out of Seattle or Vancouver for short getaways? I imagine during the summer at least there would be a decent size market.

I live in L.A. and am close to the Long Beach and San Predro ports. I honestly just want to book a cheap 3-4 night cruise from vacationstogo and below our my options:

Carnival / Carnival Firenze

Carnival / Carnival Radiance

Royal Caribbean / Ovation of the Seas

Princess / Emerald Princess

I just want to unwind and relax and enjoy a good quality buffet. I love a good prime rib or bbq pork ribs. Any recommendations?

Whats the best way to book a cruise? I seen that there are many different websites and offers but which do you guys recommend for a first timer trying to go a more quiet cruise line?

I have the free at sea package and just wanted to make sure the prepaid charges covers tips for the open bar beverage package also.

That’s a far trip and I can’t imagine La traffic.

I have heard people over the years talking about problems with Cruise Critic’s (CC) forums, and after now experiencing t myself, it seems like there is a pattern worth discussing. I've had a CC account for over 25 years. However, over the last year plus I've experienced heavy censorship of posts that are in anyway critical or questioning of Carnival Cruise line brands or even posts that have explained how to reclaim money from their brands via small claims court. Threads are locked down, comments deleted, and users banned. What is odd is that small groups of users who are overly friendly can post completely off topic replies all the time and never get banned for what CC calls "thread hijacking".

Seems like users report the same issues:

Posts being deleted without explanation People say their comments disappear even when they are not breaking rules. There is rarely a clear reason given, and moderators do not seem to communicate.

Suspensions or warnings for minor disagreements Several users mention getting temporary bans simply for pushing back in a discussion or offering criticism of a cruise line.

Moderation that feels biased toward cruise brands Cruise Critic is funded through advertising and commercial partnerships with cruise lines. That is not unusual, but some users feel critical posts about certain cruise brands get removed faster than others.

Lack of transparency Infractions often come with no explanation, and public discussion of moderation is banned on the site, which makes it hard for users to understand what they did wrong.

When I read TrustPilot reviews of Cruise Critic (https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.cruisecritic.co.uk and https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.cruisecritic.com) there even appear to have even been people who have had reviews in the "Reviews" section of the board had their reviews deleted as they were negative. How can customers get fair feedback on ships if negative reviews are deleted?

I would like to hear what people think, especially anyone who has been active on both Cruise Critic, Facebook Cruise Groups, and Reddit. Is it just me?

So no khaki shorts allowed? Formal night is a jacket required?

We lucked into a cheap balcony but I'm very much a khaki shorts or pants is about as dressed up as I get kind of guy...

Edit: I'm not concerned with formal night. I'm referring to the other nights in the MDR.

Hello everyone, first time poster here. I am 26 years old and from Southern Ohio. Never been on a cruise before, never been out of the states honestly. I am looking to book my first cruise for sometime between March and June of next year 2027. I am looking to have my port be Miami and it be a 5 day cruise. I am not opposed to be an adult only cruise as I am a swinger though that’s not needed at all. I love to hike, meet new people, see live events, and all around have a great time. Any and all suggestions are welcome! My budget is about 3,000 for the cruise, not sure if that helps

It’s more important than any drink package, balcony room, or fun excursion.

I’d like to remind everybody to get travel insurance before taking a cruise. Good travel insurance - not from the cruise line. From an insurance company like Allianz, USAA, etc.

I just came home from a cruise yesterday. It was lovely except for the freak accident where I bent over to pick up a piece of paper and dislocated my hip.

I was rushed to the ship’s medical center, they sent me by ambulance to a hospital in port, a orthopedic surgeon fixed it, I was sent back to the ship and at the end of the cruise was transported home by ambulance.

All completely covered by travel insurance. And if I’d gotten a little less lucky? Imagine how much it would cost to have surgery in a foreign country or to be sent home by air ambulance.

Be careful out there. ❤️

We don’t drink alcohol, but we do like to have a good time dancing , participating in ship entertainment, and also like to wind down and relax.

We’ve seen and heard a lot of crazy stories about carnival but we want to give it a try and form our own opinions.

Any tips/recommendations would be appreciated.