Advice for a cruise?

[Merkuri]

My fiance and I are considering doing an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon in May. It'll be the first time we've been to Alaska, and the first time we've been on a cruise.

Have any EN Worlders done this before? Any advice regarding Alaska or cruises in general? Any recommended cruise lines?

 

[dragonis111]

If it is your first cruise don't go to Alaska, try something in a warmer climate like the Bahamas. Just my opinion though, do you what you want.

 

[Merkuri]

My fiance and I aren't really into hot climates. We like the type of weather where you need to dress in layers and can see your breath when you're outside. This is why we originally thought of Alaska for our honeymoon, then we stopped and said, "hey, they do cruises to Alaska, don't they?"

 

[Dioltach]

I've never taken a cruise to Alaska, but I've been around the Mediterranean four times and up the Nile once. I think the best advice I can give you, besides enjoying yourself immensely, is to keep a close eye on your spending. If all your expenses are being charged to your room, it's very easy to rack up a huge bill. My wife and I spent $4000 during one week a few years ago.

I'm not sure what things are like on an Alaskan cruise, but in the Mediterranean you can book all manner of excursions. We found that most of them are vastly overpriced. If you don't mind taking the initiative, you can often save yourself lots of money. For example, on a last cruise we had the choice of paying several hundred dollars for an excursion to Rome from Civitavecchia, or walking 10 minutes to the station and paying maybe ten dollars to get there by train.