has anyone taken a cruise out of Baltimore?

[Anonymous]

DH and I have never been on a cruise --- he says we aren't "cruise people." Sometime down the road I really want to take the family on a Disney cruise (probably a land-cruise combo vacation). He thinks we should do a test-run on a short cruise to see how we do on a boat -- in a tiny cabin -- eating with strangers. He suggested taking a short cruise out of Baltimore since it would be relatively inexpensive (ie: no flight costs to Miami). Has anyone taken one before? We realize that it would be like comparing apples and oranges, so we wouldn't imagine that a cruise from B'more (on an older, non-Disney ship) would be much like a real Disney cruise --- but we're intrigued. I'd appreciate any comments from folks who have BTDT. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We did it a few years ago and I wouldn't do it again. Part of what I've always loved about traveling in general (including cruising) is meeting people from all over. Taking a cruise out of Baltimore made me feel like I was in Ocean City because most people were from the Baltimore/DC/Philly areas.

[Anonymous]

Are there any short cruises out of Baltimore? I thought they were all at least 7 day cruises.

[Anonymous]

A shorter cruise out of Baltimore would hardly be worth it. I've checked out the itineraries and it looks like the first 2 days are cruising just to get to your destination. Some cruises stop in charleston SC first.

[Anonymous]

I've been on 2 cruises (and my parents have been on many more), and we've never had to "eat with strangers." Most cruises have you sit at a table with your own party. Sometimes you have to pre-select a seating time, and sometimes they have open dining, where it's just like a restaurant on land, and you show up and they seat you when there's room.

Get a cabin with a balcony if you can swing it. Makes all the difference, especially if you're introverted and want a nice place to retreat to. A tiny cabin doesn't matter so much if you can sit out on a balcony with a book and watch the waves slip by.

Haven't cruised out of Baltimore, can't advise you there, sorry (Miami and Los Angeles).

[Anonymous]

Also, cruisecritic.com is a popular site for cruise info and reviews. That might help you find what's available from Baltimore. (I know you can go to Bermuda, to the Caribbean, and I think to New England/Canada in season.)

[Anonymous]

We cruised out of Baltimore to Bermuda-we wanted a quick and easy vacay.

Pros: no flying, waiting in airports, etc, pretty inexpensive.

Cons: leaving from Baltimore meant for the most part, cruising with people ONLY from this area-esp Baltimore and NJ. Many people were more interested in the all you can eat buffets and staying up all night drinking and partying, etc and that was a little off putting. We have cruised several times to Alaska, so maybe we were used to a different crowd. Think of the men wearing wife beater tee schiit and lots og gold chains. LOL.

That said we would prob do again (flying has become somewhat of a pain) just not to Bermuda. If you were looking to go to Bermuda, you should just fly directly-the flight is around 2 hours and the beaches are wonderful.