don't go out of baltimore. old ships, and more time at sea than at decent ports of call.

did a western med and alaska cruise loved both. have done Caribbean cruises out of tampa and Miami. lots more options if you willing to fly first.

We a did a Bermuda cruis out of b-more with inlaws and family. for the same reason the OP mentioned... it was just OK... If your first cruise is on an older ship with limited ports of calls you will never go on a cruise again. Unless you go in with low expectations.

Anonymous wrote:Baltimore is so far from the carribean that it takes a few days to get there.

A pretty standard route is

Sea Day

Key West

Bahamas

Bahamas

Port Canaveral

Sea Day

So, yes it takes 2 days to get to the Bahamas, but the day time portion of one of those days is spent at the beach.

Baltimore is so far from the carribean that it takes a few days to get there.

We cruised from Baltimore. 6 nights/ 7 days.

We spent 4 days on beaches that were fine. Not fantastic. We wouldn't have gotten fantastic beaches at that price if we'd gone to a resort.

We spent 2 days on the ship. I spent hours catching up on pleasure reading, enjoyed some delicious meals, played with my kids in the pool, and got a wonderful massage.

It was a great trip, given how little it cost. I would do it again.

We've done some really cool cruises to places I otherwise wouldn't have seen. We did a 12 day eastern med cruise 6 or 7 years ago that went to turkey and Egypt (where we spent an overnight in Cairo). I would not have been brace enough, or even wanted, to book a week or two in either country, but a day or two was a fun taste. We added on a few days in Rome at the front end. Basically got a taste of the whole med without having to deal with transportation between ports.

Did the same thing in the Baltic a few years ago. The ship was cheaper than hotels and flights between countries, and all food was included

The ports are mostly lame. Some have decent beaches, but nothing spectacular. The shore excursions are cheesy to not bad, but not mind blowing (and very expensive).

It's a convenient vacation that works well for big families, or if you don't want to plan much. The pool will be crazy crowded, but there are other areas for lounging. I like having a balcony so I can avoid people altogether.

The food is usually fine, but again, not mind blowing. The variety is usually excellent, which is also why it's good for families - there's something for everyone.

I wouldn't do a cruise for a once in a lifetime blowout type trip, or to see the world. But I enjoy it for a completely mindless escape or a trip that's just about spending time with certain people.

My family (three generations, seven people) did a cruise out of Baltimore a few years ago. The destination options are not as good as out of other ports, but the convenience, ease and lower cost was great. My family are big travelers and would have looked down on this a decade ago, but as we all get older, have kids, etc etc it was really great to just do something easy and focus on the family time. Also my mom was sick at the time, she requested it, and it was basically a "last big trip" for us to take together. If we did another cruise I would be interested in Alaska, I'm still not really into the idea of flying to Florida to cruise through the Caribbean, I would rather just fly to the somewhere in the Caribbean.

Here are the big advantages from my perspective:

1) with the newer ships, you actually get many more amenities than you could get even at an all-inclusive resort (just as an example, our last cruise included kids' club, rock wall, ropes/ziplining course, bungee trampoline, pools with slides, comedy club that was decent, dueling piano bar that was really outstanding, "broadway" style shows, casino, trivia games and on-stage game shows for kids). I've tried to find resorts with all that, and they just don't exist.

2) No one has to drive anywhere. That's an enormous advantage with elderly parents who really shouldn't be driving in areas that they don't know. (We only do cruises when we're travelling with my elderly parents.)

3) There's a lot of variety in food, and it's really easy to get. Big advantage with kids -- you dont' have to deal with the "but I don't LIKE this ..." complaint for the whole week.

4) It's easy for everyone to do different things during the day, which is good when you have a big group with varying interests and abilities.

I'm personally claustrophobic and hate crowds, so I'm not really into a cruise that has more than 2-3 sea days. I like to be able to get off the ship and see something. We've done some great excursions from cruise ships (e.g., climbed Mayan pyramids, swam with stingrays, cave swimming/snorkeling, ziplining, etc.). I try to avoid the crusies that just go to a beach/island owned by the cruise company.

I've never done one out of Baltimore, even though it would be soooo convenient, because they mainly look like booze cruises -- an excuse for people to sit by a pool and drink for 5 days.

Anonymous wrote:My mother told me she wants us all to go on a cruise, last hurrah before they die (haha, sort of). I looked at Baltimore & Norfolk and I don't get, 5 days on a boat to spend a couple of hours in the Bahamas? So what do we do during the "fun at sea days" as the cruise lines call them. Do you need to take a 9-day or longer cruise to actually go to different places (way too much together time). flying is not an option so has to be out of port within driving distance.

The thrill of a cruise is the 24/7 food, activities, shows, fancy dinners, pools, etc. Basically, a resort on a gigantic boat. Everything has been paid for upfront so it feels like it's "free" when you actually board since you don't pay for any of the food, entertainment, or amenitities (except for booze -that's where the cruises make all their money).

Having said that, we aren't into cruises. I'm a bit of germaphobe so I fear norovirus (which I know can happen anywhere, but I just feel more vulnerable on a ship). Plus, DH and I enjoy exploring different places on our own and not on a cruise timeline, etc.

I can see the appeal though.

Anonymous wrote:The cruise ship is basically a floating resort. It's not just like, a hotel for travel.

Really.

comedy shows
movies
casino
coffee bars
lounge acts, singing and such
swimming
kid stuff
games
eats

Frankly I was bored on land.

The cruise ship is basically a floating resort. It's not just like, a hotel for travel.

The ships that leave out of Baltimore are not as nice or as new (which might color your feelings towards cruising). I have been on nice ones out of NY harbor though.

In my opinion, the at sea days are the best. Pool time, there tons of different classes, games, etc.

If you go out of FL you have a lot more options. Bermuda is a nice trip as you spend a few days in port from Baltimore. I wouldn't do it with kids as you have to take busses or cabs to get around and cannot rent a car (only moped).

Most people I know fly to Florida and leave out of Port Canaveral.

My mother told me she wants us all to go on a cruise, last hurrah before they die (haha, sort of). I looked at Baltimore & Norfolk and I don't get, 5 days on a boat to spend a couple of hours in the Bahamas? So what do we do during the "fun at sea days" as the cruise lines call them. Do you need to take a 9-day or longer cruise to actually go to different places (way too much together time). flying is not an option so has to be out of port within driving distance.