I cruise a lot. In the last few years I’ve been on Princess, RCI, and Celebrity, as well as Viking, Regent, Cunard, Hurtigruten, Alaska Dream Cruises, and Virgin. I really can’t stand the mainstream cruise lines anymore. They nickel and dime, everything is a hard sell, constant announcements to urge people to the casino, shops, art auctions, bingo, and whatever else makes them money. And they absolutely lie to you. I recently cruised Virgin and I have to say, they made cruising fun again. Everything was pretty laid back with no frantic efforts to get you to spend, spend, spend. Sailor’s loot so I could choose a budget that matched my drink consumption rather than having to spend almost the cost of another cruise on a drink package that was way more than I’d ever use. Lots of free “classes” and activities that have mostly been discontinued on the Walmarts of the Seas. I would gladly go on a Virgin cruise again. My problem is that of all places in the world to go, the two I loathe the most are the Caribbean/Mexico and the Med in summer. I wish they would expand their itineraries to more interesting places and I would jump onboard anytime.