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Does anyone know which day is the first formal night on a Wonder of the Seas 7-day trip? Thanks!

Your chronology was very interesting--and helpful. The prices are really all over the map. It's a reminder of the value of repricing regularly. Thanks for sharing! - Musing About Cruising

Divine Norman Love desserts...watching first-run movies in Movies Under the Stars with blanket and free popcorn...champagne Captain's Welcome with a free glass...wonderful steaks at Crown Grill specialty restaurant...elegant décor...relaxed vibe...- Musing About Cruising

You might check out the website of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which is the primary trade association for the industry. On the site is "Find a Travel Agent" functionality; if I remember correctly, you put in your zip code and get suggestions of travel agents who specialize in cruising. - Musing About Cruising

We live in North Florida and on the way to Port Everglades, spend the night in Port St. Lucie. It's about one and a half hours from the port and right off the highway. It has many nice hotels (Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Holiday Inn, etc.) and a lot of decent restaurants and shopping, including Starbucks and Walmart (for those oh-no-I-forgot-to-bring). - Musing About Cruising 

My only downside--keeping track of it! If it's far in the future and you have several trips planned, you can easily forget about it. - Musing About Cruising

I have a few questions. We've only done Caribbean cruises and are thinking about one in Europe. Do the American ships such as Celebrity have the same food when they sail in Europe as they do in the Caribbean? And what would you say is the ratio of Americans to Europeans onboard your trip? Thanks! - Musing About Cruising

Please note the following from Royal Caribbean's website:

What travel documents do I need to board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship (U.S. Citizens)?

For US Sailings - 

U.S. Citizens may sail using their:

• Official Birth Certificate and a supporting Government Issued Photo ID, like a driver’s license or an identity card. Please note that hospital Birth Certificates (baby feet Birth Certificates) are not accepted.

or

• U.S. Passport book that is valid at least 6 months after your cruise. 

 - Musing About Cruising

The quiches! - Musing About Cruising

I have not sailed on NCL, so can't offer an opinion. However, we took Princess (Golden) a few years ago to Alaska, roundtrip from Seattle, and thought they did a fabulous job. Great speakers, commentary during the sail through Glacier Bay, salmon-themed buffet...They've been in Alaska for a long time and it's one of their specialties. I would highly recommend it. - Musing About Cruising

Love the stories! Thanks for the chuckles! Now I have one of my own:

One night, walking down the hallway toward our room after dinner, suddenly, a stateroom door opens just as we were about to pass it. A fellow steps into the hallway with a bottle of champagne in his hand. "Do you drink?" he asks us. I said, "Moderately," not sure what the right answer was. He thrust the bottle at me. "Take this," he said. "My company paid for this trip and the wine, but we don't drink." Okay, you shouldn't take candy from strangers, but champagne is fair game, right? - Musing About Cruising

We just did it recently on the Allure and my advice is: bring your appetite. It's a lot of food. And we never did the lunches.

The upsides:Having better food and better service every night.

The downsides: Working the meals around the shows is a challenge, no longer have the option to just get a casual dinner at Windjammer if you feel like it (of course, you still can, but you've paid for specialty dining), it's a long meal

Also, we found that it helps if you have a wide palate and are willing to eat in many of the restaurants. Otherwise, you'll find yourself going back to the same restaurant night after night. - Musing About Cruising

We were just on the Royal Princess--here were my top loves:

* Ship décor--elegant ship with a lot of wood and marble

* Buffet food--premium stuff like poached salmon, exotic cheeses, dried fruit like dates

* Norman Love desserts--don't miss the Chocolate Dome in the MDR

* International Café--24/7 good quality food (sandwiches, desserts, quiches)

* Piazza--always something going on

* Mini-suites--if you can afford them, they're very comfortable

* Relaxed vibe

Been on Princess, RCI, HAL and Celebrity; 25 cruises in all. Princess is far and away my favorite. - Musing About Cruising

Fyi, we were just on the Royal Princess and waited quite a long time to get into the Crown Grill (we had reservations at 8 p.m.)--it was not only completely full, but had a line. It was worth it, though, the food and service were terrific. - Musing About Cruising

If you're not picky on room location, then it could work for you. But if you have an issue with noise or motion sickness, you might want to select your own room. - Musing About Cruising

Book all your shows online before the trip to ensure you get seats (we book all our shows as soon as we do final payment). If you don't book in advance, you'll have to wait in line before each show in the hope that someone with reservations doesn't show up.

I'm also a huge Princess fan. We've sailed on RCI, Celebrity and HAL, and Princess, to me, still reigns supreme. For these (and other reasons):

* Relaxing! As others have said, the overall mood is much slower and tranquil compared to the zip-line, go-kart lines. I think of Princess as classic cruising.

* Gracious! The ships are so handsomely done up in woods and marble.

* Friendly! I love being served beverages in the buffet.

* The buffet! On the Royal and Regal, the buffets have some premium foods you don't find on mass market ships--varied array of cheeses (I'm not talking cheddar and American here), smoked fish, German sausages...and huge choice.

* Norman Love desserts! Yum.

* Mini-suites! If you time it right, you can get one for a fraction more than a balcony room.

What I don't love about a Princess cruise? When it's over. - Musing About Cruising

I agree completely with indy71--Old San Juan is a piece of old-world Europe, with blue cobblestone streets, pastel-colored buildings, Spanish tile signs and murals, nifty boutiques, two interesting, well-preserved forts, picturesque waterfront with stunning fountain...I could go on and on.

Fyi, our first cruise there, we made the mistake of signing up for the Bacardi tour. It was a long (uninteresting) bus ride there, lots of waiting around, long bus ride back. It killed the whole day and I saw nothing of San Juan. Since then, we've been back many times--without an excursion. It's the kind of place you can go back to again and again, with wonder and amazement. Easily one of the best ports in the Caribbean. - Musing About Cruising

After 15+ Caribbean cruises, we did a roundtrip Seattle to Alaska and like other posters, found it an out-of-this-world, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. Like you, we were a bit hesitant, because we love living out of shorts (we live in FL). But it was well worth it. Few things I'll share:

* Expect to spend less time on the ship, on the decks, than you do in the Caribbean (we went to Alaska Memorial Day week and the warmest it got was low 50s)

* Dress is overall more casual (I wore jeans in the MDR, as others did)

* The Alaskan towns on the cruise circuit are adorable and gorgeous, with their frontier-style architecture, nestled amid snow-capped mountains

* Do as much research as you can ahead of time about where to go and what you'll see, to make sure you get the most out of the trip

We went with Princess, which has a long history with Alaska. They did a great job, with memorable speakers (a naturalist narrated as we passed through Glacier Bay, woman who raced in the Iditarod, etc.), seafood buffet...

Hope this helped a bit. - Musing About Cruising

Harry Belafonte! "Day-O," "Matilda," "Jamaica Farewell," "Jump in the Line"...- Musing About Cruising

Hi-

If you have some extra time when you're in Jax, a highlight is the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. It's one of the best I've been to. It's north of the city.

Fyi, we moved to Jax 13 years ago from Boston (though I'm originally from NY, near the CT border). The downtown is small with not a whole lot to do. However, the beaches are great and if you want to drive another 45 minutes, St. Augustine is fabulous. People come from all over to see it--it's a little bit of Europe--cobbled streets, old charming buildings, Flagler College has some amazing interiors with gilded dome and marble artwork, and the beaches there are also terrific.

Hope this helps! - Musing About Cruising

1. Making assumptions I know where I'm going

2. Relying on the GPS too much

Here's my story: first cruise, leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale. We just drove down from Jacksonville. I put "Eller Drive" and "Ft. Lauderdale" into the GPS. We drove all over Ft. Lauderdale, looking for Eller Drive. The clock ticked away. At last we found it, but it was some small, tucked-away residential street. No cruise terminal.

After a lot more driving and recurring waves of panic, we stopped at a gas station for directions and had that "Ah-ha" moment: the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood airport is actually in Hollywood. And the Eller Drive we wanted was not in Ft. Lauderdale at all, but in Hollywood.

We board the ship at 3 p.m.--nearly the last folks on--panting, nervous wrecks, but very, very relieved! - Musing About Cruising

We've sailed on Royal Caribbean and Princess quite a number of times and can share some observations:

* There are more active activities on RCI--rock climbing, surfing, zip lining, etc., so it does tend to draw a younger crowd (although you'll see all ages).

* RCI also has the best shows, particularly on the Oasis class (Broadway shows like "Mamma Mia" and "Grease," ice skating shows, aqua shows). Freedom class also has ice skating shows.

* Princess' ships are quite elegant--the Regal Princess is gorgeous, with its glass and marble atrium--and more laid back.

* To me, Princess' buffet food is better than RCI's--the Regal Princess buffet is huge and it's hard to imagine anyone not finding something to like. The International Café, which is 24/7, also has good quality sandwiches, quiches and desserts, and is superior to RCI's 24/7 Promenade Café.

* If you can spring for it, Princess has great mini-suites, which are about the size of a hotel room. If you go off season, you can get one for not much more (sometimes even less!) than a balcony room.

May is actually a fabulous time to go--we usually go in May or April; the kids are still in school, so you hardly see any. And you avoid hurricane season.

Hope this helped a bit. - Musing About Cruising

Hi-

In Roatan, there are two different ports--one in the town of Coxen Hole and the other is Mahogany Bay, which is run by Carnival.

If you're taking a Carnival-owned ship (e.g., includes Princess), most likely you'd go to Mahogany Bay, which is a gorgeous beach resort. I would advise double checking with the cruise line, though, to be sure which port is on your particular itinerary. - Musing About Cruising

So much has to do with expectations! My spouse shares your opinion--he was very disappointed on the lack of wildlife and lousy weather (cold and rainy in Glacier Bay), so he has less than a great memory of the trip.

Yet, I was on the same trip and had fabulous time. I found the scenery so stupendous and memorable that today, years later, I still can't believe it was real. I loved the blue glaciers and spiky peaks, the Alaskan ports nestled in snow-capped mountains, the frontier ambiance and different culture (one of the towns closed the post office for lunch!).

And the shopping was a hoot--from totem poles to salmon every which way (salmon jerky!) to Eskimo art to Russian nesting dolls.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your trip, but I encourage anyone who's been thinking about it to do lots and lots of research, including YouTube videos. And as everything in life, keep a check on expectations... - Musing About Cruising