If you've ever taken a cruise, let us know which one you took, the islands you visited and how much you enjoyed the cruise so that we can keep that cruise in mind while planning one later on.

Victoria
Island Travel Host
IslandTravel@BellaOnline.com

In January 2005 I went on a 7 day Eastern Carribean cruise with Carnival on the new ship Valor. I had an amazing trip. The boat was beautiful, the ammenities were supurb and the staff was very helpful and friendly. We stopped in St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Paradise Island, Bahamas. We only spent an afternoon in the Bahamas but I enjoyed that island the most. The lines to get on and off the cruise were almost too much to handle with my kids, my luggage, etc. One of the women that I met on the boat said she used a service called Luggage Forward and it really eased the stress involved with travel. I guess they picked up her bags at home and forwarded them to the ship. Then they picked up her bags at the dock and forwarded them home when the cruise was over...sounds pretty cool to me.

I really enjoyed Princess Cruise Lines when I sailed with them and I especially enjoy the Disney Cruise Line (I sailed with them once before actually working onboard the Disney Wonder and it was amazing). I would never recommend Carnival Cruise Line. The prices are good for first time travelers, but if you have any intentions of doing anything but drinking and sunbathing the activities onboard can't compare to other cruise lines.

I have taken a couple of Carribean cruises from Miami Fl. On the first one we visited the Keys (can these be considered islands???) and the Bahamas. On the second I took we went to Grand Caymen, Jamaica, and Cozumel. I love the beach and snorkling/scuba so island vacations are always perfect.

Has anyone been to Tahiti?

Danielle

OK. I'll admit that this is my first cruise. But the relatives with whom we traveled have a bunch of experience. They said this was their best cruise. Everything was clean, laid out well, and run very nicely.

When you think about it, a trip is made or lost by the people. The crew morale was great. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Our room steward, Sutoyo, was the best! Our table staff, Eka and Yogi, were great. Even though the ship was overbooked and, as a result, a bit crowded, things ran very smoothly.

I'd encourage you to pay the extra for a balcony. We were in room 7012 ... the front of the ship, 7th deck. We ended being right under the bridge. Being an engineer, I standing on our balcony and look up at the bridge activity.

The ports were fun. We booked our own snorkel trip when we got off the boat in Cabo. The water was beautiful and warm. We could have skipped Mazatlan ... brown oceans and a dirty, depressed city. Vallarta was our favorite stop.

The entertainment was good. I wouldn't pay much to see the acts but for a free evening activity, it beat watching TV.

I ran the numbers and if we were to stay in a five star hotel, eat dinner each night at a five star restaurant and other meals out, and attend a show each night, we would have paid the same amount as our room. But by staying in a hotel, we would have missed out on all the ports!

All in all, it was a great trip