Trying to determine if cruising is right for us

Again, thanks to everyone who has contributed their thoughts and links to other resources - I've been reading as much as I can as time permits. It is nice to know there are similar minded people out there (cruisers with similar goals).

One refinement I have made to my goals as a result of the suggested reading thus far is this - I had considered taking an available Caribbean in the coming months to see if we would like it but the problem with that approach is the Caribbean holds very little allure for us. The more I read about experiences in the various Caribbean ports, the less desirable that area becomes. While there are no doubt some very scenic areas in the Caribbean (along with a healthy does of nature), to me the Caribbean will always pale in comparison to Alaska. Since Alaska is the ultimate goal here anyway, I think we will break our cruising maiden with a goal of the 49th state as our destination. Even if we find the cruise ship experience less than desirable, the views will be spectacular. If we're going to spend the kind of money cruising demands, picking the most desirable destination would seem to be a prudent choice.

Thanks again all!

Another suggestion if you want to experience a semi-local cruise without the Caribbean vibe would be a Canada/NE cruise (or possibly Bermuda). We've done two CA trips on two different lines, and even though they were shorter cruises they had a very different feeling than Caribbean. Still fun and relaxing, but different - and lots of nature opportunities.

To the OP, I think you're way overestimating the cost of cruising. If you think taking a cruise to Alaska is expensive, try doing it yourself on land.

Roz

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has responded. A definite common theme (easy for even more to spot) was to find a TA so I used the two links on CruiseCritic (one for CLIA and the other for ASTA) to find a TA near me. I will definitely continue down that route.

 

Most assuredly, an Alaskan cruise will be in our future - it is on our bucket list for sure. Even if I hate our first cruise (likely to be Caribbean), I will get back up on that horse for Alaska.

 

We do have our passports already (and Nexus cards) - so we should be good to go there.

 

Thanks again to y'all who have given me a lot to think about - that is exactly what I had hoped to find here and you kind folks delivered!

My husband did not want to cruise but "relinquished" to an Alaskan cruise...and he was hooked! We did Princess and had plenty of along time (it was our 10th anniversary). I've pretty much stuck to Carnival since then and I love it - it's a great value for us. When you are talking about figuring out the cost, you can do a mock booking at Carnival.com and see the taxes, port charges, tips, drink packages, excursions, etc to get a feel for the costs.

There is someone on here who has a link to a page that lets you figure out what each cost of the cruise is. I have my own homemade spreadsheet that if I get a chance, I can clean it up some and post it here. I break it down to all the people I should tip along the way from the shuttle drivers to the airline luggage folks.

Go for it. You will never know until you try!

To the OP, I think you're way overestimating the cost of cruising. If you think taking a cruise to Alaska is expensive, try doing it yourself on land.

 

Roz

Huh?

The fact that it could be done in a more expensive manner doesn't mean that it isn't expensive in the first place.