Any cruisers in the crowd?

[Blakey]

No, not that kind of cruising!

I'm looking to book a vacation cruise for myself and my three daughters and I'm looking for a good site to shop for availability and dates. Price is a consideration but not a big one, a nice cabin to a warm location at the right time is the main goal. Anyone have a recommendation on where to start my search?

[bandaid]

http://www.dargal.com/

[algore]

I've been on 5 Cruises, planning the 6th right now. Best vacation ever! I always do my research online with the actual cruise company's website, and then I call my cruise travel agent. She's amazing. Most of the time she can get me a cheaper rate then the company lists on their website. I've been checking Dargal for a bit now, but haven't noticed any difference in price, so I stick with my agent. She's paid by the cruise lines for every passenger she books, so you don't have to pay them a commission or anything (being the frugal pilot I am, this is important to me!) By the way, be careful which line you pick, as they cater to certain demographics... It makes all the difference. I took one cruise on a line that was not for me, and if I hadn't cruised before, I probably wouldn't have gone again, but I knew there were better out there. The wife and I ended up getting married on one!
Anyway, best of luck.

[albertdesalvo]

I think this guy is cruising:

18834-640wi.jpg (68.84 KiB) Viewed 728 times

[Pirate Pilot]

You could take a look at: www.vacationstogo.com I think thats the one. They send me e-mails constantly regarding cruises and vacations spots. They have last-minute specials, destination resort listings, all the cruises you could think of etc.....

[Pirate Pilot]

Also, I forgot.....I the late '90's wife and I did the 7 day Alaska cruise with Holland America. Excellent line, beautiful ship, top notch all the way. Service was beyond belief!!
Last April we did a 7 day cruise of the Greek Islands out of Venice, Italy with Royal Caribeaan (sp.?) meh...not so good. Ship was not great and was not that clean. The staff was very inexperienced and inattentive. The cruise line had just picked up the entire staff in Brazil and headed for Venice. Not enough training before we boarded.
Watch out for deals that seem to good to be true....thats exactly what they are!! I'm told you can now book a cruise that doesn't include any food service, or limited food service, or complete food service depending on what you pay. Note: booze is never included and can be very pricey.
A friend of mine commented on cruising and he pointed out that 20 years ago cruising was a very expensive once in a life-time kinda high end vacation that very few people participated in but the cruise business has grown rapidly with new ships and new destinations every year and prices have dropped dramatically in order to fill these ships. Service has suffered to a degree.
Ask around for cruise lines and cruises that interest you and are kid friendly with kid activities.

[Hedley]

I think this guy is cruising

And to think my thread on ... what was it again? ... was deleted because it was considered in bad taste

[albertdesalvo]

Oh, you nasty man! That's the last time I'm posting my picture to this forum.

[Expat]

I did a three year cruise out of Halifax...for free...even got sea pay!
I spent some time in the ports down south,visiting ships, talking to cruise ship staff relaxing ashore while passengers were doing their thing...

I prefer the exotic ones, like the Nile Cruise, or the Volga cruise...

Yes booze is expensive, but experienced travellers buy it ashore dirt cheap, and smugle it back on board...

algore,
I think I know which cruise you picked...