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[Rangie]

Funny you mention that , my eldest Grandson was talking about going there next year, had never crossed my mind at all.

If you can afford it then I could say go for it. Just make sure you get a balcony cabin so you can see the scenery. I can heartily recommend the wildlife tours too. This was from our whale watching excursion...

https://imgur.com/gallery/84O6k1Z

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Got to agree that having a balcony is great & certainly will always have one, re Alaska that is certainly going on our ones to do, SWMBO wanted " something out of the ordinary" and that certainly looks perfect, only one regret is that we wished started cruising earlier. Thanks for the heads up..👍

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

The Embarkation and Disembarkation (sail only) is so much easier when compared to flying as once you are on board your holiday has started.

I guess if I jumped on a boat at Southampton or similar, it would be a couple of days before its got to the Med?  Probably makes a week's break less feasible?  I don't think I want to go for more than a week first time, in case I really don't get on with it...

The point is that your holiday starts as soon as you are on the ship. Within thirty minutes of boarding you could be supping beer sat by the pool, sunbathing on the loungers or scoffing your face with the buffet food. The whole cruise is your holiday, not just the ports. 

I hear that hardened American cruise fans board the ship with 4 or 5 different sizes of clothes. This way they can eat to the point of bursting, like the man in the restaurant from the Monty Python sketch.

https://youtu.be/aczPDGC3f8U?feature=shared

[Doctor Gollum]

Just one waffer thin mint is a joke that rarely needs explanation 

[YZ250]

Bro and SIL tend to go with Cunard having switched from P&O. This switch was reinforced by the discounts offered on subsequent cruises if booked whilst on board... Much like an early bird exclusive member discount. They've five booked over the next 18 months …….

You have to do some digging on this one as P&O in particular lead you to believe you are getting a better deal when booking onboard, when it’s not actually anything great. The main advantage to booking your next cruise whilst already onboard is the low deposit per person, which in the case of P&O is £50 per person. We sat down at the bookings desk, after having already looked up the same cruise online, and it worked out around £100 cheaper. You can actually get it thousands cheaper for a family if booked carefully.
For those unaware, prices vary massively for the same room, on the same cruise at the same month. Book really early and you pay top whack, but then, as tickets sales dive a bit, they lower the price as an incentive as the departure time gets within a few months. Ticket sales take off again due to the lower price, but then rise again due to the tickets selling ok again. It can be a big difference between early and mid to later booking.
Obviously the risk of late booking is you take the risk of not being able to book a specific cabin, something which would bother me but not everyone. Also be aware of being offered an upgrade prior to arrival, it probably means they want to resell your cabin and ‘upgrade’ you to a less desirable part of the ship. We always decline this, unless they’re offering a suite in exchange.

I have never been on a cruise but would probably avoid anything likely to be over run with children ……..

They do adult only cruises but we tend to pick a cruise during school term time to at least minimise children.