Great pics Hawkeye!
I've never been on a cruise...I bet they are fantastic!
It's one of the best ways to get a taste of different cultures. Go to bed somewhere, and when you wake up, you're in a new city/country. The hotel room moves with you.
Did you get any goodies for souvenirs?
I always get good souvenirs. I'll take some pix of them soon and upload as well.
I've never been on a cruise either and unless I hit the lottery probably never will.
So, people always say that ... but honestly, it's one of the most affordable vacation options around. You get a room and food for around 100/night per person, maybe 150 on higher end lines. Amazing food at that. And not just a continental breakfast. Every night dinner is 4 courses at minimum. Your incidentals are what you make of them. If you drink, yes it can get a little more expensive, but if you know how to control that, you're not spending a lot more. On a 4 night cruise, my on ship account hit about $300. That included 3 alcohol seminars, a shore excursion in Nassau, and a few beers and cocktails around the ship. Now Disney is unique in that they let you bring some booze onboard, so I had a bottle of rum in the cabin (visible in some pix) and I had my 2 12pks of Pepsi to mix with. Other cruises lines don't let you bring it on and costs could go up a little if you let it.
But, even my first cruise which was 7 nights and I had to
buy drinks because I couldn't bring on. With souvenirs ... my bill at the end of the week was maybe $700.
So yeah, cruises aren't as expensive as some people think. The only thing that would make the more expensive than my examples is getting to the cruise port. Living in FL, I'm driving distance to 5 ports and have sailed from 3 of those.