My wife and I just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a cruise of the eastern caribbean aboard the Carnival Liberty. We are first time cruisers, and I am still digesting the experience with mixed impressions. The highlights were spectacular; the bulk of the cruise was not.

As a first timer, I am comparing the cruise ship experience to the most similar vacation option we have enjoyed- our many visits to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the caribbean. I believe we'll revert to the land-based resort option. The vacation experience was more consistently pleasant for us there.

What I expected from the cruise based on industry hype, reading online information, and talking with every person I came across about their cruise ship experience: Cruising is great- the food is wonderful. The service is fantastic. You get to travel to all kinds of exotic destinations and only have to pay for one flight to see them all, and you only need to unpack once, as your hotel room travels for you. There is so much to do you'll never be bored. These huge high-tech ships have all the amenities you could want, and they have stabilizers to keep them from rolling in the sea. You won't feel the waves and probably won't even notice that you're moving. Read more