My husband and I (in our 30's, no kids) had never been on a cruise and booked this online for $799. Annoyingly, a couple weeks later the price went down to $599. I called the travel agency and they upgraded us from the absolute cheapest cabin, category N, which is what we had, to the best inside stateroom. And threw in a second coupon book, which was pretty much worthless anyway. We did not really research cruises or know what to expect. We usually do more active vacations on our own, not with tour groups.

Embarkation: Got a ride from a friend, easy drop off of luggage with luggage guy at the curb. Arrived around 1:30, and I think most of the rush had passed. Got in line with the hoi polloi and waited about 20 minutes, after which we were quickly processed and on the ship. We were able to avoid the picture takers.

Alcohol: Ok, a subject near and dear to our hearts. Here is the deal: all your luggage and carry ons will be scanned for bottles. You are allowed to bring on wine and pay a $15 corkage fee per bottle, which is worth it because it is still cheaper than buying bottles on the ship. You are not allowed hard liquor. I heard someone say they snuck a box of wine in, the scanners do not pick that up. When you pay the corkage fee, they put a sticker on the bottle, and take it off when you bring the bottle to a restaurant. Prices on the ship are about what you would expect at an urban restaurant. The best deal is the bucket of beer, buy 5 get one free. Read more