My Wife and I are thinking of going on a short 4 day cruise to see what it is like as we have never been on cruise before. It may seem like a dumb question(s) but we were wondering exactly what do you do On a Cruise? We are in or late 40's my Wife drinks alcohol Rarely I enjoy a drink or two now and then (BTW How Much do the Drinks Cost ?) so Partying is not a draw. We want to go but will it be boring, because we don't Night Club it? I know there must be things to keep you Entertained (like Shows) to some degree but I was hoping people could let us know what they did that made a Cruise a Positive & FUN time. We might bring the kids 19 & 16 years old, but they have fun wherever they go, are most 3/4 day cruises (1 or 2 ports max) good for kids & late 40's adults? Again sorry if this seems like a dumb question, but I just GOTS Ta Know. Thanks in Advance

We live in So. California, just south of Los Angeles. I dont mean to sound like a couple of Prudes, I have no problem having a couple of Drinks now & then, We just dont plan our Vacation around getting Drunk on a Nightly basis. I'm get the feeling that "Cruises" are more of a Floating Party where drinking is the BIG thing to do, We are Very Social and like to have Fun as much as anyone else we just dont DRINK to make it Better. Other than seeing the Ports of Call (Ensenada in our Case - seen it a hundred times already& maybe Catalina- thats a Fun place) WHAT do people DO? Is it pretty much kickin back having drinks socializing and do nothing but talk/laugh/party? I can handle that and would approach it with the Attitude of dont expect anymore than that OR are there OTHER forms of Fun that one can do, I know most have a Casino and Shows and PLENTY of Food and that might be more than enough. My main Question is concerning IS there Anything ELSE to Do? BTW "How MUCH do the Drinks COST? I have heard the were expensive and do sodas and Non Alcoholic drinks cost money or are they Included? Thanks for any input.

You could be me and my husband! Mid 40's first time cruisers. Going 5/17 to Ensenada via Long Beach. Decided to check message boards which was so helpful when we flew first time to Zihuatanejo. We are wondering what to expect entertainment wise, how much money we should plan on spending, what to pack and yes specifically how much do drinks cost. We are not drinkers but may want to have a drink/beer also how much are soda and water? If you go before us or get a good response would you please email and let us know at biggscasa@aol.com?
Thanks! L & P

Hey thats about the time we were thinking of going (our 21st annvrsy)I did find a website that did answer some questions it is cruiseclues.com. It has some drink menus and other good info (some of it is outdated though), but it did give me a pretty good perspective of what to expect. Are you in OC and did you get a "Deal" on the price? Aw heck I'll email later and we can exchange Info and heck maybe meet up on the Cruise.

I live in the LA area and have taken both Carnival and Royal Carribbean on the Ensenada trip. If you don't drink, look into RCCL. Last year, we went on the Carnival and the weather was bad the day we were at sea. They did not have any activities except all the bars were open and so was the casino. (BINGO was not even going on). . People were just walking around doing nothing. Carnival really was catering to the drinkers. (My husband and I drink but not continually all day!) Of course, if the weather is nice, you can enjoy the pool during the day. This year, we took Royal Carribbean which had more activities planned in the day. Plus, there was Bingo in the morning and afternoon. RCCL also had a comedy show and a juggler in the afternoon who were both terrific! So, you not only had the main show at night, but also one on the sea day. Both lines had good an bad points. My kids-ages 21 and 19 (and nephews ages 16 and 18) like Carnival better since they can get pizza at 3 A.M. if they want. But, there is a rock climbing wall on RCCL. I was disappointed with the food on RCCL. I have taken other RCCL ships and the food was excellent so don't know why this ship did not have a good chef. At night, there isn't a problem since there are the shows, dancing and casino. Carnival has an adult comedian show which is great. RCCL has dueling piano players and karoke after the main show. So, there is a lot to see and do on both ships at night.

I think Soda cards were about $18 for adults, but can't remember exactly. Since you are going from Long Beach, you must be taking Crnival. Also, check out cruisecritic.com to read other information. it is a great site.

Guest wrote:You could be me and my husband! Mid 40's first time cruisers. Going 5/17 to Ensenada via Long Beach. Decided to check message boards which was so helpful when we flew first time to Zihuatanejo. We are wondering what to expect entertainment wise, how much money we should plan on spending, what to pack and yes specifically how much do drinks cost. We are not drinkers but may want to have a drink/beer also how much are soda and water? If you go before us or get a good response would you please email and let us know at biggscasa@aol. com?
Thanks! L & P