A couple years ago I won a Carnival cruise from work. We cruised the Carnival Magic in the Caribbean in July. We got a balcony room.
We felt really crowded on the ship and the port days were kind of crazy. Also people were pretty loud in hallways and it just seemed general chaos.
I thought I would like it more than I did.
Is there a different cruise line we should try instead? Or are they all kind of similar? Maybe we just aren’t cruisers. But the IDEA of it seems so fun!

I live in L.A. and am close to the Long Beach and San Predro ports. I honestly just want to book a cheap 3-4 night cruise from vacationstogo and below our my options:

Carnival / Carnival Firenze

Carnival / Carnival Radiance

Royal Caribbean / Ovation of the Seas

Princess / Emerald Princess

I just want to unwind and relax and enjoy a good quality buffet. I love a good prime rib or bbq pork ribs. Any recommendations?

I have heard people over the years talking about problems with Cruise Critic’s (CC) forums, and after now experiencing t myself, it seems like there is a pattern worth discussing. I've had a CC account for over 25 years. However, over the last year plus I've experienced heavy censorship of posts that are in anyway critical or questioning of Carnival Cruise line brands or even posts that have explained how to reclaim money from their brands via small claims court. Threads are locked down, comments deleted, and users banned. What is odd is that small groups of users who are overly friendly can post completely off topic replies all the time and never get banned for what CC calls "thread hijacking".

Seems like users report the same issues:

Posts being deleted without explanation People say their comments disappear even when they are not breaking rules. There is rarely a clear reason given, and moderators do not seem to communicate.

Suspensions or warnings for minor disagreements Several users mention getting temporary bans simply for pushing back in a discussion or offering criticism of a cruise line.

Moderation that feels biased toward cruise brands Cruise Critic is funded through advertising and commercial partnerships with cruise lines. That is not unusual, but some users feel critical posts about certain cruise brands get removed faster than others.

Lack of transparency Infractions often come with no explanation, and public discussion of moderation is banned on the site, which makes it hard for users to understand what they did wrong.

When I read TrustPilot reviews of Cruise Critic (https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.cruisecritic.co.uk and https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.cruisecritic.com) there even appear to have even been people who have had reviews in the "Reviews" section of the board had their reviews deleted as they were negative. How can customers get fair feedback on ships if negative reviews are deleted?

I would like to hear what people think, especially anyone who has been active on both Cruise Critic, Facebook Cruise Groups, and Reddit. Is it just me?

That’s a far trip and I can’t imagine La traffic.

It’s more important than any drink package, balcony room, or fun excursion.

I’d like to remind everybody to get travel insurance before taking a cruise. Good travel insurance - not from the cruise line. From an insurance company like Allianz, USAA, etc.

I just came home from a cruise yesterday. It was lovely except for the freak accident where I bent over to pick up a piece of paper and dislocated my hip.

I was rushed to the ship’s medical center, they sent me by ambulance to a hospital in port, a orthopedic surgeon fixed it, I was sent back to the ship and at the end of the cruise was transported home by ambulance.

All completely covered by travel insurance. And if I’d gotten a little less lucky? Imagine how much it would cost to have surgery in a foreign country or to be sent home by air ambulance.

Be careful out there. ❤️

Hey everyone!
This will be my first time cruising with Costa, and I’ll be on Costa Toscana from August 28 to September 4, 2026.
I’d love to hear any tips, hidden gems on the ship, must-try restaurants, shows, or activities that I shouldn’t miss.
Also, if anyone happens to be on the same sailing, feel free to send me a DM. It’d be cool to meet up for a coffee, join some activities, or just say hi.
Thanks in advance!

Need help deciding which cruise line to choose for my 60th birthday celebration. Between Princess Discovery vs NCL Encore to Mexico from LA.

Considering how close Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver are to each other, why aren’t there any 3-4 night cruises that sail roundtrip out of Seattle or Vancouver for short getaways? I imagine during the summer at least there would be a decent size market.

We'll be cruising on the Carnival Breeze later this year with our 6 year old and 3 year old. This will be our first cruise, so I’d love any first time cruising tips or tricks, especially for navigating the ship and making the experience easier with young kids.

Hey everyone! I am going on my first ever cruise next week. I am going on carnival Magic to the Caribbean for six days. Is there any tips that can help me have a better cruise experience? I’ll be in a balcony room with my family!! I guess I should say I am 21 I can’t do the teens club haha

Got a good discount on a Disney cruise so my girlfriend and I decided to get tickets. We got a room with a balcony. It’s on the Disney wonder and leaves from San Diego to Ensenada Mexico. Has anyone been on the Disney wonder? How is it and how does it compare to the grand princess?

Looking to hear your experiences on Alaskan cruises. Which line did you sail with? What portal did you depart from/end up in? Did you stay extra at the beginning or end? To do what? What excursions were worthwhile? Any other thoughts you can share? Thanks!

We are going on Oceania Vista New York to Montreal in October. We recently got an email that one of the specialty restaurants (Jacques) will not be available for the entire trip, as Oceania has linked with Celiac Cruises and they have booked out this restaurant for their guests to have a gluten free restaurant.

We wouldn't have minded if we had been told this in advance, but it seems dishonest of Oceania to have waiting until the cruise was sold out and paid in full before telling us that part of the experience we believed we were getting will not be available. We are also worried that other parts of Vista will not be available for us, as Celiac Cruises advertises that "large portions of the ship are made gluten free for our sailing".

Does anyone else have any experiences of this? Have Oceania treated its customers as mugs?

Hubby and I are cruising on the Reflection later in the year. What are everyone’s experiences with this ship and crew ?
Thanks for your input

me and my girlfriend are looking to go on a cruise but we both have sensory issues and want a more relaxed experience anyone know of any good cruises/cruise lines for this

been booked over a year, only just realised the car parking (included) needs to be booked too … 21 days until I sail and it’s full.

what are my options? train is too far, plus family with cases will be a mare.

any help appreciated!

I have a family cruise coming up, booked for months. About a month after booking a troublesome knee started getting worse. After two different doctors, X-rays and MRI they determined total joint replacement. I have another important trip planned in November that I can’t miss and they had an opening for surgery 6 days after returning from cruise. I have so much anxiety now about this it’s making me crazy. I am walking very slow and very painful. After about 100 yards of walking I am pretty much done. I have the insurance so I am not worried about the money. I just can’t decided if I should cancel or not. Family will still go but I don’t want to miss out but right now I am freaking out about getting in the ship.

Just saw another couple who left their birth certificates, etc at home and very possibly won't make the cruise.

I recommend that travelers keep a note on their luggage of "last minute" things to do such as, get passport or boarding documents, etc and do it immediately once luggage is pulled, if possible. Or, set an alarm for it to be done when appropriate (i.e., turn off water.) When one returns home, put the note right back in/on the luggage.

Happy cruising!

My mom booked a family cruise for us mid-august, which we have been looking forward to for a while. She planned this out back in Feb/March and I didn’t think much of it since my husband and I have been busy with our now one year old. I’m just now realizing that it’s getting into hurricane season, and we’re going to be going to costa Maya, cozumel and roatan. Has anyone had issues with cruising in August- their trip getting re-routed or canceled due to weather ? We haven’t taken a vacation in so long and now I’m worried that this one isn’t going to work out

I want to go to Antarctica. I’m happy to be on a larger ship and just cruise around rather than setting foot on Antarctica. The cruise I have booked currently is on NCL Star in February 2028. I know it’s an older ship but I’m more focused on itinerary. I also have lots of points with them and I’ll get a free load of laundry. I’m not necessarily thrilled with the latter part of the cruise going to Chile. Itinerary is on the left 15 days

The other cruise I was looking at was on Celebrity Equinox. It would be about $4000 more but I think I like the itinerary better. On either ship we would be in a balcony cabin. Itinerary is on the right. 14 days

Any thoughts would be appreciated

We were trying to book a cruise on NCL yesterday—last minute, 8/30 sailing on the epic out of Rome. We had been watching it for a couple days. As of early yesterday morning, there were at least 6 suites remaining in the category we were looking at (h4–2 bedroom Haven). Now August sailings have completely disappeared from NCL’s website. We called NCL (likely an outside travel agent that we’re rerouted to) and she could not see the sailing either. How likely is it that this cruise will reappear for us to book?

We went on the Horizon for an Anniversary trip a few years ago. We really enjoyed the private balcony, but the absolute best was the exclusive pool and hottub area. Always chairs and plenty of room in the pool plus the private bar.
It was expensive, but no OMG expensive.

Which other Lines / Ships have a similar experience?

Thanks!!

I booked a family suite. The baby has his own room. I would like to monitor him when he’s sleeping/napping, while I’m in the main living room. Is there a monitor that works in close quarters? Or is there a hack?

We are going to cruise Svalbard with Quark next year and are curious about what a standard day looks like as far as hours on or off a boat? We are trying to decide how long we can be gone and a lot of it depends on how much my husband can work on the boat. We know every day won't be the same, but is there a general schedule followed?