CyclingInvestor
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I went on my first cruise in 25 years last summer (Alaska, Holland America, 7 days), followed by an 11 day ferry trip (Alaska Marine Highway ferries Tustumena and Kennicott) down to the Aleutians and back.
The cruise was exactly as I expected - idiot proof, very well organized, everyone sheparded closely on the excursions. The food was good, the cheap ($901 total with single supplement) room seemed enormous, the staff friendly - but the whole experience seemed a bit too sterile and predictable. I might go on another, but only in a special circumstance.
The ferry trip was even better than I expected. A much more industrial feel, mostly locals with a few tourists mixed in, mostly sleeping in the lounge or solarium. We stopped in each town long enough to walk the whole place (mostly 1-3 hours, a few longer). Some had no roads (only boardwalks), most had only dirt roads.
The cruise was exactly as I expected - idiot proof, very well organized, everyone sheparded closely on the excursions. The food was good, the cheap ($901 total with single supplement) room seemed enormous, the staff friendly - but the whole experience seemed a bit too sterile and predictable. I might go on another, but only in a special circumstance.
The ferry trip was even better than I expected. A much more industrial feel, mostly locals with a few tourists mixed in, mostly sleeping in the lounge or solarium. We stopped in each town long enough to walk the whole place (mostly 1-3 hours, a few longer). Some had no roads (only boardwalks), most had only dirt roads.