Opinion of cruises for a vacation?

[angus]

you're a regular smartass.  

You thinking of taking the old lady on a cruise?  Don't worry about bumping into me.  We're actually going to drive down to Florida this summer.  The boy has been bothering me to take him to Disney World for years, and now he's tall enough to ride all the rides, so I've told him we'll go.  He finally outgrew Dutch Wonderland so last year I had to take him to Hershey Park.  My wife's not much for the gut-busting, headache, high-acceleration rides, so I was the one who had to do all the roller coasters with him.  Man, every year it takes me a few minutes longer to recover from each one.  I've recently learned that Disney World ain't cheap.  We could do a month on Saint Martin for the price of a week in Orlando.  Oh, well, you're only young once.

Enjoy your cruise.  

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

angus, I voted option 4 so there's no way I'm going on one, free or not.

[Torie]

A boring and hideous way to gain a lot of weight, trapped in some floating hotel tub, filled with tubby passengers. However, there is one cruise option with which I find favor, and hope to do some day.

[angus]

Last night while I was at the club I got into a conversation with a guy in the hot tub and somehow it came up that he had been on three cruises.  All in France.  All on riverboats.  He went with a company called Viking and he recommended it.  He fit the stereotype I have perfectly of those who go on cruises:  over fifty, overweight, and highly opinionated.  He went on and on about the food and beverage service and how delectable it all was.  Best of all, said he, was that everyone on the ship was either American, English, or Australian, so he didn't have to put up with any foreigners.  He enjoyed immensely France and French food but without having to speak or listen to the French language.  No foreigners on that boat, he said. 

Actually, he's a fairly interesting dude, but the exchange made me think of this thread.