mofromcan

Hmmm... looks like I'm the only replying to my post. No one has any opinions on which decks to avoid re staterooms?

Nope, I had that wrong. The large balconies are 75 sq ft and the room is not on the Empress Deck; it's on the Upper Deck. Good deck for a room or bad deck? Thanks!

Hello. We have never cruised before and are thinking of taking the plunge July/09. I've heard good things about the Valor. I have 2 specific questions: 1. what are the dimensions of a 'large' balcony. I know it's 100 sq ft, but how is that configured. Can 4 tall people lounge on it? 2. How would a room on the Empress Deck be? From what I can tell, it's the 3rd floor (I think) and that is the same floor as the dining rooms. So will that stateroom be noisy? Pros & cons of having a stateroom on that floor? What's the best floor to have a stateroom?

I've heard conflicting info on this. I read somewhere that you could purchase a day pass to use the Atlantis beach and pools, etc. But I read somewhere else that only guests are permitted to use the beach/pools and that the Atlantis excursion you buy with your cruise lets you only into the aquarium portion?? Which is true?

Thanks for all the replies! I got some great info. So far we've decided to go with 2 cabins, prob with Carnival. Still checking prices. It will probably be early July. I'm hearing that even tho that is officially part of the hurricane seaason, that it typically is good weather and it's actually August that you have to worry about. Does everyone agree with that?

Help! We want to take our first cruise in the summer of 2008. We're being very flexible on dates -- basically any date between 2nd week of July and last week of August. We're a family of 4: 2 adults, 2 girls who will be 12 and 15. So here are my many (prob annoying) questions: . I'm thinking of 2 rooms: 1 balcony room for hubby and me; 1 interior room for girls, close to ours, hopefully across the hall. Is this an unreasonable request? Would I be better off in a family suite? Just not sure how much room we'd have in a suite and how tiny the beds would be. Bed comfort is important to us. What would likely be cheaper - the suite or the 2 rooms? . Eastern Caribben or Western Caribbean?? I'm thinking it prob doesn't matter too much with your first cruise -- isn't the trip really about the boat? But I'm leaning towards Western, just because hubby and I got engaged in Jamaica 22 yrs ago(!) and we haven't been back. So nostalgia really -- I'm prob remembering Dunn's River Falls with stars in my eyes - is it actually fun and beautiful and or is it just way too crowded and touristy, and shouldn't play a part in our decision? . I'm sure I'll get many different answers here, but I'm interested in all of them: Which cruise line to take? Kid/Teen camps don't matter - my kids never go in them; they like to do stuff with us. Food is important to us -- but again price comes into it. If it's a big $$ difference between 5 star and 4 star, we'd go 4 star. But it's very important that the food is consistently better than mediocre. . What's the best way to get a great price? Should I choose a cruise line and deal with the online rep? Or should I use a local travel agent? How do you pick a travel agent? We'd need air transportation from Toronto, Canada, so I'm assuming it would be cheaper to get a full package that includes air -- can you do that online? . Anything else that I should be taking into consideration? Thanks very much for any help!!