Ellie

YES! Dump it! We've been to Jamaica a few times as a port of call and did not feel comfortable. The locals were all over the beach area, blasting their music, making suggestive remarks to the young women, and imposing themselves upon everyone to sell their drugs. There are plenty of places to see where this ghetto atmosphere is not present.

Cruznchris, I agree wholeheartedly with your preference for traditional dining. It's nice to have dinner companions each night with whom you become familiar and are able to maintain a nice flow of conversation throughout the meal. To me, it's very uncomfortable to be seated with people who are not "talkers" and silently eat their meals with only an occasional comment. Another time, we were seated at a table with 4 women who were travelling together. Unfortunately, my husband was the only male at the table and attempted to join in on the conversation but without much success. Since we are people who go out to dinner regularly when at home, we do look forward to dining in a comfortable atmosphere, and what better way to meet people! We are waitlisted for traditional dining for our December cruise on the Crown. I do hope they can accommodate our request. We would rather sit at a table for two than be uncomfortable with total strangers each night. Not saying that this would always be the case, but we like the "security blanket" of knowing our dining partners.

ALWAYS THE BUFFET! I love different things....Got to have eggs (preferably EGGS BENEDICT), can do without any of the bacon or sausage (saving calories, in my mind), POTATOES - any way, shape or form, might throw on a piece of FRENCH TOAST or a WAFFLE....with strawberries or syrup.....and, of course, one pastry of my choice. Hmmm.....high cholesterol, lots of carbs & sugar.....maybe this is why I gain weight on a cruise! I convince myself I need this kind of breakfast for ENERGY!! HAHA!

The Mexican Riviera is definitely high on the list of places to cruise for us. Getting my husband to agree to flying across the country to California is another story. My plan is to get some friends of ours to book such a cruise, and then my husband won't want to look like a wimp, so he'll be agreeable. Heh-heh.....doesn't hurt to manipulate a situation sometimes

We dutifully attend each and every drill dictated by the ship's captain and crew. For me, it brings back memories of those awful fire drills in elementary school. I went to a very strict Catholic school, and the nuns acted as though they would be willing to throw us into the burning building if and when a fire ever appeared! So we obediently grab our life jackets (by this time, we've had a few drinks) and participate in this pre-cruise ritual. I agree about the opportunity to scope out others. That's what we usually do while we're there. My husband is a retired firefighter, and he is amazingly cooperative, considering he's not one to follow rules of any kind! For some reason, he feels he has special privileges on occasion. Don't ask!

Leigh Ann - Being on your honeymoon, I would think you two would enjoy staying on the ship, having a lot of private quiet time ( ) and doing whatever you like whenever you like. Now that's freedom! If you find someplace interesting during the cruise, by all means, venture out. But Mary is right...it's best to let the impatient ones get off first, then it's not so crowded and definitely moves along more quickly. Don't forget to take time for a nap and then you get dressed for dinner, mingle, enjoy the nightlife (dancing, drinking, casino....) and have fun. I can tell you it will be a memorable honeymoon and you will love it....and become an addict like the rest of us. Happy Honeymoon! Happy Cruising!

We did the Jungle Queen Riverboat quite a few years back (8 years already??) and really enjoyed it. It was your typical event but the area was not typical at all. Loved looking at the mansions along the water, the luxury cabin cruisers that someone actually owns! Food was good as was the show. Something different to enjoy on a warm summer night. January might be quite chilly....although some might enjoy the "crisp" winter air.

Wow! What a great price for the Renaissance......we booked a room for our pre-cruise night in December, and paid more than twice what you did. Good for you! We have a guarantee rate, which you cannot change, so there's nothing I can do at this point. But I can vouch for something.....we had drinks with K&R last year at the Renaissance, and their pomegranate martini is absolutely delicious!!!! I think that's what made me book us there for our upcoming cruise. We also had to find a place where we could leave our car during the cruise. Some places charge ridiculous rates to leave your car....like $20 a day! Other places are not too safe. Renaissance charges only $10/day for parking if you stayed there. OH - Did I mention they have excellent pomegranate martinis? Um, yes...I did....sorry....can't help it....love them

Usually our room is available to enter, so we drop off our carry-ons and head out to lunch. Then we find the pool, step up to the bar, and begin our celebration! CHEERS!

Ours was St. Thomas also....I remember the ship getting closer & closer and thinking "WOW! - All those hills to drive up all the time". Well, we got first-hand experience with that, just like someone else just said - the bus was a real junker. The driver was a speed demon. I looked out over my side of the bus and thought we were all going to die. That made me mad because I thought I would never get to finish my very first cruise!

We are booked on that new fantastic huge ship - OASIS OF THE SEAS - sailing on 11/13/2010. The Travel Club in our community organized this trip, so many of our friends and neighbors will be sailing together. One couple we know well will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on the ship! Since you don't have to live here to get in on this group deal, my brother and SIL from PA are going, as well as a few couples we know in NJ. CANNOT WAIT!

GEE....looks like nobody wants to play on your playground! Or maybe we're the only people sailing on this ship. How cool would that be? No crowds at the pool....no lines for food.....Hmmm? On second thought, maybe we do need more people. Where have all the cruisers gone? Do they know something that we don't know? - Frank & Ellie