[OldNSalty]

I have very little experience cruising.

Our first cruise, just my wife and me was about 12 years ago or more. It was on the Norway. I found it to be a wonderful cruise and enjoyed the sea days even more then the shore days. The ship felt like a ship and the food was excellent. I loved how everything was perfectly sized so you could have a full 5-course meal and not fill stuffed.

Our next cruise was a few years ago on another Norwegian ship-the Jewel I think. I thought the food was good but hated the buffet style. It felt like everything I wanted to try was in a “special” dinning room that would be $20 a person.

Finally, I just got back from a Carnival Cruise and this time we took our kids (9 and 4). It was not what I expected in that I thought it would be drunken college kids-fortunately it wasn’t. I found the staff to be excellent. They were professional, courteous and very entertaining-loved the shows at the end of dinner.

The food was not really that great (not bad-just not great) and it wasn’t really an elegant experience. Maybe that is the issue for me, when I think of cruising I think of elegance. The ship felt more like a hotel then a ship and the food was just food.

So I guess what we are looking for is this, a more traditional feeling cruise that is fun for kids. I suspect the shore excursions are all pretty much the same so I didn’t factor that in. I love to dive but find it to be not practical on the ships.

Any suggestions on which lines to consider for our next trip?