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I'd guess that my 3rd cruise would be to/from Alaska
if there is a next cruise

We did a 29 day cruise a year ago.  It was fun.  We didn’t feel trapped at all. 

The upcoming cruise should be relaxing, ten days, two at sea. 

We have a transatlantic slated for September out of NYC.

Not even when you were surrounded by those obese women who were pigging out on candy?

Some HS classmate that did a stint in the military once posted a picture of a car with Tennessee plates in whatever middle eastern country he was stationed in. 

That's a helluva road trip. 

Not even when you were surrounded by those obese women who were pigging out on candy?

I had forgotten about that, I think it was an Alaskan cruise.

A thing we learned is that cruises originating in foreign ports have a different clientel than ones starting here.  The Caribbean cruises are more drinkfests, in my experience.  The passengers on our Asian cruises were maybe 30% American/Canadian.  Those folks are more interested in touring and discovering than drinking in the main.

And counter to my "rule", we're doing one in a few days out of Miami for other reasons, it goes to some interesting places like St. Kitts.  My wife and I are more interested in discovery than sitting at a bar pounding watered down drinks (which I think they are except for the pure ones, she and I say at one bar and had about five drinks one afternoon and didn't even get a buzz...).

I could be wrong.  The wine seems OK.

Ergo, for us, NCL is more than adequate, it gets us "there", the food is fine, the cabins are nice, the price is more reasonable.  But I see the allure of course of the higher end cruise lines.  I'm mostly paying to see places.

My thinking is that the vodka gets diluted, or perhaps the vodka makers sell lower proof versions as an option to certain venders.  Vodka, gin, the clear spirits, and perhaps some popular brown ones.  I do know we drank pretty heavy one afternoon at a cruise bar and never felt a thing.

Wine and beer, not altered.  They have a bourbon bar also which seems to be the real thing.

the scotch I sipped seemed only watered by the ice cube

and the gin (Bombay Sapphire) martinis I sipped seemed full of something