I have to chime in here. We are veterans of three cruises and I have to say that we enjoyed each one enormously. That being said -- would I book with a cruiseline on a standard cruise? Not a chance. There are plenty of travel agencies that book "theme" cruises for folks that have more in common than the average customer. All our cruises have been booked through a travel agency that books the entire ship as a charter and have never had a bad time. As an example - if you are inclined in the "party hearty" direction then find someone who books those kind of cruises, if you are inclined in the greenpeace direction book something along those lines - as in whale watching or Caribbean eco cruises. If you are a MAC (as in Apple) fan, book one of the "MAC Geek" cruises.

As Bradley said if you book an "economy" cruise you will get what you pay for. For James MacMillan I'd recommend finding a cruise for veterans. It would be a much better fit than the standard cruise where Mr and Mrs X are bitching at the wine steward every night. <shudder> Money is better spent elsewhere.

To keep this somewhere in the hemishpere of "On topic" -- Nice pics Bradley and good for your wife's boss for a nice Christmas treat.