Are the free cruise tickets email a scan?

Without a question, the “free” cruise e-mail is a scam, just like virtually all others you get in your in-box asking for your info.

As for what is the cheapest cruise-line, it’s a toss-up between Carnival and NCL. Since you have never been on a cruise before, you can’t go wrong with either. Having said that, my experience with Carnival was less than stellar, so if you asked my advice, go with NCL. Deals on both lines can be found on their own websites as well as vacationstogo.com and cruise411.com. Both sites are excellent sources for finding the cheapest cruises, but before you attempt booking a cruise, go to cruisecompete.com to find an independent Cruise Agent that will do everything they can to get you an even better deal. An added value to hiring an independent cruise agent is that they work for you, not the cruise-lines. As such, they are more in-tune with your desires, and are a big help in not only answering questions before the cruise, but also during the cruise should you run into any unforeseen problems as a virgin-cruiser. I have been doing business with only one agent for more than five years now, because of her impeccable professionalism, and never-ending desire to get me the best deal offered (even after I have placed my reservation! All of this at the loss of a percentage of her commission too! Many times,she has back-checked last-minute pricing just to make sure to get me an even better deal than I signed up for months earlier.) There are many like her out there, so don’t settle for a cruise-line agent who works for the cruise lines, when you can have an independent agent that works for you; especially when that agent does not cost one red-cent more for you to hire!

Lastly, since this is your first cruise, stick with the shorter 3 or 4-night itineraries. The reasons for this are multitude, but the most-obvious one is very few people suffer severe motion-sickness on cruises. (If you can handle air-turbulents during flights, you can easily handle the high-seas!) Should this unlikely experience be yours, you do not want to be on a 5,6,7-night or longer cruise. Once you have had the experience of cruising, you will be infected with the cruise-bug for the rest of your life; trust me! Dear friends of mine convinced me and my wife to take a weekend off from our business for just one weekend-long cruise to the Bahamas more than 6 years ago. It wasn’t until that cruise on Royal Caribbean that I realized just how much of life I was missing not only for myself, but my family too! Now, those friends, their children, my wife, son and I take joint-family cruises every year! Last October, I even got 40 of my High School classmates to join me for a Class-Reunion @ sea! It went so well, that by the third night of our four-night cruise, people were asking me “When are we doing this again?!!! Needless to say, plans are already in the works for a second reunion @ sea next year.

Cruising is by far not only the best vacation dollar for dollar, but the best way to visit the world and learn about new cultures at the same time! We sail so frequently on Royal Caribbean, that our family is now a DIAMOND member of Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society. But that is for another discussion. lol.