re: Can someone school me on cruises?

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Wife and I are looking into a cruise for our 10 year anniversary in 2019. We aren’t looking to spend a ton of money and probably will want to port out of Nola to avoid paying for a flight.

Is Carnival that bad? Is Norwegian that much better? Would we be better off just flying to an all inclusive in the Caribbean instead?

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Like most travel-related questions, the answer is "it depends."

If you and your wife are looking for a true "unplug, kick back, and relax" type of vacation, you probably want to do the all-inclusive.

But if you and your wife are more adventurous and want to see/visit different places, a nice cruise can be a great experience. I'd stay away from Carnival though. A 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise will filter out most of the trashiness.

Some of my favorite travel memories with my wife have been "ditching the crowd" at the different ports and going off to explore on our own.

You probably see where I'm going with this. You don't really go anywhere at an all-inclusive. Yeah, you can leave the premises, but you're still pretty much limited to the immediate surrounding area. BUT, when it comes to pure relaxation, it's hard to beat a good all-inclusive. Especially the truly all-inclusive ones where you can leave your wallet locked in your safe for the entire stay.

If you do choose a cruise, a highly recommend springing for a room with a balcony. One of the things I don't like about cruises is that - other than your room - it's hard to get away from the crowds and have some peace and quiet.