Sorry that you did not enjoy the cruise more. I agree with Carol that a Bahamas cruise is very low on a list of favored destinations, but I am not sure how much difference it would have made if you had taken a western or eastern itinerary of at least 5 nights - it might have made a difference. I think that you would find the experience of an Alaskan cruise of at least 7 nights very different than the Bahamas cruise you took . It is hard for me to imagine what it would be like for a first time cruiser now because I doubt it would be as enjoyable generally as our first cruises in the mid to late eighties because of the changes in the "mass market" cruising industry. We will be taking our 46th cruise at the end of August, so obviously we enjoy cruising and know how to make best use of it for us. Our cruise vacations are extremely different from our SXM vacations (especially cost) and I can see why some people would not enjoy both as much as we do.