A couple of weeks ago I took my first cruise on Princess cruise lines.  My wife and I did an Eastern Caribbean cruise, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortola, and an island in the Bahamas.  I must say, it was an amazingly good time and we're looking forward to doing it again.  There were some downsides to deal with, such as the crowds (2500 or so passengers on the big liners), and the motion while underway was a little more than we expected (but we were told it was more than you'd usually feel - most likely due to a problem with one of the ship's stabilizers).  So after the first two nights we were used to the rocking of the ship, and we were so entranced by all the food and drink available that we didn't mind anymore.

One of the things that impressed me was the technology that was onboard.  First, every passenger gets a cruise card, which is a magnetic-stripe type of card, that you use for everything from accessing your stateroom to racking up drink charges at any of the 14 bars on board.  You use the card to 'punch out' when you go ashore at a port and 'punch in' when you come back aboard;  the crew uses this data to identify any passengers still ashore at the time when the ship plans to leave the port, and will announce loudly for any remaining passengers still not checked in to do so promptly.  (Whether they wait for you or simply sail on and expect you to fly to the next port is unknown).   Also, the ship has an area for internet access (for several cents per minute) so you can check your email and such while underway;  I didn't avail myself of this as I was on vacation and didn't want to check my work email at all, but if you're so inclined to do so the option is there.  You can also use your own laptop/wireless card on their WAPs, and I think you're still charged some amount for the access.  The stateroom television is also pretty cool;  it's all satellite-based of course, but beyond the broadcast channels you get to see you can also watch channels that show a video feed from a camera on the mast of the ship, one that shows the ship's location and sea conditions, one that plays a loop of the cruise director's daily briefings, etc.  It's pretty cool. 

Princess's motto is "Escape Completely", and though I certainly felt far enough away from my regular life to enjoy a vacation, I still felt connected enough to the world through technology.  I suppose if I really wanted to escape completely I'd have to go camping, on a deserted island or something.  (Doesn't sound too bad, actually, the crowds would be smaller for sure.)   But if you've never taken a cruise before, I do recommend it as I had a great time as did my wife.  If for no other reason than the 24-hour buffet and the 14 bars on board!!  (food's included in your base price, of course the drinks are not!)