Now I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't just grab one of these rock-bottom options (the ubiquitous "80% off!!" deals) and then prep ourselves for a *lot* of extra expenses on the boat. (Wholly embrace the ULCC model!) The digging I've done so far looking for family suites and such usually leads to much higher prices than simply booking 5 of the cheapest cabins possible...
Crystal looks great, and I'd certainly be willing to pony up the funds to do it, but I don't think the rest of the group will.
I'm beginning to think I should spend more time figuring out which islands in the Caribbean interest us most, and then just find the best deal that covers the majority of those. We've been to Belize and Mexico already...so probably something farther east would be our target. St. Maarten, etc.
I did talk to one friend who said they always book a basic cabin because they rarely spend much time in it anyway. Sort of like a Vegas hotel room...
And yes, I'm diligently reading and digesting Cruise Critic. And I've now read and heard enough to know that we will book third-party as opposed to direct with the cruise line. Taking some notes, reading some FAQs and long threads for n00bs. Lots of great stuff there, although it's still quite overwhelming.