Gift for Family...... need help deciding where to go.
 

I've recently joined the Army and I leave for my training in August and don't return until March of 2010. I want to surprise my parents, brother, and sister and her son(my nephew) by taking them on a cruise to somewhere they have never been. My parents have already been to cozumel and the Bahamas and i'm running out of ideas. If someone can plaese help it'll be greatly appreciated.

I've never done a cruise, but everyone I know who has done an Alaskan cruise has enjoyed it including my mother. She's also done a Caribbean one and a number of river cruises including:

Amazon River
Danube River
Russian river cruise (started in Moscow ended in St. Petersburg - not sure which river(s)
Western Europe (started in Italy and hit ports in Spain or Portugal, maybe France, England, Ireland, Scotland and landed in the Netherlands)

Best wishes on your new career!

Where is everyone starting out from (what would be closest)?

Maybe a Mexican cruise (Cabo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta) leaving from west coast US? Or Hawaiian islands? A loop thru a few of the Caribbean islands out of Miami if you're on the east coast US?

You might get more responses if you post your question in the "Cruise" section of the discussion forums. Include with your question the following: a) where people would be starting out from (as suze suggested); b) approximate budget; and c) preferred cruise length (can people get away for a week, 10 days, 2 weeks, etc.

Oh - and one other thing. I've heard that there are some good deals out there on cruises, but have you considered as an alternative to a cruise the possibility of renting a house somewhere for a holiday? There are also supposed to be really great deals out there.