Honeymoon Booked . . . whaaat?

So we booked our honeymoon today! Whoa early right? well we figured we should get it out of the way. So first off, me and Van have always wanted to visit Europe and discover Rome, Greece and all the wonderful architecture and of course learn all about the Greek Gods. (yes we know, we are major geeks!). Well Van wanted to go on a cruise, so we decided to book a 14 day one. We initially wanted to visit Egypt (Van to see the pyramids, and me to ride a spitting camel . . . yes we know, we are strange), but unfortunately that was much too expensive. :( So we decided on a cruise that wasn't the cheapest, nor the most expensive and we will also get a chance to visit Venice! (Van since "it's more romantic" and me cause I thought instantly "James Bond: Casino Royale" . . . yes again we or "I" am strange). So after a few bad run-in's with Travel Agents (long story), I conducted massive research on cruises and ended up booking directly with the cruise line.

Things we've learned for cruises:
1) Book 1+ year in advance or Book 2 months prior to the cruise
(reasoning: Cruise Guarantee - when you book 1+ year in advance you get a guarantee which locks in your price and should the price drop, you will receive the lower price. OR usually 2-3 months prior the cruise, they will have ridiculous deals to fill up the ship. They usually specify "new bookings only," which means that if you booked already and cancel the cruise, and rebook you will not get the new price. They also will not allow the cruise guarantee for the deal. Another note about cruise guarantee, if you booked with a TA you will have to go through the TA to lower the price and I have heard that it will cut down on their commission, so definitely be aware if they charge for fees associated with that).
2) Check to see if the cruise line offers different prices for USD or CAN funds. Our cruise line had set their prices the same amount in USD and CAN funds (probably back when the good old loonie was par with the US dollar). Something to note is that the final payment is due abt 60 days prior to sailing, and I had heard that some Canadians had booked their cruises last year in USD as the loonie was on par, and are now regretting it as their final payment is due and is actually more expensive now. On a side note, we've saved ~$750.00 in total, as the cruise line has not yet readjusted their prices now that the loonie has fallen.
3) The deposit is ~$450 each per person to book, and then the balance is due 60 days prior to the cruise. They state that a full refund of the deposit is possible prior to the 60 days, so really it's a low risk to book our cruise now.
4) Finally, look at which location the ship leaves and returns. Ie. if that is a place you really wish to visit, you may need a hotel prior or post cruise to explore. For us lots of cruises start and end in Rome, so if the flight gets there at 11am and the ship leaves at 6pm there's really not much time to explore.

Okay very long post. well you can probably tell we are VERY excited!!