The Lucky Few
In this world, some are born lucky and some have to work that little bit harder in life to live comfortably. While my father falls in with the latter, his sweat and tears allowed me to be born in the former category. My brother and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel the world on various cruise ships since we were little. From the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, we have visited beautiful landscapes, experienced different cultures and listened to many fascinating stories each city has to tell. This is a place to share these stories.
To Cruise or Not to Cruise
While some perceive cruises as the height of luxury travel, it does have its downside (apart from being expensive). For those considering embarking on one either with family or friends, here are some pros and cons to help you decide:
PROS
# Easier transport to smaller cities
Obviously part of planning your trip is finding ways to get to your desired destination, but when it’s somewhere not many people have heard of it may take multiple train journeys, bus rides, donkey rides or whatever means of local transport the city has to offer. I’m sure many will agree that long journeys can leave you completely knackered so provided you have the money why not jump on a ship and let the captain do his thing while you’re tucked up in bed in your suite?
# You save time
Time is precious. Unless you are retired and have more time on your hands than many working individuals who can only take a limited amount of days off for vacay, you wouldn’t want to have to spend over 32 hours just to get to your destination.
# Get pampered
24 hour room service, unlimited champagne and caviar*, a personal butler and an attentive crew waiting on your hands and feet for a week or two? Yes, please.
*only on certain all-inclusive cruise lines such as Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Silver Seas etc.
CONS
#Not enough time to explore
Most cruise ships dock at a city in the morning and leave in the evening. So you’ve fallen in love with Portofino? Tough — gotta go back to the ship before it leaves the port. All you can do is make a note to self to come visit this awesome place again.
#Unpredictable seas
Sure, the seas can be unpredictable, but that is true for all of nature. Anything can happen. For those susceptible to motion sickness, seasick medicine is available anytime on most cruise ships. Ring for the butler and he/she will even bring you some crackers to settle your churning stomach. Still scared? Steer clear from sailing around Cape Town, South Africa (known to have the roughest seas in the world) and Drake’s Passage (shortest route to get to Antarctica from another continent) where waves can rise up to around 10 metres.
#Boredom
Surprisingly I found this to be one of the common questions people ask me: “Won’t you be bored stuck on a ship?” The answer is yes, sometimes, but ships will organise activities for guests such as bridge tournaments, golf putting competitions, water sports, caviar parties, Jazz concerts and evening performances every night to name but a few. Or bring your Kindle along.
Making the decision whether to board a cruise and whether its worth it can be tough, but I can assure you that once you’ve started cruising, you will always be craving for that wonderful life you had at sea surrounded by the smell of the ocean and the sound of gentle waves crashing as you stand on your balcony watching the ship sail into the horizon.
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