I’ve been asked often about cruise holidays and if we’d recommend them. I understand why many people turn their noses up at cruises.
I thought I would hate them and being stuck on a cruise boat would be an imprisonment of my soul’s innate desire to explore.
In a way it is.
You aren’t going to get a lot of adventure and exploration when you go on a cruise. But, not every travel experience needs to be off the beaten path or long-term.
There are short-term holiday (vacation) experiences that are worthwhile and fun too.
We are major advocates for everyone to have more travel in their life.
The best way to travel is in the style that suits your interests and your reasons for travelling. (We also recommend never to get stuck in one way of travel – it goes against the principles of evolution)
One of the reasons we travel is to leave our everyday lives behind – to let loose and enjoy ourselves with those we love.
Hello Captain
For some people they want to take a week or two out of the busy everyday craziness to relax and enjoy the good things about life – without the responsibility of organising it.
I never understood this need until I became a mother, with a ridiculously heavy work load. The scream is:
“Just give me a well-earned BREAK!”
For the younger crowd a short-break usually takes the form of a party hard and play full-out trip. We can’t do them for long periods of travel, but for the short term holidays, they are memorable and a lot of fun.
Think of those after school trips you went on with your friends: Schoolies in Surfers, Bali, cruises and, in the US, you’ve got your spring break trips down to Mexico or weekends in Vegas.
Cruising holidays are this sort of travel and what makes cruises so special is that you are on a ship for a short period of time with hundreds of people who are doing exactly the same thing as you.
Taking a week out of their lives to let loose, relax and have fun.
Let the fun begin
Imagine the atmosphere when you have 1000 people intending to have the time of their lives.
Would you see more vibrant, happy faces than tired, cranky ones?
Would you hear more laughter than tears and arguments?
Would your children enjoy it?
Would you see more people dancing, singing and being entertained by amazing shows and comedians than sitting around bored and complaining?
Happy, smiling children at kids club
When people travel or go on holidays they become different people. They let their guards down and are more open to talking with strangers.
Sharing their stories and hearing the fascinating tales of others.
Think of how much we all love to share our stories. When you live a normal life the people around you have heard all your stories – actually are pretty tired of hearing them and you feel all dried up.
Then you come to a place that is full of happy cruisers dying to share and hear different things. The conversations and laughter is flowing and you learn so much from strangers.
getting jiggy with it
Of course you can have this with any travel experience too, but with cruising the difference is that everyone on this mini-city is on a holiday.
When you are travelling through real cities with real life occurring, your experiences are interwoven with people who have had a shitty work day, who are going home to marriages they don’t like, or situations that make them mad and depressed.
Not everyone is like this of course, and you do get some people who travel that are like this, but in my experience they are very very rare. (Just for the record, I think experiencing travel through a real city is one of the best ways to travel and should be a must do, but for this the purpose of this post, travel is to relax and let loose.)
It’s a happy and uplifting energy on a cruise ship.
It’s almost as if when you get on the gangplank a magic wand is waved over you and all your stresses and cares are left behind and you can just live.
letting loose
Live how you always dreamed.
Fed delicious meals three times a day. No cooking or cleaning, just devouring and appreciating.
Drink when you feel like it. Watch the sunset every night over the water and rise again every morning over the water.
Start your day with a run around the top deck with ocean on either side. Spend the day sitting in a spa with a cocktail or lying on a lounge with your favourite book.
Ahh, serenity
Play bingo and trivia games, go shopping and be entertained at night by piano players, jazz musicians, comedians, and live shows.
This is why we are now big lovers of cruising and will recommend it to people who just want to let loose, relax and have fun without any hassle.
Cruising reminds me of Vegas. The neon lights vibrantly spell FUN TIMES AHEAD.
show time!
FUN, roll the word around in your mouth and savour it.
Isn’t this what life should be about?
