If I were to describe my travel style it would be an (very) independent traveller. I book my own flights, research public transport and hotels. Highlight on maps walking routes and the bars and restaurants I fancy based on pre travel research. If I'm honest when I've come across a 'cruiser' on my travels I've always given them a wide berth. Doing things yourself has an element of 'it means more'.
I've spent the last 30 years of extreme travel hopping from city to city, country to country, often exhausting, always exhilarating, embracing local culture as much as possible.
Things are different these days, I've got a wife and 2 year old. A couple of months back we went on an adventure holiday to Austria (Vienna and Salzburg), Czechia (Brno), Slovakia (Bratislava) and Germany(Munich) in under 2 weeks. This was already holiday style 2.0 as the budget hotels are now replaced by 4* hotels and no late night parties. It was exhausting, we had too much luggage, add to that a pushchair and a baby that rarely fancied sitting in it. Those sorts of holidays are now on hold.
I like the idea of seeing new places, climbing a new tower, drinking the local brew, walking for miles to replicate a picture of a 'not to be missed' viewspot everyday. The idea of early morning mobilization of the family and luggage to catch a bus to the train station has taken the edge of that sort of holiday (for the time being).
How about a cruise I thought, that'd be perfect, you put your luggage in your room and the boat does the moving from city to city whilst you sleep. Your food and 'entertainment' catered for. This was quite a paradox in my thoughts.
Looking at package holidays (the last one I did was an 18-30 trip to Spain or Greece - i don't remember much other than intense noise, alcohol and sunburn - when I had just reached the lower end of the age range). I found cruises to be expensive (very expensive). However there is value to be had looking at 'cruise only' options. That's what we did. We bookended the cruise with a 2 night stay in Bologna at the start (via a cheap Ryanair flight) and a 1 night in Barcelona (returning via EasyJet) - definitely the way to do it. We also got to experience my old travel style before and after the cruise.
Pre cruise I signed up to a Facebook page dedicated to the ship we were going on for those dates. The people posting on there weren't the people I usual mix with, in fact I'd highlighted a few that might get tossed overboard if I'd 'had a few'.
The cruise we bought had an additional tip charge of $16 per person per day, which mid cruise I managed to get them to waive Sienna's tips.
Post booking I was bombarded with emails, drinks package, photo package, internet package, tours etc it really was relentless. The only thing I had an interest in was the drinks package as I'd heard alcohol was eye wateringly expensive on the ship. The cheapest the alcohol package was advertised at was $65 per person per day, I'd need to get for my wife also even though she doesn't drink. So I gave it the swerve (not before trying to negotiate a drinks package for one day for one person so I could have a mental one - this was declined).
I opted for no packages but did read you could takes a bottle of wine on each, so in Bologna I purchased a bottle of Borolo and Amarone, red wine of such quality (and strength) would retail at $100+ on the ship. There was supposed to be a corkage charge but the Indian barman whom I talked cricket with was more than accommodating in doing the honours for free.
Off the boat when we stopped for a rest or lunch I would sample the local brew.
We stayed in the Mercure in Bologna (room only) and the price per day of the cruise (meals, travel, tips and 'entertainment' included) was only a fraction more per day. Definitely good value which is always important.
The buffet restaurant on the boat was plentiful and the a la carte restaurants was excellent (however sometimes the food wasn't piping hot). We never tried any of the 'pay more' restaurants and in my opinion never needed to.
We got off the boat everyday (except a day at sea) . Destinations included some new places for me, Messina on Sicily (not much to right home about), Naples (loved it here - but fancied longer than a day trip) and Marseille. I'd planned self tour to go into Rome one day, but the Italian train and motorway strike ruled that out so had to stay in a fairly unimpressive Civitavecchia where the boat had docked. The following day I'd planned Florence and Pisa by train, however we were late in getting moving, and a series of sliding door near misses on connections of buses and trains ruled out Florence and we managed to just get in Pisa just as the heavens opened.
The tours the ship were offering would definitely have made things easier, but easier isn't better in my book. And at the prices they were charging this option was completely ruled out.
My opinion on the days off the boat is, if a city is worth visiting, it's worth spending more than a few hours in, if it's not worth visiting, well it's not worth visiting.
Would I cruise again, you know maybe I would (especially if I could find good value), my wife is less enthusiastic as she still found it tiring and rushed when we left the ship and having a curfew of when the boat sailed was always in her mind.
It's safe to say our favourite 3 days of the 10 day holiday were Bologna, Venice and Barcelona which perhaps not coincidentally were the 3 days before and after the cruise. So the search for the perfect family holiday continues.
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