The world is ours to explore. By taking the adventures to sea, the opportunity to visit multiple countries in one week is easy. With inclusive accommodations, food, and a fast pace travel style, it is a no brainer why so many people enjoy this method of exploration. Here is Impulse Odyssey’s guide to cruising!
I have cruised many times to a wide array of countries. In this article, I’ll discuss the ups and downs of cruising based off what I’ve experienced from my own voyages over the years.
Destination
Just as with any other trip, where you want to go in the world lays the foundation for the adventures you will experience. Planning for a cruise should be no different. There are many cruise lines to choose from, each with different ships sailing across various parts of the world. Find where you want to go, then find a cruise line and ship who’s itinerary includes a list of ports at countries you’re interesting in visiting.
My most recent cruise left from Venice in Italy, then sailed to one city in Montenegro, three cities in Greece, and one city in Croatia. I’ve cruised with a wide variety of crude lines include Norwegian, Carnival, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean. The best cruise line in my opinion is Royal Caribbean.
Pros
I think the most convenient part of cruising is that you’re practically on a floating hotel. There is less planning in booking accommodations, instead you’ll be assigned a decent sized cabin room that is cleaned every morning by housekeeping staff.
In addition to rooms, cruises have a main buffet styled cafe accompanied by multiple restaurants that are scattered around the ship. Food, with the exception of one or two more expensive restaurants, is included in the total price when you first book your trip.
Cruises will often include a food and alcohol package, which saves a lot on having to spend on food. Having to find different restaurants and eating out every day for every meal in different countries can become very expensive. By cruising, you can visit multiple countries over the course of seven to ten days without the stress of finding new hostels to stay in and restaurants to eat at in each city.
The only bad part about cruising is sometimes not having enough time to explore and connect with each country you stop in. Ships will usually dock or anchor at ports for six hours and then sail on to the next country. Depending on how interested I am about a particular city or how many activities there are available for visitors, I usually find that six hours is not enough for me. Touring a city and finding time to explore it afterwards often feels rushed with the time crunch.With only six hours, I feel as if I am not able to connect with the city and the culture as much as I would have if I had spent a couple days in the city instead.
In addition, your schedule becomes the ship’s schedule. Sometime your cruise might arrive at a port at 0800 and leave at 1400, this forces you to go to bed early the night before so that you can wake up early to get ready for the day.
The season of the year may also affect your cruise experience as well. Some ports accommodate up to five different ships of varying cruise lines every day, making smaller towns such as Ioa in Santorini less enjoyable because of how crowded the streets become.
Final Thoughts
Cruising has advantages and disadvantages, but it is all a matter of perspective and deciding what best fits your travel style. If you’re comfortable enough to stick to a fast pace and busy schedule, then I think a cruise ship would be enjoyable for you. If you’re the type of person who likes taking it slow and steady – then you’ll probably be less inclined to cruise.
I’ve done both cruising and hopping from country to country and have had an incredible time with each different adventure. But its just like with any other experience when traveling, you’ll never know until you try!
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