After I wrote about large bundled trips or one-off destinations, it is time to talk about potential cruises. As I’ve mentioned, Andrea and I have different views about cruises. Or, put more accurately, we have different views about what a cruise experience might be like, given that neither of us has actually done one.

For me, I like the idea of unpacking once, seeing lots of different places, and seeing the ocean. I also think it’s an interesting way to try some places and decide if you might want to go back for a longer stay. By contrast, Andrea doesn’t like the idea of stopping at one port in a country for half a day and then motoring away; it’s just not worth it. So, larger ocean cruises with lots of destinations are generally out for the two of us.

Inland cruises

Andrea is, however, interested in some cruises that her parents have recently taken, which were basically “inland” cruises in Europe. One was in France, but there are lots of little cruises in different countries. So, instead of only seeing one port, you experience more places within the country. In many respects, that probably doesn’t differ much from a bus tour of France (for example), except you don’t have to pack and unpack every night, and you have a variety of places to sit while passing through the countryside. And, because the boats are generally smaller, you don’t have to worry as much about booking what “ramp time” you want to get on or off at some stop. As noted, France is a clear possibility, but there are many options in Europe.

I have a potential interest in an American one, drifting down the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, some of the ones I found while searching were incredibly expensive, partly because the boats are so small that it’s hard to build much of an economy of scale. I’d love to find out if perhaps there are houseboat rental options to go one way. A later dream to consider.

If I drift really far sideways for a moment, there are some train trips that I could probably group in here, too. A friend of mine did the Trans-Siberian Railway route, which sounded incredible but highly unlikely, and, of course, we love the train routes through the Rockies (either in Canada or the US). Both seem really expensive, however, and I suspect we’d rather put the same money towards some other more exciting destinations.

Coastal cruise

I wonder if the Scandinavian trip (from the “bundling” post) might be better on a small cruise ship, but it’s likely not a strong seller for Andrea. For me, it’s a no-brainer because my main interest is to see the fjords more than cities, but Andrea and Jacob want to be in the cities.

Andrea IS interested in an Alaskan cruise, as am I. I expect we’ll do that one sometime, to be determined when.

Interestingly, there’s another one in this “grouping” that interests her. She likes the idea of a Greek Island cruise. My sister noted that in her experience, cruises were terrible given that you had to constantly get on and off as well as arrange port timings, plus you didn’t really get to see as much in the limited time in-country. I can see that, and it’s Andrea’s primary concern too with some of the regular cruises. But I’d be interested to see if we could find a smaller ship with more accessible arrivals/departures and not that rushed of a pace for the islands. I had noted it originally in a previous post as being more of a “Mediterranean” cruise, but that wasn’t quite right. Andrea’s interest is more like “Greece+” as opposed to “all of the Mediterranean including Greece”. So, it will remain on the list and I would likely rank it third with France and Alaska as strong possibilities. Assuming if and when we do the first one that we like it well enough to do another.

I mentioned previously too that we have a strong interest in going to Antarctica. Of course, that means a ship, not flying, but we tend to think of it as a trip rather than a cruise. It just happens to be on a boat to get us there and back.

A solo float

I was reading an article earlier this month that I quite liked. It talked about how the author’s father used to say, “If you want to understand the world, cross an ocean in a ship.” I might not be getting the quote quite right, but it crystallizes what attracts me to the idea of an open-ocean cruise.

Obviously, I won’t get on a ship to sail to a New World. Nor am I going to go into Space and see new lands. But, in the absence of that, there is something nostalgic that calls to me in sailing from England to Canada, or at least from somewhere in Europe to somewhere in North America. Now, it’s all modern, we’ll avoid scurvy and icebergs, but I do romanticize the idea somewhat. Kind of like glamping is to camping, likely in comparison with the ancestral explorers. But the trip across an ocean appeals if only to get a sense of the true scale of the planet.

I fly, I flit, but I do not traverse the land directly. This is a theme that will come back later this month.

The article that I was reading discussed newer, repositioning cruises, particularly a number of cruise lines that were converting some of their smaller two-person cabins into single cabins and not charging the single supplement. In addition, the cruise that she was on had a “singles” focus to it, with a few lounges and day-areas that were for singles / adults only. Not as a dating thing, just that if you wanted to perhaps sit and read, or fire up your laptop, there weren’t any kids around. The article mentioned several options that were coming online, and that part appealed to me, sure, but it was really about the actual route.

She started in somewhere like NYC, and then they headed North. The first stop was in Canada (it didn’t specify if it was Halifax, Sydney or St. John’s), and the second was in Iceland. Then, several days later, it stopped a couple of times in Scandinavia, over to Scotland, back towards Belgium, and then back to England. A straight-line it was definitely not. It took a slow, meandering route from NYC to the English coast over something like 10 days. It sounded like heaven.

I confess, I’d probably be more interested in going in the opposite direction. But I liked the idea of the crossing and the savings for it being not only a repositioning option but also with some single savings (or avoiding singles gouging). A friend did a cruise from somewhere in the Mediterranean to somewhere in Florida, and it was three weeks or more in mostly open ocean. By contrast, this seemed like a much more manageable duration. Well, except for the potential for rough seas in the North Atlantic.

A basic list is done

As with the other travel options, this one is mostly about creating a basic list of options, and prioritizing them at some point in the future. For now, it is probably enough to say “cruises” as a heading and brainstorming. We eliminated some inland ones in North America that were too expensive (Great Lakes) or not areas that excite us (inland water ways on the East Coast) and since it isn’t Andrea’s dream travel option, the options are pretty short.

Are there any amazing cruises that you think we should have considered?