Cruise Holiday
So I've just been on holiday abroad with my family for the first time EVER! My mum was dreaming of a trip to Barcelona but she couldn't get the flights and hotels to work so she phoned me up and announced that we were going on a cruise! At which point my stomach plummeted.
Now don't get me wrong, OBVIOUSLY I was massively appreciative of being taken on holiday and excited to go somewhere new and spend some time with my family, but I've always hated the idea of a cruise and being stuck on a boat.
But, I got looking in to it and where we were going, and very quickly my worry went out the window and I got excited! So after a 7 hour drive from Edinburgh to Bristol, a 2 hour flight to Malaga, and a 20 minute bus journey, we boarded the ship!
The intinerary took in the Western-most coast of Europe - touring mainly Portugal and Spain - with ports of call in Porto, Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz and Gibraltar, sailing from and finishing in Malaga.
I had a good time, but I was also kind of right, cruising is not for me. It's a really handy way of seeing lots of different places in one trip and certainly on our trip, I hadn't even heard of some of the cities! But as nice as it was to see all these places which I wouldn't have gone to otherwise, you get so little time in each port that you don't really get an opportunity to see much because generally you had to be back on board by dinner. We got bus tours where we could but ended up just going round and heading back to the boat because none of the stops really took our fancy and the tour didn't really tell you anything about the stops you could get off at. In Vigo and Gibraltar, we did go for a bit of a wander but it still felt like a rushed affair, especially when my brother and I got lost multiple times in Vigo! Of course, the weather was fantastic, especially being from Scotland and used to the infamous British weather!
Most things on the boat were included in the price, including food and drink and some of the food was really good, unfortunately a lot was reminiscent of school dinners, but I definitely can't fault the free drinks, and the staff were lovely!
There was a large variety of entertainment and whilst a lot seemed catered to older guests, there were quizzes, exercise classes, and a film was shown each night on the deck, although the situation of this probably wasn't considered very well since half the time the sea and wind were too loud, there were no seats in front of the screen because there was a swimming pool in the way, and if it rained...well, you were outside :') There were lots of sun loungers as well, which were always full, but for me, I'm really not a sunbathing person.
I'm sure this is all sounding a bit negative and I didn't have an awful time by any means - I enjoyed myself, it was nice to pig out as much as you want, and it is handy having everything to hand on board. But would I choose to go on a cruise? No. The novelty wore off, and the boat may seem very big with lots of options, but after even a day, it suddenly felt small and we found ourselves going to the same places.
Of course, plenty of people love it, and it's particularly good for the elderly, disabled, and very young because everything you need really is right there! Sadly, it's just not for me.
Have you been on a cruise? Would you like to go on one? Let me know what you think!
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