Travelling by boat is an old form of transportation, reminding one of colonial explorers and immigrants moving to new countries. Cruise ships are the modern, hyper-capitalist, and luxurious version of sea travel.
Personally, I never considered travelling by cruise ships. Mainly because when I’ve seen it advertised the images show families enjoying the recreational activities onboard, such as the pool or the arcade room. The promotional materials are slanted towards the experience of being on a cruise rather than the experience of actual travel—learning about cultures, history, meeting locals, exploring new food.
Cruising is comparable to a relaxing resort-style vacation, a passive experience where the cruise line arranges your stay and excursions for an overall pleasant journey. Whereas, when I think about travel it is about actively trying to experience the daily life of a local on your own—an attempt that can produce uncertainty, blunders from language barriers and unfamiliar terrain, including unfortunate mishaps that cause frustration. Independent active travel can be irksome but it can also offer a higher reward through personal growth in self-reliance.
Even if you want to actively travel when the ship docks at your destination, there is very limited time. Usually, the ship drops you off in the main town catered towards tourists where it is difficult to learn about the realities of locals. If you decide to leave the main town, you have a short amount of time to enjoy the country before heading back to the ship.
Yet, there are different forms of travel, all of which provide unforgettable experiences. Cruise ship travel can be ideal for those with limited time who want a relaxing vacation from their hectic daily lives.
The cruising industry is a multi-billion dollar business. It is a wildly popular form of travel for an older demographic, families, and is increasingly trending for younger generations. However, this industry, as with many successful businesses, can be exploitative. They are detrimental to the environment, and pay little to their workers for 24 hours of work during cruising dates. Hasan Minhaj, comedian and former Daily Show correspondent, does an excellent job of pointing out the flaws of the industry on his own show Patriot Act. I recommend watching his video on the dark sides of cruise travel.
When I had the opportunity to get onboard a Mediterranean cruise for a friend’s destination wedding, I decided to try it out myself. It also meant that I could travel to other countries while in Europe.
The cruise started in Venice, Italy; followed by Dubrovnik, Croatia (where they got married); Kotor, Montenegro; Santorini, Greece; Katakolo, Greece; and finally back to Venice. The entire trip was a week-long, and two days were spent cruising on water.
I arrived in Venice later than the wedding party, the evening before our departure, since I had visited Venice three years earlier. Apart from heading over to a delicious deep-dish pizza kiosk within a narrow street by the river canal, I spent the rest of the night indulging in Aperol Spritz and roaming the town.
The Royal Caribbean
Our boat was called The Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas. Their website advertises “the vacation of a lifetime, every time,” and is tailored towards younger adults. Bars and late-night activities, along with adventurous excursions make it attractive for younger cruise travellers. It is an old boat and has been running for over 40 years. The age of the ship is visible when you are inside, but still luxurious in its grand size.
Most of our trip was spent on the ship rather than the actual travel destinations. Our mornings would start between 7am-10am, and we would have to return to the ship by 3-4:30pm for 5pm sailing.
Price
The bride’s mom worked as a travel agent for Expedia and arranged for the wedding party’s itinerary. All prices for Royal Caribbean are in U.S. dollars. We paid $1145/person with a deposit of $265, a rate that was available since we booked a year in advance. In addition, the cruise charges a $14.50 gratuity/day, per person.
Lodging & Amenities
The inside cabin did not have any windows since I paid for the cheapest ticket, but for a higher price you could also choose a room with a window or a balcony.
My room was small but efficiently put together—a queen bed, two side tables, a vanity table, a small couch, carpeting, a closet to hang your clothes, and of course a tiny bathroom. It had everything you would need in a hotel room, such as daily cleaning and room service. The only amenity left out was WIFI. If you wanted to have internet during the cruise you had to purchase an internet package at the price of about $25/day USD, which mentioned that since we are at sea the connection might be unstable.
Since I planned to travel around Europe before and after the cruise, I bought a SIM card and was able to use it when docking at our destinations, but it was not useful while at sea.
In addition to the internet package, you could also buy beverage and alcohol packages. The beverage package included bottled filter water—a desirable option once you drink the highly-chlorinated water offered for free. Each of us were allowed one bottle of alcohol to bring onto the ship, except for spirits because they were higher in alcohol percentage. Otherwise, all other liquor on the ship had to be purchased.
The food on The Royal Caribbean was decent for an all-you-can-eat buffet served three times a day. Alternatively, you could enjoy a three-course meal in a separate dining hall, served by the wait staff.
Activities on the Cruise Ship
Most of our time was spent eating at the buffet, relaxing in hot tubs, watching theatre shows in the evenings, rock climbing, dancing at the nightclub, napping in our rooms, and enjoying pool-diving competitions. In addition to the above activities, Rhapsody offers anything you can think of to keep you entertained (some with additional costs)—cooking classes, outdoor movie nights, dance classes, tours of the ship, fancy restaurants, wine tastings, and more.
Destinations
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Our first stop was Dubrovnik for the wedding. Nestled along the Adriatic Sea, the orange roofs of the old town along the swoop of tall mountains was magical. The wedding took place at Sponza Palace within the city’s fortress of old town Dubrovnik, a medieval city, where the ship docked.
The entryway into the fortress is cobbled-stoned along high walls built between the 11th and 17th centuries to protect against invaders. The Sponza Palace was built from 1516-1522 and was used as a bank, a customs house, and a treasury amongst other things. Designed in both a Gothic and Renaissance style, majestic columns flank the inner courtyard, and the visible aging of the white walls provide a classical, romantic atmosphere.
After the wedding service and photos, we had only a few hours before heading back to the ship. For 30 Euros/person, we walked the fortress walls to view the stunning sights of the town and the sea.
Dubrovnik has seen a spike in tourists since HBO’s Game of Thrones aired, therefore the fortress walls, filmed as King’s Landing on the show, are a major destination for fans. Coincidentally, we were in Dubrovnik on the date of the GoT finale episode, but it was not planned.
Kotor, Montenegro
Our next stop was the naturally stunning Kotor in Montenegro, south of Croatia along the Adriatic Sea. From the 12th-20th century, this town was ruled by different European ethnicities and countries. The morning of docking at the Bay of Kotor, we arrived into the city with a hangover from the previous night’s wedding celebrations on the ship.
Within Kotor’s old town, which is also a fortressed medieval town similar to Dubrovnik, is a hiking path to the top of Castle of San Giovanni on a mountain. From the top, you can take in panoramic scenic views—the azure waters, orange tiled buildings of villages along the banks, and the bright green trees of the soaring rocky mountains.
Once we hiked back down into old town, we grabbed a bite to eat from one of the bakeries and visited Our Lady of the Rocks and Perast Village through a speedboat tour.
Our Lady of the Rocks is a small island within the Bay of Kotor surrounded by beautiful green mountains. The highlight of the man-made island is the Roman Catholic Church dating from 1722. Nearby, the boat also took us to the mainland of Perast village, a well-preserved UNESCO site home to palaces and churches. We walked along the water of the village and bought a bottle of delicious pomegranate wine.
Santorini, Greece
Greece was another country I visited during my extended Europe trip three years earlier, but was only able to spend a couple of days in Santorini (or, Thera) so I was excited to see the island again. The cruise ship docked in a different area from where the local ferry docked arriving from Athens. In my previous trip, I missed an entire side of the island since I went straight to my lodging using the local bus transportation to Kamari, and stayed in the neighbourhood. To get around the island, you need a car or rent an ATV/bike.
From the dock you can either take a gondola up the mountain or hike up the wide staircase as donkeys trot passed you, which takes about 20-30 minutes.
On this trip we had the opportunity to visit Oia, north of the island and the essential destination town for tourists. We rented ATV’s and drove down the long stretches of nearly-empty roads overlooking the deep blue Aegean Sea below, each wave meeting the edges of the rocky cliffs with determined aggression.
Oia is a spotless and visibly polished town—the impeccable white walls of round-edged buildings look freshly-painted, flashing even brighter from the sun, and the sky-blue domes resemble the style of Greek Orthodox churches, rendering the cliff-side town biblical and other-worldly. The flawless architecture appears like a set-design specifically laid out for tourists to enjoy.
Oia is the busiest tourist town I have ever seen in Europe. Every winding staircase on the mountain and balcony overlooking the view was crowded with visitors. There was a lot of waiting involved when walking through the town for people to pass. After snapping a few photos and overwhelmed by the number of tourists, some of us decided to hop back on our ATV’s and explore a different area of the island. A short drive took us to Perissa, near a black sand beach southeast of the island.
At Perissa we enjoyed a gyro and relaxed by the beach until it was time to return. Santorini is an island that deserves more time. Each coastline of the island is worth a visit because of its unique and complex geological formations from volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. This was the destination during our cruise that I wished had lasted longer.
Katakolo, Greece
Our final destination, Katakolo, is a small town southwest of the Greece mainland, beautiful and modest in its simplicity. The ship docked near a stretch of souvenir shops and restaurants where we spent a couple of hours browsing the shops and enjoying coffee.
The excursion offered by the ship was a trip to Olympia, the site of the first Greek Olympics held centuries ago. You could choose from different excursions that included Olympia which varied in price from $110-129/person.
We decided to wander the town instead, even though it would’ve been interesting to visit the Olympia site. However, due to the cost and our short time in Katakolo we wanted to see as much of the town as possible.
A local mentioned that we could pay for a hop-on-hop-off trolley that would take us to the Mercouri Estate winery for wine tastings and to a beach for swimming, before dropping us off at Katakolo Port.
The estate was tucked away in a rural area of the town, beautiful with rustic décor and a sweeping vineyard. Although the wine tasting went well, our afternoon was wasted away waiting for the trolley to pick us up and take us to our next destination.
Once it finally arrived, the trolley dropped us off at a shallow, turquoise, clear-water beach with dotted pebbles on the shoreline. The water was too cold for a comfortable swim, so we explored the beach and later returned to the port. (Unfortunately, the trolley never arrived so we had to cab back.)
We had some time left so we gathered around the outdoor patio seating of a restaurant for lunch—gyros, Greek-style Moussaka, wine, and shots of Ouzo aperitif.
What I liked about cruise travel:
- Easy transportation to a new travel destination without worrying about our luggage.
- Multiple travel destinations.
- The buffet food and three-course dinners.
- Travelling by boat on the open sea.
What I disliked about cruise travel:
- The unethical labour practices of commercial cruise ship travelling, such as the overworked staff who are often recruited from the Philippines and offered low income, including the environmental impact of pollution on the ocean. Watch Patriot Act.
- Overpriced food/drink items not included in the ticket, along with pricey excursions.
- Our stays in each destination were too short.
- You are stuck in a boat for most of the trip.
- You need to have quite a bit of disposable income to take full advantage of what the cruise ship has to offer.
In the end it was an interesting experience to try out for the first time but I would not consider cruise travel in the near future.
What are your thoughts on cruise travel? Do you agree?
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