When I speak or write about cruising, some people roll their eyes. Their minds automatically trip to that stereotype that says cruises are for boring old people.
It’s a shame, because while it’s true that the demographic on many ships is 50-plus — and some companies specialise in catering to that age group — there are plenty of young people setting sail.
A day ago, I received a Facebook message from a guy in his 20s who had always gone on family cruise holidays and wanted some advice about taking his first sol adventure. He didn’t know, for example, that some ships offer singles studios with a special meet-up lounge for their unattached guests.
I have relatives in their 30s who go cruising, a former colleague in his early 40s takes his family cruising regularly, and a friend in his 50s has recently caught the bug.
On board ships, I’ve met train drivers (a group of them who work on the London Underground), IT workers, teachers and lawyers. People from all walks of life.
These are people from all sorts of backgrounds on board boats. Some like the convenience of having only to pack and unpack once and not worry too much about the itinerary. Others like the thrill of being in a different port, often a different country, every other day. Some just love the onboard lifestyle: the bars, restaurants, casino, theatre, gym, spa, pool and so on.
For many people, it’s the affordability of a cruise — especially those that are all-inclusive — that’s the decisive factor.
For me, as a solo traveller, it’s a way to explore parts of the world I’ve never been to, or that I already love, and to have a balance between doing my own thing and meeting other people.
On some cruises, I’ve kept pretty much to myself, on others I’ve been “adopted” by couples or small groups and joined in with their activities — from trivia contests to pub crawls (all safely supervised by crew members).
I always talk to the bar and service staff, as well as fellow passengers, and I almost always end up with at least one more social-media friend after every trip.
I’ll admit that cruising may not be everybody’s thing, but I’d urge people to check it out a bit more thoroughly before dismissing it outright as a holiday option,
I love cruises. They are the only places that I can relax and really find myself. Maybe it is the sea air or that the hangovers are clearer, but cruising is the best way to travel!