I’m Coming Out

Yes, you heard that correctly, like the famous Diana Ross song.. I’m coming out… of the cruise closet! I cannot hide my true self any longer, I want to shout from the rooftops ‘I LOVE CRUISES!’.

For far too long, when colleagues, friends & family would ask me what my travel plans were, I would whisper ‘we’re going on a cruise’ and brace myself for the inevitable questions..

• ‘Aren’t you a bit young for a cruise?’
• ‘Don’t you worry about being seasick or being stuck on board with thousands of other people?’
• ‘Isn’t it a bit boring?’

My answer to all those questions is always a resounding NO! If you had asked me 10 years ago if I wanted to go on a cruise, I’m certain I would have said no way. So, what’s changed? I guess you could say the light bulb moment happened in January 2014 when I boarded the Norwegian Getaway in Southampton for an overnight cruise with work, I didn’t know what to expect!

Over the next 24 hours, I was completely blown away by the entertainment, food, accommodation and most importantly – the service! When I stepped off the ship the following day, all I could think about was when I could go on a cruise again. Since then I have been lucky enough to cruise with a variety of cruise lines and visit amazing destinations. In fact, I would now much rather take a cruise than do a land based holiday.

To only unpack once and have the opportunity to visit new destinations every day and all the while enjoying fine dining, award winning entertainment and gracious service, what could be better? Plus plenty of places to go to escape the crowds and enjoy some peace and quiet.

It can be difficult trying to convince someone to try a cruise for the first time. Cruising opens up so many different experiences and destinations that may not be possible by land travel and is often better value. In my opinion, cruising is one of the best kept secrets in travel and its really encouraging to see record numbers of people taking to the seas and cruise lines constantly innovating and evolving to meet these changing times. I was late to the ship (pardon the pun!) but I’m here now and ready to show you why cruising is the way forward.

When was your cruise ‘light bulb moment’?