Travel
He said, she said: Was cruising Croatia a dream voyage for both husband and wife?
Leonie and Andrew cruised Croatia during summer on the Azamara Pursuit staying in a verandah cabin (Leonie loves having a balcony on a ship!). This 9-night cruise started in Chioggia near Venice and finished in Athens, with stops at Opatija, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Korčula, Dubrovnik and Kotor.
The cruise came at the end of 7 weeks of independent travel during the European summer. “We were starting to miss home, our 2 adorable Golden Retrievers and our equally adorable grown-up children,” admits Leonie. “ But this Azamara cruise cured our homesickness and reignited our sense of adventure!"
Here’s how it went down from each of the couple’s perspectives.
So, what were your first impressions?
Andrew
A cruise along the Croatian coast in the middle of summer with an itinerary packed with new towns we had never visited and brimming with adventure activities … Let's just say that my expectations for this small-ship cruise were very high.
In a nutshell, this was one of the best holidays of my life. Exotic and historic ports, adventure and adrenalin activities I had never before experienced, magnificent nature experiences all enveloped within the relaxed, sophisticated comfort of the Azamara Pursuit cruise ship made this a fantastic experience.
Leonie
As soon as we boarded, I had a quick explore around the Azamara Pursuit and stumbled across The Drawing Room. For a reader (or just someone who likes to lounge around), this room filled with books and comfy couches was perfection!
I noticed several restaurants, a lovely outdoor eating area as part of the Windows Café (this became a fave spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and an inviting pool with a lot of sun lounges. It all looked fabulous to me!
How was experiencing Croatia via cruise?
Andrew
I can highly recommend touring Croatia by cruise ship. The ship sailed at night (usually between midnight and 5am) and we woke up to a new port every day. This meant we literally spent a full day and night at each port/ town so we had quite a lot of time to explore, learn and sample whatever took our interest.
Azamara offered a very comprehensive list of tour options – often as many as 10-15 different day tour options in each port. Better still, the list had something for everyone, from nature visits to adrenalin activities to historical tours to culinary experiences.
Leonie
I loved it! The water was smooth and calm and it was a privilege to sail into and out of such gorgeous ports. It had a bit of a ‘celebrity superyacht’ feel!
One of the best things about cruising for me is that you unpack once then do as little or as much onboard as you want. The Azamara Pursuit, like all cruise ships, is a floating resort so you could stay onboard if you wanted but the ports on this cruise were just too good to miss!
Azamara ships are small (600-ish passengers) so the ship can get close to a port. Even if you need to tender into town (which is where you take a smaller boat to the port as the cruise ship needs to dock further out), the closer the cruise ship can dock, the faster your journey into the heart of the old towns will be – on this cruise we only had short tenders a total of 3 times.
Travelling in summer, we definitely experienced overtourism – Dubrovnik, in particular, was very crowded and there were three cruise ships in Kotor which made for some congestion. One of the beauties of being on a cruise ship close to town, though, is the easy retreat back to the ship and back again to the town when the day trippers have left.
Did you feel the cruise offered enough time to appreciate Croatia?
Andrew
My only negative about the cruise itinerary was I would have liked it to be longer! We had 9 days and I felt like 14 days would have been perfect so that I could have fitted in an extra 3 or 4 Croatian ports.
Otherwise, there is absolutely nothing I would have changed about the cruise. The ship, the ports, the time we spent in each port and the daily tours and excursions were fantastic!
Leonie
The fact is a cruise is always only going to be a taster for destinations, but I say it’s better to have a nibble than not to eat at all! And remember, a huge advantage of cruising is that it takes all the stress out of travelling between destinations. We toured by day and sailed by night; no wasting time at airports, no having to find train stations, no lugging of bags… just maximising the time we had in Croatia.
Our cruise had full-day stops everywhere except Kotor (which was a half-day), so there was plenty of time to explore. We also did fabulous activities at each port – sailing, hiking, white water rafting, sea kayaking, swimming, ATV exploring, wine tasting, historical and cultural walking tours… You name it, we did it on this trip! Culture, history and adventure all rolled into one.
Add in a beautiful floating resort to return to each day – a pool to cool off in, drinks all day if we wanted them and amazing food. What’s not to like?!
What did you think of the sights?
Andrew
I was blown away! Croatia is stunningly beautiful. An archipelago of hundreds of magnificent islands, a coastline dotted with historic towns, including various Roman and Venetian gems, and some beautiful national parks, waterfalls, rivers and hiking trails.
Apart from Dubrovnik, no other town in Croatia we visited was overly busy.
Leonie
Amazing! We saw so much natural beauty and historic splendour.
The water (both the sea and rivers) varied from aquamarine to “Powerade blue” (credit to my daughter for that vivid description!) to a deep navy. The sky was permanently cobalt and the sun permanently shining.
As for the history, we saw Roman towns, Venetian ports, old city walls and fortifications – and golden-hued stone, everywhere.
At every port, we either had a walking tour included as part of our activity or we booked a free walking tour through GuruWalks. We usually do this in a European town as the local guides bring the town and the history to life.
Note that there is no charge for a free walking tour but the expectation is that you tip the guide at the conclusion of the tour. Guiding is their job and, almost without exception, every free walking tour guide we’ve ever had has been wonderfully engaging.
What were your big highlights?
Andrew
What day of this trip wasn’t a highlight?
This Croatian cruise enabled me to wind the clock back and enjoy a range of adventure and adrenaline activities that I hadn’t done for decades.
We rafted down rivers with rapids; we drove ATVs at full throttle through vineyards and isolated beaches; I took the wheel of a sailing boat off Šibenik and backflipped off the back of the boat into crystal clear water; I swam in the sea every day and sea kayaked around the ancient port of Dubrovnik; in Krka I hiked around some of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen.
This trip seriously exceeded my expectations!
Leonie
This is like being asked to pick your favourite child!
For me, it is hard to go past sea kayaking in Dubrovnik, looking up at the magnificent stone fortifications and also the natural beauty and power of the Skradinski Buk waterfall in Krka National Park.
Highlights on the Azamara Pursuit included: a wonderful French-themed chef’s table dinner with paired wines (ooh la la!) and White Night. There is a White Night on every Azamara cruise and ours was poolside sitting anchored just beside majestic Dubrovnik. Hundreds of passengers and crew wearing white, a sumptuous buffet and live music made for an unforgettable night of fun and food.
What were your lasting impressions?
Andrew
Croatia is a jewel in the crown of the Mediterranean – there is so much to see and do.
Such a varied and fabulous history, such wonderful natural beauty and a well-developed and friendly tourist infrastructure that meant our visit was one of the great trips of our lifetime.
Leonie
This “taster” cruise has definitely tempted me to return to Croatia for a longer period. The naturally beautiful Croatian coastline and the historic stone towns were a breathtaking combination.There are also several coastal towns that our cruise didn’t stop at, so we’ll just have to go back!!
Travelling in summer was hot (we were grateful for the free, self-service laundromat onboard), but perfect for impromptu swims in the Adriatic Sea and perfect for eating al fresco. I am not usually a fan of buffet restaurants but the quality of the Windows Café was top notch and I loved the outdoor eating area at the back of the ship. Apart from the great food, the cool breezes and views were to die for!
Anything you would do differently?
Andrew
I was so impressed with the “destination intensive” focus of Azamara and the range of fantastic day tours and excursion options that we have already booked our next Azamara cruise (this time to Spain). I can’t really speak any more highly of this trip than to vote with our wallet to do it again.
Leonie
NOPE! I loved every second of it – I felt like a celebrity, I felt adventurous, I felt energised.
This cruise was fabulous!
Feature image: Leonie Jarrett
Andrew and Leonie cruised Croatia as guests of Azamara. The cruise they did was called “Croatia Intensive.”
About Andrew and Leonie
Married for 32 years, Andrew and Leonie are huge travellers with so much more to see.
Andrew is 56 and before retiring he trained in marketing and owned several businesses. His mission for the rest of his life is to have fun and catch as many fish as he can!
Leonie is 56 and semi-retired. She trained in law and has also owned several businesses during her working life. Her mission for the rest of her life is to write another chapter – she’s just not sure what that is yet.
Andrew and Leonie played tennis together as teenagers and have been married for 32 years. They have four grown children and two furbaby Golden Retrievers. They’ve travelled to all seven continents and over 50 countries. Their mission for the rest of their life is to make the most of every day and travel until they get tired of it!
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