Travel
Careful: a short cruise might lead to a serious addiction
A quick getaway on board a luxury cruise turned into a lifetime of voyages for Leonie. And she’s not one bit sad about that.
By Leonie Jarrett
My first cruise was 3 nights. It left from and returned to Melbourne and we never got off the ship. We just sailed towards Tasmania and then returned to Melbourne. The idea behind this “taster” cruise was to see whether I would like cruising.
My husband Andrew is a “boat-a-holic.” He is yet to meet a boat he does not like, he never suffers from seasickness and he talked for years about buying a catamaran for our retirement and spending each European summer flitting from one marina to another.
Cruises are for old people
It’s not that I hate boats; we’ve owned a few and, on a calm and warm day, it’s great fun. But the thought of living on a boat never really appealed to me and nor did cruising. I suffered from “cruises are for old people” syndrome – a very common prejudice.
We chose February for our short cruise, figuring that we would have beautiful warm weather. The Friday we left, however, Melbourne was turning on squalls and cool weather. To say I was nervous about boarding a boat I was going to be trapped on for 3 nights is an understatement. Add in the cool, windy weather and it was not a great start.
Do you think the boat is moving much?
We ate in the fancy dining room that Friday night. This was my first surprise – the size and grandeur of the dining room.
Over dinner, I felt like I was gently rising up and down during dinner as if I were riding a horse. After a little while, I asked Andrew, “Do you think the boat is moving much?”
“No, no,” he replied hurriedly. It wasn’t until the cruise finished that Andrew confessed that he was deathly scared that the rough passage through The Heads would mean that I would hate this cruise caper and refuse to try it again!
A slightly rough maiden voyage wasn’t enough to dissuade Leonie from cruising again and again and again. Image: Supplied.
We walked back to our room after dinner, taking the stairs rather than the lift. This is a tip for any cruisers who are able to use the stairs. Use them whenever you can. Not only will it save any waiting for the lifts, it will soak up some calories from all the eating and drinking!
On the stairs, the swell of the boat could not be denied as the ship (and us!) moved from side to side.
As much or as little as you want
Saturday morning dawned smooth and sunny and these conditions continued for the rest of the cruise. Stroke of luck? Probably. But it enabled me to really enjoy all the ship had to offer. Given we were only away for 3 nights, that consisted of enjoying the food, drinks and sunning myself by the pool.
More on short cruising: What to expect on a cruise to nowhere
It was then I realised what cruises are about – floating resorts where you can do as much or as little as you want.
Since that first short cruise, we have been on 10 more cruises! Some with our parents, some with our kids, some with friends and some on our own.
It is hard to pick a favourite cruise – who has a favourite child? That first “taster” cruise stands out as, had it been a disaster, I may not have cruised again. We absolutely loved our Antarctica cruise on the Scenic Eclipse, but we also loved cruising through the Panama Canal.
Cruising has taken Leonie and husband Andrew all over the world. Image: Supplied.
Read about Leonie’s cruise to Antarctica here.
The Panama Canal cruise was an inter-generational cruise which included: my Husband and kids, my Dad and his partner and my sister. We all did “our own thing” during the day and then ate dinner together every night, excitedly sharing our news of the day.
We had a similar experience in the South Pacific with my whole family, my mother-in-law and my two sisters-in-law and their families. Again, we all ate dinner together every night and the group of 11 cousins thought that all their Christmases had come at once, enjoying 3-course dinners and the 24/7, self-serve ice cream machine!
Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it
Plenty of people “poo poo” cruising. Each to their own but, in my opinion, don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.
Plenty of other people no doubt avoid cruising for fear of seasickness. My recommendation – take travel wristbands and some seasickness medication with you just in case. There are also patches that you can wear behind your ears. A lot of the passengers on the Antarctica cruise were wearing them.
A short “taster” cruise – even one like the one I did where you don’t get off – is a great way to test the waters (pardon the pun!). You might even become a cruise lover like me!
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