CRUISING

My introduction to cruises was a mystery cruise out of Harwich for two nights visiting somewhere kept secret from us until we arrived - it was Amsterdam! My partner had never been on a cruise before and I thought that a two-night trip would be long enough to see if she liked it but short enough if she didn’t.

If you or your partner have never been cruising before I do recommend a short cruise as a wonderful way to learn how great cruising can be - it does give you an opportunity to enjoy many of the facilities on the ship but not too long if you don’t.

Right from the beginning it was all very convenient and easy - we drove to the harbour and parked near to the liner where our baggage was taken from us straight from the boot of the car and we next saw it when we entered our cabin. We checked in for the cruise when the staff presented us with our cabin details and gave a brief outline of what to do on boarding. Our cabin was an outside cabin with a porthole looking out over the sea, it was very comfortable, warm and had enough space to store our bits and pieces.

The dining on the ship was superb and I must admit I did find all of our meals first class; the dining rooms were not pompous though you were expected to be clean and tidy - no shorts in the evening. For the evening meal there are options on the size of table you sit at and we dined with 6 strangers who were all very nice and in fact we still keep in touch with some of them now some years later. On the other hand, breakfast and lunch was free seating - you just found a seat and table where there was a space.

In the evening after dinner there was a cabaret show with a song and dance show as well as a comedian, the standard of the entertainment was first class and well worth visiting.

We both enjoyed our cruise sufficiently that we booked another later the next year.

If you are a bit cautious but still curious about a cruise give me a call and I will be pleased to answer any queries you may have, and if you are thinking of a weekend break just getting away from it all for a couple of days, I could sort out a cruise for you which will not be much different in expenditure than a weekend break in Britain.