Before last weekend I’d never been on a cruise ship, I’d never really even thought about booking a cruise to be honest.
My slight fear of somewhat enclosed spaces and the thought of how much it all might cost has always led me to believe that for now cruising isn’t right for me right now, but that’s not to say I’d ruled it out as a method of travel entirely, I always thought of a cruise as a holiday I might undertake in later years. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that this is the perception a lot of other people around my age might also have of cruising, that it’s not for a (*ahem) younger generation … I guess there’s only one way to find out whether such perceptions are justified or not.
Last weekend I boarded my first cruise ship (like you didn’t see that coming). On behalf of TravMonkey.com I was shipped out to Genoa in Italy to experience and report on the christening of the brand spanking new MSC cruise ship – The MSC Preziosa. An event which would see famed Hollywood actress Sofia Loren cut the ribbon and send an over-sized bottle of champagne crashing into the side of the ship to a background of raucous applause and magnificent fireworks. The event was a pretty big deal!
The christening took place on Saturday March 24th, but I actually boarded the day before and took some time to check out what this colossal, 18 deck vessel had to offer. My first task was to locate my cabin, this was actually pretty simple and upon opening my cabin door I was more than pleasantly surprised at where I’d be sleeping for the next two nights. A huge bed, widescreen TV, mini bar and a balcony overlooking Genoa’s port were certainly above the standard I was used to. I can’t see a younger generation having any problems with this set up.
After carefully unpacking my whistle and flute (suit) for the christening, it was time for lunch. I’d heard that the food on cruise ships was a pretty big deal, and when someone mentioned the word ‘buffet’ I almost instantly started salivating. I made my way up to the Inca themed 24hr buffet and dived in. It’s hard to see how anyone might have a problem with this kind of food. For the more health conscious there were all kinds of fresh fruits and salads, for those of us that like cheese it was melted over pretty much everything imaginable. Another tick in the box for this ‘young’ traveller.
Once fully stuffed, along with another like-minded young reporter, a self guided exploration of the MSC Preziosa was in order. We had no set route, we just went on a mini adventure, aimlessly taking in all the different facilities on each of the 18 decks.
What was to like?
*The food – I touched on it above briefly, but the food range is incredible and usually included in the price. No worries about having to live off budget noodles. If you have slightly more expensive tastes and fancy a night of fine dining, there are restaurants you can book into at extra charge. If its not meal time but your belly is still a’ rumbling a snack, a cake or ice cream are never far away either. They say you can put on a pound a day whilst on a cruise, I think I’d accomplished that within the first hour of setting foot on board. Nom nom nom.
*The swimming pools and jacuzzi’s – At no extra cost (except for the pool in the exclusive ‘yaht club’), these facilities were plentiful and immaculately looked after. The infinity pool at the rear of the ship was my personal fave.
*The water slide – I could probably have linked this in with the swimming pools in the point above, but a 120 metre long water slide aboard a cruise ship deserves its own bullet point in my opinion. Stretching out over the side of the ship and becoming transparent that point, the Vertigo water slide a huge incentive to tear myself away from the buffet and bars.
*The bowling alley – Yes there was an American sports bar complete with bowling alley. It wasn’t full size, but it was still amazing fun! If bowling isn’t your thing, how about a bit of retro gaming? There were no end of Pacman arcade machines dotted about the ship, inside the diner was no exception.
*The bars – They were plentiful, well stocked and with great staff. Depending on whether your cruise is all inclusive or not, this could work out quite nicely for you. Whether you like beer, wine or something with a little umbrella, you’ll never be short of something to wet your whistle.
*Fitness Facilities – A gym, walking track and obviously the aforementioned pools will keep fitness fans happy for no extra charge. You might just need it after your first breakfast buffet.
*Nightlife and entertainment – A casino, F1 simulator, 4D cinema, Broadway Esq shows and nightclubs mean that you can get your party on till the early hours … we sure did.
*Duty Free – I need not explain this one ☺
Sticking points?
*Costs – whilst the cost of a cruise itself isn’t always unreasonable, dependent upon where your cruise begins and finishes you may also have to invest in some flights at extra cost. Also in this case certain extras aboard such as use of the spa facilities would have also cost extra.
*Staying connected – The cost of staying connected was not what I would call friendly to be honest. I appreciate out a sea a decent signal is probably quite hard to come by so its fantastic this service is even offered, but at €12 for an hours WIFI its pretty steep. Your cruise might be the perfect time to finally put down that smart phone and go off grid for a while.
The above is solely based on my stay aboard the MSC Preziosa, obviously different ships will have different facilities and costings. But that aside, could younger people get on board with cruising (terrible pun, I apologise)?
Well I see no reason as to why not … for certain types of travellers. We all have different travel tastes, and whilst cruising maybe not fit the bill for your typical backpacker due to a lack of time to explore any stops along you cruise route, those who put aside two weeks every summer to do nothing but sit pool side somewhere in the med and relax their overworked behinds off, I believe a cruise would be right up their street. They should at the very least be opening to trying a cruise as an alternative to their usual package holiday. Even for those that love to throw up their lighters and crack out a couple of glow sticks on a clubbing holiday, there are now plenty of cruises that encompass that same kind of environment and atmosphere, either through on board nightclubs or through on board gigs/festivals. Yep, festivals have now emerged from tent and empty cider can riddled fields of mud to the polished decks of cruise ships. The SS Coachella, Coachella being a famous west coast American festival, set sail in the winter of 2012 with big names such as Hot Chip and Simian Mobile Disco playing out to those that throw their arms in the air like they just don’t care.
Individual tastes will play a big role in whether a younger traveller might chose to embark on an adventure aboard a cruise ship, but essentially a cruise isn’t too different from your usual week or two in the sun. Food, sun worshiping swimming pools and evening entertainment are all covered to varying degrees. The initial outlay might be that bit more than usual, but at least on a cruise you’d get to see and visit any number of new cities around the world, if only for a few short hours a time. It would probably makes for a better photo album upon your return too.
So what say you? Based upon the above and what you know of cruises could you ever be tempted by a cruise holiday?
