If you like to see several cities or sights in a short period of time, without too much effort and travel, you may want to consider taking a cruise.

Cruises aren’t just for ‘old people’

It’s often thought that cruises are only for old people (at least, that’s how Europeans feel about it). But that’s definitely not the case. Apart from the fact that you really see a lot of families and couples on a cruise, a cruise is a fun experience for every age. And a good opportunity to see a lot of places in a short amount of time!

Cruises are perfect for people with mobility issues

For people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, or even people in wheelchairs, cruises are ideal. The ships are all wheelchair friendly and have adapted rooms available. For example with a wider door opening and more open floor plan, so a wheelchair can pass through and move around.

Cruises also offer special off shore excursions for people with reduced mobility. Tours where you have to walk less, or are fully wheelchair-friendly. But even if you are it the best shape of your life and travel with someone who is physically limited, you can really enjoy a cruise.

The evenings are full of entertainment and there’s plenty to do on the ship. From casino to karaoke, workshops, ice-shows, (musical) shows and more.

See a lot of places in a short amount of time

I have been on 4 cruises myself, two in the Caribbean and two in Europe (Mediterranean) and I have no regrets. We have gone to all the major sights in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain. Really amazing to have seen all those important and beautiful places. And the Caribbean was beautiful. Great snorkeling spots and beautiful nature.
And to think that on a cruise of only two weeks, that doesn’t acquire much effort to arrange, you get to see so much of the world. All you have to do is book a ticket, book the cruise and go.

Arrange your own off shore trip

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t want to arrange things myself. Besides, shore excursions organized by the cruise line can be pretty pricey. But also, I just find it fun and exciting to arrange things myself. So organizing your own trips can save you money. And it also gives you the freedom to go where ever you want. As long as you are back on the ship on a certain time.  

In Italy for example, I figured out myself how to get to the Leaning Tower of Pisa by public transport. We ended up taking a bus and then a train, but it was super easy. And cheap. And moreover, traveling with public transport in another country is an experience on it’s own. Really fun to do. And we were able to walk around there, take the time we needed, relax somewhere on a terrace together and eat and drink. And on the way back we even went shopping for a while. Because, well, if we see a H&M store, we just have to go in, even in Italy 😉

Royal Caribbean cruise line

With regard to cruise companies, I absolutely recommend Royal Caribbean. Three of the four cruises we did was with Royal Caribbean cruises. The crew is just awesome. It’s an American company, so for us Europeans everything seems over the top. You’re always greeted warmly by everyone and you really see that they are doing their utmost to please you. If you’re not used to the ‘over the top’ kindness, you might have to get used to their exuberant greetings, but we think that has a charm. And is much better than grumpy crew members, right?! And it just goes with the experience of a cruise, so nice to see how everyone goes out of his way to make you feel comfortable.

Get a soda or beverage package

Hospitality aside, we also find the cruise ship really fun. The entertainment is well organized and they have convenient beverage packages. Both for non-alcoholic as alcohol. The both of us don’t drink, so we always take a soda package. For just $8,50 per day or so, we could drink unlimited soft drinks. They also have special packages for alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, cocktails). Those packages are quite interesting in terms of price. For $55 a day you can drink as much beer, wine and cocktails as you want. And if you purchase them in advance, you don’t have to worry about what your cocktails will cost during your holiday. You can just relax 😉