Fantasy Life
Mark and I took a European cruise this summer. I swore off this style of travel years ago, my younger self correctly judging cruising to be the epitome of personal excess and toxic earth trashing.
The fantasy life served up on cruises reminds me of the scene in the movie Wall-E depicting the disabling effects of too much of the “good life”.
In the first day or two of the cruise, I found myself resisting the fantasy life being offered. I didn’t feel grounded. I wanted to examine my complicated feelings about the experience. But doing so only caused the staff consternation. They couldn’t do their jobs if I wasn’t happily receiving their attention.
So I gave in and accepted the many acts of service and deference, enjoying their smiles when I made it clear they’d made me happy. By the fourth day, I’d gotten the hang of the life and couldn’t imagine returning to my ordinary life. When the disembarking papers arrived at our cabin, I responded like Scarlett O’Hara, throwing the paper away because tomorrow is another day. We missed the deadline for communicating our plans and had to scramble to disembark.
Living Well
A reasonably content, secure 60+ woman, I find having fun is now a priority in a way that it wasn’t in my younger years. I’m aging backwards. Born with a strong Saturnian signature in my natal astrology chart, I began life as a serious adult.
When I spend time with my 88 year old aunt who never traveled much, its clear to me that she is living and has lived a rich and satisfying life. I’ve observed this many times, people living happy and fulfilled without privilege or luxury. What defines a life well lived anyway? I see many people around me living enviable lives rich in all the things that matter. And then there are those, rich in possessions who are as impoverised and starved as a third world child.
Is the extreme pampering one receives while on a cruise ship sometimes awkward? Yes, absolutely. It’s a great fantasy, but not a life. Have the ships magically transformed to become justifiably sustainable? No. Although there have been marginal improvements.
Cruising (the Marginal Improvements)
After years of criticism, the cruise industry appears to be trying to improve its environmental footprint. Foodwaste is a big issue. The cruiseline we chose for our summer cruise, Windstar, lowers food waste by offering meals prepared to order with some limited buffet offerings. The on-board chefs source food locally when possible. Norwegian Coastal ships of Havila Voyages reduce food waste almost completely by eliminating cruise buffets entirely.
Smaller cruise ships for short trips theoretically cause less damage to the environment and generate less waste. Windstar is a small cruise line that carries hundreds of people, not thousands. Windstar’s six ships include three sailing boats: the Wind Spirit, Wind Star, and the ship we cruised on, the Wind Surf.
We learned from staff that the ship’s sails aid in reducing fuel consumption, although no one I talked with knew precisely by how much. Windstar gets a shout-out on the Galveston Wharves website about eco-friendly cruise lines for emphasizing “sustainability through its use of natural propulsion, environmentally responsible waste management, and partnerships with organizations dedicated to ocean conservation.”
Rome
We boarded our cruise in Rome. We planned only a few days in this extraordinary city because hot July when EVERYONE visits Rome isn’t the time to linger here. We did manage to enjoy a very excellent private tour I detail in a previous post.
Wind Surf, the Ship
I can’t overstate how enjoyable it was for us to cruise on a small ship. The cozy intimate seating spaces, the ease of group activities, the chill vibe were all so very pleasant. This privilege comes with a price point much different than the cruises carrying thousands. I’m aware of how lucky we were to have this experience.
When we were in port, the lower deck was set up nicely for us to for swim and kayak – a nice compensation for having only a postage stamp size pool.
Monte Carlo
My least favorite port. It’s difficult to describe the extent of my distaste for this city. I’ll just leave a few photos for anyone interested.
Cannes
As lovers of independent film, we particulary enjoyed the stop at Cannes, host to the famous film festival. We took a tour with a local guide who shared juicy details of life in the city when movie stars arrive for the annual film festival.
Cannes: Last night rocking on the coast
Barcelona
We spent four days in this wonderful city after disembarking from our cruise. I’ll explore in greater detail our experience in a separate post. Here is a video clip of our early morning arrival into Barcelona.
Conclusion (and a few random tips on cruising)
One week of cruising a year is enough fantasy pampering for both of us. At 70, my hardworking husband has no plans to retire from his teaching and writing career.
The website, “Whats in Port” gives detailed descriptions of 1200 ports of call. Also you’ll find links to shore excursions that are often much less expensive than those offered by the cruiseline.
Investigate insurance programs. We insured our Windstar cruise through Allianz. Should we have have decided to cancel our our cruise plans, the Allianz contract would guarantee a return to us of a percentage of the cost of the cruise. Viking, the cruiseline we’ve selected for next summer’s visit to Norway, offers a voucher for the full sum of the cruise no matter the reason for cancellation.
Reserve shore excursions and restaurant reservations as quickly as your cruise will allow. I missed an e-bike tour because it was sold out the first day of the cruise. EVERYONE on the cruise seemed to know that if you want to dine at one of the specialty restaurants onboard, you must make reservations on day one. The regular restaurant was so good this felt no big loss, but still. Many people love to travel on cruises and can offer many more tips – just ask around. I’ve joined a few Facebook cruise pages to read the posts by those who cruise frequently.
Cruising affords us a spectacular two-week vacation. We can efficiently escape to faraway places and return quickly before Mark begins teaching classes in a new semester. So be it. We’ve resolved our divergent travel needs and I couldn’t be happier.
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