All Aboard!

While I am not an experienced "cruiser" nor a big fan of cruises in general, I realize that, in many cases, they are the only option if you want to visit certain places, particularly if you are a solo traveller or a senior.  In 2017, I took my first cruise since 1984 with a small cruise company called Voyages to Antiquity (about 350 passengers).  It was wonderful and I am still friends with some of the people I met then.  It was an experience I will never forget.  The following year, I took a Holland America cruise through the Baltic on a much larger ship (1400 passengers) and, while I enjoyed seeing the ports of Rotterdam, Copenhagen,Warnemunde, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm, it was different.  I found it difficult as a solo traveller to connect with other passengers and, although I met a few, no lasting connections resulted from that trip.  Then, in 2019, I took another cruise with Voyages to Antiquity, joining some of the folks I had met in 2017.  That was a lot of fun but, sadly, it was also the last cruise by that company as the ship had been sold.  

So, fast forward to 2022.  When I was planning this trip, there was a gap in the middle of November between visiting the Cote d'Azur with a friend and meeting my sister in Germany later that month to explore more of the Christmas markets that we had sampled a few years ago.  One option was to spend a couple of weeks in London but that city at this time of the year didn't sound too appealing in spite of the friends I have there.  I started thinking about maybe doing a Mediterranean cruise as the weather would still be good before I had to brace myself for the colder climate of Munich.  I saw several and then my darling travel agent found one that worked - both in terms of the timing and the fact it would be going to many places I have never visited before.  So, Friday, I boarded an Azamara cruise ship called Pursuit and started a 15 day cruise from Athens to Civitavecchia near Rome.  Ports of call include Alexandria, Egypt; Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Sicily, and Naples. 

One "learning" had after talking to the taxi driver in from the Athens airport was that hotels get a significant kickback for calling taxis.  The concierge at the hotel where I was staying quoted me 55 euros for a taxi to the port and almost double that if I wanted a limo.  So, I used the Uber app on my phone and got a ride to the port for 19 euros and I tipped the driver 5.  Still a good deal!  The boarding process seemed to go quite smoothly and I was pleased because I'd arrived well ahead of my boarding time of 2 to 2:30 and that seemed to be irrelevant.  I arrived before 1 and was “processed” and in my stateroom before 2:30.  Everyone was friendly and could not be more helpful.  I am quite pleased with the stateroom as it has a veranda and, given I will be on the ship for 15 days, I thought that would be a good investment so I paid for an upgrade.  

Our first full day was an "at sea" day which was perfect as it gave everyone to get acquainted with the layout of the ship - although some folks I talked to were doing back-to-back cruises so pretty much knew the "lay of the land" - or sea, as it were - already!

I went to a “meet and greet” for solo travellers and chatted with some interesting people. I’ve also met some others - other Canadians, Aussies, a couple of Kiwis plus some Americans.  So, this is a bit daunting - doing this solo and going to some totally countries and cultures - but I’m determined to make the most of every minute!