cruises - Brooke Loves Travel

April 13, 2019May 18, 2020

Caribbean

Last April, we took a cruise around the Caribbean with family. My parents had never been on a cruise before, so this made it all the more enjoyable. We sailed on a Celebrity Cruise ship, and I highly recommend upgrading to Aqua Class, if you do. This allows for less crowded dining halls, larger staterooms, and other added benefits and services that we all thoroughly enjoyed. Our cruise made four stops. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather throughout the week. It was definitely a good idea to travel before the heat waves started moving in and hurricane season began.

February 23, 2019February 7, 2020

New Zealand

The primary reason for our Down Under journey was to go on a two week cruise around New Zealand. I have never seen a country so clean and people who care so much about their environment. This was definitely something that stuck out to me. Our cruise, departing from Auckland, was to make 12 stops. Unfortunately, after two days at sea, our only stop in Australia, Kingston, was canceled due to weather. Therefore, we had four full days at sea in rough water. And I got quite seasick. However, after the early setback, our trip went pleasantly smooth.

June 18, 2018February 6, 2020

Mediterranean

Following Rome, we took a train via Trenitalia transport to Venice. (This is a good way to see the Italian countryside and is much less stressful than flying.) From Venice, we were taking a Mediterranean cruise with family. It was planned for five stops, but we were unable to make our fifth and final stop (Dubrovnik, Croatia) due to weather. We were looking forward to a Game of Thrones excursion here so were disappointed and now have to return! However, the places we did see were gorgeous and, like other parts of Europe, very historical. Throughout the journey, I found it quite difficult to comprehend just how extensive these towns’ and villages’ pasts are.

Tidbit: Cruises are a great way to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, especially if it is your first time visiting. However, if you are looking to spend more time in certain areas, cruises may not be the way to go. They do allow you to explore many places and perhaps help you find ones you wish to return to for a longer trip in the future.