A RECOVERING TRAVEL SNOB

Is Cruising Real Travel?

Hi, my name is Amber. "Hi Amber!" I am a recovering travel snob. I have been pretty anti-cruising I must admit. Why all of the vitriol? Keep reading...

At the beginning of my travels I flew to Puerto Rico for a Caribbean cruise. Originally, it was not even my idea. I had a friend who added me to the plans and did NOT prepare me, AT ALL, not even a little. I wasn't prepared for all of those Captain nights, or whatever that fluff is you had to dress up for. All I knew is that the cruise left out of Puerto Rico and I was game. In that day, I was deep into Ricky Martin and, what's now known as Reggaetón (back then it wasn't known worldwide as it is now). I already spoke alot of Spanish and Caribbean guys were my thing so why not LOL. The islands where we docked were quite nice but I wasn't too much of a fan of the rush around the island, see a few things, get some alcoholic drinks (since I wasn't of age in the States but I was on the islands) and jump back on the boat. Oh yah, and the expensive jewelry and duty free shops. Even at that young age, I realized that it simply was NOT my thing. I craved something more meaningful. I set my eyes on traveling abroad. Once I got off the plane over the pond and saw some architecture, visited some museums, drank some lovely cheap wine, ate some exquisite cheese, I realized that that was indeed the vibe.

So for all of the aforementioned reasons and others, for all of these years, I admit, I have been a travel snob. I would hear others say they were taking a trip. I would say, "oh yah, where are you going?" They would mention some sort of cruise and I would try not to roll my eyes. I said to myself "that's not a even real travel!" Yes, I was that person. I thought, if you aren't taking a plane abroad, it isn't real travel. And no, a trip to Miami does not count. No passport stamp, no real trip! I, however, have changed my tune in later years. I'm a bit older and maybe a bit wiser; I'm trying. There should be some growth after all, after all this time. What changed me, hmmm? Perhaps, the world pandemic has changed me. Perhaps, living in a cold, dreary state has changed me. Who knows. Maybe it's age. But I do know, that now I know what it is to move at a bit slower pace, even if it was forced upon us by the pandemic. I know what it is to appreciate a little more comfort and to embrace things such as heat and sunshine. That being said, after suffering some undiagnosed seasonal depression in this dark area of New York, BAE and I said, let's get out of here, let's take a cruise!

Me being a lover of aesthetics, I had to find the most modern, clean, streamlined cruise ships I could find. Celebrity Cruises was it! We picked the ship Celebrity Summit® to be exact leaving out of Miami, Florida. We have some close family friends there we could see before sailing out, so it was a win-win.

After taking that 5 day cruise to the Carribean (Mexico and the Bahamas), I starting singing a new tune. Firstly, I love how you don't have to weigh bags, worry about carry-ons, none of the stressful issues you have to worry about on a plane. Just roll you bags on and go. Once inside, I love love loved the modern look of the ship. Everything was designed and curated just the way I like it. That is what to expect of a new ship. I could do without the dinners at the specific restaurants, with subpar 3 course meals. The all you can eat buffets, were amazing, featuring cuisine from all over the world. The staff, I could go on and on about the staff. Since I love travel because I love people and culture, the international crew was a big plus for me. I met some amazing people from South Africa, India, Phillipines, Kenya, Argentina, Brazil to name a few and got to use my language skills. There also were some wonderful international musicians, so we got to see some live music, do some dancing. There was an epic silent disco. Would recommend 100%.

The ports of call, we didn't go crazy on the excursions, we just walked around, met people, felt the vibes, and took photos. Why, you ask? Becuase a cruise to me is about eating, relaxing and being bit lazy/pampered. I never approached travel like this, but at this point, I see that there is a place for it. "Oh cruising is for old people", you say. Well old people have life figured out, they know a good thing when they see it. So, take that cruise. Don't let anyone travel shame you. Travel is travel.