Let's Go Cruisin'!

There is always a sense of romance associated with cruising. It conjures images of breathtaking sunsets, balmy moonlit nights, gently rolling waves, seagulls spiraling in the blue skies, idyllic islands, and exotic ports admired from a luxurious balcony suite, while enjoying a fancy dinner and sipping expensive champagne.

No wonder, a number of newlyweds opt for a honeymoon cruise. It is the perfect romantic get-away where you could create magical moments with each other, away from it all, while enjoying a glamorous lifestyle for a few days – an elegant suite, celebrity-chef restaurants, relaxing spas, fully-equipped gym, fantastic pools, swanky bars, attentive butler service, and endless entertainment – against the backdrop of the expansive seas. It truly sounds like an enchanting escape.

When my husband and I planned our wedding, cruising was the farthest thing from our minds for our honeymoon. We are both active explorers (with him being the outdoor explorer type, and me, the cultural explorer type), thus we were considering a land tour of Europe, but had not yet pinned down the exact region. I had not been to Europe that time, but my husband had already visited Austria and Germany as a child, Italy after university graduation, and Switzerland when he was in grad school. We were still deciding if we wanted to revisit his favourite places in those countries, or go to a new destination.

However, wedding preparations took up most of our time, especially because we were still living in Vancouver and the wedding was going to be in Montreal. The things we could do in town, we easily took care of – the marriage preparation course at our church, my wedding gown, gowns for the maid of honour and the flower girls, invitations, souvenirs, thank-you presents, the wedding program, and flights. But most items had to be coordinated via phone calls and emails – church reservation, priest, wedding singer and musician, hotel and reception hall reservations, catering, suit rental for my husband and his male entourage, photographer, hair and make-up for me and my bridal entourage, cake, flowers, limousine service, and the like.

Amidst all these, my husband and I would visit travel agencies, check out deals online, and collect travel brochures. A month prior to the wedding, I noticed how the stack of travel magazines and brochures on my computer desk kept growing and since we were busy running around, we had not found the time to sit together and look at our options. I told my husband that I would leave the decision up to him. Since I had not been to Europe, I was fine with whatever region or country he would pick.

But my husband took the trip planning very seriously, examining every detail of the ones we had shortlisted, making lists of pros and cons, reading all the reviews, and more. After two weeks with three itineraries still in the running, I decided to make an executive decision.

“Forget Europe,” I said. I had to remind my husband that since I had just obtained my Canadian citizenship a month prior, and my Canadian passport was still being processed, I would have to travel with my Philippine passport. This meant I would need to apply for visas for each European country we were going to visit, depending on the chosen itinerary (the Schengen visa was still evolving that time). It would be too much work at that point and we did not have much time. So, I ditched all the European travel magazines and brochures and looked closely at the other options that did not involve multiple visas.

For some reason, we had a cruise brochure, and after looking at it more seriously, I found a perfect trip for us. It was a twelve-day Atlantic Canada and New England cruise that would start in Montreal and end in New York City. It seemed perfect. We would already be in Montreal, so there was no need to fly, and the embarkation date was exactly a week after our wedding, which would give us a few days to take my visiting family around Montreal, and spend a bit of time with my husband-to-be’s family in the city before we sailed off. The first part of the trip was on Canadian soil and the rest, in the United States. My Philippine passport was still stamped with a valid US visa. Bingo!

My husband asked me if I was sure this was what I wanted to do. He knew how excited I was to visit Europe and felt bad that I had to forego this option. I assured him that staying in North America was the better choice. Europe could wait. We had too many things going on for the wedding and we did not need to complicate our lives further. Besides, a cruise would be more relaxing and better suited for him who has a dietary issue and prefers a more laid-back style of travelling. There would be no need for us to pack and unpack each time, check into different hotels, and worry about restaurants and washrooms on the road. On a cruise, we would take our hotel along with us and we could pre-plan our meals with the chef.

We were lucky to still get a spot as we booked rather late. The nicer suites were already taken, but it did not matter to us. We would still enjoy the cruise, the land excursions, the fine dining, and the activities and amenities within the ship.

We were both cruise neophytes that time, so we were not sure what to expect. My parents-in-law drove us to the pier on the afternoon of our embarkation and along the way, my mother-in-law joked that this would certainly be a relaxing honeymoon for us because as far as her experience could tell her, most cruisers are retirement-age people, “old folks, like us,” she said.

I did not, for one second, doubt that. The trip we booked was with a higher-end cruise line, which caters mostly to senior travelers that generally prefer a subdued evening atmosphere characterized by fine dining, live music, low-key entertainment, and quiet luxury onboard. Our itinerary was also considered more appealing to an older demographic, and we were sailing in the fall when most kids are back to school.

In contrast, the more popular family-oriented or multi-generation cruise lines that attract families with small children and the younger set are known for their party atmosphere, dancing, humongous pools with waterslides, all-day fun games and activities, and spectacular shows. They are usually busier in the summer months when the kids are on vacation, or during spring or Christmas breaks. The most popular destinations for this crowd tend to be Hawaii, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean islands because of the sun, the waves, the beach, and everything exotic that tropical islands offer.

I assured my mother-in-law that this cruise would be a good match for us. After all the wedding frenzy, we just wanted to wind down and enjoy a tranquil sailing on a refined ship full of elegant amenities to pamper ourselves. We could imagine “coming home” from our shore excursions to a quiet place with just a few other people, enjoy an afternoon tea or an elegant dinner in the evening, and then a nightcap at the bar while listening to a jazz band before retiring for the night. In addition, my husband and I are both introverts, so all these would suit us so perfectly.

We most certainly did not want to party or engage in too many group activities that are over-stimulating. On this cruise, we would not need to elbow our way around the lounges and pool decks crowded with sunbathers and families heading for the outdoor basketball courts and rock-climbing walls. We did not need to dodge from a horde of screaming little kids running towards the waterslides. We did not need to navigate the dance floor full of party people just to get a cocktail or a beer, or be disturbed by drunken revelers crawling their way to their cabins in the middle of the night after a wild drinking spree. None of these crazy things!

My husband mentioned that our destinations for this cruise were going to be at their best because the fall season brings out all the fiery autumn colours, both in Atlantic Canada and in New England. I had not really seen the fall season in its full glory since I lived in the West Coast for the past few years, where the changing of the seasons was much less pronounced, so I was quite excited to see what he was talking about.

As we boarded the ship, my parents-in-law bade us farewell and wished us a wonderful voyage. My playful mother-in-law said we should “behave” because we would be travelling with an entire village of grandpas and grandmas.

And true enough, as we were lining up to check-in, we noticed we were the youngest passengers…much younger. And we couldn’t spot anyone around our age. My husband and I looked at each other and laughed. Oh, this was going to be fun.