AD | If you’d told me a few years ago I’d be daydreaming about going on a cruise, I probably would’ve laughed into my herbal tea. Me? On a floating hotel, with strangers, possibly wearing sequins and navigating buffets the size of a small village? Unlikely. But lately, I’ve found myself coming back to the idea. Not in a “pack your bags, we sail at dawn” sort of way, but more as a mild curiosity. The kind of thought that drifts into your mind on a grey afternoon, somewhere between boiling the kettle and Googling how many jumpers are too many for autumn. A thought that says: what if a cruise isn’t what I thought it was?
A Floating Hotel… With Less Fuss?
One of the biggest barriers to travel for me lately has been energy. The excitement of exploring somewhere new? Absolutely. The packing, unpacking, navigating trains, taxis, airport gates, and then doing it all in reverse five days later? Less charming.
That’s where the cruise idea started to make a bit more sense. It’s essentially a hotel that comes with you. You unpack once. Your room moves, but you don’t have to. You fall asleep in one place and wake up somewhere else entirely. That sounds… oddly peaceful. Sort of like teleportation, but with a sea breeze and someone else steering.
I came across a company that’s been organising cruise travel for years (Bolsover Cruise Club, if you’re curious), and while I wasn’t looking to book anything, I did find myself deep-diving into the logistics.
And it turns out there are options that combine the cruise itself with a few nights in a hotel before or after, what they call “Cruise & Stay.” That sounds like my kind of compromise: slow mornings in a proper bed, gentle days at sea, and a bit of both worlds.
Not Just for the Sequinned and Sunburnt
Another assumption I had to let go of: cruises aren’t all about extroverted people who love group trivia and conga lines. Apparently, there are entire days at sea where you’re free to do as much or as little as you like on your floating hotel. Read a book by a window. Order a quiet breakfast. Watch the horizon and do absolutely nothing. You can socialise if you want, or not.
The idea of having things taken care of such as meals, transport, a room that doesn’t require you to Google “best family-run guesthouse near [insert obscure port]”, is starting to feel less like overindulgence and more like a kind of rest. Not the sleep-for-ten-hours kind. But the mental space kind. A reset.
A Slower Way to Explore?
I’ve always loved the idea of slow travel. Taking the time to properly absorb a place and create some memories rather than ticking it off a list. The irony is that cruises, with their port-to-port itineraries, can seem like the opposite of that. But maybe there’s another way to look at it.
You don’t have to disembark every day. You don’t have to do the excursions or sign up for the 8am coach tour. You can sit on deck with a coffee and watch the coastline pass by. Maybe that is a version of slow travel, one where movement doesn’t mean hustle.
Some of the routes I found offer stops in small European cities I’d love to see again (hello, Palma and Lisbon), but without the stress of navigating between them. And for someone like me, who wants to feel like I’ve travelled but not return home needing another holiday… well, that’s something to think about.
Still Just a Thought (For Now)
I’m not about to become a cruise convert overnight. I’m still a little unsure about the idea of being on a ship for that long. Will I get seasick? Will I find quiet corners? Will I be able to find tea that actually tastes like tea?
But it’s one of those travel ideas that’s gone from “absolutely not” to “maybe, actually?” And sometimes that’s how change starts, right? Not with a booking confirmation or a passport renewal, but with a softer shift. A growing curiosity. A “what if a floating hotel is the ultimate in a comfort break?”
So no, I haven’t booked anything. But I’m thinking about it. In the same way you think about painting a room a new colour, or getting a fringe. Tentative. Curious. A little bit romantic.
And maybe that’s enough for now.
What do you think about slow travel via a cruise? Is it the kind of holiday that appeals to you? Which ports would you like to call into?
* This is a collaborative post – please see my Disclaimer.
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