As of this publication date, the grand total of boats I’ve been on numbers in the single digits, and have primarily been ferries from the mainland to an island. The longest one was an overnight ferry in Italy, but no cruises… yet…
I’ve heard a lot of good things about them, of course — the entertainment, the copious amounts of food and drink, the international crowd, and so on.
Complimentary alcohol, anyone?
When you’re with Azamara cruises, you can safely expect an all-inclusive experience from any of their three ships: the Journey, the Quest, and the Pursuit setting off on its maiden voyage in August 2018. Included are gratuities, butler service, laundry and shuttle services, 24-hour room service, and plenty of boutique hotel style. (Be aware ‘all-inclusive’ does not and cannot literally include everything available on board – read the terms and conditions to know what’s included.)
Buffets and restaurants promise to fill you up, and of course complimentary alcohol is a great bonus. Plenty of other daytime activities are around, from jewellery-making to wine tasting. Head to the Sanctum Spa to relax, or get to the gym to keep to your New Year’s resolutions. Before turning in for the night, see which ‘AzAmazing’ Evening event is happening on-board.
OK, so that’s life aboard the ships. What about the destinations?
Cruise ships don’t usually enable lots of time at the destinations, but there’s a strong focus towards what they call ‘destination immersion’. There’s plenty of destinations on offer throughout the website, but three cruises that disembark in 2019 should be highlighted.
Take the Spain Intensive Voyage, sailing April 6, 2019, to discover:
- Starting from Lisbon, Portugal, you’ll have the chance to take in the Christ the King statue or the Oceanario de Lisboa.
- Spend an overnight in Seville, Cadiz over some tapas, or just meander through some of the old streets.
- Head to Andalusia’s cultural capital, Malaga, for some Moorish architecture and the Alcazaba fortress.
- Spend some time tanning in one of Spain’s sunniest destinations, Almeria. The next destination, Valencia, makes a similar claim.
- Beaches galore in Palma De Mallorca., arguably the capital of the local islands.
- Cap off the trip in Barcelona, replete with touristy destinations like the still-unfinished Sagrada Familia and many pedestrian streets. Rather go weird?
If you’d rather set off for a trip from Italy to Greece, spend nine days on this five-country itinerary starting May 5th, 2019:
- Start / disembark from Venice, then head to Koper, Slovenia’s old-school port and ‘old city’, and the home to the country’s large cathedral.
- Head to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a couple of days. ‘Breathtaking’ doesn’t begin to describe the buildings nestled up right against the coasts (Some things I wish I knew about Dubrovnik, coming right up!)
- Next up is Montenegro’s fortified city, Kotor, complete with views of stone walls and mountain peaks.
- Greece is up next, and you’ll be taking in Igoumenitsa (complete with a nearly-7-kilometer-long beach), Katakolon (known for being the best way to reach Olympia, and sports a Museum of Ancient Greek Technology.
- Spend a day in Nafplion, an area known for being especially sunny while still having an old-school view of Greece
- End up in Athens, the oldest city in Europe, at a 1,500-year-old port. Plenty of folks will be heading to the Acropolis, an old-school wonder of the world, and the new Acropolis Museum.
Time to go exploring!
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