Cruising is a luxury travel segment but believe me its not all that out of bound, just got to be struck rightly. The catch is prior booking and striking offers can make your holidays unimaginable. Take it with friends, family or colleagues, or you’ll really miss something, whether you are a traveler or not. My experiences are still endearingly haunting me. 

It was my first cruise and you know how you feel when it is your maiden one. It was an unimaginable experience out and out. A cruise was something that I had never even thought of in my life. How it happened ! A friend suggested about this amazing offers which just couldn’t hold me back and we decided to pack our bags for the sea.

 There are many Cruise companies in the world competing with each other to provide best and competitive offers and services. According to Cruise Market Watch, the top cruise companies are Carnival Corporation & plc, Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, TUI Group, and Genting Hong Kong.

Covid had had its devastating influence on the world and after a period of 2 years of lockdown the world had started opening up. This was the time everyone wanted to just get out and explore and enjoy the outsides once again. Here was an offer that was irresistible. After some research work we zeroed in on the Greek islands Norwegian Gem Cruise Line. Europe too was opening up again and I wouldn’t have had a better chance to see 4 countries in one trip.  

 The Luxury Cruise was a 7 days cruising of 4 countries… Italy, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece and the adjoining Greek islands. The cruise itinery started from Trieste on the north western shores of Italy to Kotov in Montenegro to Kotor in the Adriatic Sea, further went down to beautiful Santorini and Mykonos islands in the Ionian Sea. And on its journey back to Zadar in Croatia.

And all for $2950 for a couple ( In May 2022 as per the rupee conversion rate it costed Rs 2,21,250 for 2 for 7 days) Depends on the dollar rate of the time. And what all included! Free and unlimited open bar 24*7, a free specialty dinning in any restaurant, free extra guest with two, free wifi ( but limited minutes), and some free shore tours. A child is free too. The NCL Gem accommodates 2,394 passengers capacity and has 1,070 crew.

The beautiful and ultra luxurious Norwegian Gem is a 13 deck cruise line consisting of accommodations of club balcony suite, balcony, oceanview or interior stateroom. As the first 3 were a little steep for our pocket we opted for the interior staterooms. These were small but decent cabin type room tucked in the interior part of the ship. The other ones came with the sea view.

The cruise liner offers free amenities like well equipped large gym, 2 swimming pools, 4 Jacuzzis’, theatres, party rooms, casino, shopping complex having best and world leading brands of watches, clothes, perfumes. Boutique-style shops are filled with renowned brands, souvenirs, clothing and sundry items. You will also find great deals on duty-free favorites like liquor and tobacco products, jewellery, perfumes, watches and much more.

Food forms the main concern of every mortal and that was, we can safely call ‘in abundance’. The liner housed dinning areas/restaurants on every floor with the regular kind of food court called Garden Café with innumerable and specialty variety of cuisine ranging from continental to regional to even Indian.

The variety was mindboggling. Beer was a staple accompanying any and every meal/food. An orange colored drink that appeared common was Spritz. A mix of juices and vodka it’s a tangy, sweet beverage, a favorite there.   

One is spoilt for the variety of food at the ship. Serving a wide options of culinary delights to please every palate, the complimentary dining options are huge. Everyday, all 7 days, the main restaurant, Garden Café, had different food themes depending on the country we were in. So Greek, Italian, Mediterranean etc. One could only splurge and come back with loads of weight gain.

Other than this there were 2-3 specialty restaurants on each floor, a help-yourself buffet and a variety of casual cafés, grills and on-the-go choices. Plus, the Main Dining Rooms offer a menu that changes daily guaranteeing a different culinary adventure with every visit.

The crew, majorly from Malayasia, Thailand even Indians were extremely warm and courteous and welcoming. They just make you feel at home.  Every morning breakfast time they would very warmly welcome the guests and even sing beautiful songs for them. The house keeping staff would do up our room twice a day, were accessible any and everytime. Cleanliness was five star standard.

How does one spend evenings on a cruise when there can be no stepping out! So this part too is heavily loaded on the cruise  with shows everyday in the threatres on various decks in the evenings to ensure visitors can indulge in any activity any time.

With almost a couple of amphitheatres on every floor Theatre shows, films, music performances, dance shows, magic shows could be checked from the day’s activity chart kept in our staterooms. A vibrant nightlife is ensured with stylish bar area and swanky lounges. Remember all bars, 2-3 on every deck, is free.  

Sports wasn’t left out. The cruise had a basket ball ground, a large chess board made on the floor which was one of its kind, Squash court, bowling and games too apart from a large gym.

A open walking alley on all floors all around the ship that measured from the length and breath of the cruise catered to walks with the sea in the background and cool sea breeze experience.   

The catch is, if one books the cruise journey in advance is likely to get pretty good deals for a good price.

Some important tips though

Some tips of suggestions would come handy here if you wish to undertake a cruise sometime and particularly the first time.  As you are constantly on waters and just some hours of a day visiting some land portions for sight seeing the body equilibrium is affected in some cases. Cases of mild memory losses have been observed. But this is not common. Medical assistance comes for a bomb at the cruise. A doctor consultation may cost around 150 dollars other than medicines and care. So take care of your physical self.

Secondly even if you buy a data pack in the country and region that one is in it does not function as one wishes it to. The free wifi on cruise is for particular time period like for some hours. The other times you will be lucky if the other data card or connection that you have taken works. In that case use your talk time judiciously.

Thirdly, shore excursions by the cruise may not be available as their count of people, if full, will not take you. And they are not free. It’s a good idea to go on the port of call excursion on your own too. This way one can decide for oneself on the choice of their site seeing and their mode of conveyance. Like in Corfu in Greece we took a Hop On Hop Off bus that took us around the city suiting our tome duration when we could be back on the ship.

And we managed to see precisely what was important keeping the ships sailing off in consideration. In this case the ship will not wait for you if you do not return in time. So be careful about that. This many time works better than the shore excursion by the cruise and more economical.  

 

An RTPCR is a must before boarding the cruise even if you have got yourself tested when you planned your trip. So we got it done in Venice 24 hrs before boarding although for a steep price of 20 dollars.

Pushpa Ramesh from Bangalore, India, who traveled in NCL said, “Norwegian Gem was our first experience of cruise and indeed it was a wow experience. The cruise and the destinations were beautiful and rejuvenating. The cabin was comfortable but made special by the helpful and dedicated house keeping staff. Onboard dining gave us unique chance to indulge in different varieties of  exquisite cuisines 24×7. The presence of few staff including the Executive Chef  from “God’s own country” made us feel at home even in the restaurants. The onboard entertainment and activities were so  exciting that made me wear my dancing shoes and dance till drop dead… The shore excursions to vibrant and romantic destinations were thrilling…Overall an electrifying exhilarating and intoxicating experience.”

A veteran from Kerala Col Joseph P George who came with a group of friends said, “The NCL Cruise on the Deep Blue waters of Adriatic Seas gave us the opportunity to visit the Beautiful Islands and Harbors of Italy, Croatia and Greece. The 24 hours  Bars and number of General & Specialty Restaurants, everyday Classic Opera Shows and events and Music besides the Pools were Romantic and Entertaining. Continuous activity ensured there was never a dull or boring moment.

The Staff from all across the World were friendly with world class hospitality. A wholesome entertainment and exhilarating environment  for  7 days of unending Fellowship with our Life long Friends.”

Saroj Achra from New Delhi who was on the cruise with her husband was all too happy with the experience too. ”It was a wonderful experience with excellent service in every aspect, be it accommodation, entertainment, food, activities, off shore excursions etc. One must experience at least once in life time.”

So book your ticket for next year on some cruise and I bet you’ll have an experience of a lifetime.