A Beginners Guide to Cruises: Worries VS Reality
I kicked off travelling in 2020 with a whole new experience. A cruise around the Caribbean, celebrating my home girl’s 30th birthday. I was excited but also overwhelmed with anxiety when I thought about the trip. WHY?
I was shooketh that the ship would sink. I’ve seen what happened in Titanic. People ended up pop off. I wasn’t trying to go out like that.
Reality
There was a whole deck worth of lifeboats out on display. Did they work? I don’t know, it never came to that. Plus each cabin had life jackets and. Oh, and all guests had to attend a compulsory safety briefing.
I can’t swim so why the hell would I fast myself to be out at sea. I get in 1-2 argument and I’m getting thrown overboard with the sharks. I was going to joke and say that I’m black I can’t swim, but it’s a bad stereotype. (My homegirl has actually written an article about it) Turns out 95% of Black British adults actually do not swim!
Reality
As long as you don’t move mad and think you are Tarzan you’re most probably not going to fall aboard. I actually started attending swimming classes though because I was so panicked. Sometimes fear is the best motivator.
I was going to be surrounded by old white pensioners.
Reality
Lol I actually was. Out of 3100 passengers, about 20 were melanated. After the initial stares, everyone stayed in their lane. Plus some of the people on the cruise were actually a vibe and a half!
Betty had a double hip replacement before she came on the cruise and had to get carried back to the ship because she got paralytic drunk after having too much rum on the beach.
Terry loved up the Reggae segment and was singing live with the band when Bob Marley came on, leaving his wife in the corner.
Jo looked majorly classy and boujie, but boyyy the lethal swear words that came out of her mouth when she was ready.
My favourite crew ever was made up of 4 widows (plus life goals Anne) who were solo holidaying. They played a game on the beach shouting “hey stranger” to men that walked past. The mens reactions were so priceless.
The food is going to be bland/unseasoned and I’m going to be stressed out about it.
Reality
Lol I played myself big time. I ate better in those 2 weeks than I have on any other holiday. Proper 3-5 course meals daily. Top class chefs and major flavour. I could write a whole post on the food alone!
All the activities are going to be for the elderly so I’ll be bored.
Reality
Bingo is life and there is so much to do on a cruise ship. The ship has a casino, library, a mini shopping mall. Plus old school movies actually bang. And once you are exploring the different islands you’re not that fussed to even know what activities are happening when you get back half the time.
I’m really proud that I didn’t let me initial worries stop me from enjoying the cruise. Would you happily book a cruise?
Cruising First Times
Holidays are for sun, sea and experiences. And whilst you’re in the chill mode it’s the right energy for first times. That first holiday romance, your first jet-ski experience, crossing a border for the first time. There’s so many to have.
Other than going on a cruise, I experienced a good amount of things for the first time during my getaway. 2020 definitely kicked off for me with a bang! I’m sharing my 5 Cruise holiday first times.
I was about to fast myself up and say this cruise was my first experience in the Caribbean, but it turns out it’s not because I went to Cuba. I know where Cuba is located but I’m still like hmm is it in the Caribbean? Maybe it’s because Cuba is a Spanish speaking country so I mentally place it with South America.
First time doing Afternoon Tea
I make jokes all the time in England that I’m going to do up afternoon tea like the Queen. But I’ve never actually made an attempt to do it. So when the opportunity came up on the cruise ship, I was definitely down. I wanted to wear a 2 piece co-ord set like the girls from Clueless, but life happened. My afternoon tea was by Eric Lanlard and it was nice-nice ! My dietary requirements were considered too so I didn’t miss out on any food. The afternoon tea experience was ayt you know. I’m an infusion tea lover so when I saw the teapigs set up I was in my element. And I took some home too. You can take the girl out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the girl!
First time snorkelling
Yoo I was terrified. And my swimsuit snapped before I left for the trip. I convinced myself that I would be safer snorkelling in a swimsuit rather than a bikini. Anyway, my swimsuit breaking threw me off my game. And when I was snorkelling some EDJIOT woman grabbed me, then had the cheek to laugh and ask me if I thought it was a shark.
First time regularly out in the sea
I bought Piney, my floating pineapple from Amazon. Major key. Plus I’d taken a couple swimming lessons to feel comfortable in the sea and basically not drown before I went on the cruise. In pretty much every country I visited I was in the sea which is a major U-turn from the Frizzy who usually puts her feet in the sea then ignores it for the rest of her trip.
First time visiting numerous countries in a short space of time
So how cruising works is that you dock at a country in the morning, explore the country for the day and at night to sail off to the next destination. I visited 7 islands on a 2-week trip. I’m not someone who counts how many countries they’ve visited and ticks them off a list, but I definitely got a feel of the countries and know which ones I want to come back to and really explore. It was a good taster session.
First time being away with a friend for a long period of time
In the back of mind, I kept thinking that something was going to go wrong. Does anyone else feel nervous when going away with a friend? You can go from having a best friend to a +447 number over the space of a holiday! I’m easily irritable and always worried that a bad mental health period will flare-up. On holiday your sharing a living space with someone and with them pretty much all the time. All was good in the hood though!
When is the last time you did something for the first time?