Milly Johnson is of the opinion that nothing beats a cruise holiday. It’s the perfect place to drift, both physically and mentally. And, contrary to popular opinion they’re not just for the old and rich either.
What a dreamboat...
To cruise or not to cruise – that is the question. People who haven’t cruised are often unlikely to take the leap onto a ship, unless dragged on by a friend (as I was) because they have a set-in-stone vision of what it would be like. ‘I’ll be bored’, ‘I’m claustrophobic’ even ‘I’ve haven’t got enough posh frocks’ are common excuses. So let me dispel a few myths, as an ardent convert to this way of travelling. Firstly – there are as many activities as you could ever need on board most ships. There are lectures, classes, casino, singers, shows, cinemas, libraries - and bingo! Before I went on one, I didn’t appreciate that ships these days are floating villages.
For me though, a ship is the only place where I can do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty about it. Downing tools and shutting off that work-part of a brain is an acquired art, but I have acquired it on board. I read, I sit in the sun, I nod off and I people-watch to my heart’s content. And, contrary to a few beliefs, sharing a vessel with two thousand other passengers does not mean you are crammed in like sardines. Okay, so it might be quite difficult to find a table in the buffet at peak lunchtime, but you always do find somewhere. And there are plenty of places where you can go to read, chill, have a quiet coffee – even on the family cruises in the school holidays.
Miss Dior fashion mingles with Matalan, diamonds with diamante – it's not necessary to have a ball gown made by Stella McCartney to fit in at one of the gala dinners.
I’ve clocked up over twenty cruises now and have never yet seen anyone trying to hi-jack a lifeboat to get ashore because they are ‘stir-crazy’. The sea days are perfect times for being mentally adrift as well as physically. You can forget what day it is, what time it is and what atrocities are happening in the world (of course for those who would rather not – there’s always the internet.) Port days are magical – small snapshots of wonderful places – seven holidays crammed into one – Venetian gondolas, Corfu beaches, dolphin-watching in Gibraltar – swimming in the emerald-green seas of Sardinia. What other holiday gives you all that in a fortnight?
Cruising is not exclusive to the old and rich. I came to it because I was divorced with a very young family and was persuaded this would be an ideal way for me to holiday because I could laze and the kids could bounce in the kid’s club (which I couldn’t drag them out of). Ships are geared up to entertain and cater for the gentile and the lively, pensioners and children. Miss Dior fashion mingles with Matalan, diamonds with diamante – it’s not necessary to have a ball gown made by Stella McCartney to fit in at one of the gala dinners. The dress code is smart casual on many dining nights – and, guess what, shorts and tee-shirts reign during the days. Not a dicky bow in sight.
The majority of people who make that leap to book a cruise come back time and again and, really – as one of them - I am SO not surprised.
Milly’s new book, Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café, is published by Simon and Schuster and is available now.
