{"id":14194,"date":"2015-02-26T16:25:47","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T15:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.breigh.com\/wordpress\/?p=14194"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T12:24:17","slug":"all-aboard-were-going-on-a-cruise-yall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadutch.nl\/blog\/archives\/14194","title":{"rendered":"ALL ABOARD! We’re going on a Cruise y’all!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cruise!\"<\/a>Big news! \u00a0We’re going across the water!!<\/p>\n

Wait, no… not that water. \u00a0Before you get excited and think our visas finally came through and we are finally off to Pittsburgh, that isn’t happening yet.<\/p>\n

We’re going on a cruise<\/em><\/strong>!!<\/p>\n

What better way to make use of our time still in Europe than to explore it, right?<\/p>\n

Initially we had planned to do a lot of little city trips, but for some reason that hasn’t been happening. \u00a0We always said we’d do a big trip this year, knowing it would be my 40th birthday and our 15th wedding anniversary, but we were never sure\u00a0what<\/em> we wanted to do exactly. \u00a0So when we started thinking about it we tossed around a lot of different ideas.<\/p>\n

Should we go back to Paris and relive our honeymoon? \u00a0Naw, why do something again when there are so many new places to see. \u00a0Then we tossed around the idea of going to Norway and doing a driving tour around the Fjords, then a Norwegian cruise, then we swung way in another direction and thought about visiting Istanbul \/ Cappadocia and a few other places in Turkey. \u00a0We were all over the map (literally!) and couldn’t settle, so we decided to visit a travel agency and see what our options were.<\/span><\/p>\n

We explained to her what our situation was, that we were celebrating one of my big birthdays, that it was our 15th anniversary, that we are leaving Europe soon and want to get to some of the places we’ve not gotten to over the years. \u00a0Her reply? \u00a0“Why on earth are you not considering a Mediterranean cruise?!”. \u00a0She had a sort of “Wait, hear me out!” reaction, and went on to explain that spending all that money to go to Turkey or Norway is fine, but you are only seeing one place. \u00a0With a cruise we could see a lot more different and exciting locations for a lot less. \u00a0Ok, granted, cruises aren’t cheap… but there’s also no way we could hit as many different locations on separate trips with food, travel, lodgings and everything else included for what we’re paying for this trip.<\/p>\n

We weren’t sure at first but the more we thought about it the more it made sense and appealed to us. \u00a0Then the obsessive searching began.<\/p>\n

Let me tell you, when I get something in my head, Google doesn’t know what hit it. \u00a0Before long I had narrowed it down to a few options, and we had some decisions to make in regards to what we were comfortable spending, and what we wanted to get for our money. \u00a0I read review after review, looked at photos of … well, every ship, every port, every cabin. \u00a0Inside room, outside room, balcony, shorter trip with a better room, longer trip in a broom closet, excursions, ports, aaaagh!! \u00a0Information overload! \u00a0I am fairly certain I was about one search away from taking down the entire internet. \u00a0I had so many tabs open on my browser that my laptop sounded like it was about to take off on a trip of its own. \u00a0It was bad.<\/p>\n

\"Norwegian<\/a><\/p>\n

We decided to go to the source and visited a company here in Rotterdam that specializes in cruises, so that they could help us figure out what exactly the cost was going to be and what suits us best. \u00a0You see, there’s all these little costs that sneak up on you, like with any travel. \u00a0You pay for the cruise but then there’s all these added costs like excursions and tips for the staff (why that’s not included in the price of the cruise makes no sense to me, it’s mandatory so what’s the point of having it separate?!) \u00a0but anyway…<\/p>\n

We found our cruise!! \u00a0It’s more than we’ve ever spent on… well… anything, which makes us nervous and fills us with anxiety but it was go big or go home… or stay home, rather.<\/p>\n

Not only do we have some cool occasions to celebrate, but we know we are leaving and this is like our last hoorah in Europe. \u00a0Also? \u00a0We’ve never done this! \u00a0In the 15 years we’ve been married, we have never just gone on a proper big holiday that’s just us, for us. \u00a0We’ve had amazing holidays visiting family, gotten to see some cool places where I tagged along on a work trip of Xander’s, or had a weekend away places close by, but that’s not the same. \u00a0This is something entirely different, and we’re so excited!!<\/p>\n

\"Norwegian<\/a><\/p>\n

SO here’s our cruise. \u00a0It’s a 13 day Mediterannean Cruise<\/a>\u00a0on the Norwegian Spirit<\/a>. \u00a0We went for longer cruise in a broom closet! haha \u00a0In the end our choices came down to an 8 day cruise where we visit a few cities in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Croatia, staying in a room with a window or possibly a balcony or go with a longer trip staying in an inside room. \u00a0In the end, it was a no-brainer for us. \u00a0As much as I loved the idea of getting up and sitting on a balcony in my pajamas, looking out over the sea, we’d only get to do it for 8 days. \u00a0We wanted more time and more places, and more time outside our cabin enjoying ourselves.<\/p>\n

Oh the things we will see!!<\/p>\n

\"Cruise<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the map of the itinerary. \u00a0We will be visiting Italy, Greece, Turkey, France and Spain with most of the stops in the first three. \u00a0We have only one stop in France and Spain, but we planned it that way as we feel like we’d likely have easier access to those areas on future trips to visit Xander’s family, so we concentrated on the areas we weren’t sure we’d get a chance to visit once we leave Europe.<\/p>\n

Day 1 :\u00a0Arrival in and First Day in Venice<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/div>
<\/div>\n\"Venice\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On the first day we fly into Venice at\u00a011am. \u00a0Our ship doesn’t leave until later that night at 1am, so we should have most of the evernoon and evening to explore the city. \u00a0That’s still in the planning phase, but there will be gondola, there must<\/em> be gondola! \u00a0Another thing I am looking forward to that I read about in reviews of the cruise is\u00a0the view of Venice at night as the ship is leaving. \u00a0It’s supposed to be absolutely stunning, so I’m really looking forward to that.<\/p>\n

Days 2 and 3: At Sea<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/div>
<\/div>\n