In October (2014) I travelled on my first ever cruise, a 4 night mini cruise from Southampton on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas and I have to say it blew away every misconception I ever had about cruising – I absolutely loved it!!

Coming from me this is a big ask – the sea and I don’t mix very well, I get sea sick on a pedalo. Also I’m not the greatest swimmer and after seeing Titanic that was it for me I alway said I would never cruise!

SO… what changed my mind you may ask?? I’m constantly being told working within the travel industry (and my Grandad working on the QE2 once upon a time) that cruises are fantastic I didn’t know what I was missing, etc, etc. So when my very good friend and very first boss in travel, Jane decided to book the mini cruise for her 50th birthday I thought it was my opportunity to see what it was all about without the scare of being stuck on the ship for too long.

Don’t get me wrong after I first booked I was convinced I’d made a mistake and kept thinking should I cancel? As the cruise grew closer to the date my anxiety increased I kept joking with my friend that I would likely be wearing my life jacket throughout the whole of the cruise so I needed to match my wardrobe choices accordingly – but I was thinking seriously could I get away with doing this?!

I couldn’t have been so many ways wrong, I had a fantastic time and cant wait to do another – preferably somewhere warmer!!

Misconceptions…

I’ll feel seasick? Large ships have stabilisers to ensure you don’t feel the movement and motion sickness – I did feel the ship move on occasion but not a constant swaying and often forgot I was on a ship and it felt like a really big hotel especially with the main street it felt a bit like Vegas.

Cruises are just for old people? Although some cruises cater for the older generation the majority of cruises offer something for everyone including couples, families with young & older children and even groups.

There will be nothing to do? The ship has numerous activities to keep everyone entertained available throughout the day along with facilities such as pools, surf simulator, outdoor cinema, children’s clubs for all ages up to teenagers, bars, casino,  nightclub and shows.

To posh and formal? Depending on the length of the cruise there will be at least 1 formal night, however these are not mandatory and although men may be required to wear long trousers in the some restaurants for dinner the ship was overall quite casual.

Not suitable for wheelchairs or disabled? I would definitely recommend a cruise for wheelchair users, access on board was great. Book an accessible cabin as standard cabins will be too small to manoeuvre. Access around the ship was great, lifts and disabled toilets on every deck and no where as far as I could tell was off limits, the only downside I would say with access was due to the carpets being quite plush it was sometimes hard to manoeuvre my wheelchair.

Feel trapped onboard? The ship is so big and with so much to do you never feel trapped onboard and waking up in a different port everyday you will see more places than a standard holiday with a variety of excursions in each place or get off and explore on your own.

Its expensive? Cruising is one of the most cost effective ways to see the world, without the need of multiple flights with packing and unpacking in each location. Would also recommend adding on a drinks package (really good value) and gratuatities to avoid paying any extras.

Don’t like flying? Cruises now leave from various ports within the UK, the majority being Southampton meaning you can avoid flying altogether and still visit the Mediterranean, Canaries, British Isles, Baltics and Fjords.

I dont want to have to get off the ship at every port? If you prefer to stay onboard this is fine, its not compulsory to get off the ship when it docks at each port, there are still lots of activities going on onboard.

Things to consider…

Book early – if you require an accessible cabin it is vital that you book early as there are limited cabins available and they sell out quickly. I booked the last available accessible cabin (inside) it was spacious including the bathroom with a walk/roll-in shower with a built in shower chair. If you use a wheelchair don’t attempt to try and get by with a non adapted cabin even the higher grade cabins – the narrow doorways make a very tight squeeze for wheelchairs and the bathrooms are too small to even get your wheelchair inside.

Parking – Sometimes this can be included at the port or airport depending on the package and offers available when booking. I pre-booked my parking and I was allocated a disabled parking bay located directly across from the cruise terminal for convenient access.

Drinks Packages – Really good value offering everything from soft drinks, beer and wine to cocktails saves you worrying whilst onboard and a huge bill on disembarkation. These can be added before cruising or whilst onboard.

Excursions – Good idea to pre-book if there is something you really want to do or see as some excursions will have limited availability. However you can check availability and book onboard if you are unsure what you want to do.

Entertainment – a variety of amazing shows were available including an ice show, game show and musicals. During our cruise, shows where on at different times to ensure that everyone had the chance to enjoy the experience. However on some cruises you can prebook and reserve your space for a show to avoid disappointment and missing out.