Courtesy Adam England
- I recently went on my first cruise with my parents, sister, and grandmother.
- I'd never been on a cruise before and was surprised that there were things for all of us to enjoy.
- We all had a good time and I'll treasure the memories we made together.
Until last month, I had never been on a cruise. Neither had my parents or my sister, but my grandmother — my nan — often travels by cruise ship, so we decided to join her on a cruise.
We decided on a trip to the Norwegian fjords, which we all wanted to see, and traveled on the 5,206-capacity Iona — the UK's largest cruise ship until 2022.
It was the first time we'd all gone on vacation as a family of five. My 16-year-old sister, me at 25, my parents — both 50 — and my nan, who is 72 — were there.
Courtesy Adam England
The environment took some adjusting
The cruise took us a couple of days to get used to. The idea of being at sea felt almost claustrophobic when compared to the pedestrian-friendly city vacations I'm used to, and my nan didn't adjust to the sheer number of children (and the noise) on board at first, because she's used to going on cruises when children are at school.
But we gradually found a rhythm. My family are early risers, but I don't usually eat breakfast, so I'd wake up with them, have a coffee in bed, and then head to the gym while they went to get food. If we were spending a day in a port, we'd enjoy a few hours exploring, probably getting a coffee or some lunch, before heading back on the ship for the rest of the day.
There were plenty of places on the ship where I could spend some time by myself, too. There was an adults-only area on one of the top decks, so as we were blessed with surprisingly good weather, I'd go up there, order a beer or a cocktail, and read my book in the sun. I also enjoyed spending time in one of the quieter bars on the ship. I bought the WiFi package largely so I could keep in touch with my girlfriend and keep an eye on emails, but it also allowed me to kill some time scrolling social media or checking the soccer news.
Courtesy Adam England
It was good to spend more time with my family
I was a little nervous about spending so much time with my family. Apart from a short trip to Madrid with my dad last year, it was the first trip I'd taken with my parents and sister in two years, and the first with my nan since 2015.
It wasn't always easy to go without the space I'm used to — and to go longer than usual without seeing my girlfriend — but the trade-off of seeing more of my family was worth it. The trip was only for a week, and it was good to spend time with both of my parents, as well as my sister, who, at 16, is getting older and looking toward university. I liked spending more time with my nan, too, particularly now that she's in her 70s and is still in good health.
Now that we're back, I find myself missing the trip. While there are aspects of being on a cruise that I don't necessarily love — the bars and restaurants can start to feel a bit samey after a while, for example — there was a lot that I enjoyed.
The places we visited were unforgettable, too. From riding the Skylift in the village of Loen and taking in the picturesque surroundings to visiting the coolest coffee shop in Stavanger, one of Norway's biggest cities, there were some great destinations I probably would never have visited had we not decided to go for the cruise.
I always associated cruises with retired couples and families with young children, but I found plenty to do as someone in their 20s, particularly because I wanted a relaxing vacation. And being able to spend time with my family made it all the more memorable.
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