Why everything we thought about cruising was wrong (but somehow also right).

Why everything we thought about cruising was wrong (but somehow also right).

Our Serbian waiter Damir introduces himself to our table. His eyes turn to me and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.

"I remember you from boarding. You had a huge backpack on. I was wondering if you would fall backwards or forwards."

Caught.

Color spreads to my cheeks. “Oh yeah, I was.” I explain to Damir and the table that we are actually intruders: two backpackers who happened to be taken on a Princess luxury cruise. Everyone finds us terribly amusing and, if I may say so, somehow lovable. We are the youngest (and most likely poorest) passengers on the boat. I joke that I have two dresses that I alternate at dinner. They laugh.

It's not a joke.

old=““>Atlas & BootsLuckily there is a buffet and room service so we skipped the formal evenings altogether

The thing is, even though we were the youngest (and most likely poorest) passengers on the cruise ship, we had an incredibly amazing time. That's no surprise in itself, but going in we were very aware of the stigma surrounding cruising: a bunch of well-heeled tourists of a certain age seeing the world without actually seeing the world, choosing instead to consume cheesy entertainment and mass entertainment. produced western foods.

There's some truth to the cliche: the vast majority of people were wealthy and of a certain age, there certainly wasn't enough time to properly see the places we stopped, and the entertainment wasn't always on point - but such an overall experience, it was incredible.

Sure, there was the inventor who talked at length about his immense wealth every time we saw him, and there was the guy who referred to his wife as a "natural born killer" when talking about her love of hunting, but there was also the 70-year-old author who wrote the Great American Novel and the hard-nosed Noo Yawk Broad who taught me a thing or two about how to be a man or five Stays in love for decades, not to mention the amazing staff who had their own interesting stories.

And yes, we had to choose between Mauna Kea and Volcano Park in Hawaii because we didn't have time to see both, but we also got to sail 5,000 miles across the Pacific. Granted, not every cruise offers something of this magnitude, but a journey by water, with its old-world romance and endless breathtaking views, is pretty impressive wherever you find yourself.

And finally, yes, the entertainment was cheesy at times, but there's no pressure to join in. Instead of learning the ukelele or hula, you can go swimming, lounge in a hot tub, use the running track (run! In the middle of the Pacific!), play table tennis - orEat. Did I mention that there is seemingly endless amounts of delicious food on board? Instead of mass-produced canteen food, we enjoyed delicious four-course meals in one of the ship's restaurants, as well as access to a 24-hour buffet and a pizzeria with surprisingly delicious pizza. Needless to say, we gained a few pounds.

On the day of disembarkation, we stopped to chat with Alvin, our cabin steward, on the way out. The day came to an end for us. For him it was the beginning of a 120-day trip around the world. While Alvin listed the stops, Peter and I looked at each other. We would have previously thought this was a terrible way to see the world, but if we had the money we might have just turned around and gone straight back.

I think the moral of the story is that cruising, or indeed any form of travel, is not inherently less valuable than the way we usually do it (one tent, two backpacks). As with anything, you should try before you judge... unless it's reindeer heart, in which case you should never try it. (Attention, Peter.)

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots

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