All PostThe driver arranged by the cruise company picked me up to take me to the boat at the marina. Along the way he picked up several other people, mostly couples ranging in age from late 30s to late 70s. We checked in at the boat, toured it, and then headed off on a short walking tour of Dubrovnik Old Town. This boat, while very much like a yacht, is not officially a yacht because it does not sail in international waters, only in the Adriatic Sea. It is a small cruise ship, with only 19 cabins carrying a total of 38 passengers. I am not a big cruise person. In fact I’ve only done one other short one with the family about 25 years ago. But I thought I would try this one given its small size, the intrigue of island-hopping, and to test it as a possible trip option for one of my small-group women’s trips.
From the Old Town we returned to the boat for a welcome dinner where it became obvious to me that everyone except me was with at least one other person. No matter. I had my story about why I was on this trip solo. I had considered inviting either my husband, a female family member, or travel group member to share the room with me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to sign up for 7 days of sharing a room in close quarters on a boat, especially without seeing the actual room. Picture can be deceiving. Now having seen the room I absolutely made the right call on that. It’s small, has twin mattresses abutting each other like a full-size bed with no room to separate them, and about 2 feet of space on either side of the bed. My clothes alone fill the closet space. It’s perfect for me but would not be good shared with any one of those I considered with the possible exception my daughter. Even then we would be on top of each other. As I sit here writing this post it is 10PM and either I would be keeping up my roommate with the light on or not writing my post. Some rooms at higher prices do seem to have better space. I’m going to make a point to take a look at them.
Most of the others on the boat are from the US, plus a group from Australia. All very nice people and welcoming to me, solo traveler that I am on this cruise. We are spending the night on the boat and then head out to the first island in the morning.
So far, I have good vibes and expectations for this cruise experience.
