There were several days on the cruise route around the islands of the Indian Ocean when the ship was at sea. That is, the transition from one stop to another took a day, or even two. This is very cool, there is something to compare with. Many of our cruisers pay attention to this circumstance when choosing a route. On seven-day cruises in Europe, a day at sea falls at most once, or even without one at all.
For example, our next cruise will be without a single day at sea. If you have not been on a cruise yet, then the logical question would be: — Why is it needed at all, this day at sea? That’s what we’ll talk about today. Before our Costa Mediterranea arrived at the port of Reunion Island, we had one of those days.
A day at sea on a ship
On the last two cruises, the itinerary included only one day at sea. That is, you arrive in a new city or country almost every day. A good excursion can take you almost the entire time the ship is in port.
Tired in the evening, you return to the ship and eat a hearty meal in one of the restaurants there is no longer much energy for entertainment. Especially this felt towards the end of the journey. Several days at an accelerated pace are not for everyone forces. How to get out of the situation?
Someone misses the exit to the city and remains on the ship to explore it, or just relax. And someone bravely waits for the ship to be at sea all day. But keep in mind, not only you, but also all passengers on the ship will be waiting for this. It will be a bit crowded in some places.
Even just getting around the giant liner will take time. It is also needed in order to take cool photos and videos, and slowly in the daytime, while there is good light. In addition, visit the pool, sauna, daytime activities, sunbathe in the end.
Scary? Scared? Yes, all this is nonsense! you anyway get an unforgettable experience! You can take a walk around the area on your own for as long as you want. In most European cities, attractions not far from the seaport.
I just wanted to highlight the last cruise, where the ship is at sea spent four days out of 15. As for us, we generally had a total of 6 We spent days on the ship without going ashore.
Reunion Island
Reunion Islandis of volcanic origin. The main attraction is the volcanic landscape with an amazing view.
After weighing all the pros and cons and reading a bunch of reviews, we decided that we would skip this stop and stay on the ship.
I will explain the reasons for this decision, it may be useful to you too.
There were two reasons for refusing to go ashore, and a third one already appeared on the ship.
- Weather
- Visa
- Strike
Transport, climbing to the top along a serpentine road among the tropical forest. There are beaches where you have to get there on your own.
In most reviews, tourists write that it is extremely difficult to get into sunny or at least good visibility weather. 90% of the time there are clouds hanging over the summit or the crater is covered in fog. I really didn’t want to find myself in such a situation, having paid a lot of money for an excursion and a visa. Our entire cruise was visa-free, except for the island Reunion.
This is an overseas department of France. There you had to get either a French Schengen, and specifically French, or a special visa to the island at the same embassy/
Moreover, they give it for several days, and it costs more than the French Schengen itself.
In our case, we would have to apply for a Schengen visa twice in six months.
If we had decided to get it before the cruise, it would have ended just before our next cruise around the islands of Greece in May. It turns out wasteful.
And finally, during the cruise we learn that a strike is planned for the two days that the ship will be at Reunion. It is not known how this could end.
We already had a great time on the ship
The managers on the ship said that there was nothing to be afraid of, they say, it would not affect the tourists in any way. But they warned that the departure may be delayed. It’s clear that they couldn’t say otherwise, this is their income.
We asked those who did go to Reunion — how did you spend it? time? I think you can guess what the answer was. It’s hard to admit that you spent money is wasted. Here is a photo from the ship to the volcano.
Meanwhile, the sun was shining over the ship all day, and we had a great time by the pool, sliding down the slide and relaxing in other recreation areas. Just enjoying our vacation.
The cruise was coming to an end, there was still one more full day ahead on the island of Mauritius. How to spend? Where to go? Of course, somewhere we haven’t been yet.
“And we went to the northern part of the island of Mauritius — Grand Be beach.”
Blog author Sergey Buslaev
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