Notre première croisière - à bord de l'AIDAnova aux îles Canaries et à Madère.
Once, back in 2015, I first read about cruises and got excited about the idea - I had to go on one. This type of vacation seemed unattainable: for the chosen ones, incomprehensible, insanely expensive. I spent hours reading forums, blogs, travel reports, and just dreaming. At that time, I added cruise to my list of strategic goals.
All that was left was to convince my wife. She absolutely didn't want to. She said that a ship is a closed space, that she might get seasick, that there's no internet or communication at sea, that it's scary, remembering the "Titanic." Plus, according to her calculations, it was too expensive: "better go to Turkey, to a normal 5★ hotel."
I didn't give up. We almost bought tickets twice: she was almost agreeing, but due to some technical details, the purchase fell through. We postponed it until the next morning, and in the morning, as usual, new arguments appeared as to why "it's not worth it."
The Decisive Step
And then, one day, I finally managed to convince my wife. In December 2019, we made a deposit for the cruise. At that time, we were living in Riga (Latvia), I was working as a developer in a fintech company. We took time off and decided: it's time!
There were no direct flights to Tenerife, so we flew with a layover in Barcelona.
Everything was new for us.
- We flew so far for the first time - 8 hours from home (4 to Barcelona and 4 to Tenerife).
- We rented a car for the first time - not just on one island, but on all the Canary Islands, with Cicar.
- We saw the ocean for the first time - the Atlantic!
- We visited Portugal for the first time, as Madeira is Portugal.
- And, of course, we went on a cruise for the first time - not just on any ship, but on the fifth largest cruise ship in the world at that time - AIDAnova.
Unforgettable Impressions
To say that we enjoyed it would be an understatement. We were thrilled!
It's like staying at a 5★ Turkish hotel, but almost every day - a new port and a new city.
Everything on the ship was fantastic: food, shows, water park, entertainment - all top-notch. We liked it so much that upon returning, we immediately booked a cabin for the next cruise - in February 2020.
We returned inspired, full of emotions, feeling like we had discovered a new world.
Then Came COVID-19
And then - like the rest of the world - we had to stop. COVID-19. All travels were canceled, plans fell apart. For almost three years, we, like everyone else, stayed at home, dreaming of returning to the sea.
Now it's already 2025. Over these five years (half of which we spent in quarantine), we have already been on nine cruises. And our love for this type of vacation only continues to grow.
Why Not Everyone Likes Their First Cruise
Sometimes I meet people whose first cruise they didn't enjoy, and they no longer want to. The usual reason is lack of preparation. It's important to understand which company to choose, how to plan the route, what to consider in advance. All of this saves nerves, time, and money.
We took our first five cruises with AIDA and were sure that all companies had similar service. Until we once went on a Costa cruise - because of an interesting route.
I know that many people like Costa, but we personally didn't at all. The service was terrible, the food was awful. After that, it took us a long time to recover. I understand that these words may spark debates, but this is our personal experience.
Then we chose AIDA again to "restore faith in cruises". And then we tried TUI Cruises - and we also really liked it. There were minor downsides, but the positives far outweighed them. A great company for a first cruise.
And Now We're Cruise Hunters
On our first cruise, we met a couple for whom it was already their nineteenth! Back then, we listened to them in admiration - "wow, can you really go on cruises that often?!". And now we're following in their footsteps.
We literally hunt for cruises: looking for good routes, interesting liners, deals.
There were times when we sailed for 1400 euros for four people - for a week, with meals, accommodation, entertainment, and visits to different ports. Incredibly cost-effective for this level of vacation.
In short, this is a topic I could talk about for hours.
If you haven't been on a cruise yet - maybe you just need the right first experience.
And if you have already been - tell us about your experience.
