By Rebekah Funk
There’s an inexplicable camaraderie that emerges when you board a cruise ship – it is, after all, a floating holiday resort, full of fun people who love to travel, relax, socialise and experience new cultures. You’d be surprised at just how many passengers stay in touch months after a trip, or make plans to cruise together again.
So what is it about cruising that seems to yield such strong friendships? Here are five reasons cruise ships are the prime place to find a new BFF:
As the old Irish Proverb goes, “There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, may they always be.”
Making friends on a cruise ship – especially if you’re travelling solo – is a guaranteed way to not only make the trip more fun, but more memorable. And, given the diversity of nationalities and cultures on board during longer international cruises, you’ll have an address book of potential international hosts to meet up with the next time you take a trip to their neck of the woods.
From Titanic to Love Boat, the tales of finding true love – or something a little more fun and frivolous – on a cruise make for great viewing. In real life, it’s even better if you’re a single and ready to mingle.
After all, what better way to meet and get to know someone than on an ocean holiday, where you can spend the day poolside, dining and drinking cocktails? As for a first date, on large cruise lines you’re spoiled for choice. On the MSC Musica, which will be in South Africa for the 2018/2019 cruise season, take your pick from a number of bars and lounges, where you can enjoy onboard wine tastings. Follow it up with a live show at the ship’s massive La Scala Theatre, or some gaming in the Sanremo Casino, and end off the perfect first date with a nightcap at the Havana Club cigar lounge.
You’ve locked eyes with a stranger after you both witness the unfortunate – but hilarious – wind-induced swimsuit malfunction of a fellow passenger on the top deck. This is just one of the hundreds of quirky, ridiculous, shocking and funny experiences you’re likely to share with those around you on a cruise; one of the best places to people watch.
The beauty of cruising is that you’re likely to bump into your new acquaintance at least a few more times before the journey ends, giving your fledgling friendship time to grow into the full-blown thing. Soon, you’ll be leaving each other cute, old-fashioned notes on your cabin doors and heading off on day-trips together.
Making friends on cruise ships comes free of expectation and pressure. You’re living on a floating luxury resort after all! Cruise lines do their best to make sure you’re fed, watered and entertained 24/7, so the time and hassle you’d typically spend cleaning, cooking and decorating in preparation of hosting a friend back home is eliminated.
If you sail on the MSC Musica during its upcoming South African season, welcome your guests into a central area with a three-tiered waterfall and a see-through piano that floats suspended above a crystal pool. Have pre-dinner drinks around a palm tree-lined swimming pool, and then head to one of the ship’s gourmet restaurants serving up cuisine ranging from authentic Italian pizza to Japanese sushi. It’s a recipe for the best time you’ve ever had, and with no dishes to clean up afterwards.
Any parent whose been in a playground knows the drill: stand, wait for them to play, chat to fellow parents and – if you strike it lucky – make new friends. A family-friendly cruise ship like the MSC Musica is like a playground on steroids. Your kids will be swimming in the dedicated kids pool together, cavorting in the indoor and outdoor play areas and you’ll bump into each other as you drop them off at the Kids or Teens Club. You’re bound to bond.
The family-friendly MSC Musica.'s 2018/2019 sailing season is packed with well-priced itineraries. Sail from Durban to Portuguese Islands from R4,305 p/p sharing; Durban to Cape Town from R4,795 p/p sharing; Durban to Portuguese Island & Pomene from R5,425 p/p sharing; Durban to Mauritius and on to La Possession from R24,415 p/p sharing.
Take advantage of these and other early booking rates now – contact your nearest Sure Travel Agency to enquire / book, or call 0861 47 48 49.
