The 5* Honeymoon Cruise Experience

Like many people, when we decided to get married after the venue had been chosen and the date of our BIG DAY booked in, we started to dream about where we would go on Honeymoon. Would it be a relaxing retreat, a touring experience or a romantic city break? Much research was done and Suzanne and I then drew up a shortlist………which got longer every time we discussed it!

I then mentioned the fact that I had been on a cruise to Norway and loved the experience. It combined all 3 things we wanted and enjoyed – time to relax, touring and city break experiences!

Suzanne took the reigns (this was several years before I became a travel consultant!) and managed to sort out a fabulous cruise package with MSC Cruises around the Mediterranean which coincided with the week following our wedding. The ship looked amazing and the itinerary really appealed to us with several stops at really interesting locations during our week on board the MSC Splendida!

The only downside was that we had to fly from Gatwick so we had a bit of a drive (as we live near Liverpool) but this didn’t phase us as it was just part of the experience! In hindsight, we should have booked a stay-over the night before and had an evening in one of the many hotels near the airport or even in central London, but we opted for the early start and drove down on departure day.

We arrived in plenty of time at Gatwick and enjoyed breakfast at the airport before our departure with British Airways. I managed to bore Suzanne rigid during the flight buy giving her a lesson on glacial landforms as we flew over the Alps! The view was stunning though – snow-capped mountains punctuated by valleys of green radiating out from the peaks.

The landing at Genoa airport was interesting, to say the least! After a fairly uneventful flight, we were subjected to a rollercoaster ride as the plane was buffeted by the updrafts created due to the mountains surrounding the city. I was very glad when we finally landed and my heart rate returned to normal!

Check-in was very straightforward and we were out of the terminal and onto the awaiting coach in a very short time. The journey to the port took less than half an hour and the coach dropped us literally 50 metres from the ship itself! The excitement was building and we disembarked and walked into the cruise terminal.

From start to finish, the experience on this cruise was amazing! I have never experienced customer service like it! As we had booked Yacht Club Class, we were treated like royalty from check-in to disembarkation back in Genoa.

Check-in took only a few minutes with a glass of champagne waiting for us before we were escorted to our cabin on the Yacht Club decks. This was via the exclusive Yacht Club lift, operated by a special ID card we would use to access the private deck, hot tub and bar area on the ship too!

Our cabin was immaculate and had a balcony, spacious private bathroom, seating area and very comfortable king-sized bed. As part of the Yacht Club experience, you also have your very own butler too. Ours was Bogdan from Russia who looked after us so well, making sure that each day when we returned from an excursion, that there was a bottle of something cold and fizzy waiting for us accompanied by a treat – chocolate-covered strawberries being my favourite!

As a member of the Yacht Club on board, you had access to a private bar with free drinks served throughout the day and night! If you didn’t want to go to the restaurant for breakfast or lunch, a superb buffet was provided in this private bar with a superb range of sweet and savoury snacks and appetizers each day.

An Adventure every day

We decided to go on an excursion all but 2 days of the cruise, giving those days over to lounging around on the private sun deck or taking advantage on the spa treatments available (whilst wearing our very luxurious MSC Yacht Club bathrobes and slippers!). We visited Palermo, Barcelona, Rome and Palma on day excursions from the ship, all by coach with guides. These were really well organised and as Yacht Club members, we were escorted to and from the coach before the other passengers so didn’t have to queue at any point! We were supposed to stop in Tunis but the weather prevented this and we were re-routed to Palma for the day instead. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip as Suzanne and I both discovered that we had both been on the same excursion when we were kids to the Caves of Drach on the island! Who would have thought that 30 years later I would be back and that Suzanne had done the exact same trip as a child too!

Rome was amazing if a little rushed due to a couple of Dutch ladies who didn’t seem to understand the concept of time and nearly got their just deserts when they were almost left at the Vatican after another disappearing act at the end of the day! The only disappointment was that the Trevi fountain was undergoing some rather significant restoration work so it was covered in scaffolding, which also meant that it had no water in it either.

We loved our day trip around Barcelona and the excursion to the vineyard to sample Cava and see how it was produced. The journey up to Monserrat was also worthwhile as the weather was great and the views were incredible!

Weightwatchers here we come!

One stand out element of this Honeymoon was the food. Each evening we had a 5 course meal at our own table next to the window in the a la carte restaurant onboard. This was really special as it gave us time to sit and talk about our day together whilst being waited on hand and foot! It did make our Honeymoon as this time each day was precious and the whole dining experience was clam, relaxed and unhurried. The quality of the food was outstanding and the wines were excellent. The wine waiter was on hand to recommend something each evening and remembered the type of wines we liked. We are no wine experts but I can see why so many people spend so much money on it!

This cruise had it all for a Honeymoon – romance, food, relaxation and space to enjoy each other’s company. The Yacht Club experience is superb for Honeymooners. You are made to feel special and you get that luxury experience throughout. As a Travel Consultant now, I have been recommending this to couples who haven’t considered cruising as an option for their Honeymoon as many people default to beach type holidays or city breaks. I can honestly say that this is the best customer service I have had so far on any holiday, something you appreciate (and expect) more on your Honeymoon or a big Anniversary holiday.

If you would like to find out more about cruising for your Honeymoon and even how you can set up a Honeymoon Gift Service for your guests which will help pay for the 5* experience, CLICK HERE.