Cruise holidays have moved beyond retirees, screaming kids and newly weds. Chic ships, short trips and cruises are the new travel cool

MORE Aussies are discovering the ease of shacking up for a holiday on a cruise ship. But we’ve also heard the horror stories of illness that can sweep the ships. So, what is it really like on board?

The Seaborne Spirit ship. Picture: Supplied

HAVING wiped the memory of a horrible, smelly schlep around the Greek islands on a now defunct cruise line years ago, I still considered myself a cruise virgin.

Until recently.

See, it’s not just grey nomads, newlyweds or footy players who are hitting the high seas in search of places that are just too difficult and pricey to get to on your own.

Over the last few years tonnes of my friends have chosen to cruise. They are not old or retired, but hard workers who save their dollars to see as much as they can in the little amount of time they have.

Let’s face it, most of us are just so time poor that the more places we can fit in to our trip (without the hassle of having to unpack and repack) the better.

So when I was invited to experience a ‘tasting plate’ of cruising — a smorgasbord of destinations that, if visited on your own, would probably take at least four times as long, I was ready to really pop my cruise cherry.

News_Module: Olympus - . . . would only ever gone by ship!

The American-based Seabourn has three smaller ships and three larger ones, some of which are part of the 35 mega cruise ships that are currently cruising Australian waters from now until the end of April. It’s aptly called the Wave Season.

The Seabourn Spirit is THE caviar of cruising, but once you do your cost-per-day calculations it can actually work out to be pretty affordable.

I couldn’t wait to get on-board and try it out!

News_Module: Heading on board Seabourn Spirit

Our Adriatic odyssey took in Ancona, Olympia, Split, Montenegro (a place so extraordinary and beautiful I would choose to go back in a flash); Corfu, Fiskardo.

But our first — and final — stop was Venice. We booked a hotel near the port and when the time came to board the ship we jumped in a water taxi to make our way to our ‘water’ home for the next 10 days.

A wonderful (and very old) gentleman who wandered on-board with his comfy ‘piles’ pillow gave me some cause for concern initially, but I loved the thought of sharing a drink with him at some stage.

Let the voyage begin!

News_Module: Venice . . . our departures port

The pros

• This is a huge bonus to cruising: once your bags are in your room, there’s no never-ending packing and unpacking, boring plane delays or tortuous trips to and from isolated airports.

• A Seabourn cruise isn’t a pick-up cruise line. Guests were just genuinely interesting, clever and simply nice people (there was even an English lady and British baroness on the guest list).

• There’s a gym, a walking route around the ship, guest lecturers, yoga, pilates and stretching classes.

• The rooms are a great size with bathrooms that you could actually swing a cat in.

News_Module: Montenegro is the perfect cruise stop

• There’s a non-stop array of sensational food, so thank god for the gym and onshore walking expeditions.

• There’s also classic shipboard entertainment, with the ‘cruise director’, Australian entertainer Simon Gillespie, making sure there was never a dull night of floor show and cabaret action. But if that’s not your speed you can simply opt out. No one forces you to watch a comedic magician or a Peter Allen tribute show, but somehow it seems the perfect thing to do after a three course dinner in an ultra chic dining room.

News_Module: Pitstop to Split in CroatiaS

The cons

• Choose your cruise itinerary wisely — you may not want to be on the water for days on end without a port pit stop.

• Beware the never-ending array of food. And drinks. And arvo teas and cups of tea. The kitchen just never seems to close (that’s your Michelin Man warning).

• If you’re expecting a full night of non-stop partying, you may be better choosing one of the bigger, funster liners.

• Buy a wi-fi package on board that gives you a few hourly increments, otherwise you will be Instagramming and Facebooking and tweeting like you are NOT on a holiday. Remember to step away from your tablets and phones for a while.

News_Module: Food? Uumm, yeah!

Fact box

• The Seabourn cruise line have five ships with ultra-luxurious European cruises in 2014. Fares for a 10-day Venice & Adriatic Treasures cruise on Seabourn Spirit are priced from $4499* per person.

• On the sailing roundtrip from Venice, some cruises visit Gallipoli; Cephalonia, Olympus and Corfu in Greece as well as Dubrovnik, Split and Opatija in Croatia.

• There are heaps of other destinations to choose from, with cruises through India, the Antarctic. You just need to get to an embarkation point and away you go.

• A world appetite for cruising is growing with five new vessels hitting the water soon and 28 river floating palaces soon to be unveiled.

• European ports are the biggest fly-cruise market for Australians, with passenger numbers rising 26 per cent to 57,719 (8.3 per cent of the market). The Caribbean achieved the highest growth rate with a 36 per cent rise to 17,316 Australian passengers.

News_Module: Just a bit more Montenegro

Some final facts about cruising

I was intrigued to read that Australia’s cruise industry growth continues to lead the world, with passenger numbers surging 11 per cent last year to hit a record high of 694,062.

Half of Aussie cruise passengers in 2012 were under 50; a quarter under 40 and one third were over 61.

The 2012 Australian Cruise Industry Report shows that the local industry now has the second highest population penetration rate in the world, with the equivalent of three per cent of Australians taking a cruise last year. Only the North American cruise market had a higher penetration rate at 3.3 per cent.

For the second consecutive year, the growth of the Australian cruise passenger market has surpassed other major cruise markets, with last year’s 11 per cent increase equalled only by Germany.

Ultimately, a cruise is perfect for: Couples, small groups of like-minded friends and depending on the ship you choose, usually the bigger ships are better for family holidays.

For more information see travel agents, call 13 24 02 or visit www.seabourn.com

*All fares are in Australian dollars, cruise-only, for new bookings only, per guest double occupancy, and subject to availability.