As we’re ready to close the books on another wonderful CruiseToTravel year, we want to look back and share with you the original pictures from some of our most popular Instagram posts of 2017.
Just a few days ago we posted this throwback picture from our cabin onboard Allure of the Seas. We were surprised it has been almost two years since we did our second Transatlantic cruise onboard Allure, and in fact it has been some time since our last cruise with Royal Caribbean (our last cruises have been with MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises).
This made us think if maybe we have “outgrown the company or they did something wrong?”. The fact is we just needed a change of scenery, a fresh breath of (cruise)air. After all being “Loyal to Royal” may be great but why limit yourself (and the content of your wallet) to one cruiseline? There’s nothing wrong with checking out the competition and see if the grass is greener on the other side.
That being said as we are beginning to check the CruiseToTravel possibilities for 2018 “the sound of a (Royal Caribbean) Symphony of the Seas is like music to our ears, a great (MSC) Seaview can’t be beat and there’s nothing as exciting as an (Azamara) Pursuit or the temptation of feeling (Norwegian) Bliss. Or who knows maybe we should just start living on the (Celebrity) Edge or go Dutch on a (Holland America Line) Nieuw Statendam…”
A few weeks ago we posted this picture of what could possibly be “the ultimate luxury” on a large cruise ship… an empty pool deck.
As cruise ships get bigger they also get more crowded, so the sight of an empty pool deck is something we don’t see often (unless on embarkation/debarkation day and even then there are probably guests doing a back-to-back cruise or people who have payed to stay onboard longer to enjoy the pool).
The next picture is a scene you are more likely to see during embarkation/debarkation day, empty pools and the crew hard at work making sure the pools are clean and ready for the next guests.
This picture was taken on the final day of our cruise to the Baltics and Russia onboard Celebrity Silhouette at the end of May. The pools were emptied and given a thourough scrub to prepare them for the next passengers.
Another popular picture shows Brilliance of the Seas enjoying a warm and sunny day in Valletta. It was taken during our cruise onboard MSC Fantasia.
One of the many benefits of cruising is you get to revisit places you love and discover places you’ve never been before. Having never been to Malta, the City of Valletta was one of the great discoveries during our last MSC cruise. We had a wonderful day exploring the city’s fortifications, it’s beautiful Baroque palaces, gardens and churches, all of which have been officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We liked Valletta so much that we can’t wait to revisit next year when the city will be the European capital of Culture.
During our cruise onboard MSC Fantasia we were lucky to stay in one of the coveted aft balconies. It’s the first time we stayed in one of the aft balconies (on earlier cruises we have switched cabins with our parents so they could enjoy the aft views) and we have to admit that, while in life it’s not a good thing to look back at things, on a cruise it’s wonderful to enjoy a final glimpse of where you’ve been.
“I spy with my little eye… Celestyal Nefeli.” Celestyal Cruises is a Greek cruise operator offering cruises to the Greek Islands and Cuba on board mid-sized vessels. With Celestyal offering short (and longer) cruises to the beautiful Greek islands we’re definitely tempted to experience the Greek cruise style.
Over the past CruiseToTravel years we’ve been fortunate to enjoy the wonderful views of St. Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, the Ducal Palace and many other Venetian sights as we sailed to and from Venice. Unfortunately it seems this is all about to change as the Italian government and Venice officials have agreed on a plan to stop giant cruise ships from sailing past the iconic city on the water.
One of the great things about getting up early in the morning is catching the sunrise over the ocean or catching a cruise ship (or two) as you arrive in port.
“Goodmorning beautiful… Costa Mediterranea ready for a beautiful day in Barcelona.” As we arrived bright and early in Barcelona on november 26, there were already two Costa Cruises’ ships docked in port. Having visited Barcelona quite a few times before, and knowing there were going to be six ships in town, we decided to drive to the Montserrat Monestry for the day.
Our final picture was posted somewhere in september and is the perfect way to end this overview of our most popular pistures on Instagram, celebrate a year of wonderful cruise experiences and toast to the next CruiseToTravel year. Cheers!
