I know I’m not alone in saying that this year’s travel plans went out the window. We planned such a fun and exciting year for Erin, knowing that it was our last chance to take advantage of term time prices and quieter breaks away. We were very lucky to get a full break at Center Parcs in March and then a shorter break to Haven later that month. However, we had a lot of trips away cancelled which, while there was no other option, was disappointing.
I’ve already written about next year and what we have planned for 2021. We aren’t planning quite as many trips away next year but we do definitely have a few exciting things to look forward to. As we already have enough planned for 2021 we are now looking even further ahead to 2022. Now usually I would only plan a year in advance but this time it’s for something special.
For 2022 we are planning a family cruise!
For us this is a pretty big deal. We have never been on a cruise before, not as a family and not before John and I got together. Neither of us have ever done anything like this before and I’m not sure I ever really thought I was a cruise kind of person. To be completely honest, the thought of being sat at a table with people I don’t know for dinner freaked me out and I hated the idea of it.
However, my sister and her husband have been on cruises before and have told me quite a lot about what they’re like. The things I thought I would worry about aren’t really issues and there are loads of things I might enjoy about a cruise. So, not only are we planning on a cruise but we’ll be going with my sister and brother in law and hopefully my Mum if we can convince her!
Although we don’t have a destination picked out for sure yet (we’re between Baltic and Mediterranean) we know that we want to go in the summer of 2022. We have to go during school holidays because Erin is starting school this year so we’re no longer free to do term time breaks. Cruises are not cheap either so we need to make sure we have plenty of time to save up and that we can afford the monthly payments. I have been saving for a couple of months now and I’m ahead of where I wanted to be with the savings.
I’ve been doing quite a bit of research so I wanted to talk a bit about why we want to go on a cruise and why we think it would be good as a family holiday.
Kid’s Clubs – We’re planning to cruise with P&O and they have free kid’s clubs on board. Erin has never done anything like this before but we want to go on a 2 week cruise and we know she’ll miss playing with other children. This gives her the opportunity to do this and to let me and John have some adult time and some relaxation. It is our holiday too after all.
Destinations – One of the biggest things for me is being able to go on holiday and visit a few different places. I love going somewhere new and a cruise allows you to sample new places without being there for too long.
Trying something new – I really love going on holidays but a cruise has never been something I thought I’d like. I want Erin to experience all different kinds of places and cultures and a cruise would be a good way of doing this with her. We can also see how we like a holiday on a ship too!
Food – One of John’s favourite things about going away is being able to try new foods and eat things he wouldn’t usually do at home. Being on a cruise where the food is included is perfect for John and it means that Erin has the opportunity to try new foods as well. We also get to think about dishes that might be popular in each of the places we visit.
I’m sure there are lots more great reasons to go on a cruise as a family and I really can’t wait to experience it. Booking isn’t open yet for 2022 so we have some time to decide on where we really want to go.
Have you been on a cruise as a family before? What tips would you share?
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