How sailing soothes my soul
I'm heading off to my happy place, but with my eyes wide open.
By the time you read this, I’ll be packing my bags for my next cruise holiday. And before some of you roll out the “I’d rather [insert something unpleasant here] than go on one of those floating petri dishes” line, allow me to stress that I am aware that cruise holidays are not for everyone.
I’m also aware that, although they have made significant advances, cruise operators still have a way to go towards lessening the environmental impact of their operations. And I do know that some bad things happen at sea.
But when I step onboard the Carnival Luminosa on Sunday, I know I’ll feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
This will be my second cruise this year — the first was on the Pacific Encounter in September. That was a four-night journey from Brisbane to the Whitsunday Islands and back. This time, I’ll be sailing return to Port Douglas over 7 nights.
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I’m a relative latecomer to ocean cruising. My first was on Mariner of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, in 2013. Since then, I’ve been on Vision, Liberty and Splendour of the Seas. I’ve also been on the Costa Fortuna, Diadema, Fascinosa and Mediterranea.
With P&O, I’ve sailed on the Pacific Aria, Pacific Dawn and Pacific Encounter. With Norwegian (NCL), I’ve enjoyed the Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Star and Norwegian Jade (twice).
This latest cruise is my first under the Carnival brand, although the Luminosa is a rebadged Costa ship, so I expect to find it familiar in many ways.
I also have some credit to sail on the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas soon.
Cruises have taken me across the Atlantic, around the Pacific islands and eastern Australian seaboard, the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Baltic, through the Suez Canal and up and down the Arabian Gulf.
I’ve seen some spectacular things, from the Treasury at Petra (above) to the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, and the sights and delights of the Caribbean. I’ve even sailed through the Suez Canal, dodging pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
But it’s not just about the destinations. I’ve been exceptionally well fed and entertained upon cruise ships, and I’ve met some wonderful people from around the world.
I’ve met a man who wrote scripts for a soap opera and had spent time in jail with the manager of the Bay City Rollers; a couple from Belfast who’ve since been inspired to learn how to sail; a group of London Underground train drivers; and an extended family from Delaware who take a sea voyage together each year.
I also met amazing onboard entertainers, from a singer-guitarist from Texas who hadn’t gone a single night without playing Sweet Caroline, a bright bunch of comedians, magicians and hypnotists, to a young bloke from Liverpool who makes his living producing and performing as Paul in a Beatles tribute act.
If this doesn’t convince you to give cruising a go, then I’d ask you to watch the videos I’ve already made and the ones to come on my relaunched YouTube Channel.
The eagle-eyed among you will notice a change of name from Mister Brisbane to Mister Brett — a nod to the name I often get called in Asia and an acknowledgement that I’ll be spreading my wings a bit in terms of content and location of my media offerings.
I’ll be making shorts and long-form videos while I’m onboard the Luminosa and beyond that. Rest assured, they won’t all be about cruising, but they will be about exploration — of this Earth and of the world of ideas.
I’m writing this newsletter on my birthday, so if you want to give me something that costs you nothing, a Like or a Subscribe, and some honest comments, will help get this re-energised YouTube venture off the ground.