What my first cruise, a solo Mediterranean trip with the Norwegian Cruise Line, was like
Kevin Kwong was more interested in what was onboard the Norwegian Epic during his 10-day cruise than trips off it. Was it a good decision?
I am standing at the top of the Epic Plunge, a four-storey-tall waterslide on the Norwegian Epic cruise ship, filled with anticipation and trepidation.
There is no one else up here, so I quickly place my inflatable tube close to the edge of the slide, sit on it, right hand holding onto the right grip, feet facing front, and ready to go. But wait, where is the left grip?
As I shift my body to the left, the tube swivels 90 degrees and, just like that, I am speeding down the 200-foot (61-metre) spiralling slide, back to front, before I land in a giant basin, swirl around it a few times and then get sucked into the plughole in the middle.
It was the wrong way to do it, but fun no less.
In a way, that same conflicting emotion I had before taking the plunge sums up how I felt before embarking on my first cruise holiday: excitement with a slight sense of dread. What if I get mugged on the way? What if I misplace my passport? What if I get (sea)sick?
In the post-pandemic era, cruise issues such as onboard hygiene standards and food safety – or lack thereof – are still very much on every traveller’s mind. Then there are the horror stories you hear about holidaying at sea, including those documented in the recently released Trainwreck: Poop Cruise on Netflix – its title leaves very little to the imagination.