Fly and Cruise: Why Going on a Cruise Takes Much of the Guesswork Out of a Memorable Vacation

I met newlyweds Jocelyn* and Michael* on my first night onboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas cruise just before we set sail from the port at Civitavecchia in Rome. Jocelyn is a Filipina who works in a development agency, while Michael is a German national. They boarded the cruise in Barcelona and were halfway done with the seven-day Mediterranean cruise that is the route of the Oasis of the Seas for the season. 

Oasis of the Seas

Jocelyn and Michael were in their early 30s and said they decided to go on the cruise because it took the guesswork out of planning a trip around different locations across the Mediterranean Sea. “We liked that we can just hop on the boat and it’ll take us to all of these amazing places and we don’t need to do anything else,” Jocelyn told me. “Everything’s taken care of. Even here on the ship, they really thought of everything.”

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As a first-timer on a “long-haul” cruise, I was surprised. I’m ashamed to admit that I thought these types of cruises were usually the preference of older guests or families with very young children. It never occurred to me that millennials and Gen Z-ers would opt to spend their leisure time onboard a cruise ship. But as I experienced onboard the Oasis of the Seas for seven days, the profile of guests ran the gamut—from babies and toddlers with their young parents, to groups of seniors wearing matching shirts, and almost everyone in between. 

A sea view room onboard the Oasis of the Seas

There were young married couples like Jocelyn and Michael; barkadas composed of young college-aged men and women; whole families, including extended members like aunts and uncles and grandparents; and friends and colleagues in nearly every age group. They were all attracted not just by the ports and destinations that were part of the seven-day itinerary, but by the features and amenities of the ship itself. 

Here's a day-by-day account of my Oasis of the Seas cruise across the Mediterranean: 

Day 1

I arrived in Rome from Manila and spent one night in the city before motoring to Civitavecchia at around 11am the next day. The ship was huge; from the outside it looked like a floating SM Megamall. Check-in was a breeze—I got all the information via email and through the Royal Caribbean app which they asked us to download before the trip.

Balcony of a sea view room

I just needed to show identification before I was handed a keycard that would be the number one essential for the trip. The card not only opened the door to my room, but also granted me access to different attractions in the ship, calculated my expenses for purchases made during the cruise, and also was my “ticket” to get on and off the ship during shore excursions. Needless to say, you need to guard the keycard with your life.

The room itself was cozy, with a sea view balcony and all the creature comforts of a decent hotel on land. That includes a working shower with hot water, a small work area with electrical outlets, and best of all, working and stable Wi-Fi all throughout the trip. (Yes, even on days we were at sea). 

Dinner that evening was at 150 Park (where I met Jocelyn and Michael). The menu was limited but everything we had was topnotch, particularly the lobster thermidor and the steak. The dining experience was heightened by the presence of our waiter named Dorian, who was genial, informative, helpful, and funny.

Dinner ran a bit long so I arrived late to the Aqua show, a special theme park attraction featuring divers and dancers in and out of a pool of water. They had to cancel it midway through the show though because of choppier-than-usual waters (safety first), so I retired for the evening looking forward to the next day's activities.

Day 2

By the time I woke up we were already docked in the next port: Naples. I’m not exactly a breakfast person, but if I were, I had several different options to choose from on the ship, including the buffet restaurant Windjammer. 

Positano, Italy

I picked up a coffee from the Starbucks stall and proceeded to the meeting point for the shor excursion. You book your own tour and follow the instructions on where to meet with your group. Our party left at 8am sharp, disembarked from the boat and boarded a bus that took us to Positano, about two hours away from the port.

Dreamy Positano is a tourist favorite, and at this time of the year, at the tail end of summer, it was still teeming with tourists. The small town built into the sloping hills along the Amalfi Coast might have been crowded and the weather was sticky and hot, but it did not lose its charm. There were colorful houses gazing out into the blue sea, small restaurants and cafes, and little souvenir shops that would’ve taken hours, if not days to explore.

Sorrento, Italy

Unfortunately we only had a couple of hours to stay in the town. Our next stop was Sorrento, another coastal town facing the Bay of Naples. It offered a bit more breathing room for visitors compared to Positano, but it was still filled with tourists and day trippers. I had lunch here (pasta with meatballs) before we moved on to the third and final stop of the day.

Pompeii is in the bucket list of anyone into the history of ancient civilizations, and although we only had time for a quick guided tour of a small portion of the preserved city, it was more than enough time to get a glimpse into how people lived there before it was entirely devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. 

Pompeii

Our party was back in the ship at 5:30pm and met again an hour later for a satisfying dinner at the Main Dining Room. 

Day 3

Our third day on the ship was a sailing day, meaning we were encouraged to spend it exploring the many different attractions onboard the ship. There was a zipline at the top deck, a water slide straight into a plunge pool, and a solarium where you could get some Mediterranean sun while reading a book or taking a plunge in the pool. There was also an arcade where you could play games, a court where you could play basketball or soccer, a gym, a spa and fitness center, shopping, mini golf, and many others. There’s also a production of the Broadway show Cats onboard, if musicals are your thing.

Ultimate Abyss slide 

Oasis of the Seas, which is part of the fleet of Royal Caribbean ships, offers a myriad of activities for guests, but one can also just choose to relax inside the room, sit by the balcony and gaze out into the impossibly blue Mediterranean.

Day 4

The next day, we found ourselves in Barcelona. Guests are encouraged to book tours with the ship but they can also choose to go on their own adventure, so to speak. That’s what I did. 

Buses just outside the port take guests a short distance to the city center, where they are free to explore the city on their own. I chose to visit the Picasso Museum, gaze up at Sagrada Familia, and take a quick stroll along La Rambla. There was a slight rain that spoiled any other plans I had of exploring the city some more, but I made sure to come back to the ship before the 5:30 curfew. 

A nighttime view of the top deck of Oasis of the Seas

Day 5

The next stop on the tour was Palma de Mallorca, the largest city in the Balearic islands of Spain. This was a free and easy tour as well, just like Barcelona, so I hopped on the bus that went near the center of town, near the Catedral, a symbol of the city. From there it was a short walk to the ancient Arab baths, where I paid six euros to enter and explore the perfectly preserved historic wonder. 

La Rambla in Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Palma’s city center is immensely walkable, and I spent the day exploring the myriad shops along the tree-lined avenues. There were many tourists that had the same idea, but it never felt overwhelming. I ended the day with a gelato on a cone before hopping on the bus back to the port and the ship. 

Day 6

Marseille in southern France was the next port of call. Our party left the boat at 9:30am sharp and motored to a small little village in the country’s Provence region to an olive oil mill and sample some of their merchandise. 

Lourmarin, France

We then had lunch at the tiny village of Lourmarin, where A Year in Provence author and local legend Peter Mayle reportedly lived for a time. Outside of the main street, I found a charming little café called Chez Gina that served homemade linguini pesto. It took a while to prepare (the restaurant was staffed by only two people as far as I could tell), so by the time I was done, I only had time to go on a quick walk to explore the old town center. We ended the short excursion to Provence with a wine tasting at a small winery.

Day 7

Our final full day on the cruise was spent back in Italy. I woke up to the ship docked in the town of La Spezia, which is a gateway to the Tuscany region of the country. We hopped on a bus that took us first to Pisa to check out the leaning tower (still leaning), and then on to the beautiful city of Florence. I have been to both locations before, but Florece, in particular, is worth coming back to again and again. 

I spent the rest of the day walking along the city’s cobblestoned streets, admiring the churches and old buildings and countless outdoor artworks that give the city its unique charm. If you live to 100 you still wouldn’t be able to discover all the riches Florence has to offer, but a taste is better than nothing. 

Pisa, Italy

Our party had dinner that evening at the Main Dining Room, where we all reminisced about the past seven days and exchanged stories about which places were our favorites. I understood then that cruises appeal to a particular type of traveler—those that love to explore new and exciting places without having to worry about things like booking tours, making transport arrangements and worrying about where to eat, exactly the things Jocelyn and Michael talked about.

A cruise lays it all out for its guests but still gives them the freedom to choose what appeals to them. For a lifelong traveler used to organizing my own trips, it was admittedly a relief to be free of so-called “analysis paralysis” and just go with the flow, and I suspect there are many more like me who would love to experience a different way of traveling. 

Oasis of the Seas is just one in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. For inquiries on the ships and where they sail, click here.

*names have been changed