Cruising the Med on Ruby Princess

While Carolyn, our editor-in-chief, explores Britain on Holland America Line’s Westerdam, I’m heading off to the sunshine and sailing on Ruby Princess  from Rome to Venice, via Monaco, Livorno, Naples and the Greek Islands. 

Ruby Princess

It may be a slightly unconventional trip. As I have my children (aged 11 and 13) with me, we’ll probably skip Ephesus and shop for bling in the market in Kusadasi, while there are demands for a beach trip from Katakolon instead of a cultural day at Olympia.

For Corfu, I’ve already located the Aqualand theme park and the bus that will get us there. The only concession to sightseeing my kids have made is Pompeii.

The way I see it, it’s going to be extremely hot and this is a family holiday, not my personal cultural odyssey around the ancient Mediterranean. So I’m contenting myself with the fact that in the absence of much that their school teachers would approve of, my kids will at least experience a bit of local culture, as they’ll be travelling by Italian train, Corfiot bus, Greek donkey (in Santorini) and on foot up to the crater of Vesuvius after Pompeii.

On board, we intend to eat our way round the ship (happy memories from previous meals in Sabatini’s!), check out the kids’ club (them), go to the gym every day (me, famous last words), celebrate a birthday and watch movies under the stars.

I’ll also be attending my first Cruise Critic ‘meet ‘n’ mingle’, having signed up to the roll call for this cruise, and am looking forward to meeting some ‘real’ members, instead of virtual ones!

Keep checking back as it’s going to be a busy week on the Cruise Critic blog! SJB