Our Epic Year of Cruising. What We Learned. How It Can Help You.

In 2017, we reconnected with UnCruise Adventures and went exploring in Panama and Costa Rica on Safari Voyager.

By John Roberts 

I can easily say that 2017 provided our most diverse year of travel, as well as being our most adventurous. We went to a variety of new destinations in more and more exotic lands that took us out of our comfort zones. In total, we sailed on 12 cruises and saw some amazing things. Here is a recap -- with a look at what you might like about these types of cruises.

It was fantastic to explore Tunisia with Viking Ocean Cruises. Viking Sky was one of the first cruise ships to return to this lovely country in North Africa.

Viking Sky in the Med: This cruise in late February and early March took us to the Mediterranean and several new destinations, including Tunisia, which had recently begun welcoming back cruise ships after most lines took the port off their itineraries because of threats of terror attacks.  

Read About Our Trip: Traveling to Tunisia and Seeing More on Viking Sky

Why You'll Like It: Viking Sky is one of Viking Ocean Cruises' new ships, and the luxury vessel offers a relaxing experience. The ship carries just 930 passengers, and the trip focuses on cultural and food experiences. Onboard, you'll love the spacious public areas and cabins, as well as the excellent service. My favorite part of this ship is the LivNordic Spa, a heavenly retreat that all passengers can experience for no extra fee.

We sure had a blast on a spectacular Caribbean cruise with 16 friends and family members.

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas in the Caribbean: In April, we joined more than a dozen friends and family for a birthday cruise. Yes, a few of us were celebrating milestones (I hit 50), and we enjoyed nine days sailing in the sun, visiting Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, and Labadee (Haiti).

Why You'll Like It: Navigator of the Seas is a big ship that's full of all kinds of restaurants and activities. It's the ideal type of cruise for a larger group. The ship offers something for everyone: bars, pools, a gym, multiple restaurants, productions shows, live music and dancing. So, if you get bored, that's your own fault. The ship is big enough to allow everyone to get together for games and dinners and also have enough space for when members of your group prefer to have a bit of time to themselves.

You just know that we were going to see a colorful show at the Tropicana during our first visit to Cuba.

Norwegian Sky Cruise to Havana: This was our first trip to Cuba, and we joined Norwegian Cruise Line on its first visit there. The historic sailing brought us to Havana for two days and one night, and we had an amazing time exploring the city and getting a chance to meet with the residents and even experience a little night life at The Tropicana. 

Read About Our Trip: Cruising to Havana on Norwegian Sky 

Why You'll Like It: This is the ideal way to visit Cuba. All the logistics are taken care of through Norwegian Sky. The ship offers nice accommodations, good food, and guided excursions in Havana. This makes it a hassle-free experience, which is nice, especially if it's your first trip to Cuba. Norwegian Sky also includes your drinks (alcohol, wine, soda) in the fare.

Paris and all the towns along the Rhone in France proved to be as wonderful as we expected. And a Tauck river cruise was the perfect way to explore all of it.

Tauck MS Emerald on the Rhone River in France: This trip gave us our first visit to lovely Paris and so many fascinating spots along the Rhone River. We loved learning how to play petanque, trying wines and exploring villages and towns like Viviers, Lyon, Arles and Avignon. The best part for me was interacting with friendly crew onboard MS Emerald, savoring cold beers on the sun deck and biking and running along the river paths when we stopped in ports. 

Read About Our Trip: Five Ways to Stay Active on a Tauck Cruise in France 

Why You'll Like It: This is an upscale luxury cruise experience, and foodies will love the culinary and wine experience. Service is outstanding, and the crew is so friendly. The crew show toward the end of the cruise is a riot, with fun games and dancing that delighted the passengers. Excursions are included and led by outstanding guides who work incredibly hard to make everyone happy. This is a great way to pack in the best of Paris and the Provence region of France.

Just another hot day in the Bahamas. I went for a jog from the cruise ship pier, across the bridge and over to Atlantis.

Carnival Victory to the Bahamas: This was a three-day getaway in June to enjoy the sun and sands. The Bahamas is a quick trip from the cruise port in Miami, and we enjoyed a day in Nassau and two sea days sailing there and back. Trivia contests, pool time, dancing and eating filled my time on the ship. In Nassau, I took a run over to Paradise Island to work off my pizza and desserts and enjoyed some time at Junkanoo Beach. 

Why You'll Like It: This is a classic short and economical cruise for families and friends who want a quick getaway. Carnival offers fun deck parties and other activities. Guy's Burger Joint is a wonderful dining venue on Carnival Victory.

I took a run to Fort Zachary Taylor and found a small secluded beach area in Key West.

Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas to Key West and Bahamas: Well, as long as we're here! As soon as I got off Carnival Victory, I walked my suitcase down the pier in Miami Cruise Port and got onboard Enchantment of the Seas. Yes, an easy back-to-back on a pair of mass-market cruise ships. And back to Nassau, Bahamas, too. Plus, we stopped at the private island destination Coco Cay and the funky town of Key West, Fla., on a four-day cruise.

Why You'll Like It: Enchantment of the Seas features multiple restaurants, a good kids program and outdoors activities centered around the big pool, rock climbing wall and Jump Zone trampoline attraction. This ship is a bit older and lacks any whiz-bang amenities and activities that you might find on newer ships, such as water slides and ziplines. But it has all you need to bring a family onboard for a nice Caribbean vacation. Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's very own private beach, is also a fun destination with tons to do.

Parga, a tiny island in Greece, proved to be a delightful discovery. We spent the day swimming and relaxing, with Seabourn Encore always in sight.

Seabourn Encore in the Mediterranean: We sailed on the luxury ship to wonderful Med destinations, like the tiny Greek island of Parga, the Italian fishing village of Brindisi and the ports of Primosten and Dubrovnik in always-gorgeous Croatia. 

Read About Our Trip: Five Small Med Cruise Ports on Our Seabourn Cruise

Why You'll Like It: You're going to love the luxurious surroundings and top-notch food and service on Seabourn Encore, which also features a sports marina that opens when the ships anchors in a destination. You can go kayaking or paddleboarding as part of your daily adventures.

I was all alone and set up my camera on a timer to capture my bliss as I reached the most incredible view high in the Austrian alps on just one of my hikes with Backroads and AmaWaterways.

AmaWaterways and Backroads Hiking on the Danube: A year earlier, I tried the cycling tours that Backroads and AmaWaterways have created. This time, I did their Danube River hiking adventure, which took me high into the Austrian alps and deep into forests in Bavaria in Germany. We sailed on my favorite river, enjoying the luxury and comfort of the AmaStella cruise ship -- stopping in historic ports in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Why You'll Like It: This is a great trip that offers a mix of comfort and challenges. Choose longer hikes or an easier route. You can even take a day off and enjoy the daily excursion with the rest of the cruise passengers who are not part of your Backroads hiking group. You can set the pace on this type of fully flexible vacation as you sail on a luxury river ship.

We met many new friends this year, with whom we shared plenty of adventures -- and a few beers.

Scenic Biking Cruise with Trek Travel: It was back to the Danube and back on the bikes. This time, I tried the partnership of Scenic and Trek Travel as they ramp up their biking river cruises. The ultra-luxury Scenic Amber was our home as we sailed from Nuremberg to Budapest, with stops at Kelheim, Vienna and Durnstein along the way. 

Read About Our Trip: A Danube River Biking Cruise with Trek Travel 

Why You'll Like It: This is an intense challenge for serious bikers. I pedaled with 16 other avid cyclists, and the daily rides were exciting and exhausting. Of course, you can set your own pace, but Trek Travel trips attract people who really enjoy their rides and live for cycling. Make sure you are comfortable riding in traffic and up and down fairly steep hills (e-assist bikes are available to book for this trip).

Our expedition with UnCruise Adventures meant plenty of days like this, where we had stunning islands and beaches nearly to ourselves.

UnCruise Adventures in Panama and Costa Rica: We love sailing with this top adventure line on its expeditions. This time, we explored the Panama Canal, with remote islands and an indigenous community on the way to Costa Rica, where we got off the ship and did even more snorkeling, hiking and creature spotting. We saw so many monkeys, birds, whales and fish.

Read About Our Trip: Back to Nature: Panama and Costa Rica with UnCruise​

Why You'll Like It: If you enjoy nature and the outdoors, UnCruise Adventures' expeditions are perfect for you. The ship sails with about 60 people, and expert guides and naturalists set up exciting daily adventures that get you out into the wilds with fellow cruisers who all have adventurous spirits just like you. These trips are dreams for fitness enthusiasts, photography buffs and nature lovers. This ship is not luxurious, but the food is outstanding -- and many of the meals are inspired by the destinations you visit.

Our visit to the village of Wat Hanchey in Cambodia was a highlight of the year, as we received a traditional water blessing from Buddhist monks.

Avalon Waterways Mekong River Cruise: This one is extra special. We headed to Cambodia and Vietnam for the first time. Colleen and I visited these jewels of Southeast Asia with her brother, Ryan, and his wife, Kelly. We started in Siem Reap and spent two days checking out the temples, including Angkor Wat, before joining the ship for a week of sailing on the Mekong all the way to Ho Chi Minh City. This was an eye-opening voyage and amazing introduction to such a culturally rich and historic part of the world. We can't wait to return. 

Why You'll Like It: The small luxury ship Avalon Siem Reap offers creature comforts as you sail in the rugged and remote regions, visiting the small fishing and crafting villages of the Mekong River. The ship is luxurious and has a capacity of just 36 passengers who quickly bond to form one big family. Expert local guides lead the way in Cambodia and Vietnam, and you explore temples, take part in special ceremonies, witness music and dances -- often taking part in these lively activities. We really savored all the chances to try new foods from the region, like pho and fish and noodle soups. We even tried tasty candies, fried insects and snake wine, too.

You never get tired of walking the decks on Windstar Cruises' Wind Surf, especially to bask in the breezes and gaze up at the moonlit sky.

Windstar Cruises Voyage in Morocco and the Canary Islands: Two new destinations for me, and on a different kind of cruise ship, too. Windstar Cruises' Wind Surf brought us to the beautiful North African kingdom of Morocco and the ecologically diverse Spanish archipelago, the Canary Islands. Wind Surf is a luxury sailing yacht and features tall masts, crisp white sails, open teak decks and incredible food and service. The adventures included explorations of historic cities like Agadir and Rabat in Morocco, as well as the moon-like surface on Lanzarote and mountain peaks shrouded in mist on La Gomera. 

Read About Our Trip: Windstar Cruises Offers Classic Sailing Voyage

Why You'll Like It: This is classic sailing at its best. The ship is spacious and comfortable. The pace onboard during sailing is slow and relaxed, with not much to do. Most people entertained themselves playing games, reading or chatting with each other over cocktails. The live music and gourmet meals are a highlight. The stars of the voyage are the itineraries, though, and Windstar puts together an amazing program with guides scoping out unique experiences in ports that aren't able to be visited by the masses sailing on larger cruise ships. 
 
As you can see, this recaps quite a year with a number of outstanding cruise lines that offer amazing adventures. We can't wait to see what the next year brings. Which cruise would you choose?

Thanks for reading, and happy sailing! 
JR