DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE WHEN BOOKING A CRUISE // WHEN ROUGH WEATHER HITS!

Update on our cruise on Queen Victoria! day 17 of 21! No Crete for us, once again! 😅 Never book a cruise based solely on the itinerary - and especially not for specific ports! Here aboard Queen Victoria, we are now floating in the Aegean Sea just off the coast of Crete after having rendezvoused with the pilot ship and attempted multiple times to enter the harbor at Souda Bay. We are being buffeted by tumultuous waters and violent winds blowing between 30 and 50 knots - bobbing and swaying like a drunken fishing float as I write - and thanks to the unplanned presence of our sister ship Queen Anne in the harbor, the bridge has been receiving detailed, live weather updates of the conditions by the pier. Apparently, the situation there is so cantankerous that she has been blasting all of her thrusters just to stay steady pierside. In any case, the forecast predicts nothing but blustery meteorological temper tantrums that would render the primarily outdoor activities and sights of this part of Crete unpleasantly four-dimensional, if not impossible. This happened last year when we attempted to call on Crete, that time in Heralkion: We sailed up to the mouth of the harbor, realized the conditions were far too violent despite the deceptive sunshine, and sailed away again to enjoy an unexpected sea day. Almost every voyage we have ever been on has involved an itinerary change, sometimes before the cruise commences, sometimes midflow. Recently, Queen Mary 2 had to forgo a call in Belgium, and some passengers expressed outrage because they had apparently booked the voyage primarily based on that one port. Some have futilely attempted to demand some sort of financial compensation. But the booking terms and conditions are clear: one is booking passage on the ship, not a guarantee of specific (or any) stops. The entertainment staff have spent the past hour diligently working up a full program of activities for our new circumstances; there will be water painting classes and dance classes and fitness classes and lectures and more food than a human should consume. And while it would have been nice to enjoy the beauties of Crete once more, we chose this voyage based on the cruise line, the ship and the sort of activities they generally offer. If our remaining four days turns into four days at sea, we will be perfectly happy because we love being on Queen Victoria. #MediterraneanCruise #Cunard #QueenVictoria #cruiseblog #traveling #cruisetips #cruiseship