Is a Winter Cruise Actually Worth It? We Tried One
Is a winter cruise actually worth it? We boarded Cunard’s Queen Anne in January for a seven-night voyage to Hamburg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge for Bruges — and discovered just how much winter can change a cruise. We’d booked this trip almost on a whim, looking for a post-Christmas getaway. What followed was a week of snow-covered cities, extraordinary winter light, a North Sea storm and some wonderfully atmospheric days exploring independently ashore. In this full trip report, come with us from embarkation in Southampton through two days in Hamburg and Rotterdam, a beautiful winter visit to Bruges, sea days aboard Queen Anne and our eventual return home. Along the way, we’ll show you what life aboard was really like, how we explored the ports without organised excursions, and our corner balcony stateroom. And at the end, I’ll tell you exactly what we paid for the cruise — and whether, after seven nights aboard, we thought a winter cruise was actually worth it. CHAPTERS 00:00 Is a Winter Cruise Worth It? 00:29 Day 1 – Embarkation 02:09 Day 2 – Sea Day & Our Corner Balcony 04:42 Day 3 – Snowy Hamburg 13:06 Day 4 – North Sea Storm & Captain’s Briefing 16:55 Day 5 – Rotterdam 19:53 Day 6 – A Day Aboard in Rotterdam 21:59 Day 7 – Zeebrugge & Bruges 27:31 What We Paid & Final Thoughts 28:58 Day 8 – Southampton Arrival If you enjoy Cunard, independent travel and seeing what cruises are really like beyond the brochures, do consider subscribing to Curious2Travel. #Cunard #QueenAnne #WinterCruise