I have no great interest in being on the open sea. As a rule, I prefer to be on dry land which is a bit unusual given my background.
My grandfather spent his life working on boats in the Cork Harbour area. They were the D-O-D boats used by the Department of Defence to carry employees of the naval service and the army from Spike Island and Haulbowline to and from Cobh.
My great grandfather worked on the tenders that transferred passengers and their luggage to and from the liners. In those days, the liners were only permitted to come as far as the entrance to Cork Harbour and they would have to lay up there because the inner harbour was too shallow to accommodate them.
The passengers were ferried in and out of Cobh on these tenders and it’s only relatively recently that liners have been able to berth at the quayside in the town. It’s big business now and Port of Cork anticipates that 94 liners will visit in 2018.
The house I grew up in overlooked the harbour, so I was used to seeing all the activity going on out on the water. On a nice summer evening, there was nothing better than sitting in the front room with the window open and listening to the sound of the boats going up and down the river.
Many of my friends went on to carve out careers for themselves in the maritime industry and some of them are still at it but it wasn’t something that ever interested me. I had no desire to go to sea, and I had never set foot on a liner until recently.
Until a few weeks ago, the largest vessel I had ever experienced was a car ferry. I had travelled from Cork to Swansea a few times and used the Rosslare to Fishguard ferry as well, but they could hardly be described as luxurious. I can remember coming back from Swansea during the 1970’s with a friend of mine and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
We were young and penniless, so we didn’t have the comfort of a cabin. We had intended grabbing a half decent seat somewhere and doing the best we could with it. The crossing turned out to be a nightmare and the sea was dog rough.
There were lots of older people sitting in the lounge area and many of them were getting sick. My buddy and I spent most of our time handing out sick bags. It was difficult to even walk around but we were young and fit at the time. I have no idea how we managed to avoid the vomiting bug, but I remember we got a free meal from the staff in the canteen for our efforts.
Maybe that experience had something to do with my lack of interest in nautical matters. But a couple of years ago, I received an invitation to visit the ‘Independence of the Seas’ while it was in Cobh. This is one of the bigger liners and a member of the Royal Caribbean family.
This ship dominates the landscape when it comes to town but when you go inside you really get an appreciation of the size of this thing, The elevators go up 14 floors and it’s 1,112 feet long which is almost the length of four soccer fields laid out end to end and it’s as wide as five tennis courts placed side by side.
It needs to be large because it accommodates a small town. When it’s full, it holds 4,375 passengers and a crew of 1,360. It has a dozen bars and lounges and a selection of restaurants, three swimming pools, six whirlpools, theatres, a casino and plenty more to keep the young and old occupied.
That’s another thing. I had always associated cruises with an older, more settled age group, so I was surprised to see so many youngsters on board. When I visited, most of the passengers had already headed off for the day on various tours but a lot of the younger ones were playing in the waterpark and the pools.
Before leaving the ship, I had lunch and the mind boggles when you think of what it takes to feed this amount of people. The self-service area was enormous, and even maintaining a constant supply of clean cutlery was a feat in itself.
I enjoyed my visit and the staff went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I was glad I took the opportunity to have a look around but I’m not anymore inclined to take a cruise now than I was previously. I can see how it might appeal to some, but it’s not for me.
They have packages to suit all tastes but they’re not cheap. A ball park figure for two people, spending 11 nights on board, is probably going to cost in the region of €4,000. The price will be determined by your choice of ship, the duration of the trip and where in the world you want to go and the package you choose.
A room with a balcony is more expensive than a room without a view of the outside world and your drinks package will determine what beverages are available to you. I’m told by people who have been on cruises that picking the right package is crucial. Otherwise you could end up paying dearly for extras.
They also agree that one of the best aspects of a cruise is waking up in a new port every day with the opportunity to see and explore new places and I understand how that scene appeals to a lot of people. I’m just not one of them.
But check it out yourself, it might be for you.