I have no cruise control, so I suppose that means I am just like you – you must have a voyage in mind, it doesn’t necessarily need to be booked, but it will be something you check the price of on a daily basis – am I right?

My obsession started before I even left the port following my first cruise in 2007. I was genuinely sad to be leaving behind what would become my gateway to the world, and since that day I have always either had something booked, or had a particular itinerary hanging by a string that I will monitor on a daily basis.

I really wish I knew what it was about cruise that hooked me so much. That’s what I tell people when they ask me because I can’t give a simple, straight forward answer. All I can say is that I absolutely love it. The smell, the food, the rough seas, the muster drill, the friends I make in both passengers and crew, the places I see, the fact that the itinerary could change at the last minute depending on the weather – everything!! And it is all of those things combined that force me to always have something in the shape of a cruise ship on the horizon.

People say they are addicted to cruising, I have even said it myself several times, and I really do believe it. That is why we have no cruise control. Firstly we can’t control it and secondly, deep down, we don’t want to control it – well I certainly don’t! My escapades used to be of the 2-week kind and once a year, but now I am incredibly lucky to travel frequently and to some incredible places. I have many moments where I sit and remind myself just how fortunate I am to be doing what I do, and I don’t ever want it to come to an end.

The biggest problem we have as hardcore cruisers is that non-cruisers just don’t get it. It can be pretty frustrating trying to explain to someone just what it is that has gripped you, but we ramble on and on and try our hardest to make them “see the light”. Eventually some of them do and we find ourselves with more people who too share our passion and ultimately become friends. There really is so much more to a cruise than it being a simple holiday, it really is becoming a way of life.

Recently, I was asked by someone if I would class myself as a cruise addict and I replied with an instant, YES! I was then asked question after question about why I would class myself as a cruise addict – you know, the usual questions we get – and I loved answering them all. These people were intrigued and I could see that my passion and excitement was starting to weed its way into their thoughts. They wanted to know more!

I will end my blog today by telling each and every one of you to be PROUD of your addiction, it may be a rather expensive one, but it does have its perks! 😉