I have went on cruise ships for my summer holidays for 11 consecutive years. I am very lucky to have had these opportunities and at this point in my life, cruise ships are my passion and I would love to work on them one day.
My parents don't want to cruise next year (nothing left that they want to do). That's entirely fine - it's their money and their holiday. However, the idea of a 2 week land holiday with my family absolutely fills me with dread.
They aren't the theme park or beach types. They like to sightsee which usually means long days of walking through cities. I am fine doing this for a few days (spent 4 days in Berlin back in February which was cool but 4 days was enough for me), but there is nothing fun at all about doing it for 14-18 days. To be honest, I have no idea what on earth they would be doing anyway.
So, I think that I'm going to try and avoid going on holiday with them (never done this before but I'll be 18 by then). However, I don't want to spend the entire summer home. I would still like to travel, just on my terms.
My cruise line of choice, Royal Caribbean allows guests to sail unaccompanied from 18 onwards on European itineraries. I'll turn 18 in November, so it's a go as far as the company are concerned. I've checked the prices and there are a few 7 night sailings that are within my price range provided that I do a little bit of saving between now and my 18th birthday. There is one sailing out of Venice going around the Greek Isles for dirt cheap. Sounds awesome. If I hit it off with anyone at uni, I could take them with me.
Am I totally crazy for thinking of cruising for a summer holiday as a student? It sure sounds like it, but a lot of my year group are away in Cyprus just now for their graduation trip, and cruising isn't too different to an AI.
If this doesn't sound like a good idea, what else would you suggest that I would do? Also, how can I persuade my parents to let me do my own thing instead of going with them?