Let me be transparent. I am an outdoor enthusiast who has spent many nights sleeping on the ground with only a curtain of stars for a tent. I scorned the cruise scene as too cushy and glitzy for the serious traveler.
But then I went on one. And found myself pleasantly surprised. Why is that?
For starters, the cruise scene gets you out on big water.
There is something wondrous about boats. There is something even more wondrous about being on a boat in an historic arena. Reclining on deck and watching the sun melt into the wine-dark sea (kudos to Homer for the phrase) relaxes the knots of the mind.
Mediterranean sunset. The Mediterranean is literally the sea in the “middle of the earth.” The phrase represents a Euro-centric perspective that made its way to the fore in the 6th and 7th centuries AD. The Romans, never shy, called it mare nostrum or “our sea.” Image from here.
Second, the cruise scene—in a Mediterranean context—gets you quickly and effortlessly from site to site.
It is a magical means of movement. Think about it. You rock off to sleep in one ancient port and wake up in another! No packing or unpacking. No losing stuff in transition. The hotel moves with you. You feel rested and are ready to go inland to do some exploring. When done, you retreat to your sanctuary.
The Celebrity Reflection anchors at the Greek isle of Mykonos. Rough seas on this day made it necessary to reach the dock by tender.
Third, the cruise scene offers really good eats.
That’s straight up folks. Frozen jerky chaw has appeal when bivouacking on the face of a mountain, but consider the appeal of a duck a l’orange when the waiter slips it under your nose with background of dauphinoise potatoes. For a bumpkin whose only encounter with the high end of the food table was my grandpa’s bottle of Grey Poupon (he liked it on burgers), the cruise opened up a whole new world. It’s a pinnacle of elegant eating. Sure, you might have to put on pants to get in the room, but all in all it ain’t a bad trade.
Fourth, the cruise scene offers opportunity to enjoy time with that special person (or persons).
My Vicki is a brave soul who has endured some pretty gritty places (to say the least). Cruising offers a style of travel that we can enjoy together. Leisure time, often elusive on land-based tours, is served in quantity on our at sea days. I’ve not seen a Bible Land cruise pitched as a tonic for relationships, but it oughta be.
Evening dining in the big room is an elegant affair. Of course, this is just one of several eating venues aboard the Celebrity Reflection. You may go less formal if you like. Image from here.
Which leads me to the fifth reason why a Mediterranean Cruise is a treat: the onboard lectures.
OK, so maybe that sounds a bit arrogant coming from someone who works as an onboard lecturer! But really, the opportunities for gathering with like-minded individuals, listening, discussing, thinking, sharing, laughing, etc are special on a cruise. Meeting rooms are intimate venues with theater seating, large screens, sound systems, and state-of-the-art technology. “At sea” days provide the opportunity to pull together shore excursion experiences with lifelong learning, biblical texts with ancient observations, and personal reflection with corporate application. Every teacher knows that ideas require time to marinate. The cruise scene offers the quiet time—and the company of good friends—that our culture so desperately needs.
The modern cruise ship is a behemoth.
Of course, the cruise scene has its wrinkles too, but that’s a story for another day.
I’ve repented of my youthful scorn. Cruising has a place in the serious traveler’s palette.
For Bible Land Explorers it’s more than a place, it’s a must. Caesarea, Ephesus, Alexandria, and Corinth were sailor cities. Other population centers like Athens and Rome had lifelines to the sea. With mountains dropping down into the “Great Middle Sea” from nearly all sides, the Mediterranean basin is an archipelago of cultural islands best accessed by water. Understanding communication and commerce in the New Testament period requires familiarity with the briny waves and their ways.
Our next Mediterranean cruise is scheduled for Fall of 2023. Stay tuned!