A few weeks ago our daughter called to invite us to join her on a cruise. MSC does a summer season in South Africa but at the end of April, they return to the Med. MSC Orchestra was offering a pre-departure special – 2 nights – balcony cabin – at half the normal fare. We said, “Yes, we’re in!” The only problem was they refused to let us bring the caravan so we had to sleep in the cabin! Our son-in-law Allan couldn’t make it and our Plett grandchildren had other commitments too but all three of our daughters, the two Cape Town grandsons, and the best friend of one of our girls joined in on the fun. Lauren and Wendy have been best friends since Grade 8 and although they lived in different provinces for many years, Lauren in KZN and Wendy farming with her now late hubby, Bryn, in Elgin, Western Cape, they have remained close. These two were joined at the hip and did everything together as teens. Wendy was like another child to us as Lauren was to her mom. Lauren has now moved back to the Western Cape and although still five hours apart, (Wendy is still farming in Elgin) they are able to see so much more of each other. They both have kids in their late teens and early twenties now.

Our 25-year-old grandson, Jay, is heading to Europe to seek greener pastures later this month so this was a lovely opportunity to spend some quality time with him before he leaves next week. So we were a party of eight – Our oldest, Lisa shared with our youngest, Laurie. Our middle daughter Lauren shared with her bestie Wendy, and Jay 25 shared with his brother Josh 24. And of course, the Old Fogies left their caravan at Chapman’s Peak Caravan Park and settled for a balcony cabin on Deck 10.

Now cruising might not be for everyone. But for us, it was an opportunity to bond with the kids, relax and have fun. On board ship, there is something for everyone. The boys had never cruised before and did not know what to expect. But they certainly now have a taste for it. Our girls are still young enough to enjoy the nightlife and we all enjoyed the restaurants, the theatre and the entertainment in the various bars and lounges.

We opted not to take drinks packages as on such a short trip we didn’t think we’d finish the vouchers. So we loaded our cruise cards and bought as we needed. Champagne for the girls at dinner, wine for the Earl and me. The boys stuck to coke and water. (I’m so proud they don’t drink except for the odd glass.)

We love cruising and thoroughly enjoyed a month-long cruise from Mauritius to Italy in 2019. This was nothing like that but the two days were awesome as it was like spending a weekend with family and simply enjoying each other’s company without having to worry about cooking, cleaning, and finding activities that everybody would enjoy. We enjoyed all our meals together, went to the theatre together and enjoyed the musical entertainment in the lounges. We also spent time in the sun on the deck but while the younger ones danced till the early hours, the Earl and I retired to our beds! We also indulged in a couples massage at The Spa – bliss!

In conclusion, we had an amazing time on this short cruise. There were a few issues but nothing could spoil this time for us. As you can see from the photographs, our grandsons are tall and skinny but they have enormous appetites so the availability of food was a huge plus for them. They ate an enormous breakfast but were still hungry at lunchtime when they went to the buffet and once again filled their plates with a variety of amazing food. They laughed when I told them they’d spoil their appetites for dinner. Ha – they got through all the courses and still had room to feast at the midnight buffet – after disco dancing of course!

We also enjoyed the food on board but of course in much smaller portions! The service in the restaurant was a tad slow so patience was required. But when you are enjoying good company the wait is not so bad!

If you decide to cruise with MSC you won’t be disappointed. The theatre performances are excellent and there is always something entertaining happening in the bars and lounges at night. During the day there are deck activities as well as indoor activities you can join in or just watch and of course when the weather is good the pool and sun tanning is just the thing.

Longer cruises are even more fun as you get to go on shore excursions and visit exotic places. In 2019 we had the most awesome time on The Costa Victoria which sailed from Mauritius to Venice. You can read about our cruise here