A Week at Sea: What Ship Life Is Actually Like

Living on a ship can be a beautiful thing. I should say straight away that the vessel I was on looked nothing like the one in that photograph.

Before last May I had only a few overnight cruises behind me, nothing that counted as living at sea. Then I spent a regular week on a Caribbean cruise — a sailing with a social and environmental focus, where passengers could get their hands dirty at each stop, spending a few hours helping local communities and organisations with the work they do every day.

What a week on board gives you

I went in reluctantly. I had assumed I would be bored, or trapped, or both. What I found instead was a genuine excuse to disconnect — the digital detox people talk about — and, slowly, some time to myself that I never normally make room for. That was the surprise of the trip, more than any island.

Ship life also runs on a rhythm that takes a day or two to accept. Meals at set hours, a gangway that opens when the captain says so, an itinerary decided by someone else. Once I stopped fighting it, the week became restful in a way I had not expected.

Four things I would tell a first-timer

• Pack anything you think you will need, because prices on the boat and in the ports run about seven times higher. Sunblock is the classic mistake.
• Look up the excursion options before you sail, and agree on them with your group in advance. Otherwise you spend every morning arguing about which beach, and the good ones fill up.
• Bring clothes for every kind of evening — casual, beach, something smarter, something for a party. The dress code changes and nobody warns you.
• Go to the events the ship puts on. My best night was an adult scavenger hunt: they split us into random groups, and we drank and laughed until very late.

The part I keep thinking about

It was the combination that did it — a week of being looked after, and a few hours in each port doing something useful. You arrive as a passenger and leave having met people who live where you were only visiting. I would not have chosen it myself, and I am glad it was chosen for me.

Further reading on ships and sailing

• Most romantic things to do on a cruise – Eat Sleep Cruise
• Yachting experience in the Mediterranean – The World Pursuit
• Sailing in Greece – Jetsettera
• Alaska cruise experience – Wandering Wagars
• How to drink for free on a cruise – The Endless Adventure

Have you ever sailed, or would you like to? Tell me below. All opinions here are my own, and please do not reuse any of the personal images in this post.