This trip was my first cruise and my first time in Europe! I took an 8-day cruise on the Harmony V with my mother in August and had a wonderful time! We sailed on rivers and went through locks and explored beautiful city centers in Spain, ate local dishes such as paella and sangria and encountered beautiful architecture and beautiful gelato in Lisbon!
In August, I set out to Lisbon to embark on my very first cruise on the small Harmony V yacht. Having traveled more independently in the past, I was interested to see how the cruise experience might compare to my previous travel experiences. I had certain expectations for the cruise and below I will outline some of my expectations for the cruise versus what I actually experienced onboard.
-Expectation: A more mature and less active crowd.
-Reality: I am in my 20’s and I was expecting to be one of the youngest passengers on this cruise. I was surprised to see a diverse range of ages on board! There were also people from different countries on board like England, New Zealand, Italy, Greece, the UK and the United States. Many people on board had cruised with Variety Cruises before, which tells you how awesome these cruises are! Tour guide and tour bus (Jane Packer)
-Expectation: Being herded around in large tour groups on big tour buses.
-Reality: Our excursion groups were only around 8–10 people on average, all led by local English-speaking guides.They were all super knowledgeable and fun. As someone who doesn’t participate in organized tours often, I found these excursions to be really informative and enriching to my experience.
-Expectation: A stuffy experience where I would have to dress up for meals.
-Reality: I was happy that the cruise was quite relaxed. The crew and other passengers really made you feel like you were at home and a part of the on-board family. The dress on board was casual. Think sundresses or khakis. It is hot in Spain and Portugal so being comfortable is most important.
Cocktails with the captain (Jane Packer)
I had a wonderful experience on board! Keep reading to learn more about the Harmony V and some of the ports we visited while on the cruise.
The persons I spoke with knew the material. I wont know until I actually take the trip if it was all correct but at this point they were helpful in finding a trip that met my criteria
SS
5 days ago
Creating a checklist was very beneficial and meeting objectives on certain dates helped as well (to keep my trip organized). The Adventure Travel personnel helped keep me on track which is why my trip was so successful. Communication from both travel agencies (AT/MT) was vital.
Iziah Carthens
6 days ago
This is an amazing company to work with. I generally do not use tour companies as I am more of an independent traveller so I was slightly reticent. They were fantastic from the start - 10/10 - from lining up a phone call to discuss requirements, then their ongoing communication in the lead up to the tour and during it (thank you, Franny and Phen). They also explored cost-effective options (eg group transfers). The tour was in Patagonia so Adventure Life organised a pickup from the El Calafate airport to the El Chalten accommodation, two day hikes with a private guide and then to the El Calafate accommodation. A tour coordinator came to the hotel to explain, using the maps, what was involved in each day tour and what should be expected, and patiently answered all questions. The tour guide Marcos was excellent - very professional, knowledgable, communicative and at all times felt very safe with his navigational skills (important in the Patagonian wilderness). On the second day I forgot to take hiking poles so Marcos kindly gave me his. I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing and would happily recommend and book through them again.
Petrina Sta
1 week ago
Adventure Life has been great throughout my planning process for our up and coming Galapagos cruise. Kevin Moore, in particular, was very helpful in assisting me in making choices and providing me with options. He was also very patient, as I worked through figuring out what I really wanted in this vacation.
Lucy Greenway
1 week ago
Adventure Life was a pleasure to work with. They helped us find different options for our charter and answered a lot of questions with patience and clarity.
