Seduced by the Sea

The unexpected delight of cruising from Newfoundland to the Caribbean on board the Seabourn Venture.

I AM OLD enough that my most deeply felt cultural frames of reference for going on a cruise are a mental hodgepodge of “The Love Boat,” in which swinging singles board a ship looking for romance; “The Poseidon Adventure,” in which glamorous ’70s-era celebrities must escape a cruise ship overturned by a giant tidal wave; and the ubiquitous Carnival “Fun Ship” television commercials of the ’80s, in which a very enthusiastic Kathy Lee Gifford jazzes her way through the song “If My Friends Could See Me Now” while dancing all over a cruise ship. This created a complicated set of expectations for my first cruise ship experience — a luxury Seabourn expedition cruise.

While I didn’t want us to be flipped by a rogue wave, and I wasn’t looking for love (my partner was in tow), I did have a romanticized idea of what this sort of ocean getaway might entail. I’ve always liked the idea of a cruise but have been skeptical about the reality. I looked forward to dinner at the captain's table and moonlight cocktails on the lido deck, but I was nervous about, well, being stuck on a boat — for over a week. Would we get bored? Would I be forced to socialize in ways I don’t enjoy? And with miles of open ocean in all directions, would I be overwhelmed by cabin fever?