Accompanied parental units:

My father is 85 years old, my mother is 84. For some reason they were always of the opinion cruises weren’t for them, I’ve never found out why. I think it was a mix of them thinking they were outrageously expensive and maybe they wouldn’t enjoy them. After floating the idea earlier this year, I (along with my wife) persuaded them to book a week-long trip from Southampton to Hamburg and back. Given their ages and diminishing confidence in new situations, we accompanied them. I am 52, my wife is 51. We have both been on cruises before (with Cunard, P&O, Royal Caribbean & Carnival) but this cruise wasn’t about us, it was all about them, with the possible bonus of us enjoying it too. After much research we chose MSC as it fitted our dates and budgets (departing 17th September ’14) and seemed one of the best fits for my parents. They both liked the idea of visiting Amsterdam, which they hadn’t been to before, and my father wanted to revisit Hamburg. He was last there in 1947. He can remember it in graphic detail but couldn’t remember to pack any socks or toothpaste. His memory isn’t completely shot but I must admit to losing count of the number of times I explained to my father what was and what wasn’t included in the overall price of the trip. Given he doesn’t usually drink speciality coffees, they appeared to take on a new importance once he knew they weren’t included. By the time we arrived in Southampton I had earned the break.

Chilling and walking: Read more