Cruise Days 5-8 Continued...

Mish
6 days ago
5 min read

Cruise Day 7 - Tiny Rab, Big Heart

If there's one thing this cruise taught us, it's that the places we'd never heard of before leaving Australia often became our favourites.

Rab was one of those places.

It wasn't flashy or famous. There weren't queues of cruise passengers following umbrellas through the streets, and we didn't have a long checklist of sights to tick off. Instead, Rab quietly charmed us from the moment we stepped ashore.

The old town is compact, full of narrow laneways and little pockets of history waiting to be discovered. It felt wonderfully relaxed, the sort of place where you're happy to put the map away and simply wander.

One of our favourite moments was climbing up to an old church overlooking the town. We hadn't climbed a mountain, although looking back at the photos, it almost feels like we had. From the church, the view stretched across to other islands and the sparkling Adriatic beyond. It was one of those scenes that makes you stop talking for a minute and simply take it in.

Sometimes I think we spend too much time trying to capture places through a camera lens when the best thing we can do is stand there quietly and appreciate just how lucky we are. By Rab we'd learnt this lesson... sorry for the limited pics of this incredible spot!

Of course, no wander is complete without a little sweet treat.

We taken to a tiny café serving what might just have been the best cake of the trip, an incredibly moist orange almond cake that disappeared super quickly. To this day, whenever I see orange almond cake on a menu, Rab is the first place that comes to mind.

It wasn't the biggest city we visited. It wasn't the busiest. But somehow, that's exactly why we loved it.

Flights & Feasting Reflection

Travel has a funny way of rewarding curiosity. If we'd planned this trip ourselves, Rab probably wouldn't have made the itinerary. Now it's one of the places we remember fondly.

Cruise Day 8 - Opatija & The Beginning of the End

By our final full day onboard, there was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere.

Not sadness exactly. More... appreciation.

Everyone knew the cruise was coming to an end, so conversations naturally turned to favourite ports, favourite meals and what everyone was doing next. We were heading to Zagreb for a few days, while others were flying home or continuing their European adventures.

Our final stop was Opatija, and it couldn't have been more different from the medieval towns we'd been exploring all week.

Instead of ancient city walls and stone laneways, we found elegant gardens, grand old buildings, seaside promenades and locals enjoying lazy afternoons by the water. It felt more like a classic European holiday town than an island port, and I could immediately understand why so many Croatians holiday there themselves.

After our included walking tour, there was really only one thing left to do. Head to a beach bar.

Together with the friends we'd made onboard, we found a table overlooking the water, ordered a round of drinks and spent the afternoon doing what we'd become remarkably good at over the past week... talking.

We reminisced about freezing swim stops, debated our favourite ports and laughed about quiz night and karaoke.

It's funny how quickly strangers can become friends when you share beautiful places, good food and a week without worrying about the outside world.

One Last Night Aboard Princess Eleganza

That evening was our farewell dinner.

Everyone had made a bit of an effort to dress up, although one of the things we loved most about this cruise was that there was never any pressure. Some guests were elegantly dressed, others kept it casual, and nobody seemed to mind either way.

It perfectly reflected the atmosphere onboard. Relaxed. Welcoming. Completely unpretentious.

As dinner came to an end, our wonderful Cruise Director, Nora, stood to thank everyone for joining the cruise. We'd known all week that she was organised, funny and endlessly energetic.

By this point, the crew felt less like staff and more like part of our travelling family.

The bartenders didn't ask what we wanted anymore, they already knew. Although I don't think they'll ever forget Ash's passionate explanation that a margarita definitely doesn't contain Sprite.

We still laugh about that one.

Before long, phones appeared around the dining room as everyone swapped Facebook details and promised to stay in touch. Eight days earlier we'd introduced ourselves over welcome drinks.

Now we were saying goodbye with hugs.

Why Small Ship Cruising Completely Won Us Over

People have asked us since we returned home why we'd choose a small ship over one of the giant cruise liners.

For us, the answer is easy.

A bigger ship would never have visited tiny places like Rab.

We wouldn't have spent warm evenings wandering Split and Korčula after the crowds had disappeared.

The crew probably wouldn't have known our names, let alone our favourite drinks.

And I'm not convinced we would have built the same friendships.

What made this cruise so special wasn't just Croatia. It was the sense that everyone, guests and crew alike, was sharing one adventure together.

There was something wonderfully personal about it all. By the end of the week, it felt less like being on a cruise and more like being part of a little floating community.

For us, that's what made the experience unforgettable.

✨ If We Did It Again...

If we were planning this cruise again tomorrow, here's what we'd tell our best friends.

🛏️ Upgrade your cabin if you can. Our panoramic windows transformed the entire experience and became one of our favourite places onboard.
🗺️ Don't over-plan every port. The included walking tours were excellent for getting your bearings before simply wandering wherever the day took us.
🍝 Eat dinner ashore whenever possible. Some of our favourite meals, and memories, came from tiny local restaurants rather than onboard dining.
⚓ Sit on the bow whenever you're sailing into or out of port. Those quiet sail-away moments became some of our favourite memories.
👋 Introduce yourself on Day One. Everyone is there because they love travel. Be brave, say hello, and you might just leave with lifelong friends.
👟 Pack reef shoes if you love swimming. Many Croatian beaches are rocky rather than sandy.
🌅 Leave room for spontaneity. Some of the best moments of our trip, a wedding in Zadar, an afternoon in Rab, karaoke with strangers, were never on the itinerary.

Once Last Thought

When people ask us about Croatia, they usually expect us to talk about the destinations.

Dubrovnik. Split. Krka National Park. The Sea Organ.

And yes, every one of those places was spectacular. But if we're being completely honest, they aren't the first memories that come to mind. Instead, I think about morning coffees delivered by Ash while another island drifted past our cabin window.

I think about Aperol spritzes on the sun deck. I think about the bartenders who knew our orders before we reached the bar. I think about Nora breaking into song at our farewell dinner. I think about conversations that lasted long after dessert had been cleared away.

And I think about standing on deck as another beautiful Croatian town appeared on the horizon, wondering how somewhere we'd never even heard of could become somewhere we'd never forget.

We boarded the Princess Eleganza hoping to discover Croatia.

What we didn't expect was to discover a wonderful group of people who reminded us exactly why we love travelling.

As we rolled our suitcases down the gangway the following morning, excited for our next adventure in Zagreb, we couldn't help but look back one last time.

Not because we were saying goodbye to a ship.

But because we were saying goodbye to a week that had quietly become one of the most memorable travel experiences we've ever shared.

xx Mish