Cruise Days 5-8: Hidden Gems, New Friends & Saying Goodbye to the Adriatic
- Mish
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
From quiet mornings wandering medieval streets to listening to music created by the sea itself, the final days of our Croatian cruise reminded us that sometimes the places you never planned to love become the ones you never forget.
There’s a funny moment that seems to happen on every great holiday.
It’s the point where you stop checking what day it is.
The sightseeing becomes less frantic, your suitcase has finally stayed unpacked for more than a night or two, and instead of wondering what comes next, you’re simply enjoying wherever you happen to be.
By the fifth day of our cruise aboard Princess Eleganza, we'd reached exactly that point.
After the excitement of Dubrovnik, the magic of Korčula, lazy afternoons watching the coastline drift past, and one very memorable karaoke night on the back deck, we'd settled into a rhythm that felt surprisingly like... home.
Every morning started the same way.
Without fail, Ash would quietly sneak out of our cabin while I enjoyed a few extra minutes tucked up in bed. A short while later, he'd reappear balancing a hot coffee, somehow managing not to spill a drop despite the gentle movement of the ship.
It's a little ritual we've had at home for years, and I loved that it followed us halfway around the world. Sitting together with that first coffee of the day, watching another stretch of Croatian coastline slide past our panoramic windows, became one of my favourite parts of the cruise.
Sometimes travel isn't about extraordinary moments.
Sometimes it's about ordinary moments in extraordinary places.
Cruise Day 5 - A Quiet Morning in Šibenik
It's safe to say our karaoke efforts the night before had left their mark.
Breakfast was definitely a little quieter than usual.
Nobody looked particularly worse for wear, but there were certainly a few slower walks to the coffee machine and plenty of knowing smiles exchanged across the dining room. Nobody seemed to regret the previous night's dancing though. That's the beauty of being on holiday, you simply order another coffee, laugh about it, and head off to explore another beautiful corner of the world.
Our destination that morning was Šibenik, a city that, if I'm being completely honest, I knew very little about before this cruise.
And that's one of the unexpected joys of travelling this way.
Of course, Croatia's headline acts are Dubrovnik and Split. They're the names everyone recognises, the photos you've seen a hundred times before. But a small ship gives you the chance to discover places that often sit quietly in the background, waiting to surprise you.
Šibenik did exactly that.
The streets were wonderfully peaceful, helped perhaps by the fact that a few of our fellow passengers had decided another hour in bed was a better use of their morning than a walking tour. Their loss, if you ask me.
We wandered through polished stone laneways that twisted between centuries-old buildings, emerging into quiet little squares where locals were just beginning to open cafés for the day. There wasn't the hustle of Dubrovnik or the fashionable buzz of Split. Instead, Šibenik felt comfortable. Relaxed. Like a city completely content with itself.
Then we reached the Cathedral of St. James.
Can I confess something?
After a few weeks travelling through Europe, churches have a habit of blending together.
I know that probably sounds terrible, but every Australian traveller I've spoken to admits the same thing eventually. Every town has another magnificent cathedral, another spectacular bell tower, another impossibly beautiful ceiling. After a while your brain quietly files them all into one very impressive folder labelled European Churches.
But every now and then, one stops you in your tracks. For us, this was that church.
The intricate stone faces carved into the cathedral's exterior immediately caught our attention, each one completely different from the next, one of those details that makes you appreciate not just the beauty of a building, but the people who created it centuries ago.
Then we descended into the baptistery below.
The carved stone ceiling was unlike anything we'd seen before. It felt less like architecture and more like sculpture, every detail carefully crafted by hand. We stood there for a few quiet moments simply looking upwards.
Flights & Feasting Reflection
One of the biggest gifts this cruise gave us was introducing us to places we'd probably never have visited otherwise. Šibenik wasn't on our original Croatia wish list, but it quietly became one of the cities we'll remember.
With only a little free time after the tour, there wasn't enough opportunity to venture too far. Instead, we did what we seem to do remarkably well on holiday.
We found a little outdoor bar.
An Apperol Spritz (beer for Ash), warm sunshine, beautiful surroundings and nowhere particular to be.
Honestly, that's a pretty perfect afternoon.
Before long it was time to wander back to the ship, where another leisurely afternoon of sailing awaited us.
The Joy of Doing... Very Little
If you'd asked me before this trip what we'd spend most of our time doing on a cruise, I probably would have imagined endless activities, games and entertainment.
Instead, one of my favourite discoveries was just how enjoyable it was to... slow down.
Some afternoons we'd head straight for the sun deck, Aperol spritzes in hand, watching Croatia's spectacular coastline slowly unfold around us. Other times we'd retreat to our cabin, stretch out on the bed with the curtains wide open, and watch islands drift silently past while the gentle rocking of the ship inevitably lulled one (or both) of us into an afternoon nap.
It sounds wonderfully uneventful.
Because it was.
And after weeks of moving between flights, buses, trains and hotels, it was exactly what we needed. If there's one thing this cruise taught us, it's that not every minute of a holiday needs to be filled.
Sometimes the memories that stay with you are the quiet ones.
Cruise Day 6 – Zadar Sings You Welcome
By late afternoon, another ancient city began to appear on the horizon.
As Zadar came into view, we made our way out onto the deck, joining the familiar faces we'd come to know over the previous week. There was always something special about arriving somewhere by sea. Watching a city slowly reveal itself feels wonderfully old-fashioned, almost as though you're arriving the way travellers once did centuries ago.
Our included walking tour took us through the heart of the Old Town, where Roman ruins began appearing between cafés, churches and lively public squares.
It was actually the first substantial Roman history we'd encountered on this trip, and it added another fascinating layer to Croatia's already rich story.
Halfway through our walk, we unexpectedly found ourselves stepping aside for a wedding procession.
The bride emerged from one of the old churches to cheers from family and friends, the bells ringing above us while tourists stopped to clap and smile. It was one of those lovely little travel moments you could never plan, but somehow becomes one of the memories that sticks.
Our guide gradually led us towards the waterfront. Long before we reached it, though, we could hear it. At first I wasn't entirely sure what I was listening to. It wasn't music exactly. Nor was it simply the sound of the sea.
It was somewhere in between.
The famous Sea Organ quietly announced itself on the breeze, its haunting notes rising and falling as waves passed through the hidden pipes beneath the stone steps.
Standing there, listening to an instrument played entirely by nature, was unlike anything either of us had experienced before.
And then, just when we thought we'd heard it at its best, the weather decided to put on another show...
To be continued...
xx Mish