'I was wrong': Confessions of a first-time cruiser

Jobbe was adamant. He was delivering me both entrée options.

All I had done was politely ask the attentive Manfredi's waiter for a recommendation on the entrée - chilled tomato soup or steak tartare?

For the record, both were wonderfully tasty. As was my main (perfectly cooked steak) and dessert of tiramisu, plus meals in all seven of the ship's dining options. And wine steward Tendai was one of the best sommeliers I have met, as sharp as the fancy knives in the slick kitchen.

I'd never been so over serviced, in a really good way.

Nothing was too much trouble for the genuinely friendly staff on this Viking Orion cruise, my first.

And now I was feeling sheepish.

Like many, I had been a bit snobby about cruising. Floating nursing homes, or petri dishes, with hyperbolic ship names and for people with no real travelling heart or adventurous spirit. Some of my girlfriends had booked a cruise for schoolies week; many years later, I was still reeling from their stories of misogyny and debauchery.

I was wrong. Or, more possibly, things had changed in the cruising world.

These days, there's a cruise for all types of travellers, from big party cruise ships to intimate, highly curated experiences perhaps more suited for couples. Cruises go on rivers and through oceans, sometimes tucking into exclusive ports often inaccessible to land travellers. There are budget-friendly cruise lines and super-duper luxury lines: think premium suites with personal butlers, chefs and masseuses, private cellars, board rooms and libraries (and even saunas on the Viking ship), fresh flowers and fine art and furnishings.

Socially, guests can have a lot or very little interaction with other humans - there's stacks of choice. And the guests are from all walks of life.

On our cruise, there were elderly people, for sure. But there were also young-ish singles taking a break from work, multi-generations (though no kids on this cruise, lovely!), couples who had booked a last-minute getaway. And girly groups, like me and my lovely neighbour, Laura, travelling from Cairns to Darwin for a little mini-break from the family.

As cruising novices, we had no idea what to expect. But if we hated everything, we figured we could just hole up in our room and play cards.

We loved it.

The food, the activities, yes - even the people.

We met Glenn, a fun swim coach from Townsville, taking a few days to wind down after a busy year. Another man, Tom, had mobility issues - and bounced from cruise to cruise for about the same financial outlay as aged care, but much more pleasure, his carer told me. There were people combining working from their ocean-side balcony with some R&R, or getting their daily exercise on the top-deck walking course, or taking the opportunity to work on their book or new business idea. Sandra had come all the way from Canada - with a whopping 11 days at sea - and gave us a long list of tips.

On her advice, we signed up to the bridge club - with a bunch of hilarious and oh-so-cheeky oldies - by the end of the cruise, we'd resolved to start our own club at home.

We ate, drank, were pampered, attended lectures about fascinating topics - from shipwrecks (!) to astronomy to the history of Vikings. We swam at sunrise, the pool all to ourselves; played mini golf on the top deck; ran on the treadmills, with the ocean rushing by out the window; took a yoga class, and - a huge highlight - jumped from snow room to sauna at the wonderful Viking-inspired spa.

Each day, we received a copy of Viking News, the ship's newsletter, with scheduled activities and events. The options seemed overwhelming - movies, dance lessons, aqua aerobics, trivia, wine and bourbon tastings, arts and crafts, seminars and lectures, live cooking demonstrations and classes, comedy acts, musical performances and other shows - and we still had to slot in time for feasting and sunbathing. There was so much to do, we almost forgot the port tours - in our case, Thursday Island and Darwin - but they were so well planned, we were glad we dragged ourselves away from the shuffleboard.

Despite the FOMO-inducing number of options, our taste of cruising was a truly restorative, energising and myth-busting adventure.

I finally understood why so many travellers have embraced the idea of cruising as an efficient and engaging way to see the world - most cruise lines report huge bookings growth year on year.

Laura and I are certified, committed cruisers - next time, we may even go a little further afield. The Med is looking pretty good.

But we never did start that bridge club.

The writer was a guest of Viking, see vikingcruises.com.au

THE SHIP: Viking Orion

THE SIZE: 464 cabins, 930 guests, 227 metres long

GOOD TO KNOW: More intimate and agile than many other cruise lines, the Viking Orion is for travellers wanting to spoil their minds and bodies, with an oversize hot and cold spa, quality restaurants and an innovative lecture series. Plus, no kids!

GET ON BOARD: Loads of itineraries to choose from; think the triple A's of Australia, Asia and Alaska. Eleven-day journeys start from $6695 per person.