Completely agree with you on the massive ocean ships, but look into river cruises. I had a few days on the Nile on a small ship and it was the highlight of the

Completely agree with you on the massive ocean ships, but look into river cruises. I had a few days on the Nile on a small ship and it was the highlight of the trip. I definitely got the appeal of sitting on the top deck, reading, seeing the country go by, going through locks, waving to other ships, etc. Completely different experience to the bus we took upriver. Ever since I've wanted to do a nicer version of that in Europe. These are advertised in luxury/design-type magazines and can be quite upscale. Or something like a bike trip where your canal boat hotel room follows you along the route.