Jane Archer has clocked up plenty of great experiences during several decades of cruising but as we find out in this interview, there are still places on her wishlist.
You are an avid cruiser and cruise writer, tell us about your favourite cruising experiences.
Cruising the Mediterranean is brilliant and I love the Baltics. But exotic destinations deliver the most unforgettable experiences; like watching blue-footed boobies engage in a mating dance in the Galápagos Islands, seeing icebergs as big as houses in Greenland and walking through a penguin rookery in Antarctica. You are told to keep a distance from the penguins but no one tells them so they come up to investigate and you can’t move until they waddle off. I will never forget watching the Montgomery Reef emerge from the sea in the Kimberley in Australia, with waterfalls cascading off the rocks and green turtles racing for cover. It’s an optical illusion, of course, actually, the tide is falling (tides there are massive) but it gets my vote as one of the Seven Wondrous Sights of the World if there is such a thing.
Is there anywhere in the world you haven’t been but would love to go?
Two places have been on the top of my hit list for several years and each time I promise I’ll get there, something gets in the way (thanks, Covid)! But I am determined that 2023 will be the year I cruise in Japan (I did actually go there once but flew in, joined a ship and we sailed immediately so it doesn’t count) and also New Zealand. It’s a perfect cruise destination as there’s so much to see on the coast.
Cruising is famed for its hospitality. What can you say about the service you’ve received from crew on board?
It doesn’t matter which line you sail with, the crew are always lovely. Smiling, helpful, providing a service that is efficient but unobtrusive - and how do they remember names? I have even met barmen or waiters who remember me from a cruise a year before, while I struggle to think what I have eaten from one day to the next.
As a writer, how do you find inspiration when putting pen to paper?
I always tour the ships, taking pictures of interiors to remind myself of the decor and layouts to get a feel for the style. But for my articles, especially for an opening paragraph or two, I’m looking for unexpected or quirky happenings. It might be a throw-away line by a guide or talking about the time I found myself zip-wiring over the Boardwalk on a Royal Caribbean ship. It’s more engaging and hopefully, once they start, people will read on.
You’ve been writing for Blue Horizons for many years now, tell us about how cruising has changed over that time.
When I started cruising, fixed seating in the dining room was the norm and speciality restaurants were a novelty and not expected to catch on as you had to pay (usually £8 - £10 if I remember). There were formal nights, stricter dress codes and captain’s tables. Everyone wanted to be on that as it showed how important you were. Personally, I am glad most of that has been swept away and ship life is more relaxed. Some lines did cater for children back then but family cruising hadn’t caught on in the UK. Friends were appalled when I took my daughter on her first cruise aged six. It’s taken time but I think it’s now recognised to be a fantastic holiday for families.
Are there any cruising milestones that stand out for you?
There are so many but if I had to pick one it would be the 2008 launch of Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas, then the largest ship in the world. I’m still in awe of the engineering skill that went into creating it and the sister ships that followed. I had two full days to see and do everything on Oasis - the restaurants, the cabins and suites, the shows, the FlowRider surf park, the rock walls. Phew! It was exhausting but I love every minute of it.
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