Cruise Croatia
by Steve Newman
If you haven’t done a cruise to Croatia I have a piece of advice for you, go! I was not sure what to expect but the scenery with over 1000 islands dotted along the coast is simply stunning. Add on to that it’s only a short two and a half hour flight from the UK and exploring the narrow streets of walled cities such as Dubrovnik and Korkula and the charm of small coastal villages make the area an absolute delight.
I joined Cruise Croatia’s MV Wish which with only 36 passengers on board gives you the ambience of a private A lister’s yacht for the 7 night Signature Dalmatian Wonders Cruise from Sibenik to Dubrovnik. Her small size meant we could visit places the bigger cruise ships simply can’t get to and a level of service and intimacy that you simply don’t get in the larger ships, in fact we didn’t see any of these until we docked at Dubrovnik on our last day.
This cruise was constantly throwing surprises at us, our first day for example found us in the Krka National Park. Wooden walkways keep you up above the ground and offer some great views of the hundreds of waterfalls of different sizes that cascade and bubble all around you with some of the larger waterfalls being stunningly beautiful. At the end of our walk we found a group of musicians and dancers who come here every Sunday to dance and sing and keep their traditions alive. The vivid reds and yellows of their traditional costumes contrasting with the greens of the trees and blue of the cloudless sky.
Croatia is full of history everywhere you look from medieval walled cities with their narrow cobbled streets and alleyways to Baroque and Romanesque cathedrals whilst in Split we were given a guided tour of the city’s Old Town, much of it inside the walls of the sprawling Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace which I found to be a fascinating experience.
She may be small but MV Wish comes with a gym, sundeck and a hot tub at the stern. The cabins are well sized and comfortable. Because of her size we were often able to anchor in tiny coves for a swim in the warm turquoise waters. Some of us went snorkelling, paddle boarding or kayaking.
If you’re into beaches you can take the trip to Golden Horn Beach which got its name from the uniquely shaped peninsula that stretches out into the Adriatic. The long pebble beach has mountains above and the crystal clear water makes for some jaw dropping scenery. You need to remember that small boat cruising is at the mercy of the weather and when one day the wind was too strong to anchor our Cruise Director Marco came up with an amazing plan B where we visited an olive farm and press. We were treated to a sumptuous olive oil tasting with bread, local cheeses and wines.
Food on board is very good with breakfast and lunch included and I have to say the crew’s attention to dietary requirements and service was exemplary. Lunch on board was a set meal and a bit heavy but again you could make changes if you asked. There were two evening meals onboard, a Welcome Dinner and The Captain’s Evening, the latter with local entertainment. The other evenings we went to restaurants in the towns where we were berthed to sample the local cuisine. We were given an excellent little restaurant guide covering each port so we could choose the type of food/cuisine we wanted. Most people opted for harbourside tavernas where you could watch the world go by and soak up the sunset as it bathed the walls and boats with that beautiful orange cast.
Food does play an important part in this cruise and when we arrived at Slano on the Peljesac Peninsula on the mainland we travelled a short distance to the small fortified village of Mali Ston, famous for its shellfish.
Boarding a local boat we sailed across the cobalt waters of sea through the oyster and mussel farms to a tiny uninhabited island with a lovely traditional building well shaded from the sun where we learned about oyster and mussel farming and were treated yet again to a tasting session of both with local bread, olive oil and wines.
I have to say the guided yours were very good and you are given radio whisperers so you clearly heard all that was being said. Dubrovnik in particular was extremely well presented with the guide being exceptionally helpful on what to do in your free time afterwards. Incidentally you can top your water bottles in the city as the 15th-century Onofrio fountains still supply public drinking water today.
To sum up then I found this to be an excellent cruise well planned with exceptionally good service at all times. There is only one coffee machine which meant that there was a queue at peak times but in general this was an excellent cruise in a fascinating part of the world and well worth considering.
General Advice
Depending on when your flight lands and when you arrive at the ship you may have up to three hours to wait until your cabin and the ship are ready. Your baggage is taken onboard but you will have to explore the town and get lunch etc. so you will need to bring Euros with you to do this as many restaurants and bars only take cash. Many ATMs in Croatia are individually owned and can charge a high commission. When you withdraw cash from a Croatian ATM, it may offer you a seemingly helpful service: to view the transaction in your home currency rather than in Euros. You should always opt for Euros if given the choice as it avoids the possible commission charges. The ship placed a list in the Reception area of those ATMs which were best to use which we all found very useful. I photographed it on my phone and used this to check which ones were safe to use in the places we visited. Steve was a guest of Cruise Croatia August 2025
Cruise Croatia offers seven-night small-ship cruises from £1,995 per person, including breakfast, lunch, two dinners, private transfers, all excursions and Wi-Fi. Flights are not included. For further information visit https://cruisecroatia.com/ or call +44 (0)208 004 2345.
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