From One Cruise to Two: How I Got Addicted to Back-to-Back Sailing

I still remember the exact moment I decided to book a second cruise before even disembarking from my first one. I was standing on the Promenade Deck of the MSC Seashore, watching the sunset paint the Mediterranean in shades of orange and pink, when my travel buddy Sarah turned to me and said, "We could just... stay, you know?" I laughed at her. Thirty seconds later, I was pulling out my phone to check availability for a back-to-back sailing. That was two years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I've done four back-to-back cruises now, and I genuinely don't know how I'll ever go back to regular vacationing. Let me tell you why this style of cruising has completely ruined me for any other kind of travel. First, let me set the scene for what happened on that first voyage. My husband and I had booked a seven-day Western Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona. We'd done a couple of cruises before—quick Caribbean runs, mostly—but nothing quite prepared us for how different the Seashore felt. This ship is relatively new to the MSC fleet, and it shows. The modern design, the way the restaurants flow into each other, the natural light streaming through the massive windows—everything fel…