As a Londoner, I am not expecting to be impressed by sailing the River Thames at night. But the view of shimmering architecture, riverbanks festooned with lights and Tower Bridge outlined in neon is enchanting. I feel a surge of pride.
The ship casts off and heads for the bridge as the roadway begins to lift. “Oh fabulous! This is what I came from Florida to see,” says Lori, 72, a solo cruise passenger.
It is 11pm and I am on the 312-passenger Star Pride, one of US cruise line Windstar’s small ships. This three-night voyage to Ostend and Antwerp is my first ocean cruise.
There is an added perk: cruises departing from the UK to the Continent are generally exempt from the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, so I avoid the queues elsewhere.
The pool on a Windstar ship (Photo: Michel Verdure/Windstar)
