Sitting on a pineapple-shaped floaty, cocktail in my hand, smile on my face, nodding along to the DJ, my other hand trailing alongside me in the Adriatic Sea.

When I think back to the week I spent in Croatia with up in the Air Life, this scene stands out.

I gotta start this out by telling you I've never cruised before. A floating hotel I can't leave when I want to? Never appealed to me. I know, I know - some of y'all love cruises. And maybe one day I'll take that leap. But this cruise-rookie was a lil nervous at the thought of living on a boat with strangers for a week.

I set my natural skepticism aside because I'd vacationed with Up In The Air Life before and it outdid all my expectations. So Croatia... sure why not. One week. A luxury yacht. A country I've never visited before, I'll check it out.

I'm gonna add in another little note here and say as an extroverted-introvert, I shy away from most group trips. People can be so exhausting. The times I do go on group trips, it's because it's an experience I know I will not plan myself. This trip hit all of my criteria.

And now on the good stuff...

The Black Swan

First, we gotta talk about the Yacht. I had to capitalize that because the Black Swan isn't just a yacht, it's an experience. People stared at us in every port we pulled into because the Black Swan was larger and nicer than every other one. It didn't hurt that the yacht was full of beautiful black folks, and in Croatia, I guess they don't see that enough.

Photos from katarina-line.com.

My cabin was beautiful. The bathroom was large, about the size of my bathroom at home. The whole ship was an experience, a hot tub, a jet ski, well-appointed cabins.

Staff

Let's talk a little more about the staff. The Black Swan had two waiters who were also our bartenders and unofficial DJs when the real one wasn't working. The captain and his wife helped us feel safe and at home on their yacht. We had a hostess who helped keep us on schedule and informed us about our daily activities. There was a housekeeper who cleaned our rooms daily, and maybe 3-4 other crew members who helped keep the operation going.

On the Up In The Air Life side, there were four staff members. The staffing ratio was outstanding, as there were about 28 guests on the boat, so you could always find a staff member to help you.

I don't know if it was jetlag or the total relaxation of it all, but I missed breakfast the first two days and came down after the cut-off. Now, if you know anything about me, you know I need to be fed once every 2-3 hours, or it's gonna be Mayhem (like the Allstate commercial).

The second day, one of our waiters asked me if I wanted him to grab me anything from the kitchen because he noticed I missed breakfast. Why yes, yes, I do. He also mentioned he'd put aside a plate for me every day if I told him what I wanted (the kitchen staff provided our breakfast buffet style, with the option to make basic requests ). Every day from then on, no matter what time I rolled into the dining room, the minute he saw me, he would walk to the back grab my plate and bring it out to me. This is what I mean when I say the service was top notch. The staff knew everyone, knew our habits, and catered to us.

Meals

This brings us to the important part..food. You're on a boat for 7 days with all meals provided for you, you want to make sure the food is delicious, right? And it was. During check-in, the hostess confirmed our food sensitivities/allergies to make sure they never served us anything we were allergic to. As someone with a few different food sensitivities, this made me very comfortable.

The ship provided plenty of gluten-free bread and dairy-free options. And they made special meals for people who couldn't eat pork or shellfish. And the meals were delivered by the staff to the right people. And how did they make sure people at the right things? By the second day, all of the crew had everyone's names memorized. Our two waiters knew who had allergies and brought the right meals to everyone. And the food was delicious. Well made meals, from a Croatian chef who made local meals for us to experience.

Now, there were a couple of meals which didn't work for me, but I will admit those were taste preferences. One time I thought the meal, seafood risotto, I believe, was over salted. Another time, the beef was a little tough. But I ate 10-15 meals on the yacht, and there were only two I didn't think were top notch. I think that's a pretty good rate.

Related: Exploring the Riviera Maya with Up In The Air Life

The Itinerary

Once we set sail from Split, every day had a different agenda, but we had a few consistent daily activities. We had at least two meals on the boat each day. The third was typically off the ship during the daily excursion. For meals that were not provided, the UITAL staff members provided us with recommended restaurants near our activities.

Another thing we could count on daily was a swim stop (my favorite part). With the DJ setting the mood, the swim stops were a great time to mingle with the other guests, get off the boat, soak up some Vitamin D, get some work done, or nap.

During the seven days, six-night trip, we sailed to a different Croatian island every day. Sometimes we sailed at night, and some times we sailed during the day, during breakfast or lunch.

My daily goal was to get in the water during each swim stop and to find some gelato. Mission accomplished.

But if you need more activities than this, the planned itinerary had you covered.

The scheduled activities included:

Wine tasting (one off the boat, another on it),
A walking tour of Split,
A Game of Throne tour in Dubrovnik (optional and a separate expense),
A buggy ride through Korcula,
A visit to a national park with kayaking and swimming,
A day party, and
A couple of club nights.

The National Park we visited, and the place I was crowned (by myself) the Kayak Queen.

The planned itinerary even gave us enough time to do our own thing if we wanted to. There was enough time in most towns to do some exploring on your own or take care of any business you needed to.

If you're looking to turn up, this is the trip for you. If you're looking to learn more about Croatia, this is the trip for you. If you're looking to relax in a chill vibe, this is the trip for you.

Find Your Perfect AirBnB in Split, Croatia

Overall Thoughts

Not only was the yacht ultra-luxurious, but the entire trip was well planned and executed. From the first pick up at the airport to the drop-offs, the coordination was bar none.

I'm not trying to oversell this, I'm not. But the itinerary was excellent. And maybe I don't have high standards because I'm not used to spending this much time on a boat (cruise rookie), and I'm pretty independent, so I'm gonna do what I want regardless of what the itinerary says. But everything felt well coordinated.

My favorite planned activity was buggy riding in Korcula. Weaving through the streets of the town, heading away from the port and seeing more of the island, this was a great opportunity to see more of the real Croatia.

My favorite island was also Korcula. It was easy to navigate, with many restaurants close to the pier, and a romantic vibe.

If I could only choose one activity, it would be the swim stops. Swim stops were my shit. Pineapple floaty, a cocktail, and the ocean breeze. That's me. That's all me.

If you're interested in checking out this trip next year or any other one, check out the Up in the Air Life website. And for your first trip, use the code "Roshida" to save some money on your first trip.

Sailing Through Croatia With Up In The Air Life