My cruise with lifelong friends was all White Lotus luxury with none of the drama

The latest season of The White Lotus put female friendship firmly in the spotlight. And, as the show revealed, there’s nothing like a holiday with lifelong friends, as Vickie Maye discovered on a dream all-inclusive cruise

We booked our trip with Sunway, opting for Norwegian Cruise Lines. The 18-deck Viva is a classy, upmarket vessel.

The most recent season of The White Lotus brought female friendships to the fore. Some commentators focused on the trio’s troubled dynamics, others centred on the positive resolution — their lifelong bond would withstand all.

I focused on another element all together: their sun-soaked all-inclusive getaway.

Approaching a birthday milestone with my two school friends, we wanted our own exotic holiday. No dinners to cook, play dates to arrange, school drops to coordinate.

Laurie, Jaclyn and Kate in The White Lotus.

The trio on The White Lotus chose a Thai resort. My school friends and I opted for something a little closer to home — but just as luxurious.

Our getaway would take in the Greek islands of Mykonos, Santorini, and Rhodes, with an overnight stop in my dream destination, Istanbul.

And we would do it all from the five-star comfort of a cruise ship.

For those who recoil at the thought of a holiday at sea, it’s time to rethink the cruise stereotypes.

It’s not a holiday for retirees (our ship had people of all ages and demographics), nor is it tacky. Sure there are pool parties, but you can choose to ignore it all and while away an afternoon on a quieter outdoor deck.

A quiet outdoor deck on the 18-deck Viva vessel

We booked our trip with Sunway, opting for Norwegian Cruise Lines. The 18-deck Viva is a classy, upmarket vessel.

Deck eight was our go-to on board. Stunning infinity pools to cool down in, with sun beds and outdoor seating as luxurious as any five-star hotel. We opted for the all-inclusive option, so afternoon cocktails at the pool bar became part of a welcome routine.

There’s an all-day lavish buffet on deck 17, or you can choose table service at Indulge on the eighth floor.

An Infinity pool on the Viva vessel

Our €1,500 package also included the option to eat at three speciality restaurants — our highlight was the seafood dining at Pomador.

Our once-in-a-lifetime holiday didn’t come cheap, and took saving and planning, but we felt reassured that Sunway had found us the very best deal. And on an all-inclusive option, that cost was our only outlay.

For kids, deck 18 has three daredevil rides — The Drop is all you’d expect, and more. Incredibly, there’s even a karting track.

Our package didn’t include spa treatments, but I was just as content with my morning runs in the ship’s state-of-the-art gym. If Broadway’s your thing, there are musicals at Viva theatre - we had Beetlejuice The Musical on the programme. The night time entertainment can be the cruise stereotype — or you could, like us, head upstairs to the classy Observatory lounge for after dinner drinks.

Viva was so vast we realised guests can tailor their cruise holiday to be anything they’d like it to be.

Vickie Maye: Viva was so vast we realised guests can tailor their cruise holiday to be anything they’d like it to be.

My highlight though was pulling open the curtains each morning to a different view, and with it, a new destination to explore.

On day one we explored the cobblestoned villages of beautiful Santorini with its white-washed buildings and sky blue roofs.

A word of warning — with towns heaving with tourists, we had to abandon the weaving queues for the cable car and walked the arduous 500 steps back to port. Not for the faint hearted.

Our stop at Ephesus the next day was another highlight — we opted for an NCL tour to really absorb the history.

Louise Dunne, Karen Hough and Vickie Maye on their trip of a lifetime

Day three was the one I’d been waiting for.

Long on my bucket list, Istanbul lived up to expectations. We toured the historic sites, from the iconic Blue Mosque to ancient Byzantine palaces at Hagia, bought souvenirs at the Grand Bazaar and watched the sunset from a rooftop restaurant under the Bosphorus Bridge.

The next day we caught the water ferry to the Asian side of the city, and stopped for Turkish coffee in one of Istanbul’s cool cafes.

We said goodbye to Turkey, and returned to Greece for day trips to Mykonos and Rhodes. We explored these stunning islands each morning, returning to the ship each afternoon to deck eight for sunshine, laughter, and afternoon cocktails.

We spent the week reminiscing on four decades of memories together, while building more for the years ahead – all without a trace of White Lotus controversy.