The Failure Mode Worth Paying to Avoid
Cruise mornings go wrong the same way every time. A family of eight books three separate rides. The cars turn up at different times. Half the party arrives at the terminal with most of the luggage while the rest is still twenty minutes out, and the ship's boarding window does not care. One vehicle removes the entire category of problem. The executive Mercedes Sprinter carries fourteen passengers and fourteen bags, which covers most extended families and nearly every group travelling together — one departure, one arrival, one set of luggage that stays with its owners. It is worth saying that this is not really about luxury. It is about the fact that a cruise has a hard deadline at the front of it, and splitting a group is the single most reliable way to miss one.