I took a mother-and-son cruise around Croatia – did it provide the bonding time we desperately needed?

It’s day two aboard Unforgettable Croatia’s MV Aretis luxury yacht and my mum has already broken one of the golden rules of cruising: don’t talk about politics. It’s the first of a few frowns I will express on a seven-night sailing around Croatia’s Dalmatian coast as I wonder if a son and mum trip can work.

Mother and daughter holidays are a regular travel trend, but you don’t see as much about sons taking their mums away. I’m often told that my brother and I don’t ring my mum enough (or at all), while my sister speaks with her almost everyday. So as we sat in the Main Salon bar and restaurant of the beautiful MV Aretis with new American friends and I try to steer the conversation away from Donald Trump, I am finally getting credit for spending time with my mother.

At age 42, I grew out of holidays with my mum Naomi decades ago in favour of trips with my wife and kids. In fact, the only cruise I have been on with my mother was as a 10-year old on a P&O Cruises Mediterranean sailing. My main memory of our first cruise together was plates flying off shelves in the buffet hall as we struggled over the stormy Bay of Biscay.

Unlike our first cruise together, this time we were promised clear waters in the Adriatic as we embarked on MV Aretis in sunny Split.

I quickly discovered that when it comes to holiday habits, it is more nature than nurture, and that differences have emerged in the intervening 30 years or so. It turns out she will happily stand in a queue to check in at the airport rather than waiting for the crowds to reduce. But I did admire her advice on ordering two bottles of wine during a flight so you are well-stocked on arrival.

With a capacity of 36 guests, this was a cruise where we could socialise or simply spend time with one another – or a combination of the two.

Read more: The items you do and don’t need on a cruise

We shared the 172-square-foot master Pearl cabin – the largest cabin on the yacht – which provides amazing 180 degree views out to the bow of the ship. The windows let in plenty of Croatian sun and gave us the same view as the captain. It was first room I have shared with my mum for decades. There was enough space to have our own sides, with a soft seating area across the front of the cabin divided by a TV.

More differences in our holiday styles emerged as she unpacked and neatly piled her clothes in the walk-in-wardrobe while I simply moved my packing pods from my suitcase to the shelves. His and hers sinks meant we could have our own space in the bathroom, although a miscommunication on the first night meant we may have shared the same towel.

A welcome dinner on the first night quickly brought guests together as we exchanged stories of our travels to the ship and the medieval surroundings we discovered in Split. By the main course, my mum was proudly sharing her Perth roots with fellow Australian passengers and splitting wine with Americans and Canadians.

Unforgettable Croatia usually provides breakfast and lunch, but the ship stays in port overnight to encourage guests to venture into destinations to sample the local culinary delights.

The small ship size meant we could spend the day touring, come back to change and then venture out for dinner. This provided more time to explore destinations that larger cruise ships often can’t reach or have limited time to visit. I had a delicious salt-based sea bass among the Venetian architecture of Trogir’s Unesco-listed old town; a lavender-infused tiramisu in Hvar; and enjoyed the fruity and refreshing locally produced Grk white wine in Korcula.

There were opportunities to bond on land as well as on the ship, and I convinced my mum that she wasn’t too old for an e-scooter tour around the island of Vis. It was a great way to zip around the settings of Mamma Mia 2 and to travel into the hills. We also visited the 200-year Old Fort George where the reward was a bar with Croatian beer and breathtaking views of the Adriatic.

Most of our days started with a swim stop where the captain located a secluded bay and passengers were invited to jump from the back of the ship into the refreshing clear-blue sea below to swim, snorkel or float on a range of lilos and paddleboards. This is where the passenger camaraderie really developed.

I felt like a 10-year-old again as I floated on a unicorn lilo and tried to balance on a paddleboard – much to the amusement of an actual 10-year-old Australian girl who was a natural and couldn’t understand why I kept falling off.

A few days in, my mum had mastered standing on a paddleboard and I could balance on my knees and stand for around four seconds to a rapturous applause from her and other passengers, who had previously been strangers but were now just as invested in my core strength.

This provided plenty to talk about back in the ship’s bar each evening as guests discussed swim stop achievements and their daytime activities over a post-dinner drink, and we danced like old friends to Abba songs during the captain’s night dinner.

It was as if I travelled with my mum and came home with 34 new family members. I will try to call them regularly – or at least aim to pick up the phone more to my mum.

Marc travelled as a guest of Unforgettable Croatia.

A seven-night Croatia cruise with Unforgettable Croatia from Split to Dubrovnik starts from £1,765 per person. This includes transfers, tours, breakfast, lunch, two dinners and wifi.