I travel often, but just took my first luxury cruise. The food was great, and it was easy to relax, but there was 1 unexpected drawback.

The author went on her first cruise at 49.

Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin Though I travel often, I had never been on a cruise.

I had misconceptions about this popular way of travel.

All that changed when my husband and I went on a luxury cruise for my 49th birthday.

Even as a seasoned traveler , it took me nearly five decades to get on a cruise ship at all.

I had never been particularly curious about cruising and had some pretty unflattering ideas about what it involved: heaping buffets of dubious food, brightly colored drinks, crowded decks, and a style of travel that seemed much too packaged for me.

Then, this summer, I spent nine nights traveling through Northern Europe and discovered that much of what I thought I knew about cruising was wrong.

My husband and I went on a cruise for my 49th birthday.

The author realized she had some misconceptions about cruises.

Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin My husband and I sailed aboard Crystal Serenity from Southampton to Copenhagen, a voyage on which I would celebrate my 49th birthday.

And this was admittedly a very cushy introduction: I stayed in a Sapphire Veranda Suite with a walk-in closet, veranda, and butler service.

So I'm certainly not suggesting my experience represents every cruise.

But as someone who typically takes complicated, high-effort trips, I found these were the things that surprised me most about my first one.

I couldn't believe how easy everything was.