Who wouldn’t want to spend a week sailing along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast? It’s arguably the best way to explore a country dotted with more than 700 picturesque islands and 3,626 miles of coastline jutting out into the sparkling Adriatic. Ready for a girls’ trip for the ages, my best friend and I flew into Dubrovnik, rode a few hours to the embarkation town of Šibenik and boarded the 36-passenger MS My Wish, one of seven ships in Unforgettable Travel Company’s fleet.

The ship is outfitted with 18 cabins; ours was one of the 10 on the upper deck with a large balcony (the remaining eight on the lower deck have portholes). While we could enjoy the balcony while navigating to our next destination (which often happened at night), the popularity of these yachts especially during the busy summer season often means they’re stacked several deep at port — opening our window shade sometimes gave us a startling up-close-and-personal view of our neighbors. Deboarding during busy times often involves traipsing through a handful of other boats before getting to the dock, which is actually kind of fun to see how the others are decked out.

© Kelly Magyarics

A covered lower deck adjacent to the dining room was the perfect spot to take a morning espresso; upstairs, its sun-soaked counterpart was set up with deck chairs, as well as a hot tub and small fitness center. The ship’s size and the nature of these types of itineraries mean there aren’t too many diversions on board, and that’s by design, as most of the fun happens once you’re ashore. The overwhelming exception to this is the daily swim stops, when Captain Ante would find a calm cove or other spot in which to dock; these became one of our highlights of the cruise. Staff set out noodles, kayaks and floats; our cruise director delivered trays of tropical cocktails to us right in the water; Rebecca and I ordered glasses of Plavac Mali rosé to sip while we floated the morning away.

© Kelly Magyarics

Each day brought a new island or locale, which always included an onshore excursion or tour. We hiked through the waterfalls and vistas of Krka National Park; toured Diocletian’s Palace in Split; and sunbathed on famous Zlatni Rat Beach on Brač, whose size and shape changes due to the tides, wind and current. On Ston, we boarded a boat and cruised through the floating oyster farms, then learned about aquaculture while slurping freshly shucked bivalves, tucking into garlicky mussels and washing it all down with crisp white Posip, another local variety. Our favorite stop was Korčula, where we strolled along the cobblestoned streets, dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant at a table overlooking the panoramic vista of the sea at dusk and bought bracelets crafted from vibrant local red coral.

© Kelly Magyarics

MS Wish’s intimate size also means plans can be rearranged on a dime. When rougher than normal surf (relatively speaking for the Adriatic) prevented swimming one day, our cruise director Marko arranged an alternate tour and tasting at a traditional olive oil factory. Try pivoting like that to Plan B on a massive cruise ship. You can also pop in for a tour of the bridge.

Meals onboard are taken in the dining room at four large tables, a convivial setup that allowed us to truly get to know the other passengers. Though it skewed toward couples, the welcoming vibe and ease of this itinerary definitely suits itself to a friends’ trip (like ours) or even solo travel.

Breakfast is buffet-style, with made-to-order eggs, and lunch is either buffet or à la carte, and may include local specialties like sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls) or sea bream en papillote. A welcome dinner and captain’s farewell dinner are included; other dinners are on your own. We found there to be generally ample time in port for dinner, shopping and walking around, and staff can assist with recommendations and reservations.

© Kelly Magyarics

Local wine or beer is included with lunch and dinner; other options can be added onto a tab. Croatia has a huge winemaking tradition that’s just getting noticed by the rest of the world, and it was so exciting to have the option of sampling many local wines onboard.

On our last full day, we sailed to Dubrovnik, the so-called Pearl of the Adriatic, where we had one final swim stop before touring the old city, indulging in a flight at a buzzy new wine bar and toasting with sparkling Posip over succulent Adriatic lobster tail. By that point, we were already planning a return trip, as this style of travel really is the perfect introduction to a truly magical Mediterranean destination.

MS My Wish Cruise

Unforgettable Travel Company