As this was our first cruise, we had been advised to choose an outside cabin which had natural light coming through 2 portholes in our cabin. (See inside or outside). Once we boarded, we were escorted to our cabin by one of many cabin stewards. Our luggage had not yet arrived so we decided to wander around ship to get our bearings. This is always well worth doing as this also helps to get a feeling for ship and its luxurious surroundings. We had also been advised that we would have to attend a lifeboat drill just after departure that was mandatory.

We wandered back to our cabin to find our luggage had arrived and proceeded to unpack. Yet again my wife managed to take most of wardrobe space, although space in cabins has increased significantly since our first cruise. The cabin also had a TV, and private facilities that were more than adequate.

The ships alarm sounded and we made our way with life jacket to our muster station, generally shown on rear of your cabin door. Once finished, we could sit back and totally relax.

The ship had lots to offer with two swimming pools, a casino with Black Jack and Roulette, a card room, show lounge which also doubled up to give advice on forthcoming ports of call and excursions available, plus a well stocked library.

A misconception of cruising is that it is solely for elderly. This is far from truth with many younger couples and even families on board. There are also clubs and meetings for single travelers.

Our first port of call was La Corunna and we arrived one and a half days after departure. We arrived early in morning which gave us whole day to explore Atlantic City. Others had taken full or half day excursion that are bookable on board. (Prices vary according to content but as a guide £25 for a half day and £45 for a full day excursion.) Our cruise took us on to a number of ports including Lisbon, Cadiz, Casablanca, Tenerife and Madeira.

__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/

1st Cruise Holiday Tip

Once you have decided on your excursions try and book these as early as possible as many are on a limited basis and it is easy to miss out on best excursions.

Though it may sound enticing, online hotel booking has its own set of challenges. An online discount hotel booking web site should provide following basic things:

•Offer real time hotel room booking

•Allow date amendments and cancellations online

•Rates should clearly indicate what currency is being quoted, whether rate is per person or per room, and what is and what is not included in rate, and, if taxes are not included, how much they will be

•The location information of hotel should be listed on hotel description page. This can help identify distance from hotel to certain landmarks or airport

•All information regarding hotel (such as facilities and rates) should be located on each hotel's web page

•Pictures of hotel

•Star quality rating, consumer ratings with consumer reviews

•Does online hotel booking site have a membership program (like http://www.ratestogo.com/membership) that offers reward points and privileges

Checklist before and after you book a hotel room online

If you follow this checklist, you're less likely to have nasty surprises in store for you:

•Have you seen hotel on a map, and do you understand exact location?

•Do you know what rate is, which currency it is quoted in, whether this rate is per person or per room, per night or per complete stay?

•Do you understand standard/quality of hotel?