A first holiday together for two retired ladies and first cruise for us both in Eastern Med in winter.

We were both a bit nervous but very keen to try cruising and duly set out by train from Sheffield to Manchester. We had an early morning flight so stayed overnight in a Travelodge at the airport. It was cheaper to go by train and stay in a hotel  than take a taxi on the day and a much more civilized way to start the holiday. There was a hotel shuttle service from the train to the hotel and then to the airport next morning.

On arrival at Barcelona airport we were met by the cruise rep and escorted to a coach and on to the port. We were amazed by the size of the ship, the Norwegian Jade from the Norwegian Cruise Line and within half an hour of entering the huge entrance area, we were on board the ship. The Jade is huge and we loved her from the start, although being on a budget, we only had an inside cabin, we were fortunate that it was  larger than the normal size, as it had been the last one left.

We only ate in the 'free' restaurants and found the food very much to our liking as there was so much choice. We used the self service cafe when casual or in a rush and the others if we had more time and wanted to dress up a bit more. The Ice Sculpture Buffet and Chocolate Buffet were fantastic.

The activities on board were too numerous to mention but there was something for everyone and boredom was not an option. The history lectures even tied in with the shore excursions.

The entertainment on board was very good with a marvellous full size theatre and varied performers from musicians, singers, dancers, comedians of a very high standard.

The highlights, for us, were the excursions.

 Rome was our first port of call and to finally be escorted to and around Rome and to see the Coliseum, Roman ruins, Vatican City and St Peter's Square was breathtaking.

Athens was our next stop and as we climbed the hill to the Acropolis we were surrounded by magnificent views and the beautiful ruins, it was heavenly.

Izmir in Turkey was next and after being driven through the Turkish countryside we arrived at Ephesus and the ruined Roman city, which was truly awesome. The quality and beauty of the ruins  are stunning. We also called at the Virgin Mary's house which was very moving and on the way back to the ship a carpet factory and cultural museum.  After being thoroughly charmed by Turkey we were escorted back to the Jade.

Egypt was the true purpose of our cruise as I wanted to see the treasures that complimented the ones I had seen in Luxor many years ago. This time, we took the 2 day trip to Cairo and stayed over in a magnificent hotel, as it is a long way from the port of Alexandria. I finally got to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza along with many other wonderful places. Also we spent a lot of time in the Cairo Museum and saw the famous Golden Mask of Tutankhamun along with all the artifacts and beautiful jewels from his tomb. We went to the sound and light show at Giza and it was just magical, I had goose bumps on my arms. I just adore Egypt.  Shopping is such fun too, we ended up buying lots of things we didn't really know that we wanted!  We saw far too many monuments to list, just let me say that we saw everything we ever wanted too and more.

Malta was our last port of call and could have been a let down after Egypt, but it wasn't and we enjoyed our escorted tour and history lesson. It is very pretty and a beautiful harbour to sail into with all the mellow stone of the impressive Bastions of Valletta.

Although the excursions were the main event for us, we really loved the cruising and want to do more! We went on the ship's own trips and they were very expensive, if worth it. To do this, we had to economize  elsewhere, such as alcohol, which was also very expensive and with an added bar tax making it even more so. Also we never used any of the speciality restaurants as these had a surcharge on, but we did not feel the need too. This in no way spoilt our cruise as we were so busy  with everything else we never missed these things.

I can't wait to go on another cruise!

Many more details and prices if needed by anyone.