I have to start by saying that Mum did a superb job picking this particular cruise. Not only is it quality onboard (a fact that has been consistently confirmed by other long time cruisers who, unlike us, have the ability to compare) but the ports are all fascinating and in parts of the world I wasn't expecting to see. Note that I didn't pay much attention to the itinerary prior to departure.

We've been to Dubrovnick (Croatia), Corfu (Greece), Alexandria (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Kusadasi (Turkey), and today I'm sitting in Odessa (Ukraine). Tomorrow our final port is Varna (Bulgaria) before we arrive in Athens.

The only drama was that the authorities wouldn't let us disembark at Constanta (Romania) because we didn't have the necessary Visas (which we were told we didn't need at home).

My favourite was Alexandria (below). The cruise guide described it as a 'demented ant hill' before we arrived so we had prepared ourselves for the worst. However, we found an excellent driver, Mohammed (above), who took as around for the day. People, in general, were incredibly friendly and passersby regularly said 'welcome to Alexandria!' We stopped for a beer mid-morning and the owner asked me (out the back, not in front of Mum) if I would like to smoke Hash... I reluctantly declined due to the time of day and proximity of family.

Onboard Mum and Michael were invited to meet the captain last night. Mum went line dancing the night before in the night club, and Michael went (out of curiosity) to the friend's of Bill W meeting which takes place everyday. Unknown to us that is code for an AA meeting... no comment.

12 people caught a bug in Cairo and have been isolated - cruiseships are so paranoid about bugs - these people will never be seen again. We've been to shows every night and I've been in the cinema (Geisha, North Country) a few times.

But really, if I could only make one comment it is about the food. It never ends. We tend to go to the formal dining room for breakfast, lunch, dinner and while I held back for the first 3 days (for health and figure purposes) I have now embraced glutony.