I wish I’d known… What to pack, instead of just taking everything. The ship is kept at a pleasant temperature, so casual daywear of t-shirt with shorts, light trousers or cutoffs, with sandals or flipflops is perfect, with a jacket or fleece to go out on deck is fine at this time of year. Shore excursions need comfortable walking shoes and a light mac in case of showers – or torrential rain in Rome – with shoulders and legs covered to enter churches or museums.

We had no idea what to expect from life on board Arcadia during the day – would it be like a holiday camp with hi-de-hi nonstop activities? Would it be boring at sea, with nothing to do but stare at the ocean all day? What should we wear – is it too hot/ too cold? Would we enjoy the food, would we be able to get a cup of tea or coffee when we fancied one? I packed to cover all eventualities – lots of books, magazines and puzzle books, plus my laptop loaded with computer games. It turned out that a cruise is exactly what you want it to be – If you want to spend time alone, reading or thinking, there are plenty of secluded chairs and loungers, both inside or outside in a sheltered spot. Equally, if you want to spend every minute being active, there is a fantastic gym with wonderful views out over the sea

My husband had warned me that he would probably be very bad tempered all day – he hates travelling, hates hassle and REALLY hates queues. After an hour’s taxi journey to Southampton, we arrived at the well sign posted terminal. As we drew up to the kerb, a porter materialised to whisk our cases away. We were directed up an escalator to a comfortable sitting area and given cards with the letter H. There were racks of free magazines, and tea and coffee available, but we didn’t have much time to appreciate it all, as ‘everyone with boarding cards H please go to the desks’ was called. Within half an hour of arriving at the terminal, we had checked in, been through security, boarded, and were sitting up in the dining area drinking coffee and looking out at the activity on the docks 9 floors below us. No stress, no hassle, above all no bad tempered husband. To anyone used to airport procedures, this was a complete revelation!

This year, my husband and I took the plunge (almost literally!) and booked our first ever cruise. We had been talking about it for ages, when a mailing dropped through the door in May, offering a tour round the Arcadia and lunch for £20 a person. About 100 of us were shown all over the ship, during the 4 hours or so between one lot of passengers disembarking and the next lot boarding. We saw all the various grades of cabin, plus the public areas such as the theatre, library, swimming pools and bars, followed by a silver service lunch. The tour lasted about 3½ hours, and answered lots of our questions about the ship, and we were then given a voucher for additional on board spend if we eventually booked a cruise.

Last year, for mother’s day, I treated my mum to a weekend away. She cashed it in June. Poppy, my Cockapoo puppy of just 6 months, came along for the ride.

This is the first holiday I booked with my dog, and so we started slowly. There are many websites around for dog-friendly holidays, holiday cottages, B&Bs etc. What the accommodations don’t tell you is that there is often a restriction on the Number – or type – of dog(s) that you are permitted to take with you.

After a year of hard work and few breaks, Poppy (my 10-month old Puppy) and I decided to have a week away between Christmas and new year. Unlike the Marloes holiday last June, we decided to do this just a few days before departure.