When my wife suggested we try cruising, I must admit for a moment I thought that she was looking to try and enhance our love life now that we are both over fifty! Sadly, she simply meant embarking on an adventure with Thomson Cruises and drifting around the Caribbean for a week on what I can only describe is a tardis type vessel or as some call her the "White Lady" So there I was a short time later, drink in hand, enjoying the rather stylish elegance of the Thomson Dream when "Ding Dong" went the ship's tannoy "This is your captain speaking and I would like to tell you an interesting story and later you will sleep like a baby in a cradle" and so this went on, every evening abroad the giant cruise liner as we departed the Caribbean island we had visited each day. As this was our first cruise, this was not something I was expecting, but it turned out to be quite amusing and nice to know our captain has a sense of humor. Mind you sipping a nice rum punch on the upper deck with the hot Carribean sun setting in the distance, I would be happy to listen to my mother in law ranting on about the cost of lamb chops all day.

Each morning after a very comfortable sleep in our spacious cabin we would start the day with a brisk walk around deck nine taking in the fresh sea breeze and views of the beautiful Carribean islands we were visting. Breakfast was generally taken in the Orion restuarant where we were served by a very friendly bunch of waiters, mainly from the Philippines and always happy to accomedate. Fresh fruit, eggs benedict, smoked salmon, the list goes on. There are in fact four restaurants on board, so plenty of options and breakfast can be taken on one of the outside areas if preferred. Whilst there is plenty of choice, we preferred the personal touch of the Orion and it's nice to have so many options. It was the same for lunch and dinner, a choice of five courses. We also liked the afternoon tea served from 3.30pm and the home made scones and sandwiches were lovely.

The evening usually began with a reasonably priced cocktail in the Ocean bar listening to a great live band and dinner was followed by a show in the Broadway theatre and plently more food if you still had some space. Read more