Sitting on the top deck of the Norwegian Epic, with the sun on my shoulders and a cool drink in my hand, I felt thoroughly relaxed.

Earlier that day I had set off from Gatwick to Barcelona and now, just a few hours later, I was on board a majestic ship.

I’ll be honest; I am not a natural cruiser. I have never aspired to spend days at sea and prefer exploring to sitting and chilling out.

But I surprised myself and actually really liked it, once I’d got to grips with the ship’s confusing maze of corridors and understood the concept that everything you need really is on the ship – it is like a giant, luxury hotel.

I joined most of the ship’s children and enjoyed hours of fun in the water park, which equalled similar smaller parks I have been to in Greece and France.

Not for wimps, it is exhilirating swishing down a slide miles out at sea while on the top deck of a ship.

There was also a pool, five hot tubs (I tried them all out) and numerous water features.

If that was not active enough, there was a bowling alley on board, numerous clubs and even a climbing wall – make sure you bring shoes and socks.

The more active among the group attended the ship’s on-board gym which was also very impressive.

You might need to pay a visit there considering how much food and drink there is to eat on board.

The ship has 22 restaurants and buffets. A number of them are complimentary whereas others have a cover charge.

I ate every day in the huge buffet which covered the size of a warehouse.

Like fish? Well you could have smoked, boiled, fresh, raw... anything really.

There were scores of different types of cakes and people could choose curry, Chinese – really anything.

It was amazing and I have never seen anything like it.

The a la carte restaurants created a myriad of dishes ranging from lobster to beef to mussels. We had a tour of the kitchens (very clean) and it was impressive how organised everything was. Even the restaurants you did not pay extra for were some of the best I have eaten in.

But there were also speciality restaurants, including La Petit Bistro, which specialised in French cuisine, and a Japanese restaurant where the chefs prepared the food in front of you – quite spectacular.

What was also spectacular was the onboard entertainment. We went to watch the Blue Men group, as mad as it was good.

There’s not much you can say about it unless you’ve seen it, but the audience were rolling in their seats as the Blue Men – quite literally men dressed up in blue – mimed and messed about on stage.

We also visited an ice bar on board and drank frozen cocktails from glasses made of ice while wrapped up in woolly cloaks.

Paying a bit extra for an afternoon in the ship’s spa is a must – there is nothing like sitting in a sauna in a bikini looking out of a full- length window and seeing the Mediterranean.

The spa had heated seats, fruit-infusion tea, steam rooms, a number of spas and a gorgeous pool with massage areas – it was heaven.

But of course the point of a cruise is to see a lot of places in a short period of time.

We stopped at Naples where we visited nearby Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius and Rome.

The ship hosted a day-long tour to the lost city of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius – which was brilliant.

A guide took us around Pompeii while we got a bus to a point in Vesuvius and walked the rest.

I headed out to Rome on my own, having been there a number of times and knowing the city well.

There is almost too much to see there but if you have just a few hours make sure you visit the Trevi Fountain and nearby Spanish Steps before heading across on the Metro to the Colosseum and Forum.

Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain and you will come back, or so it is claimed.

You might even be lucky enough to visit via a cruise ship – and if you are very lucky, the Norwegian Epic.

  • Norwegian Epic will sail a three-night fly-cruise itinerary on May 8 2014. Travelling: Fly UK/Barcelona (Spain) – Marseille (Provence, France) – Palma (Majorca, Spain) – Barcelona (Spain)/Fly UK. Prices from £563 per person based on two people sharing an inside stateroom and flying from London Heathrow
  • Norwegian Epic will sail a seven-night fly-cruise itinerary on various dates between 11 May and 19 October 2014. Travelling: Fly UK/Barcelona (Spain) – Day at sea – Naples (Pompeii, Italy) – Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) – Livorno (Florence/Pisa, Italy) – Cannes (France) – Palma (Majorca, Spain) – Barcelona (Spain)/ Fly UK. Prices from £903 per person based on two people sharing an inside stateroom and flying from London Heathrow on September 28 2014
  • Price includes most meals and entertainment, economy return flights, all overseas transfers and Government fees and taxes
  • Norwegian Epic cruises are run by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). For more information, visit www.ncl.com