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If you’re new to cruising then a short 4 night fly cruise is an ideal way to test the water, so to speak.

Navigator of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Voyager Class of ships, at 138,000 tons, 311 meters in length, with a speed of 22 knots and passenger capacity of 3114, it’s big but by no means the biggest of their ships.

Our balcony stateroom had ceiling to floor windows which opened out onto the balcony, with views of a new destination each day. It was also really nice to sit out on the balcony and enjoy breakfast or a midnight feast.

The first port of call was Villefranche; the gateway for visiting Nice and Monaco. The views of the bay around Villefranche from our balcony were stunning, but I decided to stay onboard and explore the ship.

First off there are early morning stretch classes I even had the trainer all to myself. Bear in mind the ships itinerary and passenger nationality dictate the use of the gym. Americans use it early in the morning, Europeans later in the day. Strange but true! On port days the Spa offered special $99 packages, so I booked in for the 1 hour treatment which combined a facial, back & scalp massage – Absolute bliss - it was the longest hour I can remember. I can highly recommend it, but book appointments in advance as they get booked up quickly especially on days at sea.

Sports wise we found swimming pools, a rock climbing wall – yes I even gave this a try, I’ll own up and say I didn’t get to the top though. There’s a 9 hole crazy golf course, a sports court, an in-line skate track, a jogging track marked out around deck 12 and an ice rink– I gave the ice skating a bash too and even have the DVD to prove it.

Activities onboard are endless from sports competitions, demonstrations, health/fitness seminars to bingo, trivia & childrens activity clubs. It’s all there for you and you can choose to do as much or as little as you wish.

The entertainment onboard is out of this world, with West End and Broadway style productions in the theatre and even a Dancing on Ice Show, the performances were truly amazing. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for some of the Karaoke performers but they gave us a good laugh all the same. For something low key there is the piano bar and if you want a good sing along then the Poets Pub on the Royal Promenade is the place to be. If you fancy your luck Las Vegas style there’s always the casino with slot machines, roulette and poker tables. My dollars disappeared quickly so I cut my losses and headed off to the Dungeon nightclub to dance the night away.

Our second port of call was Ibiza, it was an overnight stop, perfect to hit the nightclubs of Ibiza! I passed on that as the weather wasn’t too kind and after a stroll around the narrow streets with tavernas, quaint little shops with flowers in bloom I headed back to the ship.

The food on board was out of this world. With the choice of waiter service in the main restaurant to the vast selection of food on display in the Jade & Windjammer Café buffet. In addition there are three speciality restaurants, Portofino which offers an intimate Italian dining experience and Chops Grille with the best steaks on the high seas. If you fancy a burger, fries, onion rings & a milk shake look no further than Johnny Rockets - the famous American retro style diner. There’s a jukebox on every table and the servers sing and dance too; it’s a fun place to dine. A cover charge is payable to dine at these restaurants. No matter what time of day hunger strikes there’s food to be had. Room service operates 24 hours a day and even at midnight the food arrived within 10 minutes - great service! Snacks are available 24 hours a day at Café promenade, the pizza slices they serve are to die for especially at the end of a late night! Not forgetting Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, there’s a nominal charge for this premium brand ice cream but the chocolate chip cookie dough is worth every cent.

I was rather sad to leave the ship in Barcelona but I’m sure it won’t be long before I step back onboard.