String of pearls

I suppose part of the appeal is it's a bit like the lazy man's backpacking - you get to see lots of different places - but with the bonus of travelling in 5-star luxury, without having to keep packing and unpacking.

It's also great for people like me who hate airports, with all the queuing, hassles and security checks involved. Once on board your ship and issued with a personal swipe card, you can embark and disembark in any number of countries with ease.

I'd joined the Boudicca at Venice, together with a small group of journalists, to sample a sector of its Pearls of the Adriatic cruise. The ship had travelled from Dover and had already visited Lisbon, Tunis, Malta, Ancona and Koper in Slovenia, before taking an overnight stop in Venice.

To say things kicked off on a high note is putting it mildly. After settling into our cabins we were soon back on shore ready for an evening of light classical music, set in a spectacular 14th century palazzo.

Walking to the venue, in pouring rain, didn't seem like an auspicious start, but the minute we walked through the door, were greeted by our gracious host (the owner of the house) and handed a chilled Bellini cocktail, I knew I was going to enjoy the evening.

Hearing opera sung joyfully in Italian, in Venice, has to be a highlight for any music lover, even though when they broke into O Sole Mio I half expected a gondolier to appear with the Cornettos!

Walking back to our pick-up point to return to the ship after the concert gave us a chance to admire the exquisite shabby-chic architecture at close quarters and to get a glimpse of everyday life in this beautiful and very civilised city.

And the next morning, when the sun came out, we were back for more of the same. We headed for the famous St Mark's Square, filled as always by pigeons and tourists but still iconic in its grandeur. Even more exciting was tracking down Ernest Hemingway's famous old waterfront haunt, Harry's Bar, home of the Bellini cocktail.

The interior was undramatic but unchanged and highly atmospheric, and we enjoyed the best cappuccinos of our trip here.

After catching a water bus back to our pick-up point for the ship, and sailing out of this fabulous picture-postcard setting, we were able to explore more of the ship.

The Boudicca started life in 1972 as part of the prestigious Royal Viking line - the Rolls Royce of cruise ships at the time. She was extended in the 80s, and since being taken over by Fred Olsen has undergone some major renovations. She certainly looks good for her age, with her gleaming, streamlined bow and elegant lines, and the cabins are spacious and modern, with little touches of luxury such as delicious-smelling Molton Brown toiletries in the en-suite bathrooms.

With the high ratio of staff to passengers (1 to 2) we were looked after superbly, but unobtrusively, throughout our cruise. And the food was absolute heaven. As a rather picky vegetarian I'm quite used to only finding one or two dishes on a menu that I can bear to eat. Here I was constantly spoiled for choice.

It's easy to see how, after a few days on board, you can become a little obsessed with mealtimes, followed by coffee or tea times with accompanying treats of scones or biscuits, but thankfully there were plenty of diversions to keep us in check. These ranged from art classes and wine tastings to Pilates classes and a well-equipped gym.

Unlike some modern cruise ships, there is none of the holiday camp feel, and guests who prefer to sit quietly and read, play cards or just snooze will be left undisturbed, with no annoying tannoy announcements to jolly them along into joining in if they don't feel like it.

On our cruise the majority of guests appeared to fall into the retired' category - it was quite nice to feel, at 50-something, like a mischievous youngster! But there were plenty of activities for the young at heart, starting with walking a mile on deck (five circuits), and ending with dancing in the evenings.

The ship employed a number of dance hosts, distinguishable by their dapper appearance and white patent shoes, so any ladies travelling alone would not be left to sit looking on if they fancied a whirl. We got to know one of them quite well - a charming widower called Frank, who regaled us with tales of shipboard romances that had blossomed over the years. He, however, was scrupulously fair in his attentions, and tried to devote equal time to all his dance partners, making everyone he spoke to feel special - including us!

But a cruise is like several holidays in one, and there were plenty more onshore places to see. These included Dubrovnic in Croatia, which has been miraculously rebuilt following its recent troubles. With its streets of marble and mix of Baroque and Renaissance architecture it really is a "pearl". Here we saw a 14th century monastery, with its original pharmacy and jars of herbal potions, the Rector's Palace with its remarkable collection of artworks (my favourite was a colourful Murano glass chandelier) and the Baroque cathedral with its treasury of gold jewellery and religious relics sitting incongruously alongside a glass-framed hole in one of the walls - a reminder of recent bombardments.

From Dubrovnic we rounded the toe of Italy to pass through the straits of Messina to head back towards Spain. En route, our captain took a slight detour to take us right up to the still-active volcano of Stromboli which rose dramatically out of the sea, its peak covered in smoke. Apparently the island is still inhabited, although residents occasionally have to evacuate if things start to hot up!

After two days at sea we arrived at Cartagena in Spain, where we drove north to see the botanic gardens, El Huerto del Cura, at Elche, famous for its collection of palms and cacti. I must confess I was more interested in its friendly resident cat, who greeted visitors like a gracious host.

As a serious shopaholic I was keen to reach our final destination, Gibraltar, and was up on deck at dawn to watch the famous rock approaching. Once again the captain took a small detour to allow us to get a good look at this spectacular lump of granite rising out of the sea, with its buildings clustered around the base.

Having visited Gibraltar before, I was happy to just indulge in some duty-free shopping during our short stay, but there is so much more to see for newcomers, and I would highly recommend one of the many tours available to the top of the rock, if only to meet the legendery Barbary apes, and appreciate the magnificent views from the top.

Sadly, we were out of time, and after a last bit of sunbathing on deck (where people were swimming in the pool - in November) we left the Boudicca to its onward journey round the Bay of Biscay and back towards Dover, while we took the flight back to Gatwick.

It's not hard to see why people become hooked on cruising - many of our fellow passengers had been coming back year after year. Being cocooned in comfort, your every whim met, while the world comes to you, is a pretty stress-free way to travel, and it was quite a wrench to say goodbye to our elegant home-from-home as we turned and walked away from the quayside.

factfile

Our cruise was a six-night sector of the 21-night Pearls of the Adriatic cruise aboard Fred. Olsen's Boudicca. The cruise departed Dover on October 19 and visited the following ports of call: Lisbon (Portugal), Tunis (Tunisia), Valletta (Malta), Ancona (Italy), Koper (Slovenia), Venice (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Cartagena (Spain) and Gibraltar.

Boudicca has a similar cruise in 2008 departing from Southampton on May 3 for 21 nights. This cruise will visit Lisbon (Portugal), Cadiz (Spain), Valletta (Malta), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Venice (Italy) for an overnight stay, Rijeka (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), Cagliari (Sardinia) and Gibraltar.

The cruise will also traverse the Straits of Messina.

Prices for this cruise (BD054) currently start from £2,120 per person including a 45% discount.

The price is based on two sharing an inside twin cabin and includes all meals and entertainment on board and port taxes.

For information on all Fred. Olsen cruises visit fredolsencruises.co.uk. To book, call Reservations on 01473 742424 or see your local ABTA travel agent. You can also book online.