A ship with a trip that ticked all the boxes

“The thing about this ship,” says Alan, pausing for a brief chug on his bottle of Peroni, “is that everything is just right for us. That's why this is our tenth time with Marella Cruises, and the last four being on Discovery 2*.” (asterisk to be explained)

- BY DEAN MELLOR

We've just embarked at Limassol, Cyprus, on the Discovery 2's Aegean Delights itinerary, and I've just struck up a conversation with my Aberdonian pool deck sunbed neighbour, gauging his opinion of this 70,000 tonner.

Later at the pool bar, a chat with Coventry cruiser Peter, a five-time Discovery 2 stalwart, goes along similar lines, and it doesn't take me too long to see what they're getting at.

I've been on quite a few cruise ships in my time, some wondrous in size, and each with their own areas of excellence, but this particular vessel seems to tick all the boxes for me.

For a start, while still no minnow among the world's ocean cruisers, it's no massive bewildering behemoth either. With 918 cabins it's big enough to encompass many different bars, places and restaurants, yet still easy to find your bearings very quickly.