On May 22nd 2016, the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International's 227,000 tonne Harmony of the Seas will depart Southampton on her maiden voyage. I'm lucky enough to be on board for the 4 night cruise and will be joined by our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment and our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey from Cruise Capital.

This will be my first cruise with Royal Caribbean International as well as Gavin's. Our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan however has cruised aboard a number of their ships in the past. I really can't wait to experience first hand what Royal Caribbean International has to offer and what better way to do so than on their newest and largest ship!

The 4 night cruise departs Southampton on 22 May 2016. The following day we will be spent at sea, before calling into Rotterdam in the Netherlands. We will have another day at sea on the return to Southampton, hopefully giving us plenty of time to explore the ship and try out just some of the almost endless features and amenities on board.

​Of course first on on our to-do list has to be the 10 deck high Ultimate Abyss slide. I'm also keen to try out the three water slides and the zip-line over Boardwalk. Perhaps I won't be so keen when I'm up there looking down!

There's so much more on offer, such as the ice-skating, rock climbing, the traditional carousel in Boardwalk at the aft of the ship, not to mention the beautiful Central Park, featuring over 12,000 plants and trees. I just hope we can find enough time to do at least some of what we want to during our 4 nights on board.

Of course upon our return we will be reporting back our thought on the brand new giant cruise ship. You'll be able to follow along with our cruise on our social media outlets too. Make sure you read our cruise review and take a look at our photos too once they are live on our website.

I look forward to seeing some of you on board Harmony of the Seas. For those of you who are not on board, perhaps we will meet on another cruise someday.

Bon Voyage!...

On 27 April 2016, the latest addition to the AIDA's fleet, AIDAprima is due to arrive into Southampton for the very first time, having sailed all the way from Japan where she was constructed.

I am lucky enough to have been given permission from AIDA to be one of the first ever visitors to step aboard the brand new ship. Joining me on board for the ship visit will be our Non-Executive Director, Gavin Pamment and our Cruise Ambassador, Jordan Bailey from Cruise Capital.

The three of us are understandably very excited and can't wait to step aboard. At 124,700 tonnes, AIDAprima is not only AIDA's newest ship but she's also their largest, with a striking new design, including her somewhat differently shaped bow.

For those of you who follow my drawings closely, you will be aware that I have been working on a drawing of AIDAprima. During the ship visit this will be presented on board, although at the time of writing it is not clear if the Captain himself will be free to accept it.

Stay tuned for further updates on our social media pages and make sure you check out our ship visit review following our time on board.

Until next time, happy cruising!