When planning an annual holiday, there is the temptation to stick to what you know – in our case sun, sea and sand – to ensure the perfect getaway.

But when offered the chance to sail into the sunset on a Fred. Olsen cruise, my husband and I jumped at the chance to experience something just that little bit different from our usual holidays.

As first-time cruisers we had no preconceptions of what to expect but the experience far exceeded our expectations.

We joined the Black Watch at Southampton for an eight-day Iberian cruise and were pleasantly surprised to find we were in our cabin less than two hours after arriving at the dock.

Amazingly our luggage was there to greet us as we arrived in our cabin, allaying any concerns we may have had of setting sail while our suitcases remained unclaimed on the dockside.

Jim and Sarah Swinnerton shortly after disembarking in Vigo

Our comfortable outside cabin complete with view – a must on a cruise – was really well equipped, even down to the all-important hairdryer.

The idea of cruising in the 21st Century often conjures up the image of floating palaces catering for thousands of passengers on a mass scale.

But with the traditionally built Fred. Olsen cruise liners it’s all about quality not quantity, ensuring every passenger is made to feel attended to and not just a number.

The intimate nature of the ship was one of the things we loved about the cruise and explains why so many passengers return to Fred. Olsen time and time again.

Keen to explore our new surroundings and armed with our trusty map, we set off from our cabin for the Lounge Deck (Deck 6) to get the lay of the fantastic choice of restaurants and bars.

The ship does not have a grand atrium, as many of the superliners have, but is none the worse for it.

After getting our bearings, we headed outside to wave off Southampton in the late afternoon sunshine before relaxing with our first drink of our holiday.

Before we knew it, time and the English coastline had got away from us and it was time to dress for dinner. The dress code varies each evening for the Glentanar Restaurant but there is also a casual buffet-style dining option in the Braemar Garden Café.

Our party was allocated a table in The Orchid Room – a more intimate room off the Glentanar Restaurant. The tables were immaculately presented with crisp, white linen and sparkling cutlery. And the food was nothing short of outstanding – beautifully presented and tantalisingly tasty.

Feeling completely satisfied, we headed back to our cabin after an indulgent night of food and drink to be greeted by our ready-made beds and our Daily Times, the ship’s newspaper, which was delivered to our cabin every night listing all the activities, shows, dining times etc for the following day.

The next day was a full day at sea and unfortunately we seemed to have brought the British weather with us and it was rather overcast – a risk of sailing from England rather than flying to sunnier climes to board a ship.

However, the less-than-perfect weather gave us a chance to sample some of the ship’s entertainment and after a rather extravagant breakfast, which consisted of about three courses, we decided to take a seat in the Neptune Lounge for Bullseye – The Inside Story, with Jim Bowen, which was extremely funny and enlightening.

After a lunch we really didn’t need as we were so full from the more-than ample-breakfast, we took the chance to explore the ship a bit more before taking part in the daily quiz, which became a personal favourite of ours.

Dinner was more of a formal affair on the second night so we donned our black tie and cocktail dress and once again headed for the Neptune Lounge for the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party compete with sparkling wine and canapés — like we needed more food.

Lisbon

Once again the food failed to disappoint and we capped the night off by taking in the evening show featuring TV comedian Micky Zany, who lived up to his name.

The next morning we woke up to find we had docked in La Coruna, in Spain, and following another fantastic breakfast, we disembarked for our first excursion of the cruise to the city of Santiago De Compostella.

After arriving we proceeded on foot to the city’­ s focal point, the cathedral with its unique range of architectural styles before embarking on a tour of the city centre with our fabulously informative guide.

The tour was capped off with a glass of locally produced wine and canapes in a courtyard at the impressive Hostel de Los Reyes Catolicos, a former hospital, which is now a hotel.

Back on board Black Watch and it was a casual or Western-themed dress code for dinner followed by the Golden Nugget Saloon show, presented by The Black Watch Show Company, the ship’s energetic and talented groups of entertainers.

The sun is shining the following morning which is a welcome sight as we have a full day cruising as we head for our next destination. Time to check out the pool!

For dinner we opted to visit the Braemar Garden Café as it was Indian night and the chefs lived up to expectations once again, showing they can turn their hands to a variety of styles of cuisine.

Waking up to a view of the Rock of Gibraltar started the next day off on a great note and like so many passengers it was the only place on our itinerary for the day.

Overlooking the entrance to the Mediterranean and standing almost 425m above sea level, the Rock provided us with spectacular views over the Bay of Gibraltar.

St Michael’s Cave with its oddly shaped stalagmites and stalactites was breathtaking but we were left slightly disappointed on arriving at the Apes Den as the famous Barbery monkeys were obviously not feeling very sociable and we were only able to catch a glimpse of one or two at a distance.

Our guide dropped us in the centre of Gibraltar so we could take advantage of the duty free shopping, but due to the tour overrunning slightly we only had about 30 minutes to take in the sites, which was disappointing. In fact we only tended to have a morning at each of our destinations which we sometimes felt was not enough to explore.

We set sail in glorious sunshine and were treated to a pod of about 40 dolphins swimming alongside the ship as we left the Bay of Gibraltar, which was an amazing sight.

Dinner was casual or tropical-themed dress followed by the aptly named Tropical Fiesta Stage Show with cocktails the order of the day.

We could have been mistaken for thinking we had awoken in San Francisco the following morning as I looked through the cabin window to see Lisbon’s Golden Gate Bridge – almost identical in design and size to its American counterpart.

We opted for the city centre and river tour of Lisbon beginning with a one-and-a-half hour journey by boat along the River Tagus taking in the medieval part of the city before passing under the suspension bridge.

Following our scenic river cruise we transferred on to a coach for the second part of our tour around the city centre.

With temperatures over 30C, we headed straight for the pool once back on board to top up our tans and thoroughly enjoyed the Sail Away Music performed by the Black Watch orchestra and house band as we departed Lisbon.

A relaxing evening sampling the Braemar Garden Café­’s Chinese buffet and more comedy from Micky Zany rounded off our day.

The following morning we arrive in Vigo, Spain, and decided not to join an organised tour but to explore the city ourselves. After only a short, but nevertheless steep walk, we found ourselves in the centre of the city. With the sun blazing down, we quickly found a cafe/bar in the middle of a traditional market and ordered ourselves a large glass of wine and an ice-cold lager.

While sitting and watching the world go by we were treated to a spectacular street show by Romany gipsies dressed as pirates who entertain the crowds for more than an hour.

Before we knew it, it was time to return to the ship. Dressed in our formal eveningwear, we attended the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party before once again sampling the delights the chefs of the Glentanar Restaurant consistently prepared for us.

The following day was a full day at sea and unfortunately as we made our way back towards Southampton the weather turned. But once again it allowed us the opportunity to take in some of the daytime entertainment and with wine fairs, talks, demonstrations, piano recitals and much more on offer there is never a dull moment.

My husband and I spent our last evening enjoying a few drinks out on deck and reminiscing about our Fred. Olsen experience before disembarking early the next morning.

Our one reservation before setting off (apart from my tendency to suffer from sea sickness) was that Fred. Olsen tends to attract an older demographic and being 30-somethings we had been concerned we may have been out of place.

But we were pleasantly surprised by the mix of clientele onboard including many younger couples and families.

Many of the activities are aimed at the more mature generation but we thoroughly enjoyed those we took part in.

The staff cannot be praised highly enough, from the cabin stewards and stewardesses to the wonderfully talented chefs — well done Fred. Olsen.

And the beauty of waking up in a different destination day after day is something that makes cruising so appealing to so many and will see us take to the seas once more.

Facts

• This cruise was Black Watch W1012, an eight-day cruise to Iberia, departing from Southampton on July 30, 2010. The ports of call visited were La Coruna (Spain), Gibraltar, Lisbon (Portugal) and Vigo (Spain) returning to Southampton.
• Accommodation was in a Superior Outside cabin, Grade B, priced at £1,229 per person.
• For more information on all Fred. Olsen cruises visit www.fredolsencruises.co.uk -  you can book online, by calling reservations on 01473 742424, or through any ABTA travel agent.