I’ve been back on dry land for a few weeks now (with the brief exception of a night in port on Ovation of the Seas) and I’m starting to get restless again, so I suppose it’s a good job that I have a few cruises coming up to banish those ocean blues…

First up is the world’s biggest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas! I am joining her for a 2-night cruise to nowhere on May 20 and I can’t wait! I’ve been desperate to see an Oasis-class for a very long time and my patience and perseverance has finally paid off. I know I like to moan about these monster ships sometimes, but I am genuinely looking forward to EVERYTHING about Harmony. I only had 1 night to explore Ovation, and that was pushing it, so I’m glad that Harmony gives us 2.

Just a few days later, I am joining Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Balmoral for a Norwegian Fjords cruise. I’ve never been on Balmoral and I’ve never been to the Fjords (aside from an Arctic Circle cruise that went right up north), so I’m very much looking forward to new experiences and surroundings. It’s a voyage that offers mainly scenic cruising, but we do have 2 ports of call: Bergen and Eidfjord. I was actually supposed to visit Bergen on a previous cruise, but Mother Nature was having a meltdown and we had to miss the port – fingers crossed that this time I can actually get there! I’m yet to have a disappointing cruise with Fred. Olsen and the fact I can join several itineraries from Port of Tyne (my homeport) just adds to the overall enjoyment of the experience – basically, it’s nice to travel 5 minutes down the road to join a ship, instead of 7 hours to the other end of the country.

The month of July will bring a trip that has been in planning for several months now and one that I am very excited to do. I will board Queen Mary 2 in Southampton and sail for New York City on a 7-night transatlantic crossing. When I reach Brooklyn, I will meet up with my friend (TravelShopGirl) and we are hitting the road on a 16-day east coast road trip – I CAN’T WAIT! We are visiting: Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, New York and Massachusetts. It is going to be an incredible experience and if it goes to plan, there may be a “trip re-visit” in 2017, but on a much grander scale. Watch this space…

I’m cruising Italian style in September, as I board MSC Splendida for a 7-night jaunt in Europe. It’s been 2 years since I sailed with MSC Cruises (I know, disgusting!) and I am so ready to get back onto one of the sweetest smelling ships at sea (that’s not a pun or anything, they actually do smell really good!). I’m a big fan of MSC, everything with them is fun and that suits me perfectly. There’s literally never a dull moment. This cruise will bring an overnight in Amsterdam, one of my absolute favourite places, so I’m very much looking forward to that.

The best is saved until last, as I come to Saga Cruises and a 24-night Mystery Cruise in November. That’s right, a mystery cruise! I have no idea where the ship is going and Saga has said that the Captain will not tell passengers where they are until the ship has actually docked – how exciting is that?! This will be my first mystery cruise and to say I’m looking forward to it is an understatement, although I am slightly concerned about how I will pack for it, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

So, that’s my 2016 cruise diary thus far and what an exciting year it looks set to be!