Setting out on a mystery cruise

When it comes to cruises, my friend Steve Read at Sky Travel usually knows what he’s talking about – he spends more time at sea than a ship’s cat.
For the next two weeks, however, he will not have a clue where he’s going to be from one day to the next – he will be in board the Saga Ruby for Captain Philip Rentell’s third annual mystery cruise.
The only things passengers could be sure of when they booked this voyage was that they would be visiting 10 ports of call in at least four different countries, and at least five of the ports would be maiden calls for the Ruby.
The cautious ones will have packed for every eventuality, whether it’s to keep warm in the fjords or the Baltic, or for sunbathing in the Mediterranean. Even when they discover which way they are heading when they leave Southampton this evening, the itinerary will be revealed only one day at a time.
To make it even more interesting, Steve is taking his mother with him on the cruise – quite possibly the first time he has spent a holiday with her since he was in short pants.
I’m looking forward to reading the daily updates on his Sky Travel Cruise Diary.