Mid-ship might

MSC was established in 1987 by Gianluigi Aponte and came about because of a tragic story.

Fact box

Package: MSC Magnifica sails from Venice calling at Bari, Italy; Katakolon, Greece; Izmir, Turkey; Istanbul, Turkey; Dubrovnik, Croatia and back to Venice. Departs April 16, 2016.
Cost: From £849pp for a balcony cabin, including flights and transfers. www.msccruises.co.uk

An old family friend of Aponte's, Achille Lauro, owned a cruise ship of the same name which was hijacked by the Palestine Liberation Front off the coast of Egypt in 1985.

Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled Jewish businessman, was shot and tossed overboard in his wheelchair.

The incident caused international outrage and the financial repercussions badly damaged Lauro's company. Aponte stepped in and bought the ship.

Nearly 30 years on, MSC has gone from strength to strength - seven more ships are on order. Some boast Swarovski crystal staircases and all comprise elegant dining rooms and a variety of other delightful rooms that combine the charm of old-world cruising with the demands of the modern world.

For example, the internet room proved popular but it was fabulous seeing the attractive card room busy with passengers of various ages playing board games or shuffling a deck in anticipation of a new hand as we drifted between destinations.

There's also a sprawling spa with a menu of treatments, a fitness area, kids club and two pools.

The buffet lunches are as varied as any at sea and available at several serving stations. I loved the fruit station, which had an excellent choice and was decorated by boxes of uncut fruit placed high above. There was a decent choice at dinner, both in menu and location.

We dined in one of two traditional restaurants as we like the idea of eating at the same table every evening and also dressing to the nines on a couple of them - "nines" being appropriate as that was the time for the second sitting here. The earlier one, at 6.30pm, may suit some Brits better, especially those with kids, but the Europeans do tend to venture out a bit later. The buffet venue, high up on deck 13, served dinner in a much more informal environment.

But I prefered waiter service and our man, Fredy, was more than happy to deal with some of my (occasionally difficult) requests. For a treat - and an additional charge - there are two speciality restaurants. We chose the Oriental Plaza, which offered excellent Asian fare.

Although this is an Italian ship, with so many different nationalities on board, announcements were delivered in several languages.

The mood in the evening was relaxed as you walk from one room to another dipping into the entertainment.

My wife enjoyed dancing to a live band and there were young chaps on hand from the entertainment team to dance with her while I opted to keep my bottom on my seat, drink in hand.

I did strut my stuff a couple of times but I think Strictly's John Sergeant has more rhythm than me! And, of course,we had the various stops and excursions to relish.

Having been to Dubrovnik before, we chose to do something a bit different there this time, booking a tour comprising a 30-minute coach drive along the coastal road to an old village in pretty Konavle Valley. We enjoyed local Dalmatian music, song and folk dancing in traditional dress.

Croatia has a couple of thousand Jewish residents, including a sprinkling in delightful Dubrovnik, where we had an hour to wander the charming old town after returning from the village. Strolling along Stradum (themain street) was a real highlight on another memorable day.

Our cruise finished where it began - in Venice, and we did not mind seeing this gem a second time.