I went on the unique all-inclusive cruise where even drinks and tips are included – as well as stops in Greece & Turkey

JOIN Marella Discovery 2’s Aegean Gems cruise – and you’ll soon be ready to do a PHD in ancient history and Greek mythology.

From marvelling at the majesty of the Parthenon in Athens to exploring the Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical city, Turkey’s Ephesus, every day was an education.

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The ancient Lindos Acropolis, on the Greek island of Rhodes[/caption]

We also saw the splendour of the fortified city of Rhodes and heard stories of the ancient gods at the temple at Lindos.

But the fact that blew everyone away as we chatted over lunch?

There’s snow in Crete in April.

Six years ago, my wife and I travelled on this same ship on our very first cruise, visiting Florence, Rome, St Tropez and Barcelona — and we’d never had better value for money on any holiday.

I can happily report that the value is as good as ever, maybe even a little better since the latest spruce-up to the rooms and bars — where you can drink to your heart’s content, from morning till late at night.

It is no exaggeration to say that the food on this ship matches anything you would get in a high-end city restaurant.

There are three types of waiter-service eateries as part of the standard all- inclusive package — an Italian, a British and one that varies the menu daily.

You can also enjoy breakfast delivered to your table.

If you’re looking for something more casual there’s a buffet which is similarly top quality.

And you can pop in there for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner as well.

If you fancy going ultra-exclusive, pay a little extra and try out the surf-and-turf, Asian or sushi restaurants. All of these are treats well worth experiencing.

When you’re done eating and drinking, it will be time for a trip to Ocean’s Spa, which has every type of treatment you could wish for.

Honestly, you’ll come out feeling like a new person. I didn’t realise how many aches and pains I had until the hot-stone therapy rubbed them all away.

You can also chill out in the coffee bar or enjoy games of bingo, dancing classes, and a spot of darts.

For the more energetic, there’s table tennis and a climbing wall. We drew the line at the latter.

You might just want to relax on the open-air deck, though, and listen to the house band while waiters bring more drinks to your sun lounger.

For a bit of sophistication in the evening, take in a show featuring West End- standard performances twice a night.

There are some seriously talented individuals on display who would not look out of place gracing the stage at the London Palladium.

My wife has never heard a better rendition of Defying Gravity from Wicked — and she watches a whole lot of musicals.

But it’s the small things that really put the icing on the cake of a Marella cruise experience.

Like having enough hangers for your clothes, which some major hotels could learn from.

We counted 30 in our surprisingly spacious cabin.

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Take a dip in the Marella pool[/caption]

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Head for the hills and visit the Acropolis in Athens[/caption]

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Take a truck safari in Crete[/caption]

Our cabin was among those given a recent refresh, with new furniture, renovated bathrooms and vibrant artwork.

And when you come back to your room at night, there is a chocolate on each pillow and an animal made out of the bath and hand towels.

The dinosaur was an absolute work of art.

Happy juice

The ship’s staff all seem to have been injected with happy juice — whether they are entertainers, who are obviously paid to keep the mood buoyant, cleaners, deckhands, waiters, chefs or engineers.

They want to make you feel special and genuinely seem interested in your day, even though they must have heard the stories a hundred times before.

There are different ways of cruising. You can spend all day on the ship and never leave — and some people really do just that.

But it seems a bit of a shame when there are so many activities to enjoy, as the ship stops off at a different port every day.

Mind you, while some excursions involve a relatively relaxing stroll — like those to the ancient ruins — there are others that can seriously test you.

Ephesus near Kusadasi is a proper gem.

While Pompeii in southern Italy gets all the Press, Ephesus goes under the radar but is one of the world’s must-see places.

The Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens are always great experiences, no matter how many times you’ve been.

And it is interesting to learn that there is more to places like Mykonos and Rhodes than just lounging on the beach all day and partying all night — not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.

But beware of signing up for the Jeep safari in Crete if, like me, you’re over six foot, a tad on the hefty side and have dodgy knees.

It’s quite an ordeal to be cramped in the back of a Jeep as you wind your way down bumpy dirt tracks, with 500ft drops on either side.

But, hey, we did see snow.