Day 8 is Málaga and we're told that today is parade day so we're treated to a display of watching people wander around in their national costumes, I've no idea how they aren't melting as it's possibly the hottest day so far. Liliya loves seeing the ladies in there flamenco dresses with the big flowers in their hair and the men are in full on suits!

Other than visit the picasso museum in the afternoon we'd not really made a plan but saw there was a castle and some old ruins to visit so gave those a go. We learnt that they dated back to the 11th century and the Alcazaba was built as a defensive fortress featuring clever, zigzagging "bent" gates to trap attackers.

After a while we got fed up with the audio guide, doing anything in this heat, even listening to someone speak is rather taxing.

We'd upgraded our ticket to include the a visit to the Gibralfaro Castle, built in the 14th century but to get to it we needed to walk and it was an extremely steep hill. At times I didn't think we were going to make it as the moaning from madam was pretty intense but to be fair to her it was really hot and hard work. We thought there couldn't be many people at the top but it turns out there is a road that coaches can get up so I guess this is how all the rest of the cruise passengers make it up there. The castle was very samey to many old ruins we've seen but the views from the top were great and the kids love spotting our ship from the whichever viewpoint we're at. As the hike up to the top had been so arduous I said I would track the route back to see how long it was. Turns out it only took 11 mins to get back down and was just 0.4 miles.

After getting down we head to the picasso museum, thank goodness we pre-booked our ticket the night before as even the pre-booked ticket queue is huge. It wasn't helped by people standing in line ahead of their timed ticket as half the line is sent to the back before it's our turn. In order to engage the kids we deployed our usual, find your favourite piece tactic, so they were happy enough walking around and then reporting back.

Alongside Picasso they had a temporary exhibition by a Portuguese artist, Joana Vasconcelos. Entitled Transfiguration, it featured her large signature pieces where she transforms everyday, domestic, and industrial object into large-scale, intricate sculptures and immersive sensory experiences. Our favourite was the high heel shoe made from pots and pans although Liliya loved the pink girlie bow.

Liliya just had to get one of the flower hair clips everyone was wearing so we stopped past a shop on the way back to the boat, it really does suit her, especially with her golden tan she fit right in.

As you can see the cocktail consumption is slowing right down now but still managed to fit in a couple of new ones

• Strawberry daiquiri
• 24k margarita
• Tropical margarita
• Cafe con banana
• Passion fruit martini

Day 9 Today we're in Cartagena which I had forgotten I had already visited on a previous cruise. The 'popular' thing to do here is visit the Roman forum that was only discovered in the late 1990s so we decided this time to try something different. Right outside the port there was the underwater museum and even better it's free on Sundays. The museum houses lots of discoveries from under the sea and teaches the methods of preservation. The kids enjoyed getting hands on with some replicas and seeing all the gold coins that were found at the bottom of the ocean.

Afterwards I had found a Modern art museum that had a couple of Salvador Dali pieces and after our Belgium trip a couple of months ago we decided again for free it was worth a visit. There were some fun pieces although the kids were most interested in the items made by the staff from recycled materials.

We then decided to walk to the top of the town to get some good views, we clearly took some sort of off the beaten path track as it was like walking through a ghetto.

It was worth it though and I didn't realise you can actually get a complete view of the Roman forum so that was a nice suprise and without having to battle through it with all the other tourists.

Once again it was a another melting day so we headed back to the ship, the boys were back just in time for another of the science talks whilst Liliya and I opted for relaxation, pool and cocktail tasting time. Strawberry daiquiri

• Ultimate cooler
• Vanilla vodka and coke zero
• Rhubarb and custard
• Dirty banana
• Jungle bird
• Hawaiian tropics
• Jungle bird plus whisky
• Passion fruit capirinha

Day 10 and we're in Gibraltar, our plan, since the cable car is closed for a complete rebuild, was to get a taxi up to the top of the rock to see the monkeys then walk back down but having looked into our options, given no one can take the cable car, taxis weren't going to be easy to find one way and also there are no pavements to walk back on and the roads will be much busier so we decided to go on a dolphin spotting boat tour instead. The kids have possibly never seen dolphins either so something different for them.

We weren't disappointed as there were hundreds of wild dolphins within a short time from leaving the docks. The kids loved it although turns out the water was a bit choppy and Liliya didn't feel too great.

I had also woken up with a pretty rotten cold so was glad to not have had to go on a massive walk. After the dolphins we did have a short walk into the main town though mainly so the kids could get a couple of souvenirs as really it's just like any UK seaside high street. We did pay for something in English pounds though so we could ask for Gibraltar pounds back which the kids thought was cool to see. Gibraltar day is always a short one so we've got plenty of time for more chilling, kids club and pool time. Despite the cold I power through and get a few more cocktails

• 24k margarita
• Dirty banana
• Azul Blanco
• Vanilla sky

Day 11 sees us arrive in Lisbon and a new country for the kids as they've never been to Portugal before. We've got until 8pm here which gives us plenty of time for exploring but once again it's a really hot day so we want to minimise the amount of walking, plus Lisbon is very hilly. We buy a 24hr travel card and first of all we jump on the underground.

Our plan is to catch the historic number 28 tram and the advice is to go to the beginning stop as it gets full and you'll struggle to get on at the intermediatary stops. It turns out half of Lisbon has been given the same advice and I swear the queue would take a good hour at least to get through so instead we decide to catch a bus up to the castle. We've been to the castle before on a previous cruise but the kids haven't and I can barely remember it anyway. The bus ride up is quite the experience, I've no idea the nerves one needs to drive up the tiny winding roads where you are literally cms away from walls on both sides!

The castle gives us some lovely views along with some welcomed air conditioning whilst we're looking at all the old artifacts that have been found from around the area.

We catch the bus back down to the main area then decide to check out the time out market to get some Portugal treats. It turns out we can get there via an historic tram so we wait around for that so although it's not the really famous one we can at least tick off that we travelled by historic tram.

A trip to Portugal wouldn't be complete without a pastel de nata and we watched it down with a shot of their local cherry drink. The kids and Al were still hungry so they filled their faces with some huge donuts.

Although we've been to one a few years ago the kids voted to go to the 3D museum. It's great fun taking pictures that use funky effects so that when you view the pic it looks like you're upside down or floating in the air.

On the way back to the boat we get to experience the typical Lisbon bus delay as none turn up then 3 come at once. A local tells us this always happens oh well we're back in time to grab some food in the buffet washed down with just a single strawberry daiquiri before an early night to try beat this cold.

Day 12 and finally a sea day which we all need after 4 very hot port days. The kids love meeting their friends down at the pool and then we head down to the kids festival with glitter tattoos, games and crafts. Tonight we're more relaxed and have time to go for a nice meal and watch the Rock opera show followed by a late night comedian which thankfully does two shows so we can both go whilst the other watches the kids.

The relaxing day has helped with the last of the sniffles so I manage to get through some new cocktails tonight:

• Seaberry passion
• Passion of the Irish
• Baked Alaska
• Banoffee pie
• Meili midnight coconut
• Pineapple mojito
• Floradora
• Coconut mojito
• Baked Alaska

Day 13 and our final port day in the Northern Spanish town of Coruna. As mentioned I've not been my usual planned self but had heard the oldest lighthouse in Europe was worth a visit. I tried to get tickets last night thinking I would beat the crowds but it's fully booked until 7.30pm and as we're leaving at 5pm that's not going to work. We settle on a trip to the aquarium instead. It is right next door to the lighthouse so although we don't get to climb up we may return next year and we get some pretty pictures.

The aquarium is small but educational with half the venue having various local fish and the other half lots of hands on exhibits. The best section by far is getting to see the seals outside.

For once the sky is overcast as we arrive which makes for some moody looking pictures out to sea.

As we were leaving breakfast we bumped into Liliya's cruise sister, as they were now calling each other, and we mentioned we were coming here but they were just going to have a day mooching around the local town so it was quite a surprise when Stella came running over to Liliya with a big hug. Apparently she'd gone on about coming after we left to the point where her mum gave in and came along too.

We'd got a taxi up hill to get here and when we exit the building the sun is now shining bright and we opt to walk back into town to pick up last minute gifts. The highlight of which was finding a store that makes it's own caramelised nuts so ended up trying and subsequently buying several bags. Back on board and the first thing the kids want to do is get to kids club for the last hour of the afternoon session which gives me chance to try a few more drinks although I have to say I'm starting to feel a little cocktailed out (yes words I never thought possible to say either). After kids club they were showing night at the museum 3 on the large outdoor cinema so we watched that whilst catching the last of the sun.

Tonight's act in the main theatre was a comedian, 15 mins in and madam was very unimpressed declaring he really wasn't funny, harsh but she soon warmed up to him when he got the audience involved. There was just 45 mins left of evening kids club so we took them there then said we could have a late night as tomorrow is the final day at sea. I have to say as much as I've loved the trip the evening entertainment hasn't been as good as I would have hoped for so the only thing we can find is the karaoke. There was supposed to be the festival after party but Liliya and I went to check it out and there wasn't a single person on the dancefloor, she told the bar staff this was very disappointing and we went to rejoin the boys watching karaoke. For some mad reason the boys really wanted to have a go and signed themselves up as they'd found one of their really random songs was on the list. I have to say I was a bit apprehensive given you really want to choose a crowd pleaser and something people can join in with but they did really well and got a huge cheer. Struggling to find new cocktails that actually sound good by this point but I'm still making the most of the all inclusive package:

• Elderflower and Meyer lemon
• Seaberry passion
• Gin and tonic
• Raspberry mojito
• Baileys colada
• Vanilla vodka and coke
• Ultimate cooler
• Strawberry daiquiri
• Mudslide

Day 14 and our last day. The weather is rather overcast and at one point there's even a huge rain storm! Thankfully we're busy with indoor activities this morning as it's the last day to collect signatures for our crew scavenger hunt. Turns out they are doing a big parade of all the senior staff down in the atrium so not only do we get to touch off a few more people but Liliya and I also meet the Captain.

Robert of course had chosen to miss so this to have as much final time as he could at kids club and as he's old enough to check himself in and out we'd agreed to meet him either at our room or by the pool. We were a few minutes late but by the time we get there he's no where to be found. No worries we can track him with his medallion, or so we think. For some reason he's showing as near the atrium and then begins some sort of Annika Rice hunt of our own. He's obviously looking for us and every time we track him he's on the move and we keep missing him. Finally we manage to find him, turns out he was using the large screens you find next to the lifts on each floor to track us but we were out of sync so as he was going down in a lift we were going up and repeat! At one point he said he saw us across the floor getting into a lift with the doors closing just as he jumped out of his! Anyway problem solved and we decided to use up our remaining dining vouchers getting the hand made pizzas. They were nice although took quite a lot of time as I think everyone had the same idea. We all opted for make your own which came with 7 toppings. Robert of course asked for pineapple then 6 lots of cheese!

Tonight's entertainment was another show from the magician who played earlier in the week after which yes you guessed they had about one final hour in kids club.

Al and I had just enough time to watch 30 mins of the singer before collecting them then they had their last 'midnight' feast. Tonight Liliya really wanted to have a go at karaoke but only if I sung with her. All day we were trying to find the right song. Liliya fancied a couple of Taylor Swift songs but as I wouldn't say we're amazing singers and I'm not convinced Liliya is really going to contribute I've said we need to choose something easier and by a less good singer. Back in the day I have been known to be drunk and sign up to a bit of spice girls so I decided that would be a safe bet and Liliya also knew the lyrics to Wannabe. First though the boys were back up with the wellerman sea shanty and they even got a bunch of people and staff join up and dance behind them on stage which was fun. I have to say I was impressed with Liliya and she held her own up there, obviously her bigger talent is gymnastics though so the mic drop moment was her handing me the mic then doing a cartwheel followed by the splits.

I can safely say I've made the most of the all inclusive and wrap up with just a few on the final day:

• Passion fruit capirinha
• Strawberry daiquiri
• Rhubarb and custard
• Passion fruit margarita
• Captains bounty

The holiday has been a lovely break and two weeks really felt like a long time. We may have only booked it with three weeks to go before sailing but have really enjoyed the luxury of being taken care of. I'm sure it won't be four years again until we're in need of this sort of holiday again 🤩