When Brenda Filer last went on a cruise, the year was 1961. She was only 32 at the time and her husband and two children accompanied her on a cruise from Australia back to the UK.

This week Brenda, now 82, cruised with P&O’s Ventura on one of their City Break packages from Southampton to Lisbon, Vigo, Brest and La Rochelle. She recounted her experience to the Daily Mail.

Brenda says that she spent virtually all her holidays over the last couple of years travelling around Britain by coach. She loves the fact that one meets a lot of new people on these tours. This was the first time in years, however, that she travelled abroad.

Her travelling companion on this occasion was Hannah, her granddaughter of 28 who is a PR manager in London. Brenda especially treasured the fact that they had the opportunity to spend some quality time together.

But what does Hannah think of the cruise ships of today compared to what she experienced way back in 1961? To be honest, she was completely bowled over. She says it was the most luxurious trip she had ever undertaken and that it exceeded her expectations in every respect. The cabin was bigger than she expected and the food and onboard entertainment and services made her feel like royalty.

They booked a deluxe stateroom with a balcony, which gave her the opportunity to spend a lot of time relaxing on the balcony, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. What she particularly loved was the free upgrade – complete with chocolates, champagne, binoculars, bath robes and slippers.