For a quick second, I believed I used to be in Las Vegas as I watched a succession of glass lifts transporting visitors to the huge on line casino.
However I wasn’t in some neon-lit strip in the midst of the desert – I used to be on board the Carnival Valor cruise ship because it sailed from Barbados to St Lucia.

Caribbean queen: Ellie Taylor took a visit on the the spectacular Carnival Valor
I had joined the vessel for an in a single day journey (different passengers have been having fun with a full seven-night Caribbean cruise).
So with time being brief, I used to be decided to take advantage of it.
My first cease was that on line casino. It was all so glamorous inside, if a bit brash and really American – there was a number of purple, white and blue in every single place.

Cruise convert: Ellie Taylor on the purple carpet
After wandering across the blackjack tables and slot machines for some time, I made a decision the on line casino was all too hectic. So what does a lady do when she desires to calm down? Head for the spa, in fact. I had a beautiful therapeutic massage and emerged feeling effectively and really pampered.
This was my first cruise, and like many rookies I used to be a bit uncertain what to anticipate.
One of many first issues that struck me was how a lot there was to do on board. Many of the actions have been organised, however others have been spontaneous.
For instance, out on one of many decks within the night there was a blast of music and many folks round me received up and began dancing.
As a comic, it might have been attention-grabbing to have gone to the Carnival Valor’s comedy membership to take a look at the competitors, however as an alternative I fell into dialog with a number of the ship’s employees about life at sea. The true pleasure of cruising is arriving at a brand new vacation spot.
It was great waking up the subsequent morning simply as we sailed into St Lucia. I wandered on to my balcony at 6am and watched the solar rise over the island – a serene and delightful second.
We had the entire day to discover St Lucia, so I headed as much as superb Pigeon Island and relaxed on the seaside. Later within the day somebody even chopped the highest off a coconut so I may drink from it – one other first! I’ve positively grow to be a cruise convert.
Ellie Taylor presents BBC3’s Snog, Marry, Keep away from. You possibly can see extra of her cruise on Give Me A Break, Virgin’s on-line TV present – go to youtube.com/virginholidays.