Carly, my lovely therapist in the Mandara Spa took this image of me during my Signature  Epic 24-Carat Gold Facial. I’d no sooner relaxed on the treatment bed before Norwegian Epic’s engines started up and  I felt the huge ship slowly edge away from her berth in Southampton and down the Solent. There’s something special about having a spa treatment when a ship’s moving!

I completed a detailed health form, which Carly discussed with me so she could  tailor the facial  to my specific concerns (dry skin and dark circles under my eyes). The renowned Elemis Pro Collagen Quartz Lift Facial forms the basis of the treatment, but with the exotic  addition of a 24-carat gold leaf mask. The benefits sounded promising -  lifting, firming and tightening the skin, while improving circulation and lymph drainage. The complexion is cleared and instantly brightened.

After taking three deep breaths, the treatment started with a cleanse and tone with gorgeous Elemis products, including a gentle rose exfoliator. Carly explained that these products make pathways into the skin for other nutrients to be absorbed. Gold has good anti-ageing properties as it has powerful magnetic forces that clarify the skin’s texture and speed up cell renewal.

The facial includes relaxing face and neck massage including a gentle eye massage to help plump up the tissue under the eyes and eradicate dark circles.

Eventually after a papaya and pineapple peel and eye mask (with the most delicious fragrance -  good enough to eat!) it was time for the gold mask to be applied.

I was intrigued to learn that the gold leaf comes in tissue-paper-thin 24-carat gold squares, which were carefully applied to my face -  Carly used about 15 squares in all. These were left on my face for about 20 minutes while I was given a soothing scalp and foot massage. I could feel a warming tingle on my face.  Then the gold was removed – very simply with water. Disappointingly, the gold leaf just rubs off so you don’t leave the spa with a pocketful of 24-carat gold!

Carly finally applied delicate Absolute Eye serum to my eye area and Pro-collagen moisturiser to my neck and décolleté. She then handed me a mirror so that I could see how my skin looked brighter with my dark circles noticeably reduced.

Verdict – an enjoyable treat, but at $325 too expensive to have on a regular basis. The results were good, but not outstanding.

June is proving to be a busy month! Two days after returning from our trip to the Austrian Tyrol, I’m packing my bag again and heading down to Southampton for the two-night inaugural sailing of Norwegian Epic, the newest and largest cruise ship belonging to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).

After her 2-night introduction to Europe, Norwegian Epic sails to New York for her naming ceremony and then to Miami for her first season cruising the Caribbean. She’ll be back in Europe next summer and based in Barcelona.

EPIC - NCL's new cruise ship

Norwegian Epic is the  largest ship in NCL’s fleet so far,  accommodating over 4,000 passengers. With 18 decks, 21 restaurants, bars, amusements and activities, not to mention the largest spa at sea, this is one colossal lady!

I’m having the 24 carat gold signature facial treatment when I visit the spa this afternoon, so will report back later.

Celebrity Eclipse

Spent the weekend on board beautiful new ship Celebrity Eclipse, on a two-night cruise organised for the travel trade and media. The stunning £500m vessel achieved  international celebrity last week when her launch celebrations were put on hold for her mercy mission to Bilbao in northern Spain, where she rescued some 2,000 British holidaymakers, stranded by the Icelandic volcano eruption.

Bilbao rescue

As Richard Fain,  chief executive  of Royal Caribbean Cruises said: ‘The events affecting air travel are completely unprecedented and it is in times like these that the global travel industry needs to pull together.’

So, two days later than planned, we boarded the ship in the warm afternoon sunshine. After being shown to our stateroom (complete with rounded bed, 32 inch flat screen TV, bathroom with high tech power/experience shower  and  our own private balcony, we unpacked and set off to explore Eclipse’s many facilities. On Deck 15,  we walked on the Lawn Club’s half-acre of real springy turf,  watched some live glassblowing and then headed down two decks to eat lunch in the Ocean View Cafe. Service was a bit too efficient with our napkins and cutlery  whisked away each time we left the table to visit the buffet.

Our lovely stateroom

In the late afternoon we headed to the Eclipse Theatre for the  Naming Ceremony. It proved to be an emotionally charged affair, with speeches and tributes to all those involved in the creation of the splendid new ship  and to the crew for their part in the unexpected rescue mission in Bilbao. The ship’s Godmother Emma Pontin was introduced and a tear-jerking film shown about her challenging yachting career and breast cancer battle. The film was accompanied by the Only Men Aloud choir singing She’s The One and an aerial acrobat circling the theatre with a pink ribbon that extended through the ship to the funnel, where an oversized blue bottle of champagne was suspended. This unique ‘Celebrity  blue’ bottle had been specially created for the occasion by the Corning Museum of Glass from New York State, who run the Hot Glass Shows, featured on all Celebrity Solstice-class ships.

The theatre fell silent when Pontin spoke the famous words  ‘I name this ship Celebrity Eclipse, may God bless her and all who sail in her, ‘ before cutting the pink ribbon. We watched on giant screens, as the ribbon disappeared from the theatre to the funnel, triggering the champagne bottle to shatter a few seconds later. A really special moment!

After that we all went up on deck and drank champagne and listened to live bands as Eclipse sailed out of Southampton and into the sunset.

Aqua Spa Persian Garden

One of the major attractions on the ship is the fragrant Aqua Spa, which is on two floors with 16 treatment rooms, indoor pool, relaxation lounges, hairdressing and grooming stations and a huge fitness area. Elemis products are used in many of the treatments which include a new Hot Bamboo Massage, a Thai Herbal Poultice Massage and a 24 Carat Gold Facial that takes 75 minutes and costs $325!  Whatever your indulgence or need – hair, nails, face, body, health or  beauty – it can be taken care of in this highly professional spa by its team of 33 therapists, 2 fitness trainers, 2 acupuncturists and  doctor,  who carries out cosmetic treatments like botox and fillers. As Lana Krizmamic, the spa’s charming manager explained: ‘Botox is very popular with passengers, as when they disembark looking younger, it can be their little secret. Everyone puts their stress-free appearance down to their relaxing and enjoyable cruise!’  I was ready to sign up right away, but decided that a two-day cruise wouldn’t be convincing. I made do instead with a super Fire and Ice Pedicure, which cost $70 and included a sea salt exfoliation, moisturising massage and soothing cooling gel applied to my legs and feet. I shuffled out of the spa  in paper flip flops to avoid smudging my newly painted scarlet toenails.

We enjoyed wonderful dinners in the Moonlight Sonata and Blu restaurants, looked around some of Eclipse’s fabulous family rooms and suites and visited  iLounge, an innovative internet cafe that also offers inspiring classes focusing on Mac applications. You can also buy the latest MacBooks, iPods and accessories.

Our final evening was spent in the Eclipse Theatre, where we were entertained with a pulsating, energetic show, featuring dancing, aerial acrobatics and some incredible juggling and balancing acts on the high wire that were quite unbelievable.  A fitting conclusion to a fab weekend.

Celebrity Eclipse is the first Celebrity ship to be based on Southampton and starts her cruise schedule on 26 April. She will be cruising to the Med and Canaries  during the summer months, then heads off to the Caribbean’s warmer climes in November.