CATE HOPE enjoys sightseeing in historic Honfleur, France and medieval Bruges, Belgium plus some gourmet dining and a variety of activities on a mini-cruise from Southampton

HOW  does he do it? A collective gasp rose from the packed theatre as mind-bender extraordinaire Derren Brown astounded and confounded us yet again.

The man who predicted the winning lotto numbers and scared the wits out of us with a live game of Russian roulette on television, was weaving his spells over us just yards away on the eerily lit stage of the Curzon theatre.

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Most magical of all, we hadn't had to book, find a parking space or pay a penny for our tickets. It was the last of three mesmerising performances by the showman as we sailed through the night back across the Channel to Southampton on a three-night cruise on board Aurora.

By sailing with a British line such as P&O Cruises I was cushioned from the miserable exchange rate with the euro. On board extras, such as drinks, spa treatments, a flutter in the casino and duty free shopping, along with excursions from our two ports of call, Zeebrugge in Belgium and Le Havre in France, were all charged in sterling.

And of course on a cruise, unlike any ordinary European city break, full board and entertainment are covered by the cost of the holiday.

So it was with high spirits that 2,000 or so of us mini-breakers quaffed champagne at only £2.95 a glass as we sailed away, putting us in the mood for the evening entertainment.
Milling about on deck I could see we were a mixed bunch.

There were romantic couples, gaggles of friends, including hen parties, three-generation family groups, as well as the usual empty-nesters, some of whom had paid as little as £214.
While most passengers headed for the splendid main dining rooms for the fixed two-sittings for dinner, I and my friends enjoyed a more intimate meal at Marco Pierre White's Café Bordeaux.

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I had a delicious lobster cocktail followed by rump of lamb and even had room for a very naughty chocolate truffle cake.

We were impressed by the reasonably priced wine list, with more than 20 available by the glass, and all agreed it was well worth the supplement of £4.99 per person to dine there.
Billed in the daily newsletter as a "party cruise adventure" the evening entertainments lived up to the promise. We bopped at the Seventies Night Fever Party, bringing out the aspiring John Travoltas in the most unlikely people.

At midnight I headed for bed while many other passengers were seeking out the karaoke bars and the disco that rocked into the small hours.

The next day I was up early to do a 30-minute exercise class in the gym with bouncy "team fitness" leader Mark before my trip to Bruges. It is 10 miles from Zeebrugge to the picturesque medieval city so the four-and-ahalf-hour Bruges At Your Own Pace coach excursion, leaving at the leisurely time of 11am, made more sense than trekking there and back on infrequent trains.

Bruges, compact and tourist-friendly, is perfect for a short visit. After a tour of the Frietmuseum, where I got a light-hearted history of the Belgian national dish of chips, we tucked into some frites, mussels and mayonnaise in a sunny outdoor restaurant in the cobbled main square. After a stroll along the banks of narrow canals and a browse in the many small fashion and housewares shops, I bought chocolates to take home.

Returning to Zeebrugge I realised that many of my fellow passengers had not even left the ship. Some hadn't budged from the covered pool deck with hot tubs while others had joined in the organised sports or attended the beginners guide to eBay seminar and digital photo editing workshop.

In the spa Amie from Plymouth gave me an expert facial that was as relaxing as it was rejuvenating and, to my added delight, was not spoilt by a hard sell on beauty products, something I have come to dread on American ships.

That evening was formal night, a great opportunity to dress up, many having their pictures snapped by the onboard photographers. After juicy steaks in the other alternative dining option, the Pennant Grill (cover charge £7.75), we put our heads together to come a miserable 10th in the general knowledge team quiz and drowned our sorrows afterwards with cocktails in the Crow's Nest lounge bar.

I was very glad I hadn't booked a place on the trip to Paris or to the sites of the D-Day Normandy Landings departing at 7.30am.

Instead, after a large fry-up for breakfast, five of us shared a taxi to the historic port of Honfleur.

I passed a pleasant few hours mooching around, spending an hour in the surreal Les Maisons Satie, birthplace and now a museum to eccentric composer Erik Satie, and devouring delicious Normandy salt caramel ice cream while sitting on the wall of the tiny harbour looking at the yachts.

We didn't sail until 7.30pm when the party started all over again.

Drinks, dinner, dazzling Derren, karaoke and yet more dancing.

By the time we docked in Southampton early the next morning I was ready to go home for a rest.

I'd notched up two cities, enjoyed some pampering, eaten delicious gourmet food and partied into the night in less than three days.

THE KNOWLEDGE

P&O Cruises (0845 355 5333/www.pocruises.co.uk) has balcony suites available for the two-night mini-cruise from Southampton on board Aurora from £350pp (two sharing).

 Departs May 1. Visit Flanders: 0207 307 7738/www.visitflanders.co.uk. France: 09068 244 123 (premium rate)/www.franceguide.com