MAIDEN CRUISE

We have Archimedes to thank for cruising. While taking a bath in ancient Greece he discovered the law of buoyancy. During his daily soak, he worked out that if the weight of water displaced by an object is equal or heavier to the weight of the object, then the object will float. Realising he had solved a problem, he leapt out the tub and famously ran through the streets naked and yelling eúpnka (eureka), meaning ‘I have found it’ in Greek.

I was pondering this and the astonishing impact that his discovery has had on maritime travel while looking up at the Bellissima, MSC Cruises’ latest luxury liner, as our bus came to a halt in France’s ship-building port of Saint-Nazaire.

I had always wanted