Music is pounding on the pool deck as I join a conga line, squeezing between two women of retirement age.

It’s the ship’s departure party and it’s a blast – old-fashioned let-your-hair-down fun. Yet two days later, we’re at the Acropolis in Athens with a tour guide offering insights into ancient Greece.

I’m on my first cruise, on board Tui’s Marella Voyager. And at just 26 I’m also seemingly part of a trend.

It’s not just older travellers drawn to cruising. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of Gen Z respondents to a recent survey by Co-op Holidays said that a cruise was at the top of their holiday wishlist.

And latest figures from the Association of British Travel Agents reveal that of the 12 per cent of the population who took a cruise in the preceding 12 months, 19 per cent were 25 to 35-year-olds.

This was higher than any other age bracket, including the over-65s, who came in at 16 per cent.

In 2019, the figure was around 5 per cent for 25 to 35-year-olds, so it’s a huge leap.

And I quickly understand why, on my week-long voyage in the Med. In seven days I explore six destinations, including four Greek islands, the Greek mainland and a Turkish resort town, all while enjoying the ship’s seemingly endless facilities (including a great spa) and entertainment between each stop.

Yes, many of my fellow passengers are at least twice my age, but it is abundantly clear why younger adults are being drawn to cruises. You get to see multiple places, often those trending on social media, while the ship does the hard work transporting you to each port.

First stop is Piraeus, where my fiancé Josh and I embark on a ‘Best of Athens’ tour. A bus takes us to the Acropolis with a guide who reels off tales of Greek mythology beneath the towering columns.

One bucket-list destination ticked off, we are soon sailing on to another: Santorini. Here we begin the day climbing 600 steps from the harbour to the capital Fira. 

It’s a rocky start that involves dodging donkeys hobbling up the steep path as they carry other tourists.

Once we’re at the top, the adventure really begins. A police officer points us in the direction of the bus station and we head to Oia for £1.90. The journey takes us through the countryside, passing small houses and along twisting lanes.

In Oia we queue for half an hour to take a photo in a spot that we had seen on social media, of white-washed buildings and blue domes.

Well worth the wait and, after a day’s exploring and plenty more Instagram-worthy snaps, we catch a launch back to the ship.

Other stops include Souda in Crete for an ice cream by Chania’s harbour as locals strum guitars, and Argostoli in Kefalonia. Here we float around Melissani Lake on a small wooden boat before venturing inside the ancient limestone majesty of Drogarati Cave. A huge contrast to the colourful and noisy bazaars of Kusadasi in Turkey, where we haggle over the price of baklava.

Yet one of the main attractions of cruising is that after some hot and sticky sightseeing you can always retire to the pool or one of three hot tubs.

On the ship, there’s so much to do – and it’s not just bingo and quizzes, though there are plenty of those.

Each evening there are two performances in the Broadway Showlounge featuring professional dancers and singers, and it is always packed out.

A speakeasy-style bar, called The Exchange, is a hidden gem, transporting guests to London’s East End where we are caught up in a ‘diamond heist’ along with singing, dancing and cocktails. 

This seems particularly to appeal to the younger passengers and is the only venue of its kind on Marella’s fleet. 

The cruise ends with another party, this time in the 'Squid and Anchor' bar, where many elderly passengers rush to the dance floor and let loose.

The gentleman sitting beside me leans over and laughs, ‘This is what it’s like to get old!’ and it’s not long before I join the antics.

We finish up in Corfu, where my fiancé proposed last summer, staying a couple of nights at Tui Blue’s Atlantica Nissaki Beach hotel, spending our days by the pool after our action-packed trip.

Inside our luggage are five magnets to add to our fridge, a tradition we started a few years ago whenever we visit somewhere new.

I can’t wait to add more on our next cruise.