A rather antiquated view of cruise holidays still holds sway in many people’s minds: cruises are for the rich, or for the rich and retired. Who wants to be stuck on a ship for a couple of weeks with nothing to do but sit on deck chairs, play cards, sip G&Ts and stave off sea-sickness – especially if you’ve got children in tow? Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth about modern day cruises. They’re for young and old alike, and they’re frequently far more reasonably priced than many would dare to imagine (the cost usually includes accommodation and food).

So, what might families get out of a cruise holiday? Well, as more than one million children are passengers on cruise ships every year, it seems that a rising number of families are giving the cruise experience a clear ‘thumbs up’. Cruise operators are adding fabulous family friendly attractions with the launch every new ship. Today, not only will you find onboard nurseries and specially designated ‘teens only’ areas and events (like discos) but you’ll frequently find superb activity attractions, too. Like family-safe swimming pools, ice-skating rinks, water theme parks, giant movie screens and even onboard water-surfing simulators and rock-climbing walls. You won’t find all of these features on every vessel, and the bigger ships always have the most spectacular attractions. Some are effectively floating metropolises, complete with gleaming shopping malls and fabulous eateries, from pizza joints to gourmet restaurants.

And anyway, what’s wrong with sipping a G&T in a sun recliner, overlooking the ocean blue on one side and a fabulous swimming pool on the other?