Cruise holidays often conjure up images of the highly affluent, or the well-off retired, sipping cocktails and gazing out to sea from their deckchairs. But as soon as you start really exploring the options, if becomes apparent very quickly that cruises have much, much broader appeal in the 21st century. 

Increasingly, big players like Thomson Cruises, P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruises to name but a few, are diversifying their onboard facilities to provide superb holiday experiences for young and old alike, including families with children. Forget deckchairs and cocktails – check out the onboard rock climbing wall, golf range, ice rink or cinema. Not to mention the numerous pools for the kids.

There is a simply vertiginous array of options available, including Baltic cruises, Red Sea cruises and Far East Cruises as well as the more traditionally exotic Mediterranean cruises and Caribbean cruises. And many, many more (you can even cruise to the Arctic or Antarctic). Ranging from the weekend mini-cruise to the luxurious and leisurely cruise and stay holidays, where sea-travel is mixed with stays in beach-front hotels or apartments, every taste and budget can be catered for. There are also excellent cruise deals to be found with a little searching, especially on last minute cruises.

For those who like to get onshore and explore, mini-cruises include an overnight in, say, an historic European city, and excursions around the Med, and the Caribbean include virtually daily port stops, so you can explore the local area, take a swim on the beach and get a little retail therapy in, too.  In addition to the big names just mentioned, check out Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises, too.