Christmas cruise in Caribbean wonderland

With the cards written and presents wrapped we were sorted for Christmas early, but then we had to be – we were jetting off to join The P&O Cruises ship Azura in the Caribbean.

Forget the romantic notions of snow and roaring fires on December 25 (it never happens!), we were swopping the rain for rainforests, glorious sunshine, white beaches and blue seas.

The beauty of a cruise is that you have the opportunity to get a taste of all these wonderful islands, soak up the sun on magnificent beaches and have the luxury of a floating hotel with top-notch facilities.

My husband, me and our nine-year-old son flew from Birmingham Airport to Barbados on a bonded plane, which meant that you check in your luggage and go through passport control at Birmingham. There are then no more checks until you arrive at the port in Bridgetown. Your luggage arrives at your cabin a few hours later.

The premium class flights were a dream with extra leg room, drinks were complimentary and an appetising menu.

Once aboard Azura, that's when the adventure begins! Finding your way around this ship, which holds more than 3,000 passengers, is daunting, but that was also part of the fun. I would say it takes a good three days to get your bearings aboard Azura.

We had a spacious balcony cabin which was a delight for watching early morning arrivals at the port and when you didn't want to party at the sail-away celebrations at the Breakers Bar.

The balcony was also the ideal viewing point for all the unforgettable Caribbean sunsets.

Our cabin steward Wilson couldn't do enough for us over the fortnight – nothing was too much trouble and there were lovely touches, which made you feel extra special.

Exploring Azura was an adventure in itself. It has three main restaurants – The Oriental, The Peninsular and The Meridian.

The Oriental was 'Club Dining', which means set sitting and at the same table and with the same people every night.

We opted for 'Freedom Dining' which was available in The Peninsular and The Meridian. It meant that we could turn up at any time between 6.30pm and 9.30pm.

Diners were warned that they could face a small wait, but we were always seated within a few minutes of arriving at the restaurant.

Another bonus was that we could choose to sit with others or just the three of us on a table.

If you preferred a quicker and less formal option there were the Venezia and Verona restaurants with a buffet menu of hot and cold meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For a little extra you could eat in The Epicurean – a fine-dining restaurant, The Beach House, the Glass House or the Sindhu. We tried all four and our favourite was Olly Smith's Glass House – the menu wasn't extensive, but was spot on with the food, drink and atmosphere.

It was special, but relaxed. The Glass House had an extensive range of wines picked by the wine guru himself.

The four restaurants were all very different from The Beach House with a grill and rib menu to the Sindhu created by Master of Spices Atul Kochlar, which offered a fusion of British and Indian cuisine.

Another treat was Eric Lanlard's Afternoon Tea at the Epicurean. There was an unusual array of tea – I went for nutty chocolate flavoured Assam.

This was accompanied by an unusual smoked duck breast, raspberry and cucumber in a dark chocolate macaroon, dark chocolate cannelloni with caramelized apple and pistachio and strawberry tart. Even with my sweet tooth I felt it was a little sugar overload and none of us managed to finish it all.

P&O Cruises food hero Marco Pierre-White also made an appearance on Azura, chatting to passengers and signing autographs.

During the days when we were relaxing by the pool you could pick up a sandwich, healthy salad, yoghurts etc from the 'Grab-and-Go' fridges or slices of pizza, burgers, hot dogs and chips. There were also the restaurants.

Food does seem to be a major pastime on the ship.

And if you wanted anything extra there was always afternoon tea and a midnight buffet!

The joy of the cruise aboard Azura was that you could do as much or as little as you liked. We had four days at sea and we needed those to recharge our batteries.

Kids club was an eye opener for us, as there was so much going on for the youngsters.

Our son Daniel had his own timetable for Scubas, which was for 9-12 year-olds, from mocktail making to games consoles and activities at the sports net.

Malcolm, Liz and Sarah in Scubas were great with the children and it even got to the stage that our son would rush to get back on the ship to have fun at the club with his newly-made friends.

Azura was calling at East Caribbean islands – Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, Tortola, St Maarten, Antigua and Christmas Eve was in Grenada before returning to Barbados.

What struck us was the amount of lush greenery on the islands.

We had a good mixture of P&O excursions and exploring on our own.

In Barbados we went on the Atlantis Submarine which was amazing, going 140ft underwater and getting up close to the wonderful sealife.

Our nine-year-old son listened intently to the commentary on the fish and coral we saw.

In Curacao our Speedboat Adventure took us along the waterways at high speed and then stopped for us to take in the scenery, admire the homes of the wealthy and finally jump into the sea for a little snorkelling.

The Dutch influence was evident as we later wandered around the island's cosmopolitan capital Willemstad with its pastel-tinted buildings and over the 'wobbly' Queen Emma pontoon bridge.

Our favourite P&O Cruises excursion was a Jeep Safari around Aruba, where our guide Roland took us off-road in a jeep, to the most fantastic beach with beautiful white sands and turquoise water called Hadicurari, the Natural Bridge and natural formations in the middle of the island called Casibari Rock.

In Aruba the port was also close to the airport and it was a surreal experience to be partying away as Azura left the port with a plane coming in to land. It was so close you almost felt as if you could touch it.

On the last day we went on a Rum and Chocolate tour, where we went to the 300-year-old Saint Antoine Rum Distillery and sampled rum with 70 per cent volume (the adults that is) and then on to the Belmont Estate to see cocoa production.

The trip was an experience, as our guide Clever Trevor explained life in Grenada, as we travelled through the rainforest.

This is where we really saw the island in action with stalls on the street, selling meat for Christmas, and people dropping into the distillery to buy their festive rum tipple, which cannot be exported because it is so strong.

At Bonaire, we caught a boat across to uninhabited Klein Bonaire, which is a Robinson Crusoe island, and is included in the protection of the Bonaire National Marine Park.

It's also home to turtle nesting grounds. We snorkelled alongside coral, encountering colourful fish, a turtle and a pelican swooping down into the sea for its next meal.

You can't go to Caribbean islands without venturing out to the glorious beaches. Tortola – part of the British Virgin Islands – was a hidden gem.

We caught a taxi to Cane Garden Bay Beach and took in the gorgeous views as we climbed over Jose Hill Mountain to the north coast. The pretty island was so unspoilt.

After a morning relaxing on Philipsburg town beach in St Maarten, we went to the famous Maho Beach, where planes come precariously low over the beach as they come in to land.

It was an experience with about a thousand sightseers there and signs warning you of jet blast!

Amber Cove is located in the Dominican Republic on the Bay of Maimon near Puerto Plata in the country's North Coast. It's a brand new cruise centre with shops, themed bars and restaurants.

All we had to do was step off the ship and we found ourselves in the hub of things – we swam, we zip-wired, we partied at the pool bar with the lively disco, zoomed down the water slide, lounged on the sunbeds while overlooking beautiful green mountains. Who could complain about that way of life?

In Antigua, the boys were a little more adventurous and went jet skiing while I sat on the beach drinking a cocktail, taking in the picture postcard views.

The Caribbean experience was incredible and we had so many wonderful memories.

It was a heady mixture of partying, relaxing and having the opportunity to visit nine islands.

And to add to the experience it was Christmas. P&O Cruises worked so hard to ensure there was a festive ambience.

Decorations adorned the ship, Father Christmas made a surprise visit, there was Santa's Grotto, a Christmas cake and mince pies made their way to our cabin, festive cocktails and there was a party with festive menu, crackers and party hats on Christmas Eve.

Our son even made reindeer food at the kids' club.

All our Christmases were certainly wrapped in a fabulous and exciting treat – namely a fortnight aboard Azura was a dream come true.

Make the most everything but at your pace

My parents are big fans of cruises and I have to confess that I always thought of cruises as appealing mainly to the older generation.

But, how wrong I was.

The array of activities aboard the ship is incredible – its is one of P&O Cruises largest ships catering for the very young to the elderly.

My husband and I were amazed when we sat looking through the daily Horizon newsletter, which told us a little about the island we were visiting, the dress for the evening and there was then a timetable for the day.

Our son Daniel would rush along to the kids club 'Scubas', but we would hardly be left tapping our fingers.

A completely child-free zone was the Oasis Spa and Health Club, where we could work out at the gym or join fitness classes.

If you were feeling less energetic, you could also relax at Oasis' whirlpool-style pools for swimming and relaxing.

For a little extra, adults could go to the Retreat – an alfresco spa terrace – which offered more luxurious surroundings.

Not that I needed an excuse to pamper myself, but I went for the spa treatment Five Steps to Heaven – muscle melting massage, heat treatment for back aches, luxurious 25-minute facial and pressure point scalp massage. And I have to say it was divine.

Other times we would soak up the sun on deck, sometimes watching a film on the Sea Screen and taking a dip in the pool every so often.

My husband and son often disappeared to the sports net, but were sometimes a little disappointed with missing equipment.

In the evening, there were shows by the Headliners Theatre Company such as Blame It On The Boogie, Electric Avenue and Jingle Bell Rock; Robbie Williams and Phil Collins tribute acts and hilarious comedians such as Manuel Martinez and Berni Flint (do you remember him?).

On the nights we fancied a quiet drink there was the sublime Planet Bar, which had the most incredible video wall.

It depicted Australia, Europe, Africa, India, Orient, America, Wonders Of The World and Elements.

For rowdier nights there was Brodies with its karaoke, quizzes and casino.

It was great that we could do activities as a family or go our separate ways for a couple of hours.

My son and I were in full Christmas mode and went along to the panto Robinson Cruise-O, which included not only the entertainment staff but also a bar manager and waiter.

The show was such good fun, but while we were there my husband was at the other end of Azura in a fitness class.

The cruise could be whatever you wanted as formal or informal as you liked, if you wanted that extra special meal you could pay a little extra and you could participate in every activity or none. The choice was entirely yours.

Travel facts:

P&O Cruises is offering a 14-night Caribbean cruise on family friendly Azura (A605) from £1,399 per person for an inside cabin.

Departing March 4, 2016, the price includes flights from selected UK airports, full board meals and afternoon tea, round the clock kids' clubs and entertainment on board.

Departing from and returning to Barbados ports of call including Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba, Amber Cove, Tortola, St Maarten, Antigua, and Grenada.

To book, visit www.pocruises.com, call 0843 373 0111 or visit your local travel agent.