A Disney cruise is most children's idea of heaven but what about the adults? MORENO MICHINI sails to the Bahamas with his family to find out

DISNEY  WONDER, would you please welcome aboard Beata, Massimo and Moreno".

There was rapturous applause as my wife Beata, our son Massimo, 12, and I stepped into the huge atrium of the Disney Wonder cruise liner.

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The warm welcome was a sign of things to come on our fournight cruise to the Bahamas.

Massimo, an avid fan of all things Disney, had been beside himself with excitement about going on a Disney cruise. As soon as we arrived at the Cape Canaveral port and saw the trademark Mickey Mouse ears adorning the red and black funnels, a big smile spread across his face. Beata and I were less convinced that we would enjoy a Disney-themed cruise. Would we be sick of the sight of Disney characters by the time we reached the Bahamas?

Fortunately, the 2,700 passenger ship's sleek interior didn't scream Disney at every turn. Designed to resemble the great cruise ships of the Twenties, it had a sophisticated art nouveau decor. The Disney theme was just as subtle in our nauticalstyle stateroom, which had a spacious balcony, flat-screen TV offering free, non-stop Disney films and cartoons, a double bed with luxurious Egyptian cotton duvets and a fold-down top bunk. Every night we'd come back from dinner to find the towels on the bed shaped into characters such as Goofy donning Massimo's sunglasses.

There were plenty of childfree zones to escape to, such as the adult pool where Beata and I had a relaxing swim and lounged in the sun as we sipped Margaritas. It didn't take Massimo long to make friends in the Aloft Teen Club, one of four clubs. The interior was a cross between a college dormitory and the Central Park coffee shop in the TV series Friends, with sofas, a big plasma TV, MP3 players and a bar serving soft drinks and smoothies. He was in heaven.

We did manage to tear him away from his new friends to watch one of the West End style shows, The Golden Mickeys at the Walt Disney Theatre, where we arrived via a red carpet with "paparazzi" snapping away and a lady dressed in Twenties costume "interviewing us celebs" as we arrived. It was a slick performance.

Disney Cruise Line pioneered rotation dining, which gives passengers the opportunity to sample three themed restaurants while keeping the same waiting staff.

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Animator's Palate is a lovely restaurant with drawings of characters and images from classic Disney animated films appearing on the walls, all synchronized with music and light. The food wasn't bad either: pan-seared salmon and New York strip steak. You can almost hear the waves lapping at the shore and the wind rustling the palm trees as you tuck into coconut-crusted shrimp and lobster limbo at the Caribbeanthemed Parrot Cay, while the elegant Triton's offered French food such as escargot and oven-baked grouper. There were also plenty of child-friendly dining options such as Pluto's Dog House serving fries and hamburgers and Pinocchio's for pizza and salad.

Waking up on a cruise ship was a mind-blowing experience because every day we opened the curtains we were in a different place. Stepping on to the balcony on our first morning we saw Nassau, capital of The Bahamas. We had plenty of time to explore and relax so booked a Catamaran Sail and Reef snorkelling trip. The waters off the coast of Nassau were crystal clear and the reef offered a huge variety of colourful sea life.

That night we watched yet another top-class show, Toy Story, The Musical. Massimo had arranged to have a pizza with his new friends afterwards so Beata and I tried the exclusive Italian restaurant Palo ($15 supplement) on Deck 10, with sweeping ocean views from the floor-to-ceiling windows and a central kitchen where you could watch the chefs at work.
We tucked into seafood, beef tenderloin with Barolo, chocolate souffle and panna cotta, all washed down with some chilled Prosecco. We ended our second day on the Disney Wonder by heading ashore for a drink and a taste of the Nassau nightlife and one too many tequilas.

The next morning the view from our balcony had changed again. We were in Castaway Cay, Disney's 1,000-acre private Bahamian island. All we could see was clear turquoise water and a full-size pirate ship, which turned out to be the original Flying Dutchman ghost ship used in Pirates Of The Caribbean. "Wow, " said a very impressed Massimo.

After a dip in the sea Massimo and I joined a jetski session.

We were soon bouncing over the waves at speed, it was a real buzz.

Next up was parasailing; floating nearly 100 metres above the sea in a parachute.

One of the highlights of the cruise was being invited to the bridge and seeing the command centre of such a massive ship. The Captain asked Massimo to help him set sail from Castaway Cay. He sat on the tall Captain's chair with binoculars in hand and had to press the button that released what became a familiar sound from the funnels as we left each port. While other ships made the usual "honk, honk" as they left each destination, Disney Wonder emitted the more musical "When You Wish Upon a Star" song from the film Pinocchio.

On the last night we donned eye patches and bandanas for Pirate Night, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display. It was a fitting finale to a fabulous trip.

Beata and I knew Massimo would love going on a Disney cruise. What surprised us was that we loved it too.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Virgin Holidays (0871 781 9893/ www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk) offers an 11-night Disney Stay & Bahamas Cruise from £1,299pp, 12 years and under from £899, (two adults, two children sharing). Price includes seven nights at the Disney Pop Century Resort at Cape Canaveral, full-board, and four nights onboard Disney Magic.

Ports include Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay.