Why not enjoy a cruise this Easter, says EMILY BAMBER, where every moment is packed with fun, adventure, and, of course, eggs

ISLAND HOPPING WITH EASE
Explore Greece on board easyCruise Life and your children will love seeing the ancient world they learn about in school brought to life.

Stay a few extra days in Athens and visit the new Acropolis Museum. With the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Easters coinciding this year, you have a chance to see an alternative face of the holiday with statues of Christ paraded through the streets.

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On board the ship, which accommodates up to 574 passengers, there's a pool and spa, a restaurant serving international and Greek food plus lively entertainment. Soon you'll be soaking up the sun and taking in the islands of Mykonos with its scenic windmills and Patmos, where St John wrote the Apocalypse.

The cruise also calls at the Venetian city of Heraklion in Crete and volcanic Santorini, where villages cling to the cliffs around the "caldera", a dramatic coastal area.

easyCruise (0871 210 0001/ www.easyCruise.com) offers a three-night Greek cruise from £169 per adult, £49 per child (four sharing). Departs Piraeus (Athens) April 2. EasyJet (0871 244 2366/www.easyjet.com) offers return flights from Manchester or Luton, £190pp.

IRISH CHARM AND MORE
If you need a break as much as your children do this Easter then a few nights on P&O's Oriana could be just the ticket.

The ship will call at Dublin where dad can head to the Guinness brewery or the whole family can take an exciting ghostly walking tour of the city.

Next stop is pretty Cork and the nearby Blarney Castle, then it's across to Bilbao and Brest, with plenty of time in between to enjoy some of the best children's facilities at sea.

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From toddlers to teens, the complimentary programmes are designed to keep children entertained around the clock with everything from story-time to PlayStation and no doubt some chocolate eggs to enjoy, leaving adults free to unwind in the plush surroundings of the Gary Rhodes restaurant, take in a film or be pampered in the spa.

P&O Cruises (0845 3555 333/www.pocruises.com) offers a seven-night cruise from £644 per adult, £266 per child (four sharing). Departs Southampton April 11.

SUN, SAND AND SHOPPING
Departing Barcelona just after Easter weekend this is a great cruise aboard the Norwegian Jade for school-age families.

As well as time in the exciting Catalan capital the ship visits flamboyant Morocco where you can haggle for bargains in the souks of Casablanca and Agadir or take a tour into the desert to visit Berber villages and ride camels. It then heads out into the Atlantic and to the shores of Gran Canaria for a couple of days' sun and sand and Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. There is also time at sea where the family can enjoy the ship's plentiful facilities, featuring a variety of restaurants, a grand casino and spa, plus four children's clubs for two to 17-year-olds.

Norwegian Cruise Line (0845 201 8900/www.ncl.co.uk) offers a nine-night cruise from £849 per adult, £509 per child (four sharing) including return flights from Heathrow.
Departs Barcelona April 9.

CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE
There can be few more exciting Easter gifts for the family than a Caribbean cruise taking in the eastern islands of St Thomas, St Kitts, Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua, where you can learn about British naval history, drive through sugarcane fields or play a round of golf in glorious sunshine.

The Ruby Princess also spends a day at Princess Cruises's private island, Princess Cays - a chance to sunbathe, sail or try deep-sea fishing. The ship is one of the newest and the perfect cruise liner for children, with clubs for three to 17-year-olds, a theatre, golf putting course, sports court and even free ice cream.

Princess Cruises (0845 355 5800/www.princess.com) offers a 10-night cruise from £1,569 per adult, £869 per child (four sharing) including flights from Heathrow. Departs Fort Lauderdale March 30.

DESERT DELIGHT
The weather here may still be grey but over Easter the Middle East basks in blue skies and 30-degree heat. This cruise aboard the new luxury liner Costa Deliziosa starts in Dubai, where the malls are buzzing with shoppers and the beaches are the perfect place to relax.

Next port of call is Oman's Muscat, one of the oldest cities in the region. If you are looking for some culture, enjoy its mosques and battle-scarred fortresses.

For the adventurous there's plenty to enjoy on shore, the stop-offs in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Bahrain allow you to take a 4x4 trip through the desert, play golf or spend a day on the beach at a luxury hotel, before the ship heads back to Dubai.

The Costa Deliziosa also has children's clubs, stunning facilities including three swimming pools, 4-D cinema, a roller skating track, an outdoor putting green and four restaurants.

Costa Cruises (0845 351 0552/www.costacruises.co.uk) offers a seven-night cruise from £949 per adult, £689 per child (four sharing) including flights from Heathrow. Departs Dubai April 4.