Travelling with teenagers in tow has to combine lots of relaxation with plenty of action. A holiday afloat was the ideal solution for GMTV presenter ANDREW CASTLE's family

YOU  don't have to be over 60 to enjoy life on board a ship, as we discovered during our Eastern Caribbean cruise.

The Castle family consists of myself, 46, Sophia (a bit younger), Georgina, 16, and Claudia, 15, and it was a blast. We embarked the 113,000-tonne Emerald Princess from Fort Lauderdale, sipping champagne as we slipped gracefully out of port.

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Sophia and I had a suite with a double balcony and Jacuzzi, which was lovely. When we arrived there was fruit, fresh flowers and canapes to greet us. Together with the minibar, it was all a sign of the luxury to come. Under 18s are not allowed in staterooms with balconies so the girls' cabin was more basic but still comfortable.

After a brief exploration of the ship we went to dinner. It's true that you can eat 24 hours a day on board and some passengers clearly had that intention.

We had the choice of two flexible dining restaurants, Michelangelo's and Da Vinci's, which are all about fine dining with crisp white tablecloths against a cream and gold decor. There was no need to book, although a 10-minute wait was not unusual and there were no set dining times, unlike at Botticelli's, a more traditional restaurant where you had the same waiter throughout the cruise.

A fantastic sleep was followed by a monumental breakfast before we boarded the launch for Princess Cays in the Bahamas. This is Princess Cruises' private beach resort which offers numerous watersports and a beach barbecue. We did some snorkelling but it was overcast and a little chilly so we were more than happy to return to the ship.

Sophia and I warmed up with a workout in the ocean-view gym before visiting the Asian-themed Lotus Spa where I indulged my metrosexual side with a lavender steam, a salt shower and a lie down on a very hard, hot-stone bed. Sophia declared her facial "spectacular".

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That evening and for a supplement of £15 per person, we ate at the Crown Grill which has a nautical theme. It also has an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work flame-grilling steaks and seafood. This is serious fine dining, a culinary experience to match anything in London, in fact the service is better.

It's worth booking a table here before the cruise or the day you arrive and also at Sabatini's, the elegant Italian restaurant with its columns, mirrors and floor-to-ceiling windows (£20pp supplement). You deserve a medal if you can eat everything placed before you. We tucked into lobster, filet mignon and homemade ravioli as we admired the views.

Next stop was St Maarten, a tiny island divided between the French and the Dutch in 1648. We could have chosen from numerous excursions including a visit to the butterfly farm, a historic tour of the island, horse-riding along the beach or a coastal hike. Instead we plumped for some R&R so took a taxi to a beach bar and restaurant in nearby Oyster Bay, where we hired sunloungers, snorkelled and ate turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches with fries. It was a wonderfully relaxing day.

Back on board we plunged further south. While it was damp and grey at home we were enjoying balmy nights that allowed us to keep the balcony doors open. The sound of the ocean put us to sleep and we woke to the emerald green of St Thomas. The calmness was shattered by our first excursion of the day, a £25 trip on a boat whose name gives a clue to the experience ahead, the Screamin' Eagle.

The jet boat did 180-degree spins and power-brake stops inducing a real adrenaline rush. Have a go, you only live once.

The beach that is most recommended by those in the know is the palm-fringed Magens Bay, often voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world and with numerous restaurants lining its long stretch of white sand.

It was beautiful but felt like a tourist trap. I did enjoy the iguanas though; we haven't got any of them back home in Wandsworth.

After taking a taxi back to the ship I returned to the Lotus Spa with Sophia and the girls. While they had treatments varying from collagen facials to hair cuts, I was cleansed, toned, moisturised and shaved. I could claim that this was in the name of research but the fact is I loved every moment. It was utterly rejuvenating and made me feel quite light-headed. When I win the lottery I will be pampered like this three times a week.

The last stop on our week-long cruise was Grand Turk, one of the Turks & Caicos Islands. I had heard from my outgoing GMTV colleague Penny Smith that this was beautiful and a world-class dive site. And for once she was right. We were taken by boat to a tiny island called Gibbs Cay by three of the Oasis Divers professionals who run many of the excursions. They were friendly and informative and on arrival they jumped into the water with a few buckets of fish. Within seconds more than a dozen stingrays were among us, including Lady who allowed us to hold and even kiss her.

Sophia saw a little lemon shark no more than a few feet away and a barracuda. While snorkelling with our "guards" we also encountered a lobster the size of a Rottweiler, all the while accompanied by our stingray friends. It was one of the best days of our lives, unforgettable.

As a family we would cruise again. I haven't the room to tell you all the activities that were available on board. But there was a brilliant hypnotist show, West End-style theatre productions, keep-fit for all levels, a cinema under the stars and even paper-folding classes.

One way to judge a holiday is how you feel when leaving and we all felt very sad.

THE KNOWLEDGE:

Princess Cruises (0845 355 5800/www.princesscruises.com) offers a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise on board Emerald Princess calling at Princess Cays, St Maarten, St Thomas and Grand Turk from £1,239 per adult, £679 per child (two sharing). Price includes one night in Fort Lauderdale and return flights from Gatwick to Florida.