Carnival at sea.

ONE of the ship's black-tie waiters discreetly poured a fine Australian sauvignon blanc at the Captain's table, a formal affair with white brocaded uniforms, matching dinner suits and ladies in evening gowns.

Then he paused, looking inquiringly at colleagues positioned by other tables around the luxurious dining room - and lurched into frantic action at the opening bars of Abba's party track Dancing Queen.

With the waiters taking the lead, guests were swept up, singing, clapping and even dancing on some of the empty tables for the five minutes between the starters and the main course.

For this was a Carnival Victory cruise, and on this 102,000-tonne ship there's no place for British reserve.

With a Virgin Cruise And Stay package, you have time ashore in a hotel before the cruise starts. I relished lazy days languishing beside the pool at the fourstar Almond Casuarina Beach Resort in Christchurch, Barbados, to get into the mood for my voyage. It's a great place to explore the underwater world of brilliantly-coloured tropical fish, sea turtles, shipwrecks and coral reefs with a snorkelling day trip on a boat.

We embarked on Carnival Victory in Bridgetown for a cruise steeped in rum punch, adventure and tales of piracy which makes no concession to the millionaire lifestyle: seven islands in seven days in luxury.

Some of this ship's statistics are mindboggling: about 2,700 passengers, a casino with more than 320 slot machines, and the longest water slide at sea at 200 feet long.

Travelling by night, the floating resort glides into port in the early morning to allow passengers the whole day to explore each destination, from the lush mountainous Dominica to the golden beaches of Antigua and the salsa bars of San Juan.

Around the ship's 13 decks you find bars, restaurants, swimming pools (one enclosed by a magrodome - a retractable glass skylight), fitness centre, spa, running track, theatre, casino, mini golf, nightclub and free kids' club.

Breakfast, buffet lunch and formal three-course dinners are included in the price, along with Broadway-style stage shows for mum and dad and supervised activities to keep children and teens amused. Extras such as organised shore excursions and alcoholic drinks are paid by a cashless card system onboard.

Our first stop was St Lucia, a tiny volcanic beauty spot once furiously fought over by the French and British that's now home to the more laidback Creole-speaking population. A trip into the mountains is not complete without a visit to the mud baths downstream from the acrid-smelling, spluttering crater - fun and reputed to be very therapeutic.

Antigua is best known for long golden beaches, ideal for showing off your freshly mud-cleansed bikini body and topping up the tan before the next stop, St Kitts.

British influences can be seen here too, amid ghostly ruins of colonial plantations - among the highlights is Romney Manor's immaculate manicured garden.

Strolling beyond the wellmanaged borders, it's a wonder how its architects could have failed to appreciate the complex jungle ecosystem full of plants and trees with incredible healing properties. . (virginholidayscruises.781 9893) and Caribbean (two sharing Includes 4-star seven to San The party ship set off for vibrant Puerto Rico at sunset, accompanied by exuberant dolphins ducking and diving ahead of the stern.

The port of San Juan is Americancontrolled, but Latin in character and dominated by impressive forts. The maze of narrow streets in the Old Town contains lively salsa bars and little courtyard tapas restaurants.

The little island of St Thomas offers more activity aboard a Farr 40 yacht. After a morning racing around the bay, a hearty Creole meal was in order: chicken curry, rice with peas and fried plantain washed down with tropical fruit juice.

The last stop was Dominica, perhaps the most beautiful and unspoilt of all the islands. Used in filming Pirates Of The Caribbean, it now enjoys a roaring eco-tourism trade.

0871 stay pounds 1,299pp Tourists follow in the footsteps of Captain Jack in search of Blackbeard's treasure on a rainforest trek, swinging on loose vines Tarzan-style and sampling aphrodisiac tree leaves.

Victory Kitts, and And the very last remnants of British reserve are cast off with the hiking boots and spray-soaked T-shirts to dive into the cool water of Middleham Falls - a fitting finale to the Carnival Victory experience.

The 102,000-tonne Carnival Victory cruiseliner (main) and its stunning atrium (centre). The port of St Lucia (left) and El Morro Fortress, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico (right) stop, TRAVEL INFORMATION here islands. Used Caribbean, eco-. Virgin Holidays Cruises co.uk, 0871 (virginholidayscruises.

781 9893) offers 10-night Barbados stay and Caribbean cruises from pounds 1,299pp on on (two sharing inside cabin in November).

Includes three nights' all-inclusive in 4-star Almond Casuarina, Barbados, seven nights on Carnival Victory to St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, San Juan, St Thomas and Dominica, and Virgin Atlantic flights and transfers and of with spray-into Middleham to the