Cruise the blues away; MARK SILVER and his daughters got through a tough time by setting sail on an idyllic and action-packed Mediterranean cruise.

Byline: MARK SILVER

I'D travelled to many places with my young children but this trip was like no other, and I couldn't get the nerves out of my system.

Luckily my eight-year-old daughter, Jessica, lightened the mood as we flew above the clouds en route to Spain to pick up a cruise ship from Barcelona.

She had a good look outside the window, turned to me and looked puzzled. Then she enquired: "Daddy, why can't we see God?" It produced laughter and a smile from me and my other daughter, three years her senior.

It was just what the doctor ordered to get things off to a relaxed start. And, boy, did I need it. Only weeks earlier, a divorce battle had finally been concluded.

Naturally, it had been a rough ride for the kids and now after years of holidaying as a four, this was the first time I was taking my girls away without mum.

I took comfort from the fact I was joining a "club" made up of thousands of other divorced parents in what has become a rather sad sign of the times.

And by choosing a cruise - around the glorious Mediterranean - I was making it as easy as possible for stressedout old dad.

We'd cruised before, as a family, and I had immediately got the bug.

I liked the idea of travelling from place to place without packing and unpacking and waiting around at airports, the option of eating (and eating!) whenever you fancied and last, but by no means least, the fabulous kids' clubs that the majority of ships provide.

Cruising is a very affordable holiday these days when you weigh up everything. All I had to do was pick which line to sail with.

That's not as easy as it sounds, with so many to choose from and many ships of a similar quality.

I opted for a company called Norwegian Cruise Line, which offers a relaxed way to cruise known as "Freestyle". The name is reflected in the dining.

You can choose a different restaurant every night, turn up when you fancy, and wear what you want, within reason.

It suited me not to pack my suit this time. In the past I have cruised with other family members and we've looked forward to dressing up for dinner in the main restaurant, at a set time, every evening.

With NCL's endless options, variety is the spice of life and I could not fault the quality.

The children preferred spending their evenings in the kids' club while I roamed the ship choosing where to put on a few extra pounds.

NCL's entire fleet has the same dining options - a mixture of restaurants included in your original fare and several where you have to pay extra (in dollars).

While in principal I'm not a fan of the "paying extra" idea, it proved inexpensive.

Japanese restaurant Teppanyaki was my favourite, where chefs cook at your table with wonderful enthusiasm.

I must admit that due to the casual approach to Freestyle cruising, I did not expect it to live up to my more recent experiences with firms Celebrity and Princess, but I found NCL every bit as good.

The organisation was superb, which was welcome in my case as I was the only adult with two youngsters (both of whom were trying not to miss their mum too much.) The kids' clubs did a great job in occupying their minds.

There was plenty of staff on hand when checking in which really cut down the queueing.

On my last cruise from the US, it took ages to register - not ideal after a long flight.

When cruising you give your credit card details and then your final bill is automatically settled without having to worry at the end (the worry comes about six weeks later!).

Your room key card is used for any payments you make (on the ship, NOT on shore).

And you must remember to take the card when leaving the ship at the ports or it will delay you being allowed back on.

I could not have wished for a more exciting list of ports.

After boarding at Barcelona, the following day was spent at sea - perfect for two reasons: it is wonderfully relaxing and you can familiarise yourself with the ship.

With cruise ships so enormous these days, that takes far longer than a day.

Our ship, the Gem, offered all the features you expect - numerous bars and restaurants, a beautiful nightclub, shops, a theatre, a casino, a librar and a gym (so I'm told).

The kids loved the ten-pin bowling (exclusive to The Gem) which, although an additional cost, worked out at a reasonable pounds 2.50 per person per game. Drinks were not badly priced, with a beer costing less than pounds 3. And there were often bargains to be had from the shops, with big discount days on jewellery and handbags.

My favourite location was the spa, offering a range of treatments such as massages, facials and acupuncture (and one advantage of having no wife with me was there was no nagging that I was spending too much money!).

While the ship's captain knew about knots, Hari from Singapore knew how to remove my type of knots with his deep tissue massage.

Cruise ships normally have a huge proportion of staff from the Philippines, where good service is a way of life. Some 75 per cent of The Gem's staff were from this part of the world. The captain was from Norway, naturally.

After that divine day at sea, our ports of call included Malta, Livorno (for Florence and Pisa), Villefranche (my favourite stop between Nice and Monte Carlo) and Civitavecchia, from where you can hop on a coach to Rome.

All trips are easily bookable at the shore excursions desk. Children go at reduced rates.

The only problem was trying to get a sunbed when the ship was at sea.

However, during port days it is much quieter - in fact, you may prefer to stay on board while everyone else gets off.

You won't go without as the food and entertainment is just as good.

Each evening you receive a newsletter listing the next day's events and telling you about the place you will be visiting.

You can't go wrong. As a divorced dad, I wanted to see as much of my children as possible without denying them the popular kids' club.

My girls enjoyed spending time with me and with their new-found friends. The balance was just about perfect.

In fact, on the return flight home it was me peering out the window and looking above the clouds trying to find God.

I just wanted to thank him for the sort of holiday I'd really needed..

FACT AND FIGURES

NCL operates three Freestyle Cruising ships in Europe - Norwegian Gem from Barcelona, Norwegian Jewel from Dover and Norwegian Jade from Southampton. Norwegian Gem sails a round-trip from Barcelona, priced from pounds 799 per person, travelling to Valetta in Malta, Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Livorno (Florence/Pisa) in Italy and Villefranche (Nice) in France.

Price includes return flights from the UK, transfers to the ship, government and port taxes, seven nights' Freestyle Cruising on board Norwegian Gem, meals and entertainment. For more information or to book, call NCL Freestyle Cruising on 0845 658 8010, visit www.ncl.co.uk or see your local travel agent.

CAPTION(S):

STRIKING: There's ten-pin bowling on board DADDY'S GIRLS: Mark, Emily and Jessica LOUNGING: One of the stunning pools A TRUE GEM: Norwegian Cruise Line's stunning ship