For a luxury break go OUT TO LAUNCH; Archie Mackay found his holiday afloat was first class.

I WAKE from a good night's sleep, jump out of bed, pull back the curtains... and find myself in paradise.

The blue sky stretches on forever and I feel the sunshine through the balcony doors.

There's a knock on the door and my Girl Friday arrives with a laden breakfast tray.

Randi, a Norwegian stewardess, also takes care of cleaning my cabin.

Believe it or not, this is work! It's day two of a fact-finding mission on board Cunard's Royal Viking Sun.

And I'm lapping up the luxury.

My room is bigger than the one I shared with my wife and two children on my last cruise.

It's got everything - even a full-length bath, with its own waves!

Taking a bath is a crazy experience on a cruise ship that's doing around 16 knots in the Atlantic Ocean.

I hadn't noticed any movement when walking around the ship, probably something to do with its stabilisers.

But the bath water was more sensitive than me.

Its lapping was the only hint that my room wasn't on terra firma.

I joined the Royal Viking Sun in Madeira. It had sailed from Miami 10 days earlier and stopped at Bermuda before crossing the Atlantic.

Other cruises call at Stornoway, Invergordon and Rosyth.

My previous cruise experience consisted of going to bed in one port and waking in another. This trip was different. We had a full day at sea from Madeira before sampling the delights of Casablanca in Morocco. Another full day at sea before reaching Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and then two days sailing before disembarking in Rouen on the River Seine.

It was a breeze - but it was far from plain sailing. There was nothing plain about it. Everything was top class.

We were a world away from everyday cares. The staff - from Captain Halle Thon Gundersen to the lowest deck hand - made sure of that.

Nothing was too much trouble. Catering staff even counted the calories for you on their Cunard Spa menu.

I opted not to count them for myself. Amazingly - despite the fantastic food - I didn't put on much weight. But there was a lot going on elsewhere.

I spent a lot of time in the hi-tech golf room. The simulator features some of the best courses in the USA. Apart from missing the walk between shots, it's just like the real thing.

On another deck, there's a driving cage and a nine-hole putting green.

Some energetic passengers preferred jogging round the promenade deck, paddle tennis or working out in the gym.

But the pace for most was a little slower - opting to exercise their brains in games of bridge or at the popular daily quiz shows.

There was also plenty of opportunity to name that tune with a wide choice of musical entertainment, too. The Stella Polaris Room, a lounge above the bridge with superb views, has a resident harpist.

A piano gently tinkles in the Norway Lounge while afternoon tea is served.

Later, in the same lounge, there are nightly musical reviews. There's a variety of performances but the best on my trip was a New York big band and swing singer Smitty.

You can see all of the latest movies in the ship's own theatre... although Titanic wouldn't go down too well!

You can see if your numbers are up with a game of bingo or hit the tables in the casino.

But there's one thing you won't want to leave to chance. You'll want to know for sure that you'll be back on board for another trip.

CUNARD offers a 14-night Mediterranean cruise package for a family of four from pounds 3,330.