One of the joys of cruising is waking up every morning to a new destination and ‘hopping’ around the colourful islands of the Caribbean is a wonderful way to pass the days, writes David Powell.

Cruising is one of the tourist industry’s success stories, in fact the Passenger Shipping Association recorded that 1.33 million of us took a cruise in 2007.

A favourite cruise destination is the Caribbean and I decided to try out a Freestyle cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Dawn.

Flights were included in the package and NCL arrange an overnight stay in Miami after the 10 hour journey. The port of Miami is one of the busiest cruise terminals in the world and embarkation the following morning was a sight to behold with 5 exceptionally large cruise ships lined up awaiting their next intake of passengers.

The idea behind NCL’s Freestyle Cruising is quite simply put - no rules. You’re free to relax and make the most of your cruise with no schedules, a casual dress code (no jacket or tie required) and the freedom to dine when and where you choose.

I’ve been on cruise ships before where a degree of freestyle dining is incorporated, inevitably this means booking your table first thing in the morning or waiting for a table at the peak evening dining times; so was NCL going to be any different?

With 3 main and 7 speciality restaurants, including one open 24 hours a day, the answer was a resounding yes. Not once did I have to wait longer than 2 minutes for a table - NCL have definitely got freestyle dining right!

The Norwegian Dawn is a large, resort style ship (91,740 tons). Luxurious and ‘fun’, the hull is even decorated with colourful images of various destinations from New York to the Bahamas which sets it apart from other cruise lines. Apart from the name, the only thing Norwegian was a couple of senior Norwegian Officers. With just a ‘sprinkling’ of passenger nationalities, including 20 or so Brits, this particular cruise was predominantly middle America on vacation.

The Dawn entered service in October 2002 and with 11 passenger decks, she is an ideal all round family cruise ship. There is an excellent choice of comfortable and fairly spacious cabins, or staterooms as NCL prefer to call them, and the onboard lifestyle is casual, just right for the Caribbean, with swimming pools, hot tubs and plenty of deck space to soak up the sun. The fitness facilities are state of the art and the two deck spa complex seemed busy most days offering a wide choice of treatments at additional cost.

The staff go out of their way to make your cruise memorable and special. Children are well catered for with a kids centre and teen club all tucked well away from the adult areas at the aft end of the ship. Entertainment is all inclusive on your cruise and the Stardust Theatre, seating over 1000, was the venue for Broadway style shows and comedy. A cinema was showing a selection of family films most days and throughout the ship you didn’t have far to go to find one of the 13 bars and lounges offering a selection of live music, dancing and a friendly Vegas style Casino.

One of the joys of cruising is waking up every morning to a new destination and ‘hopping’ around the colourful islands of the Caribbean is a wonderful way to pass the days. After leaving Miami, an experience in itself, the itinerary took in several days at sea and stops at the Dominican Republic, Tortola, St Thomas and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.

Tortola was my favourite stop. A former British colony, this archipelago of some 40 islands is a majestic cluster of beautiful harbours, rugged mountains, and groves of bananas and fringed palm trees.

The nearby island of St Thomas has been a haven for merchant ships since the 1600’s, and the shopping along Main Street in the capital, Charlotte Amalie is legendary - a row of former pirate warehouses are now a cluster of duty free shops stocked with imported luxuries. I took the Skyride to Paradise Point, some 700 feet above sea level, to one of the most spectacular views of the Caribbean.