IF life sometimes leaves you feeling Grumpy or Sleepy, here's a nice and Sneezy way to feel Happy again.

Don't be Bashful or Dopey, sail away on the Disney Cruise Line - it's just what the Doc ordered!

That's what I did with my wife Simone and children Jamie, eight, and three-year-old Rachel, on a holiday which dwarfed all our expectations.

As seasoned cruisers over the past 10 years, we were keen to discover how our cruise experience would differ from the more conventional Caribbean cruise lines and those wonderful folk at Disney did not let us down.

From the moment you drive into Port Canaveral and see Goofy hanging over the front of the Disney Magic cleaning it with his mop, you cannot help but tingle with excitement.

Our first task once on board was to register Jamie and Rachel for the week of children's activities ahead - one of the ship's main attractions.

The Oceaneer Club caters for three to four-year-olds, while the Oceaneer Lab is for eight to nines, but there are clubs for all ages from toddlers right up to teens.

For under-threes there is a professional nursery, which carries a charge.

Every child is fitted with an identity wristband, parents are loaned a pager (which works while you are ashore) for the week, and children cannot be signed in or out without a password, so we knew the kids were in safe hands.

We weren't trying to get rid of our children, but it was a nice surprise when they sometimes opted to go to their respective clubs rather than hang around with mum and dad, as it meant Simone and I could do our own thing during the day or enjoy dinner as a couple.

Nor was it any surprise that Jamie and Rachel wanted to stay with their new friends, given the choice of events on their daily "personal navigator" itinerary sheet. For Jamie these included Mickeymation drawing, Goofy Files investigations, Cranium Crunchers, Disney Game Show, Karaoke and Hercules Feats of Strength.

Rachel's programme offered such delights as Mouseketeers in Training, Ariel's Bubble Adventure, Nemo's Coral Reef Adventures, Do Si Do with Snow White, Dumbo's Circus Activities, Aladdin's Fun Adventures and tea with Wendy Darling.

Classic Disney films are shown regularly in the clubs too, and the week is topped off with all the youngsters performing on stage in a special show, Discover the Magic.

Our kids love to meet Disney characters, and one of the best things about this cruise is that if Mickey Mouse and friends are not walking through the ship or having breakfast with you, then they appear at set times every day in the atrium lobby for photograph and autograph sessions. Everyone gets a turn to have a hug.

Sailing through the western Caribbean, we stopped at Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and then the real highlight of the week, Castaway Cay, Disney's private paradise island in the Bahamas. There are two important ingredients to any cruise: The food and the evening entertainment. And Disney scored pretty highly on both.

There are three themed restaurants on board, and you rotate your dining through each one so that you are in a different setting each night.

The most amazing is Animator's Palate, which starts off like an artist's blank canvas sheet but is gradually transformed into a colourful Disney spectacular, with all your favourite film characters on the walls.

Don't worry about your waiting staff either, as they rotate with you so that you have the same servers every night. Our dynamic duo Fitz and Raj went out of their way to ensure our complete enjoyment and satisfaction - the only dilemma was which dessert to choose, they all looked so good.

If you want to spoil yourself and dine away from the children for one night - they will be properly fed in the club - then dinner at the adult-only Palo restaurant is a must.

For a small cover charge you can enjoy a la carte dining at its finest, served by a hand-picked team of excellent waiting staff - it really is worth spoiling yourself for dinner one night, although Palo also offers a spectacular brunch or afternoon tea.

On the subject of adults only, there is an adult-only pool area, as well as bars which are all off-limits to those aged under 18.

Although some cruise lines have cut back on evening entertainment as prices have fallen, Disney still delivers a pretty high standard.

Besides shows featuring Disney Magic Dancers, such as Disney Dreams and Hercules the Muse-ical, there are jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists and comedians who feature regularly on American prime-time television.

As well as the family show there is a later, adult-only offering in one of the adult-only bars.

Star performance on our voyage was the act from the Siegfried and Roy stable, Darren Romeo The Voice of Magic. This singing illusionist promised we would leave the show talking about what we had just seen, and he was certainly right.

The entertainment did not stop there, as there were deck parties and sailaway parties with as much food, music, dancing and fun as you can handle. Back indoors, a cinema shows the latest Disney films - and if you are lucky enough you might even catch one not yet on general release.

There is only one problem with a Disney cruise. There aren't enough hours in the day to enjoy everything on offer - but it sure is fun trying.

TRAVEL FACTS

Neil Silver was a guest of Thomas Cook Signature (0870 443 4453) which offers seven nights' room-only at Disney's Port Orleans Resort in Orlando followed by seven-night Disney Magic Cruise from £1,768 per adult and £973 per child (three-nine) and £1,028 (nine-11) in April 2004.

Package includes free breakfasts for three to nine-year-olds in Orlando, seven-day Ultimate Park Hopper tickets, seven days rental-only car hire in Orlando, full board accommodation during cruise, and scheduled Virgin Atlantic flights ex-Gatwick/Manchester.

Contact your local ABTA travel agent for more on Disney and cruising.