I took my kids and their nana on a cruise - here's why it was the perfect trip

"Beep, beep! Ferrari coming through! Beep, beep!"

My kids and I have just had a magical day snorkelling and kayaking at Vanuatu's Mystery Island. As we swam, my 78-year-old mum enjoyed a massage in a beach hut and then sat in the shade sipping coconut water from a real coconut.

The sky was blue, the sun beamed, the tropical fish darted in and out of the coral. What more could you ask for?

It was absolute bliss.

But now it's time to catch one of the small boats back to the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship, which sits, majestically, in the turquoise water, the heavily forested mountain ranges of the larger Aneityum island looming up behind it.

But it seems everyone on the day trip to Mystery Island has decided to return to the ship at the same time.

No probs. My mum is a trouper. So we get ready to join the long line to the dock, pushing her walker through the sand as we juggle our snorkelling gear and various other bags. Until Slim, one of the Quantum of the Seas staff, arrives out of nowhere, like an angel in his pristine white uniform.

Slim, who is from Croatia, insists he takes us to the front of the line so that "Mammy" doesn't have to wait so long.

And in doing so, he lifts her walker high above his head, starts calling "Beep, beep! Ferrari coming through!" and takes us right to the front of the line, in the most obvious way possible.

While I feel it's deeply un-Australian to cut a line, I'm loving Slim right now.

It just confirms what I've already learnt on our Royal Caribbean cruise to the South Pacific: the Quantum crew are lovely and will do whatever they can to make your stay more enjoyable. They, especially, show great care for the older passengers. And it's worth taking grandma on the trip, just to get some extra special treatment now and then. There. I've said it.

No wonder multi-generational travel is hot right now.

While other cruise lines may sniffily and gleefully promote "no kids" as their selling point, Royal Caribbean welcomes everyone - couples, friends, families and, especially, multi-generational family groups.

There seemed to be extended families everywhere on our seven-night cruise from Brisbane to Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Mums and dads enjoying a date night in one of the restaurants while the grandparents look after the kids in the cabin. Large family groups eating dinner together, thanks to the big round tables in the buffet and main dining rooms. Grandparents and parents playing in the pool with the kids or having a game of shuffleboard on the deck.

One of the sweetest things I saw was a grandmother curled up with her grand-daughter, both asleep in the middle of the day on one of the big couches near the pool. Did someone say relaxing?

So why is a Royal Caribbean cruise great for all the family?

Let me explain.

Royal Caribbean has 29 cruise ships. A recent online poll put our ship, Quantum of the Seas, at No. 26. (Icon of the Seas was ranked No.1)

Now, I am a cruising novice. This was only my second cruise. The other ships must be super-next level because Quantum of the Seas was amazing.

First of all, my mum and kids (14 and 10) and I were lucky to receive what I consider the ultimate luxury in cruising - connecting rooms, each with a balcony. So Mum and I were in one room and the kids in the other. We kept the connecting door open the whole trip and it was like one big room. We were together but apart. Perfect.

You can do as much or as little as you want.

Defy gravity (ha, ha) on the skydiving simulator. Catch waves on the FlowRider surf simulator. Tackle the outdoor rock climbing wall. Swim in the indoor and outdoor pools. Have fun at SeaPlex - the largest indoor activity complex at sea, where you can ride dodgem cars, play basketball or cricket, or rollerskate.

There are hang-out areas just for teens and a kids' club for younger children. I loved the nice quiet library for a brief respite from the hubbub of the ship.

My 10-year-old son was happy to line up for more than an hour for a five-minute ride on the FlowRider surf simulator. (Only one side of it was working.) And if your kids are 10 or younger, prepare to do the wait too, as they need an adult accompanying them. (It was very hard to take - reading a book in the sun with my neverending cup of Lime Coke. Absolute torture.)

Mum loved the seemingly endless trivia games (all free and lots of fun) and played bingo once (at $60 a pop, it wasn't cheap). My daughter and I went to the gym every day to use the treadmill which looks out over the ocean - a nice change from eating nonstop. And Mum had a pedicure at the beauty spa.

There were also live shows and entertainment. We all went to two comedy shows in the vast Royal Theatre - Scared Weird Little Guys (haven't seen them since Rove Live) and Dave Callan. Both great.

Another lovely thing about Quantum of the Seas is how much art is displayed on board. Nearly 3000 artworks are on the ship, exploring the theme of "what makes life worth living?". That includes the nine-metre tall magenta polar bear which sits on an outside deck near the rock climbing wall. The staff had a few interesting answers about its provenance. A gift from China (!) being one. The eight-tonne sculpture, made from 1340 stainless steel triangles, is actually a work called From Afar by American artist Lawrence Argent. It's a lovely big chunk of whimsy and I'm here for it.

Also, don't forget the star attraction. Literally. The North Star ride.

The North Star is like taking one of the London Eye's carriages, putting it on the end of a crane and hoisting it nearly 100 metres above sea level, so that people inside the capsule have an incredible 360-degree bird's eye view of the ship and beyond.

Not only that, the arm of North Star drops down perpendicular to the ship so that the capsule - and the people in it - are suspended out over the ocean, away from the ship as it's cruising along.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even Mum went on it. Who says nearly 80-year-olds can't try something new?

So much food on Quantum of the Seas. So much. Not that I'm complaining.

Your fare includes lots of complimentary options, whether it's a free hot dog at the Dog House next to Seaplex to soup and sandwiches at the Two70 Cafe to a set breakfast, lunch and dinner menu at the Main Dining Room.

My favourite free place to eat was the vast buffet at the Windjammer Cafe (comedian Dave Callan dubbed it the "Foodjammer" Cafe and he was right.)

Everything from fresh salads to curries to crepes for desserts. So good. There were more than 4000 passengers and 1500 crew on board during our sailing. The Windjammer was probably the only place where it felt like it. Very busy. Just try to time your meals later in the sitting for a bit more peace.

There are also speciality restaurants at which you pay for the meal.

Loved revisiting Jamie's Italian (since it exited Bunda Street, Canberra way back in 2018).

We also tried Chops Grille where the steaks melt in your mouth.

And also Wonderland, a fantasy gourmet restaurant inspired by Alice in Wonderland. (We're not foodies, by any stretch, and the main menu was not to the kids' taste. Or mine, to be honest. But the desserts? Magical, delicious, utterly memorable.)

We made two stops on our seven-day cruise. We had a whole day at Mystery Island in Vanuatu and another day in Noumea, New Caledonia.

The uninhabited Mystery Island was stunning - all blue water, tropical flowers and white sand. The locals travel over from the bigger island to provide tours and sell food and souvenirs. We snorkelled and explored the area in clear-bottom kayaks on a beautiful sunny day. It was the highlight of the cruise for me.

Our visit to Mystery Island was eight days before the devastating December 17 earthquake struck the Vanuatu capital Port Vila.

Cruise ships had also just started to return to Noumea, due to ongoing civil unrest.

At the time we visited, the advice - since downgraded - from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was for Australians to reconsider travel to New Caledonia "due to the risk of civil unrest and travel disruptions".

We all got off the boat anyway when the ship docked in Noumea. We got on a hop-on-hop-off double-decker bus ($15 each) to see some of the city's sights. Highlights were the outdoor food markets, Anse-Vata Bay and a local supermarket where we got a kick out of seeing all the French-labelled food.

My attitude to cruising is it's kind of like being in a cult. When I first get on board I hate it and think it's not for me. Too, too much. Of everything. Then I get used to the lay of the land (so to speak) and I start to get into the cruising groove and never want to leave. Then, by about day six, the fog has lifted, I've had enough and I want to escape.

But, then a few weeks later, I'm still thinking about it. The beautiful staff. The absolute luxury of not ever having to think about what to make for dinner that night. The utter delight, at the end of a pool day, of throwing the used beach towels into a big basket for someone else to wash and dry.

You're in a dreamlike world. It's no wonder the staff, every day, put a different tile in the floor of the lifts letting passengers know what day of the week it is. We need these reminders when time has stood still.

And Mum? It was her first cruise and I think we might just convince her to go on another one.

The writer and her family travelled courtesy of Royal Caribbean.