"Cruise holidays are for old people"

While some lines do specialise in trips for the upper-age bracket, there are others that attract families and younger age groups.

The average age of cruise passengers was 54 in 2003, compared to 56 in 1995, and is gradually falling.

Additionally, the mindset of cruises is getting younger - for example, today's 50-year-old enjoys more youthful activities than, say 20 years ago, so a ship's leisure facilities are likely to have wide generational appeal.

Generally, the bigger the ship - the more activities available. So it seems likely that the future trend will be towards bigger ships.

"I might get sea-sick"

Worries over sea sickness are easy to allay too. The bulk of lines are based in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, which both enjoy calm seas most of the time. Clearly a transatlantic crossing or a voyage through the Bay of Biscay will be choppier.

If people are feeling sea sick the ship's doctor is easily able to given them anti-sickness tablets. Onboard the larger vessels - especially the newer ones - it is difficult to feel the ship moving at all. And as the engines are so quiet, it's often hard to know whether they are running.

"Boring - not much to do"

Fact is, the cruise sector is vastly more sophisticated than it is credited for by these stereotypes.

Specialist restaurants, masses of bars and nightclubs and state-of-the-art theatres mean that the modern cruise ships are able to offer nightlife to rival most resort towns. Norwegian Cruise Lines, for example, is offering numerous dining options on its ships, as an integral part of its "Freestyle cruising" concept. Royal Caribbean International's signature is its rock-climbing walls on the back of the ship's funnels, and its largest Voyager-class vessels have ice rinks onboard.

Cruise liners generally are packed with amenities including spas, gyms, multiple swimming pools, and children's clubs to keep even the most active satisfied.

"It's too expensive"

Price is another misconception - as people often think only the rich can choose to cruise. However there is a cruise out there to suit most budgets.

Of course, there are the very expensive luxury lines like Silversea Crystal Cruises and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises but at the other end of the market in the UK are the tour operator-run companies such as Thomson Cruises, Island Cruise and MyTravel's Sun Cruises. Mediterranean cruises with the budget brands are usually not much more expensive than a land-based package holiday.

"They're over-crowded"

Concerns over claustrophobia are common among the general public when cruising is mentioned. If this is the case we recommend one of the large resort-style US ships - which can carry up to 4,000 people and take 20 minutes to walk from end to end.

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 was launched in January 2004 and is the world's largest cruise ship. It's longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and boasts an onboard planetarium and the world's largest dancefloor area at sea. Royal Caribbean International is set to build the "Ultra-Voyager" - another 10 per cent bigger than QM2 - and Carnival Cruise Lines has mooted plans to build a similar size vessel.