Living as I do close to the highest spot in Dorset, I’ve witnessed the snow piling up to quite remarkable levels.

While getting around has been tricky for all of us over the past few weeks, locally people have been donning their winter sports gear, dusting off their skis and snowboards to hit the slopes around the hills of the county and neighbouring Wiltshire.

While the big thaw appears to have finally started as I write, it makes me wonder about people who have booked ski holidays this winter.

Having endured freezing Britain, the thrill and magic of heading to the snowfields of Europe or North America may have lost some of its magic as there’s been plenty of the white stuff on our doorsteps since before Christmas.

While my wife and I fully enjoyed pre-children ski holidays in some amazing destinations in Europe and Canada, I remain to be convinced that this is the most suitable winter family holiday.

Our young children are genuinely excited by the sight of snow in the back garden. But the reality is that they only want to stay out in it for half an hour at a time before moaning about being freezing cold and wanting to come inside again.

As my boy and girl have been off school, either due to the bad weather or the boiler breaking down, I have found that the fun and thrills of the snow soon wears pretty thin with them. After the initial fun and games of making snowmen and igloos, the appeal becomes rather limiting as they start complaining.

So a ski holiday is not on our agenda this winter and, from what I understand from the industry, the overall numbers taking to the pistes is pretty poor.

Time to chill in the Caribbean

My favoured alternative, for a few extra hours flying time, could be skating in the Caribbean - on an ice rink on board one of the mega cruise ships run by Royal Caribbean International.

Or how about letting the children have tea with Noddy on board P&O Cruises’ Ventura or splashing around in the many pools and water parks on board one of Carnival Cruise Lines’ fun ships?

Surely as we’re all bundled up against the horrid weather conditions in the UK, the thought of day-long Caribbean sunshine sounds pretty appealing.

The idea of a week swimming in the many pools on board a cruise ship or off the beach on one of the many spectacular islands is what it’s all about.

In fact, the hankering for winter sun on a fly-cruise is what is keeping the Davies clan all going through the gloom at the moment.

I know this precisely as my five year old son is counting down the days with a chart on his bedroom wall – and has had his bags packed for weeks – because he is so excited at the prospect of us jetting off for half-term in February.

The thought of flying into Barbados to walk off the plane into the heat and stepping on board our waterborne home for a week couldn’t come any sooner.

Marco’s ‘Kid’s Kitchen’

Allowing the children to make new friends in their clubs on board while my wife and I soak up the sun and recharge our well worn batteries will be a great antidote to a particularly grim British winter.

They are also going to be amongst the first children to participate in a ‘Kid’s Kitchen’ cookery class run by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White on board P&O Cruises’ Ventura, so when we get home out little ones will be transformed into mini master chefs.

OK, so I have to work while I’m there, but the thought of doing so on board a cruise ship wins hands down against my chilly home office.

The point being that more Brits now go cruising every year than take a winter sports holiday, and the numbers continue to rise.

As my daughter, who will be celebrating her eighth birthday while we are away, says: “Cruising is much more fun”.

I would never have thought a few years ago that I would ever hear a child say that!

Phil Davies

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