It was one of those rare, perfect moments:

My husband, Paul, and I were stretched out in lounge chairs on the ship's deck, holding hands under a star-lit sky, a bag of popcorn between us. (Well, maybe our hands were touching while in the popcorn bag, but still!)

On the Jumbo-tron, one of our boys, Connor, 16, was whaling away on a faux Guitar Hero guitar and looking like a baby rock star. Next up was Jarrett, 14, waiting for his moment to be a guitar god.

And it hit me: Everybody was having fun. At the same time! On vacation!

I flashed back to other vacations: My husband and I, begging our teenagers to get out of bed and hit a museum, or trying to entice them to do some sightseeing. (``But, Mom, it's London! It'll be here tomorrow!'')

Finally, we'd found a vacation that two relaxation-deprived adults and two action-craving teenagers could enjoy.

Aboard a cruise ship, we could find the right balance of togetherness and privacy. Everybody could get up late (them) or early (us) without worrying about schedules or transportation. We'd go to sleep and wake up someplace new and fun.

Our only plan, on days in port, was to get out and play -- maybe go snorkeling or hike in a rain forest -- excursions the boys had selected, so they'd be keen to participate.

And if, come nightfall, they chose to hang in the teen center, it was fine with us. We had nightclubs to visit.

We thought we'd never go on one of those giant cruise ships with our kids, but when we did, it turned out to be our best vacation ever.

Here's our advice for making a family cruise fabulous:

• Match the cruise to the kids (rock walls and surfing and hot tubs, oh my!) Pizza and ice cream, 24/7. Loads of other kids. Freedom.

These ships are great for kids who like to socialize. They also offer sporty shore excursions with lots of teen appeal. Our boys were concerned that they'd be too cool for the cruise line's teen activities. Connor and Jarrett had had enough of ''lame'' teen programs offered at resorts. At the mere mention of this, Jarrett hooted, ``Ooh, boy! Let's decorate a T-shirt!''

At many places we've stayed, little kids get star treatment, while teens get a basketball hoop and an obsolete video game. Not on these ships.

On the Crown Princess, the teen center is big, and done up like your teen's Dream Living Room, with gaming consoles, air hockey, a teens-only hot tub and pool deck. (You don't want to share the hot tub or pool deck with them, anyway. They look 'way better in their swimsuits than you do. Who needs that?)

NCL's Norwegian Gem offers the Leopard Lounge for teens, with plasma TVs, a dance floor, a climbing wall, and a (very groovy) four-lane, 10-pin bowling alley.

Carnival is introducing aqua parks on their Fantasy-class ships, featuring four-deck-high twister waterslides and 82-foot-long racing waterslides -- great for kids who'd rather not get out of the pool. Ever.

Royal Caribbean's newest and largest ships, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, offer surfing. Some of Royal Caribbean's larger ships have ice-skating rinks. Rock walls seem to be de rigueur these days. And the activity-of-the-moment seems to be Wii games competitions, with mammoth screens so that everybody can watch the action.

(Parents: Please resist the temptation to ''Dance with the Stars'' on the big screen. All the coolness points you've gained by taking your teens on this trip will vanish in one bad boogie moment.)

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