His bright, cheerful smile belies the pain he endured while thousands of miles from home.

When five-year-old Seth Moody broke his arm on a cruise ship in the Middle East his parents were hit by a rush of panic and worry.

The family's dream holiday quickly threatened to become a total nightmare.

But the youngster, from Toftwood, Dereham showed great courage and bravery and Seth, mum Anna-Marie Moody, dad Stefan and both sets of grandparents were able to continue their holiday just two days later.

While in port at Muscat, Oman, last Saturday evening, four days into their cruise holiday, Seth broke his arm after falling off a chair.

Mrs Moody said: 'We were absolutely horrified. We heard the break and could quickly see that he had broken his arm.

'We called out for help. The ship doctor said we needed to get him to hospital.

'We jumped into the back of an ambulance with a suitcase thrown in behind us.

'The cruise ship left without us.'

The Moody family arrived at the Omani hospital 20 minutes later.

After being treated for two days, they were able to fly from Muscat to Abu Dhabi and rejoin the cruise ship.

Seth, a Toftwood Infant School pupil, was welcomed by a standing ovation at the port in Abu Dhabi and was greeted by the ship's captain on the bridge.

Mrs Moody said: 'Seth was an absolute star and was a very brave boy.

'He only cried once, when it first happened, and never once complained.

'Seth has taken everything in his stride.

'He is looking forward to returning to school next week to share his story with his friends.'

An initial mix-up with their insurance company meant that the Moody family had to pay for all treatment, care, accommodation and new flights - totalling around £2,500.

They are hopeful of getting the money back from the insurance firm.

Mrs Moody said: 'When you pay for private health care it makes you really appreciate the value of the NHS.

'Every single thing was itemised. Every piece of cotton wool appeared on the bill.'

Do you have a story about a holiday adventure? E mail adam.lazzari@archant.co.uk