7 Perfect Cruises for a Multi-Generational Family Trip
The reason multi-generational families book their reunions on cruises, time and again? Anybody can do whatever they want, when they want
Pacific Northwest Cruise, Royal Caribbean
Family reunions are made easy on the Explorer of the Seas, which offers more to do than small town America—rock climbing, ice-skating, 10 pools, and a 9,632-square-foot casino for the grandpa who’d rather be in Vegas. Good luck prying everyone away for bucket-list port excursions, from Muir Woods to Butchart Gardens. 4 nights, roundtrip from Seattle.
Discoverers’ Glacier Country, UnCruise Adventures
Watching a humpback whale soar into the sky with your own eyes—not the lens of YouTube—is jaw dropping for all ages, even the most hard-to-please teen. On an UnCruise in Alaska, it’s just one day’s adventure. You’ll also kayak alongside sea otters and over fjords, and spot puffins in Glacier Bay National Park. 7 nights, roundtrip from Juneau.
Classic California Coast, Princess Cruises
Tweens will love ducking around Alcatraz and spotting some 4,000 kinds of animals at the San Diego Zoo; parents and grandparents will love the anytime dining on-board and frequent wine-tasting excursions (don’t miss Solvang in Santa Barbara, inspired by a Danish village). 7 days, roundtrip from L.A.
7-Day Hawaii, Round-trip Honolulu, Norwegian Cruise Lines
All members of your clan can say aloha to chillaxing on this tour, which blissfully winds around the Hawaiian isles with stopovers in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and along the hairpin road to Hana, among so much more. The Pride of America, refurbished in 2016, has all the on-board comfort anyone could want, from hot-stone massages in the spa to mai tais in the Waikiki Bar. 7 days, roundtrip from Honolulu.
3-Night Baja Cruise from San Diego, Disney Cruise Line
People of all ages love sailing on the Disney Wonder, largely because there’s something for everyone. The feeling continues in ports of call like Ensenada, where you can go horseback riding, take a kayak tour of the Punta Banda Peninsula’s turquoise sea, or (if you’re 21, of course) hit wine country for a tour of Casa Dona Lupe winery. 3-night cruise, roundtrip from San Diego.
Amsterdam and Bruges, Cunard
It will be difficult to tear dad away from the 450 types of beer in the Bruges beer cafe, and to pry grandma from the Van Gogh museum, but try—because all the kids want is to get back on the Queen Victoria for the fencing class. 4 nights, round trip from Southampton, England.
Tahiti & The Society Islands, Paul Gauguin Cruises
Yes, a Bora Bora cruise is a once-in-everyone’s-lifetime splurge. But with resident botanists and archaeologists, SCUBA certifications available on-board, and an Algotherm spa (hello, volcanic stone massage!), it’s a small price to pay for family bliss. 7-night cruise, including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles.