Intergenerational travel: celebrating family life and Thanksgiving on the high seas

Earlier this year, my mother called with an intriguing idea – why not plan a family vacation to celebrate her recovery from breast cancer? Dubbed the “Celebration of Life” trip, expected attendees included my parents, as well as my husband and daughter, with the express goal of savoring all that life had to offer.

But before we could celebrate anything, a great deal of planning awaited. Since I’ve traveled a fair amount, my mom asked me to help research various vacation options and help coordinate logistics. With an age range of nine to 77, it quickly became apparent we had our work cut out for us.

Intergenerational travel

Intergenerational trips – where multiple generations travel together to a vacation destination – present both incredible family opportunities and considerable challenges as participants work to balance the needs of all guests.

In our case, my mother wanted a once-in-a-lifetime trip where she could experience new activities and opportunities. I had just a few days of vacation left. My father has some physical limitations. My husband longs for outdoor activities. And my daughter possesses the typical tweenager attention span for guided tours and historical attractions.

Taking three generations on a Royal Carribbean cruise

After finding a patient travel agent and considering everything from a National Park visit to a European adventure to a beachfront resort, we settled on a four-day Royal Caribbean cruise over Thanksgiving – something for everyone!

We traveled on the Majesty of the Seas, one of the line’s “smaller” ships that carries 2,744 passengers – not the newer department store-sized vessels which ferry around 5,400 vacationers– and both the cruise concept and ship worked really well for our varied needs. We had all the amenities we wanted – two pools, a casino, great food, entertaining, family-oriented after-dinner shows, and loads of activities – without an overwhelmingly large venue.

A family boat cruise – something for everyone

We also noticed many other family cruising groups – including lots of extended families. The cruise also seemed particularly helpful for families traveling with kids. Royal Caribbean features its Adventure Ocean program, which offers families supervised activities directed toward specific age groups of kids. Our daughter, however, opted to stay with us for the duration of the trip and instead enjoyed the little moments of the cruise, exemplified by the morning in which she sat up in bed and shouted, “Land ho!,” as we approached Key West.

One of the key attractions of a cruise for intergenerational groups includes the sheer variety of shore excursions. In Key West, my parents took the trolley tour of historical attractions, while my husband and daughter and I set off on foot in search of stone crab claws and key lime pie. In the Bahamas, my mom, husband, and daughter experienced the river rides and waterslides at Atlantis’ Aquaventure water park, while my dad and I took a tour of the sites of Nassau and Paradise Island.

Finally, we spent Thanksgiving Day on CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. There, we had every activity imaginable at our disposal – ranging from snorkeling to swimming to sliding down the 40-foot slide at the island’s water park to parasailing. And in between, we could choose between a yellow or blue beach mat and float atop the gentle waves to our hearts’ content.

Family cruising – fun for all

Traveling with a variety of age groups also demonstrates that you never know what activity appeals to which traveler. For example, my mother at age 74 achieved her dream of parasailing and loved soaring high above CocoCay, eyes peeled for dolphins, and feeling the wind gently swirl around her. And I on the other hand – as my mom’s unfortunate parasailing wing mate – saw my fears of water, heights, and open spaces collide into one terrifying six-minute, white-knuckle nightmare that left me searching for Advil and a strong rum drink.

Overall, we experienced an amazing adventure and a holiday to remember. Despite our varying interests, ages, fears, attention spans, and dreams, we shared a truly special time – a celebration of both family and life.

Now that she’s back on dry land, Stephanie Kaufman is part of the Mom Central team.

Stephanie Kaufman

Feeling for much of her life that she couldn't sit still long enough to thread a needle and that all in all, she'd rather be reading, Stephanie Kaufman discovered crafting in her late 40s and now loves knitting, sewing, and household decorative arts.