Best Cruises for Multigen Families

Cruises are a good way for different generations of family travelers to spend time together while leaving room for separate interests and activity levels. Some cruises welcome children, others include teens and some are reserved for adults only.

Here are some ideas for various family groups:

Cruise a River in Europe

The legendary rivers of Europe — the Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Rhone, Seine and Douro — are lined with cities and towns everyone can explore at their own pace from Viking River Cruises. Daily stops include guided tours and experiences, from demonstrations of local crafts or foods to VIP tours of palaces. Viking cruises are for adults only and are a good way for parents and adult children to connect with one another.

Sail with the Wind

For a more active and informal cruise with less luxury and more adventure, Maine Windjammers welcome families with older children; both Heritage and Victory Chimes welcome children as young as 10. Days fly by with family-style meals, lobster bakes on an island beach and coastal island towns to explore. There’s no set itinerary, instead there’s lots of opportunities to help sail the ship, allowing passengers to be as active as they choose, or to just sit on deck and watch the islands go by.

Tour the Norwegian Fjords

All ages are welcome on Norway’s famous Hurtigruten, a cruise line and freight service that sails on a continuous circuit stopping at towns and cities along the rugged Norwegian coast.

The six-day journey is not the usual cruise ship experience; its near-constant activity (the ship may make multiple stops in one day) makes it interesting for kids and ideal for parents and adult children vacationing together. At longer stops, passengers can explore towns on their own or join tours to more remote islands or local attractions. Choose to go between mid-May and mid-July, when the Arctic nights are the shortest and you can enjoy the famed midnight sun.

Hurtigruten’s more traditional cruise ships ships sail in other parts of the world, from the Galapagos to Antarctica, the coast of Africa to South America. On these ships, the complimentary Young Explorers’ Program introduces kids aged 6–12 to the nature, wildlife, ancient cultures, oceanography and histories of the places they sail.