By Danny Almon, Travel Columnist
Multi-generational travel is becoming quite the rage lately. By definition, this is travel with extended family members such as grandparents, adult children and grandchildren.
The key to success with multigenerational travel is to choose a destination that all ages can appreciate. That could be a Caribbean all-inclusive resort that has a family friendly section that could perhaps include a water park. It’s amazing how much fun all ages can have, going down a water slide!
Or this could be an ocean cruise on one of the more family-friendly cruise lines. The one that pops into mind most readily is Royal Caribbean: many of their ships have water slides, rock wall climbing, bowling, ice skating, basketball, mini golf, among many other events.
Another wonderful place to have fun as an extended family is at one of the big theme Parks, many located in Florida. I am referring to Disney World and Universal Studios though Busch Gardens and several other smaller theme parks can also be built into this kind of vacation. These Parks are so large and offer so much to do, that they need quite a bit of organizing to be able to get full enjoyment: and I recommend staying on resort to take advantage of perks such as early entry into parks and free transportation to parks. Worthwhile to use the services of a travel agent with experience in these areas.
We ourselves are planning multigenerational travel in just about a year’s time, with our grandson who will be 10 years old at the time of travel, together with his parents. We are waiting till he is 10 because at that time, and by his own admission, he should be tall enough to be able to go on all the rides! Our destination will be a Disney cruise in the Caribbean. Disney offers cruises in almost all areas of the world now including river cruising. However, because the ships are smaller on a river, there is much less to do on board. A Disney ocean cruise packs a lot into a seven day vacation with many activities to do on board including Disney character visits, character meals, activities closely monitored by specially trained cast members, special play areas devoted to different age groups and specially devoted to older children, baby sitting (at additional cost), and a rotational dining system that has your servers following you from one restaurant to the next each evening. And let’s not forget those fabulous Vegas-quality Disney-themed shows performed by a live cast in the Disney Theater!
Disney is one of the few cruise lines that offers fireworks from the ship. They also have their own exclusive private island which is truly a Disney experience in itself. We have found, through three Disney sailings, that there is lots to do on board for adults as well, so if you do need some adult-only time, there are lots of strictly adult-only places on board that you can enjoy.
Why not consult with your family and arrange this kind of vacation, where not only will everyone have a super enjoyable time, but it will also be an opportunity to establish closer ties among the generations. We can certainly help here at AlmonTravel: call me, Danny Almon, at 902-431-4932 or e-mail at danny@ almontravel.ca . Visit our website at www.almontravel.ca .
