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The writer's family about to get on a cruise ship to Alaska, pictured in the background.
Before going on this cruise, my family of 13 had never been on vacation together.

Pamela Vachon

  • I'm an avid traveler, but I always used to avoid cruises — until I went on one with 12 relatives.
  • The cruise helped us travel at varying paces, spend time together, and easily eat meals as a family.
  • Even though I was a skeptic, I'll probably book another cruise again.

When the Royal Princess pulled away from the port in Seattle with me, my husband, and my extended family on board, I wondered what the next week would hold.

My mother and my sister had conspired to plan a family trip in honor of my dad's 80th birthday, deciding on an Alaskan cruise as the setting for our first group vacation.

I'm an avid traveler, but I'd previously had reservations about cruises. I typically prefer to navigate a new place myself for more than just a handful of hours in port.

Not to mention my extended family of 13 hadn't spent more than a day together … well, ever. We generally get along, but eight days traveling together is a different story than eight hours together in someone's living room on Christmas.

This cruise from Seattle to Alaska's Inside Passage, however, turned out to be an ideal vacation for a multigenerational group of people with different abilities, travel styles, and interests.

On a cruise, we could stray but easily find one another again.
The writer's relative using binoculars on the cruise deck.
As soon as we got on the cruise, we started splitting up based on our varying priorities.

Pamela Vachon

It was established pretty early on that no one expected us to roll as a group of 13 at all times.

Upon boarding, we split up based on our various priorities: checking out the pool, finding drinks, or securing premium dining reservations. This helped set the tone for the rest of the trip.

But because we were all effectively in the same place and had cabins in the same corridor, we never had to worry that anyone would be lost or left behind.

We each got to choose our own adventure — literally.
The writer's family on an off-shore excursion on their cruise.
We went on off-shore excursions together but split up based on the activities that appealed most to us.

Pamela Vachon

The variety of activities offered on off-shore excursions meant that everyone got to spend time experiencing Alaska's port towns in a way that most appealed to them.

We quickly learned how important this was on a trip with so many family members, including people of varying ages. With so many activity options, older relatives with more limited mobility were spared from having to keep pace with the younger ones.

My husband and I chose a foodie walking tour and whale-watching excursions, and we also checked out some local distilleries in each port. Others went kayaking, hiking, or dog-sledding.

I got to connect with different relatives over different activities.
The writer, her husband, and her nieces swimming in the morning on a cruise ship.
As the week went on, our nieces started joining me and my husband for our early-morning swims.

Pamela Vachon

Even on board, we could all choose our preferred activities, whether line dancing, playing games, or tasting wine.

Some of my favorite moments on the trip happened when nuclear family units got reshuffled for various activities. For example, my husband and I loved to go for an early-morning swim before breakfast when the deck was empty, and various family members joined us throughout the week.

This isn't to say we didn't spend time together as a group, though.

The activities we chose to do together were appropriate for everyone's interests and abilities: a scenic train ride, for instance, or an after-dinner show on board. We also ate dinner together as a family.

Cruising made it easy to plan dinner with such a large group.
The writer's family at dinner on their cruise ship.
It's usually hard to coordinate dinner reservations for such a large group, but going on a cruise made it easy.

Pamela Vachon

Having a standing reservation at the same time and table every night meant we never wasted time or energy trying to figure out where we could go as a large group.

I also appreciated that our cruise's menu was clearly designed to fit many diets and palates.

I'm a food writer with a fine-dining background, but my youngest relatives? Not so much. Fortunately, dining room menus on cruise ships tend to have options for everyone.

Because we'd often spent at least part of the day doing different activities, dinner was a nice opportunity to share stories and catch up. We were split between two tables next to each other, but made an effort to shuffle seating arrangements each night.

The leaders and planners in our family got to relax with the rest of us.
The writer and her husband on a cruise in Alaska.
After having such a wonderful time with our family, my husband and I might plan a cruise trip for just ourselves.

Pamela Vachon

Every family has members who tend to take charge when it comes to meals and activities. Among friends, I am typically that person; in my family, however, I am usually outplanned by other members.

I could appreciate, though, that those in my family who typically took on these responsibilities were relieved of the pressure to plan and keep everyone entertained, and could lean into the organized activities that cruising offered.

Despite my prior cruise skepticism, I'd do it again. It may not be my first choice for certain destinations, but the ease of travel and variety of activities were appealing — and it turned out to be a great option for a large group trip.

Before long, I may even end up taking a cruise with just my husband.

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I was skeptical about cruises for years. Then, I spent 8 days on one with 12 re…