How to have a magical multigenerational holiday

As children become adults, holidaying as a family can become more of a challenge. As fully formed humans, young adults have their own opinions, interests and pace of life, and a one-size fits all holiday can be more a cause of conflict than a relaxing break. Consider, then, a holiday where everyone can choose their daily schedule and activities yet still come together as a family for shared experiences, exploration, and sociable mealtimes – step onboard a multi-generational cruise! Donna from our Tonbridge shop holidayed with her husband and two adult children aged 19 and 22, taking them on an 8-night cruise to Norway with Fred. Olsen Cruises. Here her children offer their thoughts on what made this trip such a successful and memorable family holiday:

"As this was our first time experiencing a Fred Olsen cruise, we were unsure what to expect. We approached this holiday with an open mind and were pleasantly surprised by the plethora of opportunities that Borealis provided! Despite the larger proportion of senior holiday goers onboard, this cruise offered a wide range of entertainment and activities for people of all ages, and it was lovely to see a number of children and young adults interacting with the older clients during organised activities, as we were cruising during the summer school holidays.

The ship had lovely interior decor and was well sign-posted and easy to navigate. There were no concerns regarding capacity, with plenty of sun loungers and tables available wherever we went. The gym was a lovely facility, with a range of classes, plus the spa and theatre for films and presentations. One of our favourite spots was the lido deck, where the pool area often had live music, which was a nice touch. Relaxing on the sun loungers with the sunroof open, poolside drinks and amazing waiter service was a real highlight. The pool area included 2 hot tubs, a ping pong table, darts, and a food area for snacks. The staff were impeccable, so attentive, kind and approachable. They took the time to get to know us and some members of staff even memorised our family’s drink order - I don’t think I’ve had better service from staff anywhere! We thoroughly enjoyed the Cocktails of the Day – it was nice to try a different one every day.

We played bingo and took part in several quizzes - we won 2 bottles of champagne!! The silent disco was amazing, and it catered for lots of music tastes – everyone can dance together whilst listening to their own favourite tunes! There was a brilliant magic show one night, which was very interactive, and we got to go up on stage. We also took part in a magic workshop, which was amazing. There was lots of evening entertainment in various locations - bands, silent disco, karaoke, jazz night, plus the main auditorium cabaret and dance shows, so loads going on to dip in and out of.

For meals we ate in the main dining room, the buffet and the poolside snack bar. The buffet was very accommodating, with something for everyone. The main dining room always had such amazing food on the menu each night – we were always so excited to try the food, and the staff were perfection and so friendly. It’s too hard to single out a favourite dish, as we had impeccable food at every sitting!

The ports of call were great opportunities to explore as a family, and our cruise called at Bergen, Eidfjord, Skjolden and Vikoyri. There were plenty of excursions on offer should you wish, like kayaking, boat trips, glacier tours, guided walks and more, but in the main we took it upon ourselves to explore independently.

In Bergen we could just step off the ship as it was moored so close to the city centre, and it was easy to arrange a trip on the hop-on-hop-off bus. We did a full loop to get our bearings and then got off near the Fløibanen funicular. We walked from there back to the ship, exploring the shops and fish market on the way.

Eidfjord was a beautiful, much quieter rural area, and here 3 of us went swimming in the Fjord. It was super cold, but great fun!

At Skjolden we joined an afternoon excursion to Nigardsbreen Glacier. On the 90-minute coach ride there, our amazing guide explained the history behind each town we passed, along with the geography behind the glacial landscape. It was very informative and really interesting to see and hear about it at the same time! Once we got to the glacier, we explored on our own for about an hour and then headed back to ship.

When we first looked out of the cabin window at Vikoyri, it looked like something from a fairytale story! Snow White’s Dwarfs or Santas Elves could happily live here!

The amazing Norwegian scenery, paired with the exceptional service onboard Borealis made a fantastic family holiday. With opportunities for us to dance and sing, we were able to do such a variety of activities onboard during our trip, which made exploring Norway as a family even more exciting. The ship was a fantastic place to relax, without anyone having to worry about logistics as we travelled from place to place, and we enjoyed both independence and family time during the trip – a brilliant holiday, full of wonderful memories!"

You can chat to Donna at our Tonbridge shop, or find your local branch here.

‍