A Passion for Travel: Multiple Generations, One Great Travel Experience

Several cruises and a few years later, gathering family from Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey and New York for a family cruise has become an annual celebratory tradition that Mary D’Altrui and Ellen Fennie’s entire extended family anticipates.

“It all started with a bucket list trip that we planned for our daughters,” Ellen said. “Instead of traditional gifts, we decided on a cruise to Alaska. It quickly blossomed throughout our larger family as we started talking about our plans – my brothers and sisters loved the idea and wanted to join with their families. Suddenly we had a really big group and it wound up being the best time imaginable.”

Mary, who wasn’t able to make the Alaska cruise, joined the family for their 7-day Bermuda cruise last August. “To be honest, I went in with tempered expectations – I wanted to see for myself if everything I had heard from my family was true,” Mary said. “And I was just blown away. I've seen cruise ships in New York – the opulence and the beauty. But what immediately struck me from the time we embarked the ship is that I’ve never felt so pampered and so well taken care of.”

Luxe Accommodations, Family-Style
On the Bermuda cruise, Mary explained that their families reserved the full spectrum of accommodations from an Inside Stateroom all the way up to an Owner’s Suite and that a fantastic time was had by all.

“Since it was my first cruise, I decided to book the lowest accommodation. I reserved an Inside Stateroom and let me tell you, I’ve never had so much fun!” Mary said. “And it was surprisingly luxurious – the beds are amazing and the sleep experience was fantastic.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Ellen stayed in the Owner’s Suite and highlighted that it was a great space for the whole family to gather.

“We gathered there daily – the hosting possibilities in the Owner’s Suite are excellent,” Ellen said. “We were 15 and it was easy to bring everyone together and enjoy every evening together before dinner. There’s plenty of space – the veranda is beautiful, seating and tables outside, a cocktail table inside, a sofa and plenty of other nooks. Our Butler was fantastic about putting cocktail hours together for us and that made the cruise that much more special.”

It's All About Family
Both Mary and Ellen noted how accommodating the ship’s staff and crew were for their family. The family quickly began a morning ritual of gathering in Baristas before the day’s adventures to enjoy coffee and visit with one another.

“It was always a big group of us and the staff was so welcoming,” Mary said. “As a large family, we never felt like we were imposing when we would gather, which was really nice. And we met so many other groups traveling together too – groups of friends and families.”

Ellen pointed out another benefit of choosing a family for vacation is the flexibility. While they enjoy being together, a cruise also allows for downtime and relaxation in between.

“We are a large family and we love being together, but a cruise means we don’t have to all be together all the time,” she said. “We can spend time apart and together. We mix everyone up when we have dinner so everyone gets a chance to visit, the variety of excursions is excellent too, and all the logistics are taken care of for you – it couldn’t be easier.”

As a first-time Oceania Cruises guest, Mary also noticed how much the size of the ship enhanced their experience as well as the comforts of home that awaited after the day’s adventures.

“It’s a small, luxurious ship that gives you a huge amount of care and that welcome feeling. It’s an incredible vacation experience – there’s so much that’s crafted and created for you – you have time to relax, you can easily explore. It’s all set up,” Mary said. “And you have this very comfortable luxurious floating hotel waiting for you at the end of every day. There’s nothing better than that.”

Personalized & Memorable
Amid thrilling seaplane adventures in Alaska and languid afternoons cruising Bermuda in pontoon boats, the feeling of being cared for is what Mary and Ellen both remember most after their last voyage.

“What stays with me is the personal touch, you feel so well cared for. And it’s just so relaxing – you actually do unplug because everything is taken care of,” Mary said. “And all of this makes you relax more and for a longer period.”

“The staff knew us all by name by the second day,” Ellen said. “That really speaks to the level of service and attention to detail. You really feel catered to.”

After the family cruise, Mary understood why her family had been raving about their cruise experiences so much.

“I came home and told all my co-workers about this cruise. For the amount of money I spent, I’ve never felt so pampered – every person on the ship is pampered and taken care of. You see it, you hear it and you feel it. It was just incredible.”

Future Adventures: Fjords, Isles & More
After so many wonderful memories made on the first family cruises, Ellen and Mary are looking forward to cruising with their families again soon and are dreaming of where the next destination might be.

“We’ve been talking a lot about the Norwegian fjords and there’s a lot of interest and excitement,” Ellen added. “The fjords and Northern Europe would be a fantastic family experience for us next. It would be something we can all look forward to.”

“I would love to do the New England coastline – that would be spectacular,” Mary said. “We have also talked a lot about the fjords in Europe as Ellen mentioned, which would be a lot of fun for our family. Then there’s the Greek Isles and the Mediterranean, which would be amazing. Looks like we have many more cruises ahead of us!”

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