Multi-generational travel has become rather commonplace in our family. So, it was not at all extraordinary for three generations of us to decide on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Florida and the Bahamas. Time was limited - as you might well-imagine when 6 schedules are being juggled - but there was enough for this week-long cruise out of Baltimore. We were sailing on a Monday, and left two days early from New Hampshire with our granddaughter, who is nine, and spent a night in Philadelphia, where we introduced her to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and took a preview tour of the new Museum of the American Revolution, which opened later in the week. The next day, we headed to Baltimore, with a stop at Hampton National Historic Site, an impressive Georgian mansion on 63-acres with a long - and sometimes unsavory - history. We met the rest of our party in Baltimore, where we toured Little Italy and spent the night before boarding our ship, The Grandeur of the Seas, on Monday morning.

Because we were in a family suite, we were among the first to board. Check-in was unexpectedly bumpy, with a series of setbacks and snafus around paperwork and names. Eventually, though we got through and on board - patience is a virtue and we were well rewarded.

Our family suite consisted of a living room, two bedrooms and two baths, and an amazing wrap-around deck that held all of us with room to spare! This was where we spent much of our time while aboard ship - and it was just perfect! Read more