Since its beginning, Maple Ridge has been a place families with children call home. Many residents have raised their children here and now welcome grandchildren to the same homes. 

As is customary, families take the opportunity of summer break for vacationing. A current trend is families incorporating a river cruise as their summer family holiday. 

The appeal of river cruising to families is the carefree format river cruising provides. Everything is taken care of for them; no cooking and laundry or chores while traveling. With all meals onboard included, there isn’t a need to load up in a rental vehicle to drive to restaurants for meals. Families unpack once and the river boat transports them to new locations each day. This eliminates the stress of attempting to navigate new locations. Families just wake up in a new location to explore for the new day.

Continuing the ease of travel theme, a river cruise presents a new adventure every day. In France, families might do a scavenger hunt in the Louvre, hear about Claude Monet when visiting his pink house and painted gardens in Giverny. Great memories are to be made together while hiking up to Chateau Gaillard to hear stories about Richard the Lionhart, King of England, who built the castle everyone is standing in. 

Because the river cruising format can cater to a variety of ages, it has also become popular with multi-generational family travel. Especially since the pandemic, grandparents enjoy traveling with their children and grandchildren. River cruising can offer solutions to the logistical barriers of varied ages traveling together. A visit to Normandy is especially moving for generations to visit together. Grandparents can tell their memories of WW2 and Normandy. Or maybe share stories of other family members that may have landed on the Normandy beaches 80 years ago. Everything is seamlessly orchestrated and the activities are included in the fare. With a balanced mix of guided exploration and a choice of shore excursions, every day promises a new adventure for every age and generation to do together.

On a river cruise, the grandchildren may choose bicycling or hiking while the grandparents join a leisurely historic walking tour. Other unique excursion offerings are private palace dinners, scavenger hunts, play games from the Middle Ages, learn how to waltz or paint like Van Gogh on an edible chocolate canvas. The included activities are not only fun but educational.

Are you one of the multigenerational families in the Maple Ridge neighborhood that have taken a family river cruise? Share your photos! We would love to hear all about it. Or, if your family would like to make memories together on a family river cruise, give me a call at 918-770-9910.

Lori Smith

Travel Memories with Lori