Cruise travel has come a long way. From enormous ocean liners complete with mini-amusement parks, kids’ clubs, casinos, comedy clubs, and upscale lounges, to small river cruises with a focus on culture and off-board excursions that show off local flavors, there are so many options for travelers today.

Choosing the right cruise for a group can be a challenge, but a seasoned travel planner can help if you’re struggling to figure out if a four-day Caribbean trip is the right choice for your large family or if an Alaskan cruise to more remote regions will suit both the oldest and youngest family members. We asked travel experts for their best advice and they shared these tips to help you plan an unforgettable multigenerational cruise.

Pick The Right Ship

Travel agent Angie White, who owns Calligraphy Travel, says the key to a great trip is the right cruise line. “Certain lines are better at catering to families than others, and the last thing you want is to get on a cruise with a clientele who are mainly older. Those cruises won’t have all the fun activities, shows, kids’ clubs, and other fun things that can keep everyone entertained,” White says.

Set Expectations

Once you’ve made this all-important decision, booked any necessary flights, secured travel insurance, and filled out your packing spreadsheet, you’ll want to consider how to make the trip enjoyable for everyone—from your great aunt to the tween cousins. White says that setting expectations up front is essential, saying “What works best for one family isn’t always best for another.”

Adam Duckworth, president and founder of Travelmation, a travel agency and authorized Disney vacation planner, says the company has been seeing an increase in multi-generation cruise travel. Duckworth, an avid cruiser himself, says to make a verbal agreement (before the ship leaves the port) that family members are free to explore on their own, whether on board or on an off-board excursion. “Know that it’s ok to split up!” Duckworth says, pointing out the potential stress involved in trying to get eight pool chairs next to each other on a busy cruise ship. Don’t force every person to go on every excursion or attend every evening performance on the ship. Instead, White suggests talking about things in advance and setting some ground rules.

Be Flexible

While it’s wise to set some expectations in advance and make plans around dining and exploring alone or together, it’s just as important to allow for changing schedules. In fact, Mississippi-based Kimberly Denison, who runs Denison Travel (an affiliate of Brownell Travel), says flexibility is the key to staying drama-free. “A loose plan where everyone feels heard helps reduce tension and maximize fun,” says Denison.  For example, maybe you enjoy taking an afternoon nap on vacation, while your older brother plans to maximize every minute at each ship’s stop.

Denison points out that one of the greatest things cruise travel has going for it is the broad range of activities and excursions that cater to different interests and energy levels. Giving family members an opportunity to enjoy the cruise at their own pace can go a long way to creating a trip filled with wonderful memories, Denison says. 

Break Bread In Moderation

Unless your family has chosen a very small cruise line with limited dining options and set dining times, the chances that mom and dad and the twin teens and grandma and grandpa are going to sit down together for three squares a day over the course of an eight-day cruise is highly unlikely and also probably unrealistic. 

Denison is an advocate of “togetherness in moderation.” Maybe not everyone wants to eat a big breakfast, or perhaps you have a family member that prefers to hit the cruise’s fitness center before grabbing a quick cup of coffee and pastry. Your family might include teenagers who enjoy sleeping in while the adults catch up on the news over eggs and toast. Regardless of what your family’s particular makeup looks like, “It’s important to remember that you don’t need to spend every moment together,” Denison reiterates. 

Make Time To Connect

Of course, you also want to find moments to get everyone together to reconnect and talk about the day’s adventures, says Denison, who likes doing this over a group dinner. Duckworth agrees: “Sitting down in the evening to talk about your day is a perfect way to connect and reflect on the fun you’ve had.”

But even so, depending on the length of the cruise and whether or not some family members are opting for excursions while others are staying back for relaxing on board the ship, you’re probably better off not setting the dinner hour in stone. “It’s perfectly fine to skip a few group dinners in favor of more intimate or specialty dining experiences,” says Denison.

This, too, can be discussed before anyone sets foot on board the ship. After all, veteran travel advisor Denison says wisely: “A pre-cruise discussion about expectations helps set the tone for a stress-free vacation.”