No doubt one reason is that a sailing cruise hints at more excitement and perhaps tall sails adventure like ocean travel was a couple hundred years ago, whereas the floating hotels just don’t do it for me. I mean the big cruise ships are nice enough, but I want something I can feel working in sync with the ocean.

One of my all-time favorite movies is “Master and Commander” at the very beginning when it opens with a nighttime, below decks scene where all you hear is the water and the creaking of the wooden hull working against it. Makes you feel like you’re really there.

And no, my preference to participate in working the ship as part of the crew doesn’t help win anyone over to my side either. Some folks don’t think that sounds like much of a vacation, whereas I see it as a super way to clear my head and unwind.

Anyway, the dilemma will likely continue with the end result being the compromise of taking turns so each gets their preference. The good news is I do believe we’ve at least agreed on smaller ships as opposed to the mega-carriers.

Cruise ships are not commonly thought of as family vacation vessels. However, there are a fair amount of cruises, like Carnival’s “fun ships” targeted at fulfilling just this purpose. Look at it this way: you know the kids are not going that far, unless of course they have gone overboard. Also, there is a little bit of something for everyone in all age groups. From adults, to teens, to kids, there is are coordinated activities as well as focused facilities for all of the different age groups.

Choosing cruise ship deals wisely.

For parents there are the usual activities. Your rest, relaxation and rejuvenation is certainly the focus and you can spend all the time you’d like lounging by the pool or on the deck, as well as making appointments for a massage or facial. There is plenty of evening recreation for once the kids are in bed, and it varies from ship to ship. There are also great opportunities for socializing and networking, and it is a good idea to have either a small notebook on hand, or at least copies of your card to give to new friends and contacts. There are also wine tasting groups, exercise rooms and nightclubs are on the adults only agendas for most family cruises.

For kids, there are all kinds of activities on board family cruises. From special times in the pool, to special gym classes, the kids are at least seemingly the focus on a family cruise. There are also children’s centers focused on entertaining the kids and keeping them busy while the adults enjoy their alone time. There are craft activities and fully certified staff to work with your most precious commodities: your kids.

If you have older kids, there are also teen centers on board some cruise ships. This is becoming a more and more popular trend. In fact Coca-Cola recently teamed up with the Carnival cruise line to bring exciting new teen centers to their fun ships. These teen centers have been created out of extensive market research and include dance floors, jukebox listening stations, a mock bar with non-alcoholic specialty drinks and space for the teens to just hang out. This is a revolutionary concept, since teens are a previously untapped market in terms of cruise line focus marketing. Teens are also more likely to find things that they enjoy in the ports of call than will younger kids.

One reason that cruises are a great idea for family vacations is that most of the costs are included in the base price of the trip. While you are on the ship, things like meals and activities are for the most part covered. This is great because you do not have to give per diems to your kids and you can know up front how much your vacation is going to cost. Of course, you will want to have extra money on hand for when you leave the ship and get to do some real travel.

Ready for a cruise? Then read these vacation packing checklist tips.

In May my husband and I took a wonderful steamboat trip on the Colombia River, 1,240 miles long, and Snake River, 1,038 miles long, aboard the American West’s Empress of the North. This is the first time we had ever done a “niche” type cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yes, the clientele tends to be older, but, what a shame that the younger mature adults are missing out on all this fun. It is steam boating in the true sense of the word. The paddlewheel turns as you leisurely make your way up and down the rivers and through the many dams that have been erected since the time of Lewis and Clarke.

On the particular adventure that we took it was to follow the path of the Lewis and Clarke expedition so it was historical as well as fun. We boarded the Empress of the North in Portland, Oregon with no mishaps just a bit of a long wait. However, they did supply entertainment and refreshments while they prepared the ship for us. Once aboard we were escorted to a lovely stateroom that was right out of the riverboat era. There was a TV but we never used it since the real entertainment was the trip and the excursions which were included in the price of the cruise. The rooms reminded you of the river boat era but were very much up to modern standards.

Just a little tidbit: The “Portland Penny” is how Portland got its name narrowly missing being called Boston. The partners Lovejoy and Pettygrove who had filed the claim staking the territory needed to come up with a name for the quickly expanding territory. Lovejoy being from Boston, Massachusetts was adamant that this would be the name, while Pettygrove equally adamant wanted it to be called Portland after his beloved Portland, Maine.

The artwork on the Empress was truly impressive. There were beautiful Russian artifacts and amazing pictures of the gold rush and life in the Northwest during the 1800’s. I spent a lot of time just going up and down the four hallways perusing the artwork. (Every floor has a different theme). Our first night out of Portland we were invited to cocktails and hors d’oeurves at the Paddlewheel lounge which is in the back of the boat and has windows overlooking the paddle wheel. We were still busy getting situated so we grabbed a cocktail and took it back to our room to get organized. Dinner was in the Romanov Dining room and the atmosphere really was one of a riverboat. The food was very good served by a courteous and fun American crew. Dinner lasted about an hour to an hour and a half and then it was off to the Golden Nugget showroom to watch the Pat O’Neal and the River Boat Jazz band play great Dixieland Music. Well, if you weren’t into it by then you never were going to be. What fun and you are sharing it with only 200 other passengers. After the show you could stay in the Showroom for dancing or go to the Paddlewheel Lounge for the duo of Kari & Jerry who were not only very good but extremely friendly.

Of course, you are in a new place everyday and everyday brings a new exciting, educational and different excursion. Our first day out we where cruising the Columbia River Gorge taking in the breathtaking vistas, granite cliffs and waterfalls from which the Cascade Mountains takes it’s name.

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip and would recommend to other adults, this not a ship for children.

As an interesting historical aside, the guy it was named for, never actually made it completely around the world. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese maritime explorer in the service of the Spanish crown, led the expedition credited with the first circumnavigation of the earth.

He was actually attempting to find a westward route to the “Spice Islands” of Indonesia but was killed in the Philippines in route. It was the Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano, having taking command after Magellan’s death, that led the few remaining crew back to Spain 3 years later.

But as is typical in historical accounts, it’s generally the “top dog” that gets the credit, so most people have never heard of Elcano. To be fair, it was indeed Magellan that kept pushing on when his crews wanted to turn back, and his death did provide a distraction which allowed the remaining crew to escape. Anyway, I digress.

As the new namesake of that intrepid explorer, this new ship, the Magellan of Seas will go much further, doing so incredibly faster, and all while providing far more luxurious surroundings than poor ol’ Ferdinand could’ve ever envisioned.

I mean not only has it got all the usual top-end amenities, but comes with it’s own retractable marina, a helipad complete with 2 Bell Jet Helicopters, and even an observatory for checking out all those spectacular constellations and nebulas that are visible no where better than nighttime in the middle of the ocean.

As you’ve no doubt guessed, this type residence is a bit pricey. In fact, if you don’t have a few million bucks lying around gathering dust, this may have to remain a dream. Prices range from just under 3 million to over 16 million, plus an “annual assessment” of several thousand to over a half million bucks. How’s that for a homeowners association?

Actually it’s the monthly fees that pay for utilities, insurance and crew. The big numbers are just buying you a spot. Oh and that spot is supposed to be guaranteed for 100 years, although the last 50 may see her permanently docked like the queen Mary.

Okay, so here’s some good news. The Magellan offers fractional ownership in increments of 2 weeks or a month. So while an average place runs 5 or 6 million plus about 200k annually, you can just take a piece. That brings the cost for a single month down to only a half million with a measly 15k assessment.

Of course that sort of makes it like a time share – a fairly costly one, but it does offer a way in. But then you have to wonder if lowering the bar will let too many of us riff-raff types in. Yup, there goes the neighborhood.

Yes that was very tongue in cheek. I thought this was a cool idea upon first hearing of it, and I still do. Unfortunately, it’s somewhat out-of-reach. I’ll just have to commiserate with the other riff-raff and stick with buying my cruises a week at a time.