Sun, Sea, and Family: A Multi-Generational Mediterranean Cruise on the Sun Princess

There’s something about gathering the whole family — grandparents, siblings, parents, kids — and pointing everyone toward the Mediterranean that feels almost cinematic, and a cruise is one of the easiest modes of multi-generational travel.

While in port, everyone can head in different directions and can meet up for dinner. Or your travel agent can plan a big activity in certain ports, and you can meet at a bar for games. 

This past June, I did exactly that: a 7-day cruise aboard Princess Cruises’ stunning new Sun Princess, sailing from Barcelona through France, Corsica, and the Italian Riviera, with the full extended family in tow. It was chaotic and beautiful and absolutely everything I hoped it would be.

This is the fourth time I have planned and executed this type of trip for my family. Read about my other multi-generational Med cruise, which included Montenegro and Croatia, or about our cruise to Alaska.

Getting There: A Night in Sitges

We flew into Barcelona and took a short drive south to Sitges, a charming seaside town that made for the perfect soft landing after an overnight flight. We stayed at the Sabatic Sitges Autograph Collection — a sleek, modern hotel right on Avenida Sofia — and spent the day wandering the waterfront promenade, eating seafood, and decompressing. If you’ve never started a cruise this way, I can’t recommend it enough. Arriving a day early means you board relaxed instead of frantic.

If you have never been to Barcelona, I would recommend planning a tour such as this to see Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, or heading out to see the mountainside monastery of Montserrat.

Embarkation Day

Boarding the Sun Princess felt like stepping into the future. Launched in 2024, she’s Princess Cruises’ largest and most ambitious ship — 175,500 gross tons, 17 decks, 2,150 cabins, and a capacity for over 5,000 guests. None of that felt overwhelming, though. The design is thoughtful and human-scaled in a way that larger ships don’t always manage, with lots of lookout spots. 

This was our first experience on Princess Cruise. We loved the staff, our extra-long balcony, the ease of getting on and off the ship, and the excellent bar, Good Spirits. We didn’t love the lack of food choices other than at meal times.

Having multiple cabins spread across decks 14 and 16 meant the group had space to breathe — a must when you’re traveling with a multigenerational crew. But part of the reason I love cruising with extended family is that we meet almost every night in the main dining room together. 

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Our first port call was Palma, and we made the most of it by getting off the ship early before the crowds descended. The Gothic cathedral La Seu is extraordinary — golden and massive, rising above the harbor in the early morning light — and the old town behind it is a labyrinth of beautiful medieval streets.

We grabbed a private driver who took us to the gorgeous mountain village of Valldemossa. There we shopped and enjoyed local almond ice cream.  After our stop in the village, we headed to see the stunning views of Foradada. The next time we come to Majorca, we will arrange a boat to snorkel and swim in these clear waters.

Book a tour from the port to Valldemossa or a snorkeling trip.

After our drive, we grabbed a drink under umbrellas on the glamorous Passeig del Born (Paseo del Borne) before heading back to the ship.

Marseille, France: Beyond the Port

Marseille is France’s second-largest city, and one of Europe’s oldest — founded by Phoenician Greeks in 600 BC. It’s gritty and cosmopolitan, and honestly, I recommend leaving it to explore the beauty outside it. 

We hired a private driver and spent the day in the lavender-scented countryside, visiting a working lavender farm and visiting a winery in Gigondas. It was my son’s birthday, and this is where his favorite red wines are grown.

We headed into the mountain village of Gigondas, first stopping for a tasting at Pierre Amadieu.

We then ate lunch on the patio at a charming hotel nestled in the trees, Les Florets. It was one of the best meals I had on the trip. Even the cheeseboard was one of the best I have seen in the world.

Perched above the village of Gigondas are the ruins of its medieval castle, Château de Gigondas, originally built in the 10th century and expanded over the following centuries to guard the surrounding Rhône Valley. Although much of the fortress was destroyed in the 17th century, its remaining walls and foundations offer a glimpse into the village’s rich history. Today, it’s a peaceful spot with spectacular panoramic views of the Gigondas vineyards, the Dentelles de Montmirail, and, on a clear day like we had, the distant Rhône River.

There is wine tasting and a small restaurant around the ruins, Domaine des Bosquets, and a regional wine tasting cellar, Caveau du Gigondas, in the medieval town below the ruins.

For all wineries or lunches that you plan, be sure to book ahead as hours and availability can be scarce.

If you’re in port in Marseille in late June, the lavender is just beginning to peak. There’s nothing quite like standing in a purple field that stretches to the horizon while your family takes approximately 300 photos.

Book a full-day tour to Provence from Marseille.

Ajaccio, Corsica: The Island That Doesn’t Rush

Corsica operates on its own time, and Ajaccio — Napoleon’s birthplace — is the ideal introduction to the island.

We walked the old town in the morning, grabbed pastries and strong coffee at Maison Galeani. This is a very easy port to see on foot, which is a good thing because it is nearly impossible to get a taxi. 

We then went to Napoleon’s birthplace (Maison Bonaparte Musée National Don Du Prince Napoléon). Although there was a line, it went pretty quickly, and we found the museum/house informative. Nearby was the church he attended.

We then explored the fort and its views. It is basically an outdoor mall now and free to enter. The Citadel of Ajaccio (Citadelle Miollis) is a 15th-century Genoese fortress built in 1492 to protect the city’s harbor. Perched on a rocky peninsula overlooking the Mediterranean, it served as a military stronghold for more than 500 years before opening to the public in recent years. At its base lies Plage Saint-François, a small sandy beach where visitors can relax or swim while enjoying beautiful views of the citadel and Ajaccio’s waterfront.

That exploring was followed by an authentic Corsican lunch at Restaurant Le 20123. The spot has locally sourced food and wine and is beautiful inside. I had what they called a little pig, local pork, potatoes, and a salad, which was a lot of food. The dessert we had here with anise was one of the favorites I had on the trip. The street it is on is charming as well.

We then toured the Palais Fesch, an art museum with mainly Napoleon as the subject. They don’t allow you to bring in any liquids, even in your purse, and will make you check everything at the entrance, which can take a while. In the same complex and using the same ticket is the Imperial Church, which contains the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte’s parents and other family members. Seeing the whole complex likely only takes you an hour and a half.

The church across the street, which is free to enter, the Oratory of San Rucchellu, is much more beautiful and was built to protect the population from the plague.

As cruise ports go, Ajaccio rewards wandering over itinerary-checking. Let yourself get a little lost in it.

If you want to leave Ajaccio, you will definitely need to book a tour.

Genoa to Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino: A Day by Ferry

 

July 1st was my favorite day of the cruise, and it took some planning to pull off. From Genoa’s Porto Antico, we caught a morning ferry with Golfo Paradiso out to Camogli — a stunning fishing village of stacked pastel buildings that looks as if it were painted by someone who really loves color.

We first walked around shopping and enjoying the sights of Camogli’s marina. We had some of the local pesto flatbread, Focaccia di Recco col formaggio, overlooking the boats. It is full of cheese and quite extraordinary. We checked out the nearby small lighthouse (Camogli Faro) and cathedral with its gorgeous patio. We then headed to the beach where we rented umbrellas and enjoyed a swim.

From the beach club, we had views of the Cathedral and the Ligurian Sea.

From Camogli, we hopped another ferry to San Fruttuoso, an impossibly picturesque cove accessible only by sea, where a medieval abbey sits at the water’s edge, and the only sound is the lapping of waves. There are restaurants and a beachfront bar. This village is only accessible by boat or foot and has an underwater statue of Jesus just offshore.

We could have then ferried on to Portofino — the jewel of the Riviera. Portofino is small, expensive, absurdly beautiful, and one of my favorite coastal towns in Italy. But because I had been there before and I wanted to climb up to the monastery, we stayed longer in San Fruttuoso.  But you can read about my last full-day visit to Portofino.

The whole day felt like cheating — so much beauty packed into a single port day.

Trains to Pisa and Lucca from La Spezia

The ship docked in La Spezia, which is the gateway to the Cinque Terre coast (which we had visited before), but we headed inland instead — to Pisa to climb the Leaning Tower, and then to Lucca, the walled Renaissance city that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves.

If you are planning to take the train from La Spezia to Pisa, you must book it ahead of time. Another option is to take a more expensive taxi or to take a tour.

Pisa was so much better and had so much more to offer than I realized. I had assumed it was just a tower with tourists taking silly pictures. Climbing the Tower is genuinely fun and slightly vertiginous, and worth the pre-booked tickets (the timed entry system means you can skip the worst of the crowds). But in the same complex (the Piazza dei Miracoli) there is a gorgeous church, baptistry, and the best spot, the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). The building enclosing the cemetery is very beautiful but also contains intriguing frescos by Buonamico Buffalmacco from the 3rd and 4th centuries depicting death, life, and myths. They are truly incredible, and I could have spent a day looking at them. I also didn’t have time to go into the art museum, which Luca said was also wonderful. 

We could have spent all day in Pisa, but since I have a Luca who had never been to Lucca, we caught a local train (no reservation required).

Then Lucca, with its intact medieval walls you can walk or bike on top of, its quiet piazzas, and its excellent food, gave the afternoon exactly the right unhurried energy. We ate, went into the Cathedral of San Martino (Duomo di Lucca), climbed the bell tower, and went into the Church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata to see the archeological ruins of the town. If we had spent a whole day here, I would have also explored that botanical garden.

My favorite part of Lucca was a bike ride on its walls.

The Gulf of Poets

Our final cruise port was La Spezia again, this time for a day exploring the Gulf of Poets — so named because Byron, Shelley, and DH Lawrence all found their way here. The villages of Portovenere, Lerici, and tiny Tellaro each have their own character: Portovenere is dramatic with its fortress church perched over the sea; Lerici is elegantly faded; Tellaro is so small and perfect it barely seems real. You can get a local ferry to take you to any of these towns if you want a chill day. 

If you haven’t been to Cinque Terre yet, the five towns are very crowded, but gorgeous. You can take a ferry or a tour.

Disembarking in Rome

We docked in Civitavecchia and made our way into Rome for a few final days before the trip split off in different directions. That evening, Luca and I went straight to the Borghese Gallery — one of the world’s great art experiences, and infinitely better with a skip-the-line ticket. Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne alone is worth the visit. The gardens afterward, as the light went golden over the pines, were a perfect way to say goodbye to the cruise chapter and hello to whatever came next.

We spent 4 more days in Rome.

*Planning a multigenerational Mediterranean cruise? I’d love to help you design one. Reach out at [email protected] or visit adventurousyoutravel.com.*

 

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