When Don and Sandy Breckon of Parkville, Mo., were approaching their 40th anniversary a few years ago, a cruise seemed like a good way to celebrate.

So they gathered their four daughters and their husbands from various points around the country and set sail for the Bahamas.

The family liked it so much that the Breckons are going to do it again -- this time with seven grandchildren, too. For their 50th anniversary later this year, the Breckons and 15 family members are planning an Alaskan cruise.

''The great thing about cruise ships is that there are so many activities for all the different people that you don't have to worry about keeping everybody busy all the time,'' said Don Breckon.

Wherever cruise ships sail from, extended families are sailing, celebrating anniversaries, gathering for family reunions or just trying to get away and find a little time together.

REUNIONS

Multigenerational gatherings have become an important part of the cruise industry, said Mark Comfort, owner of Cruise Holidays and Comfort Tours and Travel in Kansas City.

''In one adjective, it's just become huge,'' Comfort said. ``Since Sept. 11, 2001, we have focused on it very hard. Cruising has becoming a very strong option of choice because it has something for everybody. From potty-trained on up there's something for them. The ships have been so wonderful about putting on children's programs, where children can be entertained no matter their age, and Mom and Dad can have some relaxing time and Grandma and Grandpa can have a good time, too.''

''Family reunions and the family cruise market in general is the fastest growing segment of our industry,'' said Vance Gulliksen, public relations manager for Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest. ``This year alone we're expecting to carry 575,000 children under the age of 18 ... that's roughly six times what we carried a decade ago.''

Dean and Ginny Trenter of Kansas City have become firm believers in cruising as a way of getting their far-flung family together.

The Trenters have been on three cruises with the families of their adult children, who live in Charlotte, N.C., and St. Louis.

''You get on the ship and you absolutely relax,'' said Dean Trenter, a retired accounting supervisor. ``You want to get in the pool? Fine. You want to watch a movie? Fine. Everybody can do their own thing in the daytime, but whatever we do we always get cleaned up and meet for dinner. We have a big table and sit all 11 of us together.''

PLANNING

Yet if the fun starts when the ships sails, it doesn't necessarily mean there aren't plenty of challenges in planning a big family cruise.

Just how do you get a family of 11 or 17 or 35 together?

''The first thing I tell people is that one person has to make the decisions,'' said Susie VanderKamp, co-owner of the Cruise Connections travel agency in Kansas City. 'One person has to decide when they're going to go and where they're going. You will never get everybody to go agree. So one person has to say, `This is when we're going to go, and this is where we're going to go. If you'd like to go along, here's the price. Love to have you.' ''

If several persons in a family are trying to make decisions, the likelihood is that the cruise will never happen, VanderKamp said. The larger the group, the more conflicts there will be in vacation schedules, destination preferences and cruising styles.

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