20YO on Celebrity Equinox

Hey, new poster here.

My parents booked a trip on the Equinox to the Eastern Caribbean leaving August 6th. From what I've seen on these threads, the ship is great for R&R. That being said, I'm worried that I'll get pretty bored without having ways to meet people my age, since there's a lacking of activities.

From the sounds of it, since it's leaving from Miami, the drinking age will be 21, but will I still be allowed into the nightclub as a 20-year-old? And I'm guessing the kid's club stops at 17/18, but is there anything for people under 21, but not "kids" anymore? Any info, insight, or ideas on how to do things/meet people my age (give or take a few years) would be appreciated.

Thanks!

You have done a very good job of analyzing the cruisers on Celebrity. You will be in the minority and a small minority. You should consider going to the evening silent disco at the Martini Bar and to generally hang out at that bar. That is where most of the young people will be found. The gym would also be another place to meet some younger cruisers. Try taking one of the zumba classes as well.

while this may not be your exact cruise - here are some "dailies" from an Equinox Caribbean Cruise

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2429542&highlight=equinox+dailies

As I recall you'll still be allowed in the nightclub

You are in limbo. My niece sailed with her father when she was 20. She didn't like it as she was too young to drink and too old to participate in the youth program

Naturally you don't need to drink to have a good time. There is no age limit for any area on the ship so all bars and lounges are open to you.

She also sailed on RCCL when 19 and enjoyed it more as there were more activies and a younger crowd close to her age that she could relate with.

You never know unless you try it as the demographics always depends on the length of cruise, itinerary, and time of year.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

If you wish you may gamble in the casino. Age there is 18.

Consider downloading a bunch of books on your kindle, bring deck of cards, small hand held games, etc. sorry to say this may be boring for you but being a little prepared might help.

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You have done a very good job of analyzing the cruisers on Celebrity. You will be in the minority and a small minority. You should consider going to the evening silent disco at the Martini Bar and to generally hang out at that bar. That is where most of the young people will be found. The gym would also be another place to meet some younger cruisers. Try taking one of the zumba classes as well.

That's good to know. And I was planning on spending plenty of time in the gym to work off all the food I'll be shoveling down, so I'm hoping you're right with that part haha. Thanks!

while this may not be your exact cruise - here are some "dailies" from an Equinox Caribbean Cruise

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2429542&highlight=equinox+dailies

 

As I recall you'll still be allowed in the nightclub

Thank you! I'll definitely be using those to gauge activities, and even just the opening and closing times of stuff!

You are in limbo. My niece sailed with her father when she was 20. She didn't like it as she was too young to drink and too old to participate in the youth program

 

Naturally you don't need to drink to have a good time. There is no age limit for any area on the ship so all bars and lounges are open to you.

 

She also sailed on RCCL when 19 and enjoyed it more as there were more activies and a younger crowd close to her age that she could relate with.

 

You never know unless you try it as the demographics always depends on the length of cruise, itinerary, and time of year.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

Yeah, I kinda wish my parents had booked on one of the larger cruise ships, but there's not much I can do now other than make the most of it. Thanks though!

If you wish you may gamble in the casino. Age there is 18.

Good to know! I'll start saving up for it now lol

Consider downloading a bunch of books on your kindle, bring deck of cards, small hand held games, etc. sorry to say this may be boring for you but being a little prepared might help.

 

 

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That's what it's sounding like haha. Oh well, guess I'll just be catching up on my sleep and eating/working out my boredom away :')

I am 28 and on the week before you! I am the slightest bit worried about a lack of activities, being the only one my age/being considered an annoying millennial, but mostly looking forward to a reprieve of a week of relaxation between teaching summer school and going back to teaching full time.

About boredom, last summer I cruised MSC with a broken foot and did almost none of my typical activities and basically parked myself on a deck chair with a book and a drink all week and had a great time! You could get the non-alcoholic beverage package and drink lots of frozen drinks and speciality coffees! You can make your own fun anywhere if you get creative, and step out of your comfort zone. Being on vacation is better than being at home for me!

Find the Roll Call for your cruise and post on there. Someone your age may be on your sailing.

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I am 28 and on the week before you! I am the slightest bit worried about a lack of activities, being the only one my age/being considered an annoying millennial, but mostly looking forward to a reprieve of a week of relaxation between teaching summer school and going back to teaching full time.

 

About boredom, last summer I cruised MSC with a broken foot and did almost none of my typical activities and basically parked myself on a deck chair with a book and a drink all week and had a great time! You could get the non-alcoholic beverage package and drink lots of frozen drinks and speciality coffees! You can make your own fun anywhere if you get creative, and step out of your comfort zone. Being on vacation is better than being at home for me!

Ah, the good old "annoying millennials" stereotype. I'll have quite a bit of fun if anyone mentions it haha. But you're 100% right, traveling is the time to step out of your comfort zone and do new things. It's partially why I love traveling so much (although I've only been on one other cruise as a kid, I definitely travel more than a fair share).

I think if you manage your expectations you will have a great time.

You should go to the silent disco, the late night activities, triva, dancing lessons, and the casino tutorials. These are all activities where you will be able to strike up a conversation.

It also depends upon how outgoing you are. My one child does not do well on her own and gets very anxious. My other child makes tons of friends wherever he goes and has no anxiety about going alone.

Also, and I say this with the best possible intent and tone. Do spend some quality time with your parents. You never know when it will no longer be possible. Appreciate and take advantage of the opportunity.

Have a wonderful cruise.

There is a lot of info on this site about your three stops, especially in the Ports of Call forum, as well as on the 'Net generally. I'd suggest doing some research and see what excursions/things to do are out there that interest you so at least those three days you might find something to do. And Fish's post above about spendng quality time w/your parents is also a good thought. My stepson will be 20 in August. One of his friends just suddenly lost his dad at 61 to a pulmonary embolism. So while I don't want to hang gray clouds all over I throw that out there to second Fish's thoughts about QT w/parents. Enjoy your trip.

I second (well, third) the notion of quality time with your parents. Take lots of photos - family cruises are a wonderful opportunity for creating memories...

You mentioned wishing your parents had booked a larger ship, but really, Equinox is a great size - not too small, but not too big that everywhere is crowded.

If you like singing, there are often karaoke events, which bring in people of all ages.

I 'think' the sky lounge would have plenty of evening dancing events.

I'm sure you will enjoy!

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I think if you manage your expectations you will have a great time.

You should go to the silent disco, the late night activities, triva, dancing lessons, and the casino tutorials. These are all activities where you will be able to strike up a conversation.

It also depends upon how outgoing you are. My one child does not do well on her own and gets very anxious. My other child makes tons of friends wherever he goes and has no anxiety about going alone.

 

Also, and I say this with the best possible intent and tone. Do spend some quality time with your parents. You never know when it will no longer be possible. Appreciate and take advantage of the opportunity.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

I completely agree. I'll definitely be going to more than a few of the activities and just hoping that there are some people my age at some of them. As for my outgoingness, it definitely depends on the scenario, but if I should do fine. 100% will be spending lots of time with my parents, especially since they are getting older, but everything in moderation ;)

There is a lot of info on this site about your three stops, especially in the Ports of Call forum, as well as on the 'Net generally. I'd suggest doing some research and see what excursions/things to do are out there that interest you so at least those three days you might find something to do. And Fish's post above about spendng quality time w/your parents is also a good thought. My stepson will be 20 in August. One of his friends just suddenly lost his dad at 61 to a pulmonary embolism. So while I don't want to hang gray clouds all over I throw that out there to second Fish's thoughts about QT w/parents. Enjoy your trip.

Completely agree with spending quality time with my parents, that was always a part of the plan, I'd just prefer to have other things to do. As for the ports of call, I'm not too worried about finding things to do there, as I was actually planning to go to PR and USVI with a friend this summer anyways, but plans changed, yet I'm still ending up going after all, just not how I had originally planned.

Our son in his 20's (and with a full and busy social life at home) still enjoys cruising with us on Celebrity when he can. We have cruised as a family since he was about 10...He is Elite Plus on Celebrity and Diamond Plus on RC.

He usually will have one or two excursions in mind (he is usually active in helping to choose the itinerary too). He will load up his surface with films, enjoys having the internet package, will enjoy some quality time with us and will happily just rest....I think he enjoys these breaks with us as a real contrast to the lively and action packed holidays he enjoys with friends. For a while he was 'in and out' of being able to drink on board. We cruised the Med and the Far East when he was between 18 and 21 as well as the Caribbean.....

He has met up with younger guests at a wide range of venues ranging from poolside to the Captains Table....another great way to meet younger guests, not yet mentioned, is to look at some of the more 'sporty' excursions....

Some cruises he has met up with other young people. He has kept in touch with some of them and has met up again with them on future cruises. He tends to see this as a bonus rather than an expected...He has also enjoyed meeting a wide range of fellow guests and staff of all ages, backgrounds and cultures....what is not to like?

Our son sees his X cruises as pleasurable in their own right. He does not look at them in the same way (or have the same expectations) as he would have for a holiday with friends. 'Different' isn't always a bad thing!

Just as a 'by the way' I cannot tell you strongly enough how much we, as parents, value this quality time with our son....sharing leisurely meals, family banter and making memories.....

Hope you have a great cruise!

Give us an idea of what you were hoping to do while onboard and that may help tailor responses for you. (Dance, party, games, relax, socialize, learn new things, etc?)

In terms of meeting people, despite being on the younger end of the spectrum, if you're not afraid to start up a conversation, you'll be fine. You just may need to be willing to socialize with some people who are 5-10 years older than you (we're not that bad, I swear!).

The other thing I've noticed on my past cruises is those in the 18-21 age range tend to be onboard with other family or friends, but as long as you don't mind approaching a group or being the one new person in that group, you should be able to find some people you can hang out with over the length of you cruise.

Sounds like you have the right attitude, so regardless you'll definitely enjoy your vacation.

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I would second the suggestion to check in on your roll call. Lots of people mention the age of their family members traveling with them and they are your age. We are cruising on Equinox with my 23 year old Grandson and he's taking a friend. He's been cruising since he was very young and while he has had a friend go with us on many of the cruises, he's also traveled with the family without a friend. He likes to relax by the pool and go on excursions. He's into history so we've taken him to Turkey, Spain, Italy, France and I think he's visited every Caribbean island, but he enjoys spending time with the family too. He finds excursions that he enjoys..some he repeats. When he was 20, he was able to go to the casino and at most of the ports, even in the Caribbean, he was able to have a beer or wine. We usually cruise on Royal and he's pretty much over the "bells and whistles" of the slides, FloRider, rock climbing, etc. He took a friend on one cruise that wasn't interested in any of the activities and a different friend that couldn't seem to get enough of ALL the activities. He's discovered that he's somewhere in between. It just depends on your personality and what you want from the cruise. He has always managed to enjoy himself and LOVES cruising.

Gym, spa, putting and ping ping tournaments...trivia....silent disco, movies, karaoke, dj, comedy shows... for activities on shore.. there are many active excursions and choices like zip lining, segway, kayak, paddle board...etc

CD should help locate kindred spirits,,,

Hey there! I'm 27 and just got off the Equinox on the 15th, and definitely had some of the same concerns as you re: not quite knowing what to do with myself pre-boarding based on the average demographic of Celebrity cruisers. Rest assured, there's plenty to do!

I second the recommendation of checking out your ports of call prior to your cruise and seeing what interests you, along with searching around places like Youtube to see footage of the Equinox (those ship tour videos people upload are actually really handy!) so you can get an idea of places onboard that you'd like to check out during your cruise. The Roll Call threads on here are also pretty handy as they normally have some kind of spread sheet that goes along with them, often including the ages of people cruising with you so you can see if anyone in your age bracket is coming along for the ride with you ahead of time.

Personally, I didn't encounter anyone my age, but found myself chatting it up with a ton of older ladies and guys without ever feeling out of place. Come to think of it, one of the most fun things I did on the Equinox was during a sail away party from Aruba on the pool deck where one of the ladies I'd met got me to skirt outside of my comfort zone and motioned for me to come dance with her when one of the Celebrity Rox dancers pulled her over onto the square - something I 100% wouldn't have done on my own (my dance moves are tragic at best!), but am glad I did in hindsight. Plus, it was incredibly cool seeing people 20+ years my senior throwing age to the wind and showing off moves that could fit seamlessly in a club rotation; there was this one woman who had to be about 50 who dropped it low to "24k Magic" like it was an everyday thing for her, and it was literally one of the most iconic things I've ever seen. Definitely try hitting up the sail away parties whenever you can, especially if they're at night!

Aside from that, pay attention to the daily itineraries they deliver to your room and really look at the activities offered. Sea days usually involved some kind of crafting hour in the Ensemble lounge, including scrapbooking classes (from what I saw, they provide you with a little kit full of trinkets and paper and such) and adult colouring that was surprisingly fun. If you're at a loss, one of my favourite things to do was hitting up Cafe Al Bacio in the afternoon (usually not too busy) or collecting the Celebrity "newspapers" from other countries offered on deck 3 to see what was going on around the world. The afternoon snack offerings at Ocean View Cafe are also a really unique way to meet people as it's typically not too crowded and has at least a couple of people who've been separated from their cruising parties (I met a few people who were there solo while the other members of their party were napping or in another venue that didn't interest them, etc) and are more than willing to chat it up over pastries.