First time cruiser with 13 teens. Thinking about Magic

Sorry, that's 3 teens, not 13 teens!!

First cruise for any of us. Teens are 13, 15, 18. Dates will be June/July. Here's my decision making process so far:

• Carnival seems to be a good first-time "bargain" experience (compared to Disney, RC, etc).
  
• Prefer port that we can "easily" drive to (from Tennessee). New Orleans and Port Canaveral seem easiest. Also, Magic and Dream seem to be most teen friendly.
  
• Thinking about cheapest balcony room for 2 and inside room for 3 across the hall.
  

Couple of questions:

1. Teen stuff seems to be divided into 12-14 and 15-17. My teen girls (13/15) will probably want to hang out together. Can the 13 year old hang out with 15-17 crowd? How strictly is this enforced?

2. I've barely been out of Tennessee, so I have no knowledge of the ports. Which itinerary looks best?

Nassau/Amber Cove/Grand Turk (6 days)

Amber Cove/St. Thomas/San Juan/Grand Turk (7 days)

Cozumel/Belize/Mahogany Bay/Costa Maya (7 days)

Aruba/Curacao/Grand Turk (8 days)

Grand Turk/San Juan/St. Kitts/St. Maarten (8 days)

3. What else should I know before I make a reservation?

Thanks!

TATSR

On Glory we were able to bring our 12yr old down 1 level to be with our 10yr old, I did not inquire about my 10 moving up a level though.

Your 2, 3 & 5 itinerary look like good ones to me. I'm sure people with more experience will be along to give advice [emoji846]

Your title says 13 teens and I was like [emoji50]

Carnival Glory - Eastern Caribbean June 2016

I will address only one of your questions.

The 13 and 15 year old teens will probably not be allowed to go to the same clubs.

However, in my experience many teens use the clubs as a place to meet other kids and then to hang out together outside of planned activities.

There is nothing to stop either one from hanging out with the other all day with your permission, outside of activities planned by their respective clubs.

Think of it this way. Parents of a 13 year old girl might not want her hanging out with 17 year old guys.

Welcome to cruising. I can't imagine your family won't have a fantastic time.

When I saw your title, my jaw dropped [emoji23]

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Glad you said it was only 3. I was already saying a prayer for you!

Our 13 year old has been hanging at Circle C for the past year on his 3 cruises. The last one, the Magic, there seemed to be a lot of cross-hanging between Circle and Club O2 kids. My son registers and starts off at Circle C most days, but he also branches out on his own, or with a couple of kids and just hangs out.

And it seems to really depend on the capacity/number of kids registered. Last year, on the Valor, they allowed an 11 year old sibling to register with Circle C where his sibling was. But there weren't a lot of kids on the ship. Over the summer, on the Legend, there was an actual school group of h.s. kids, like 50-75 of them! They were using the O2 lounge and such, I don't think my son did anything with them. And he also too a group picture of the Circle C kids, and there were at least 40 in that picture, with some missing. So in that case, they were a little more strict on who went where.

I've done #2 & #4, enjoyed both. We just the #4 itinerary on the Magic. It was the biggest ship we'd been on, so it was more crowded at times and in certain places, but I never felt overwhelmed by it. Just longer lines for some things that I hadn't dealt with before. We also usually cruise during slightly less busy times. I actually enjoyed the 8-day cruise we just did because I enjoy sea days. Again, I'm pretty much a cruiser for relaxing, sitting in the sun, having some food, etc... I don't need much! ;)

Summer will be (any time the kids are out of school) expensive so set a budget for each person and then explore your options.

Research both of these ships and the ports (how long the drive to each if driving, hotels in area of port, can you get a cruise deal through the area port hotels so you can leave your car there (they have cruise pkgs), do you want to see a lot of ports on the trip or have more sea days on board the ship? Make a list with a comparison chart for each ship so you do not have to remember everything and can keep details straight.

Our son just turned 14 and has been cruising since a toddler, he does not use the camps any longer and either just goes to meet kids his age the first night (meet and greet) or just hangs up on the sports/activity deck (both these ships have great areas and activities for kids of all ages). An advantage to going when school is out is that there will be many, many kids on board.

The second itinerary you have in your post (Eastern Caribbean) is our favorite, we have done it a few times and just did it again the week before Christmas on the Magic (we had a blast!). Great options in port for things to do or just great beach days. All of the ports are beautiful and this itinerary gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

You have a lot of research to do but it will be worth it. Have fun!

The Magic would be a great choice. The Dream, Breeze and the Magic are all Dream class ships. They all depart from different ports, so that might be a consideration. 8 day cruises may have an extra sea day, so check that out. We actually like sea days and your kids may like that too. If cost is a factor, the longer the cruise, you will usually have to pay more. Check shore excursions at each port and see what the kids are interested in doing, beach, swim with dolphins etc, etc. Lots to think about. Good luck. You will have a great time regardless which one you choose. :cool:

Sorry, that's 3 teens, not 13 teens!!

 

First cruise for any of us. Teens are 13, 15, 18. Dates will be June/July. Here's my decision making process so far:

 

• Carnival seems to be a good first-time "bargain" experience (compared to Disney, RC, etc).
  
• Prefer port that we can "easily" drive to (from Tennessee). New Orleans and Port Canaveral seem easiest. Also, Magic and Dream seem to be most teen friendly.
  
• Thinking about cheapest balcony room for 2 and inside room for 3 across the hall.
  

Couple of questions:

1. Teen stuff seems to be divided into 12-14 and 15-17. My teen girls (13/15) will probably want to hang out together. Can the 13 year old hang out with 15-17 crowd? How strictly is this enforced?

2. I've barely been out of Tennessee, so I have no knowledge of the ports. Which itinerary looks best?

 

Nassau/Amber Cove/Grand Turk (6 days)

Amber Cove/St. Thomas/San Juan/Grand Turk (7 days)

Cozumel/Belize/Mahogany Bay/Costa Maya (7 days)

Aruba/Curacao/Grand Turk (8 days)

Grand Turk/San Juan/St. Kitts/St. Maarten (8 days)

 

3. What else should I know before I make a reservation?

 

Thanks!

TATSR

We have run into the same problem with our teenage girls, and I can tell you that Carnival and Norwegian are VERY strict with this policy. I have begged and pleaded, but they will not allow them to go into each other's club unless they are of the same age. It wasn't much of a problem until our children started high school. Last year, for example, I had one daughter who had just turned 15 and her friend was turning 15 the week after our cruise. They would not allow my daughter to go into the 12-14 club and they would not allow her friend to go into the 15-17 club even though they were in the same grade. During my oldest daughter's senior year cruise that we took with another family, my daughter had just turned 18 and the other family's senior daughter was still 17. My daughter was not allowed into Club 02, but she could hang out with the 18 and older crowd which I found appalling. I couldn't believe they would allow her to hang out with adults but would refuse to let her hang out with other high school kids in Club 02. As aggravated as this had made me on most of our cruises and as much as I think this rule needs to change, I will say that my children have managed to make friends without going into the teen clubs. Most of the teens hang out around the sports complex/putt putt area each evening and are able to get to know other kids their age. They will make their own plans outside of Club O2 and always have a blast on every cruise. So I think this rule annoys me more than it does them. I really wish they would have a club for elementary age kids, middle school kids, and high school kids. It would make it so much easier for families.

As far as the itineraries, I would suggest #2, #3, or #5. I would not suggest Nassau for any port (your first itinerary option), and having only three port stops on an 8 day cruise (#4 option) would not be much fun. I would suggest you look around at each port and see which one has more that would fit your family's idea of fun. If it were me, I would pick number 3. Mohagany Bay has the prettiest beach we've ever seen (Tabyana Beach), great snorkeling, and there are several water inflatables for the teens to play on (huge slides, trampolines, etc). Belize has the best excursion we've ever done out to Goff's Cay. Number 5 runs a close second. Grand Turk has the prettiest water and the best snorkeling we've ever experienced. Check out the excursions offered at each port and/or what there is to do at each port to make the best decision for your family. For example, Grand Turk has an amazing beach right off the ship that is free for Carnival guests to use. Hope this helps.

As far as "bargain" experience goes, do your homework. Price out cruises you'd be interested in across several lines. I'm sure Disney would be higher priced but the last two years I've sailed NCL and Royal as they were less expensive than the comparable Carnival cruise. I'm not sure why people automatically think Carnival is the cheapest cruise option. It's not always the case. To clarify I only look for cruises 7 nights or longer as we only cruise once a year typically.

Enjoy your cruise, whichever you choose.

Please someone tell this nice lady that 1 adult is not enough supervision This ship is the size of a city and the most well behaved child can get into trouble. Just remember Natalie Holloway. It does happen. Not often but it could happen. I'd have 1 or 2 aduldts at least

Please someone tell this nice lady that 1 adult is not enough supervision This ship is the size of a city and the most well behaved child can get into trouble. Just remember Natalie Holloway. It does happen. Not often but it could happen. I'd have 1 or 2 aduldts at least

I am sure 1 adult can handle 3 teens

Please someone tell this nice lady that 1 adult is not enough supervision This ship is the size of a city and the most well behaved child can get into trouble. Just remember Natalie Holloway. It does happen. Not often but it could happen. I'd have 1 or 2 aduldts at least

I don't believe she ever said it was just 1 adult and 3 teens. She said a room for 2 and a room for 3 across the hall. And I would say even if it was 1 adult and the 3 teens, she knows them best. There are plenty of teenagers that are responsible and can handle themselves and there are 30 year old people who can't. My child has been on 3 cruises in the past year and never got in trouble. Our friends son has Platinum status and never has been in trouble either. Both of them are good kids, not perfect, but they're good kids.

We have run into the same problem with our teenage girls, and I can tell you that Carnival and Norwegian are VERY strict with this policy. I have begged and pleaded, but they will not allow them to go into each other's club unless they are of the same age. It wasn't much of a problem until our children started high school. Last year, for example, I had one daughter who had just turned 15 and her friend was turning 15 the week after our cruise. They would not allow my daughter to go into the 12-14 club and they would not allow her friend to go into the 15-17 club even though they were in the same grade.

Well, I will disagree with Carnival being VERY strict on this policy. I will say, that in the 3 cruises we've been on in just the past year, every time it was different. It will depend on the camp director, the number of kids in each camp, and the reason. On the summer cruise in Alaska, it was packed with kids. However, there was a kid who was just shy of 15 and had become connected with some of the kids in the O2 club, so after the 2nd or 3rd day, they moved him up. The other 2 cruises were in November, before the Thanksgiving holiday, so it wasn't as busy with kids. The most recent one didn't seem to have any changes, but the one we did in 2015 they allowed an 11 year old sibling to join the Circle C kids.

So don't give up on anything yet. Ask when you get on board and see what the options are. :)

Please someone tell this nice lady that 1 adult is not enough supervision This ship is the size of a city and the most well behaved child can get into trouble. Just remember Natalie Holloway. It does happen. Not often but it could happen. I'd have 1 or 2 aduldts at least

huh? Natalie Holloway was on a high school class trip in Aruba. Not even close to the same situation.

I took 3 teenagers on a cruise. Piece of cake. Maybe I just have unusually well-behaved children. Or maybe I'm a super woman. Yep - that's it - I'm a Super Woman :)