Best Teen Friendly Luxury Cruise Ships?

Hi everyone, it’s really interesting reading people’s opinions on here. I have never been on a cruise before but my partner who is older than me has (almost) persuaded me that we should book one this summer for our family holiday.

My two kids are aged 11 and 14 and can both get very bored on our usual family hols (we’ve recently rented a Villa in places like Mallorca or Turkey). I like the idea in theory that there should be more for them to do on a cruise, whilst we can still relax in luxury by the pool and visit interesting destinations.

If we decide to go it will be a Mediterranean cruise for between one and two weeks. I have only recently started browsing and know little about the different operators. It would be great to get any recommendations of which companies to look at further. Essentially, we are looking for a modern luxurious ship but one that will also be accommodating to teenagers and which they hopefully won't be bored on!

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

You can look at Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships. Lots of activities for teens. You can get some of the luxury from booking a Star Class suite, and while those suite perks are very nice, you are still on a ship with over 6000 guests, and you have to consider that it's still a mass market cruise line, and not really a luxury cruise ship.

Try Carnival. Probably short on luxury though.

Check out NCL haven suites, a ship,within a ship.

This CruiseCritic article might be of interest.....https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1725

Try Carnival. Probably short on luxury though.

Carnival won't be in the Med. This summer. Their new ship will leave the Med. on May 9 for the US.

Not exactly luxury, (although the prices are) but if your kids are interested in sailing, you might consider one of the Star Clippers sailing ships. There is a board here for Luxury Cruises and asking there might give you an idea of any programs for kids. If you book a port intensive cruise, they won't have time to get bored. EM

Thanks for your advice. Just been having a look at some of the NCL haven suites and they look incredible. Just looking at Royal Carribean Loft Suites as well and they look as luxurious, and the ship as a whole appears to have a more family friendly vibe than NCL?

Will have to look more into price but definitely the kind ofthing I have in mind.

Me and my husband would definitely prefer a smaller ship than 6000 people, but we accept that there’s going to be a trade off in this respect. Better for the kids to have activities / opportunity to meet other people their age so that we can chill out in peace and take excursions guilt free!

That article is really great thanks mef_57. Even though they were travelling with a 5 year old, (which speaking from experience could have been a nightmare at formal dinners!), I think the idea of planning a list of must do activities is still very relevant with teens and definitely something we will do to avoid boredom and disagreements.

I’ve also found this article which certainly gives some interesting options to explore! https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=5

I'll have a check around some of the luxury cruise forums also. Thanks!

I've cruised on all the luxury lines and to be quite honest, those lines don't have anything to keep teens happy. There are no kids/teen programs on lines like Seabourn, Silversea, Regent and so on. Even lines like Oceania and Azamara don't cater to families and you'd be hard pressed to find many, if any, kids on board for your teens to meet. I was just on Oceania last month, and a family came on board with two teens, and by the middle of the cruise the parents said it was a mistake to cruise on a line with no program for kids, and that their two were bored out of their minds. In summer, Crystal has a kid's program, not really for teens, but more for younger kids. I guess what I'm saying is that luxury lines and teens don't easily mix. Sorry.

Oh and by the way, most cruise lines, even the super luxury ones, no longer have true formal nights. Even Crystal, one of the most formal lines I've cruised, have pretty much stopped formal nights in the old time version of what formal nights used to be.

I'm guessing that you're writing from the UK? Do you want to sail out of the UK, or take a flight to somewhere such as Barcelona, or Genoa?

So many ships out there... From the UK the most friendly for families are probably RCI, Princess, PO ... but children are well catered for also on Celebrity and Cunard, which are deemed to be more luxurious than the first 3 by some cruisers. P&O is British managed, so uses sterling on board; all the others use dollars, and to our mind are very keen on tipping...:)

If you are leaving from a Med port, then almost all ships have activities for young people, except the really luxurious lines, which accept but don't have many special activities for them.

You'll probably have to go in school holidays, so there will be many children on board with all lines, but ships do cater well for them.

There's a smaller ship, P&O's Aurora which is family friendly, going from the UK, and also Oceana which has fly cruises from the UK to where she's situated in Malta- a package holiday with charter flights... when we started cruises, they were quite large ships, but now are seen as quite small! :D

Hi everyone, it’s really interesting reading people’s opinions on here. I have never been on a cruise before but my partner who is older than me has (almost) persuaded me that we should book one this summer for our family holiday.

 

 

My two kids are aged 11 and 14 and can both get very bored on our usual family hols (we’ve recently rented a Villa in places like Mallorca or Turkey). I like the idea in theory that there should be more for them to do on a cruise, whilst we can still relax in luxury by the pool and visit interesting destinations.

 

 

If we decide to go it will be a Mediterranean cruise for between one and two weeks. I have only recently started browsing and know little about the different operators. It would be great to get any recommendations of which companies to look at further. Essentially, we are looking for a modern luxurious ship but one that will also be accommodating to teenagers and which they hopefully won't be bored on!

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

I don't think a luxury line would fit your situation because they tend to be smaller and would have much less for the kids to do.

I think one of the ship within a ship options would fit better like MSC Yacht Club or the NIL Haven. In each case you get all of the activities and amenities of a large mass market ship, but have a luxury enclave which you can repair to. Best of both worlds - activities for the kids, luxury and serenity for you and your partner when you want it.

Hi everyone, it’s really interesting reading people’s opinions on here. I have never been on a cruise before but my partner who is older than me has (almost) persuaded me that we should book one this summer for our family holiday.

 

 

My two kids are aged 11 and 14 and can both get very bored on our usual family hols (we’ve recently rented a Villa in places like Mallorca or Turkey). I like the idea in theory that there should be more for them to do on a cruise, whilst we can still relax in luxury by the pool and visit interesting destinations.

 

 

If we decide to go it will be a Mediterranean cruise for between one and two weeks. I have only recently started browsing and know little about the different operators. It would be great to get any recommendations of which companies to look at further. Essentially, we are looking for a modern luxurious ship but one that will also be accommodating to teenagers and which they hopefully won't be bored on!

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

Your may want to consider a crewed yacht charter. Maybe a 60' +\- catamaran. Use a trusted charter broker like Ed Hamilton Inc (google them). It can be as luxurious as you decide including multi-talented crew who can cook culinary delights, provide scuba lessons, etc. Crewed charters can be custom tailored, right down to your favorite booze. And per person cost may be quite the value when compared to luxury cruise lines.

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Look at more mainstream cruises that offer suites.

Thanks for your advice. Just been having a look at some of the NCL haven suites and they look incredible. Just looking at Royal Carribean Loft Suites as well and they look as luxurious, and the ship as a whole appears to have a more family friendly vibe than NCL?

I think a good middle-of-the-road between luxury and family line is Celebrity. They have beautiful luxurious suites available, but still have a moderately active kids club on board.

But if it truly is a family line you're looking for, I recommend Royal Caribbean. The Loft Suites are beautiful and certainly luxurious. Also consider an Aqua Theater Suite. They overlook the outdoor Aqua Theater, so you can watch the shows from your own private balcony. Oasis Class ships have the best entertainment at sea. Don't get put-off by the 6000 people. Space to passenger ratio is what matters and despite all those people, Oasis Class does not feel crowded at all. The ship is designed to keep crowds separated.

NCL is very family oriented.

Interesting thread. The OP ask for a "luxury" cruise line and most of the posts recommend lines like RCI, Carnival and NCL....none of which are even close to a "luxury" line. The problem is that most true luxury lines have little to offer teens. But the OP might want to look into Crystal, primarily because their ships are somewhat larger than many of the other luxury lines...and Crystal often has some excellent deals for 3rd and 4th in a cabin. If you cruise Crystal during the school holidays (such as the summer) there will likely be some other teens. The reality is that most teens gauge fun...based on the friends they make on a cruise rather then a lot of often lame activities.

Hank

Interesting thread. The OP ask for a "luxury" cruise line and most of the posts recommend lines like RCI, Carnival and NCL....none of which are even close to a "luxury" line. The problem is that most true luxury lines have little to offer teens.

That’s because, as the thread progressed, it quickly became apparent that they weren’t actually looking for a true luxury line. They’re looking for luxury on a family oriented ship.

Interesting thread. The OP ask for a "luxury" cruise line and most of the posts recommend lines like RCI, Carnival and NCL....none of which are even close to a "luxury" line. The problem is that most true luxury lines have little to offer teens. But the OP might want to look into Crystal, primarily because their ships are somewhat larger than many of the other luxury lines...and Crystal often has some excellent deals for 3rd and 4th in a cabin. If you cruise Crystal during the school holidays (such as the summer) there will likely be some other teens. The reality is that most teens gauge fun...based on the friends they make on a cruise rather then a lot of often lame activities.

 

Hank

I have had the same reaction to this thread - most of the responders are not talking about Luxury ships.

NCL's Epic and NCL Breakaway are super teen friendly Mega ships and direct competitors of RCCL's Oasis class ships. I would not recommend NCL Jade or Spirit for what you are looking for with the teens.

The RCCL Oasis class ships feel like staying in an amusement park - be careful in selecting a loft suite as many of those overlook the sports court and mini golf so the balcony has no privacy and it will be noisy out there during the day - look at deck plans to be sure of what you are getting if you decide on one of those. The Epic and Breakaway feel like staying at a new Las Vegas casino hotel with a waterpark on the top deck with major waterpark slides and a ropes course. There is also a bowling alley on these ships. The Haven feels like you are in a high roller suite and is very private. The casino is in the center of the ship with the specialty restaurants scattered around it. Some people feel this is off-putting due to people smoking in the casino. Also, the main pools on these two NCL ships are over-crowded. But if you are in the Haven, you would go to the Haven pool instead for peace and quiet. Another great location on the NCL ships is the spa's and you can get a thermal suite pass and go there anytime. There is a whirlpool, thalisotherapy pool, dry saunas, steam rooms, heated tile loungers and padded loungers, rain showers and on Breakaway, there is a salt room. The RCCL Oasis class ships have the adults only solarium which is free. It has loungers and 3 very small pools you can stand in. The RCCL spa doesn't have much of a thermal suite - just a sauna and steamroom and a couple heated tile loungers - no thalisotherapy pool or hot tub. Both lines offer a dedicated restaurant and bar for suite guests. On NCL it is within the Haven complex, on RCCL it is elsewhere on the ship. Both lines offer good specialty restaurants, a buffet, plenty of bars and lots to do for adults and kids alike. RCCL has a lot of shows on Oasis class ships such as: High diving, ice skating, Broadway musical, comedy club, acrobats. NCL has Burn the floor and a Broadway musical and then some other show that is in a dinner club that you pay extra to see.

We sail on NCL ships in The Haven and it feels like you are on a totally different ship in there and then have the option to go out and enjoy the specialty restaurants but we like the peace of The Haven and the spa. You can do as much or as little as you want and have a very peaceful cruise if you want to. RCCL, I have to be in the mood to go on RCCL as it is more about activity and you go to a show each night or you will miss out. We mostly dine in their specialty restaurants.

In terms of amenities for suites:

On NCL you get a butler and concierge, special room service menu for suite guests, pillow choices, dvd library, welcome aboard flowers and sparkling wine ,coffee/tea maker that make cappuccino and other specialty drinks, upgraded shampoo conditioner, canapés each afternoon, DVD player(s) in your suite, basically they spoil you.

On RCCL in suites you get a concierge and upgraded shampoo and conditioner and that's pretty much it, although they will invite you to "borrow" a piece of jewelry from the jewelry store on formal night. There is an area of the deck with loungers reserved for suite guests.

The true luxury lines don't really offer much for kids. But you should consider this fact: Med cruises are port intensive with most guests getting off at 8:30am and not getting back onboard until 5:30 or 6pm. Most people want dinner and then maybe a show and go to bed. There is usually only 1 day at sea per 7 days of cruising, so you are not going to be spending a whole lot of time on the ship unless you choose not to do some or all of the ports. So, if you go on a mega ship whether it is NCL or RCCL, you and the kids probably won't get to enjoy most of the amenities onboard. For this reason, many people choose to go on less expensive ships in the Med and will get connecting balcony cabins in order to save money and spend more on shore excursions which are quite expensive in the Med due to the fact you need ground transportation. Alternatively, you could sail on one of the true luxury lines such as Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea and Seabourne. Some of these lines are all inclusive - even including shore excursions. They don't have ziplines, waterparks or any of the stuff that makes NCL and RCCL so good for teens but they do have children's clubs where your kids can meet others their age and, if you are off the ship all day every day most days then this could be ideal for you if you want a truly luxurious experience.

Unfortunately neither RCCI nor NCL are luxury ships.

Once again, the thread progressed and OP is looking at suites on other lines.

Unfortunately neither RCCI nor NCL are luxury ships.

The OP is looking for a ship with fun things to entertain kids besides a pool.