I need serious councelling!!!!!!

[BroncosFan2010]

The teens and other passengers will be very happy if you sail on Carnival. Princess tends to be a more middle-aged older crowd, and rowdy teens on the ship will not necessarily fit in. Carnival is a younger crowd and more activities for teens.

[hubofhockey]

The teens and other passengers will be very happy if you sail on Carnival. Princess tends to be a more middle-aged older crowd, and rowdy teens on the ship will not necessarily fit in. Carnival is a younger crowd and more activities for teens.

 

I agree with you. Tweens, teens, and under 21s would probably enjoy being on Carnival or Royal Caribbean more than other lines (not just Princess). They won't have a bad time on Princess. But I think they would prefer the two more kid friendly lines that have more activities for kids inside and outside. Our kids were fine on Princess. But it was a port intensive cruise and they loved the pools on Princess. Next family cruise for us will be one of the RCI ships that are loaded with all of the amenities.

[matj2000]

I have had 2 cruises booked for the same week a few times. I usually do it way in the future, and the deposit is low. Then I take my time to decide what I want to do. You need to keep your options open.

[Seago2]

Are you kidding? A family is not a democracy where the children can "outvote" the parents.

 

I believe that some (not all or even most) of today's children have such a sense of entitlement that they believe they control the family. Unfortunately, some parents buy into that notion in either an effort to be their child's "best friend" or because they don't/haven't made the effort necessary to do the truly challenging and difficult parts of parenting. The very idea that parents have to cede control over family decisions, especially significant or financial ones, is absurd, IMO.

 

 

 

IMO, teens who would be "miserable" because they were taken on one Caribbean cruise itinerary over another should be left at home!

 

It's not that I believe they should have no input or that their opinions should not matter at all. What children like and dislike is important and how they feel does make a difference. However, they have no business making their parents miserable over something like choosing an Eastern versus a Western itinerary (or vice versa). It should not be necessary to tip-toe around or worry about giving them "power unless their parent aren't strong enough to remain in charge.

 

 

 

Excellent post. The only thing I disagree with is asking how important the balcony is to the teens. That's a choice that should be left to the parents, period.

 

 

 

True. Excursions need not be expensive on either itinerary.

 

beachchick

 

Wow! You told her! Feel better now? Imagine- she was going to let her kids walk ALL OVER her. No wonder kids are so out of control these days! And good for you- you probably chased her away. Great.

[beachchick]

Wow! You told her! Feel better now? Imagine- she was going to let her kids walk ALL OVER her. No wonder kids are so out of control these days! And good for you- you probably chased her away. Great.

 

Excuse me? Did you even bother to read my post in context? If you noticed the quoted posts I was responding to, none--not one--was from RN1986 and my responses were not directed to her. I was responding directly to posts by other members that said things like "If you ask the teens, you'll have to do what they want..." and similar. I don't notice you taking any other member to task over responses similar to mine, but I guess it's your perogative to single me out if you choose.

 

I have to ask, did you even read the other posts and responses (mine included) or were you just making a knee-jerk response? I never "told" RN1986 anything negative and there's no issue of making myself "feel better" simply because I stated my opinions. Does that even matter to you or did you want to make yourself "feel better" by attacking me personally? My post and responses were clearly directed at specific members' previous posts in the thread and not at RN1986.

 

RN1986: I certainly hope you didn't think my responses were directed at you. I assume (guess I shouldn't) that other members are capable of understanding when something is meant specifically for them, especially when the post being responded to is properly quoted within the new post itself. (For this post, I do apologize for taking it so OT, but honestly, I don't care to be attacked when I don't deserve it.)

 

In any case, I think you've gotten some good responses. It sounds like the Carnival option may be best this time. Only you and your DH can decide how important a balcony is for you. For us, it's a "make or break" issue, but for others, it's not a big deal. More important for you, I think, is that you choose a cruise and ship that you will all enjoy. It partly depends on what types of amenities and activities you all enjoy on the ship. You might want to sit down with the family and look at excursion options after you and your DH decide what budget will work for you regarding those kinds of "extras." Perhaps you'll need to limit ship excursions, but there are many great beach opportunities on either itinerary. It may be easier than you expect to blend a couple of excursions with mostly beach days to keep your budget on track. If the kids start to fight about which excursions you should do, then you might want to make an "executive" decision and make the final choice(s). (Not that I assume they will fight, but siblings have been known to argue and disagree from time to time; plus, what a 20-y/o wants to do might be somewhat different from what a 13-y/o considers a priority.)

 

Hope you have a great time, regardless of which you choose.

 

beachchick

 

p.s., I'm sorry if this is a double post; my first attempt seemed to vanish in the late night CC "Where did it go?" zone.