First Time Cruiser with Three Teens

[Goodnight]

First I'm not sure what DH and DD and DS etc means. I'm really new to this process. We have a 19, 18 and 14 year old so there will be five of us. I was leaning toward an Eastern Caribbean trip maybe 5-7 nights. I have read on one of the teen forums that Royal Caribbean or Carnival would likely have the best on-ship activities for teens. I guess I'm looking for advise, experiences, recommendations of any kind. My biggest fear is that we are going to spend a small fortune (for us) and the kids are going to be bored. The alternative is Disney World with our extended family. I thought a cruise would be something unique and provide them with great memories and maybe even a vacation preference for their futures. Anyway... any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. We are looking to go in either March or early April. We live in the Midwest. Thank you in advance. :)

[imsulin]

If you're looking at going during late March or early April, you will be paying a premium price, as that is prime time for Spring Break. (Easter 2010 is on April 4). It is one of the most expensive times of the year to cruise. The cheaper cabins fill up the fastest. DH - Dear Husband. DD - Dear Daughter. DS - Dear Son. (Dear/Darling - same thing.) I'm not familiar about onboard activities for teens, but I do know that they are broken down by age, and your kids might not be together. During this time frame - especially on the shorter cruises, you can expect a lot of young adults and "partying". (Meaning lots of drinking and acting silly/obnoxious).

[Mack2]

First I'm not sure what DH and DD and DS etc means. I'm really new to this process. We have a 19, 18 and 14 year old so there will be five of us. I was leaning toward an Eastern Caribbean trip maybe 5-7 nights. I have read on one of the teen forums that Royal Caribbean or Carnival would likely have the best on-ship activities for teens. I guess I'm looking for advise, experiences, recommendations of any kind. My biggest fear is that we are going to spend a small fortune (for us) and the kids are going to be bored. The alternative is Disney World with our extended family. I thought a cruise would be something unique and provide them with great memories and maybe even a vacation preference for their futures. Anyway... any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. We are looking to go in either March or early April. We live in the Midwest. Thank you in advance. :)

 

DH = Husband (never figured out what the D's are)

DD = Daughter

DS = Nintendo DS... I mean Son (can't tell the difference sometimes... they mind-meld to the thing)

 

In my opinion, they'd probably love Royal... In my experience, the Teen coffee bar or whatever aboard the HUGE Royal ships were actually very popular with the teens (my kids aren't there yet)

 

Eastern Caribbean cruises I tend to equate as "shopping" cruises.. St. Thomas is GREAT for that. Western cruises have a bit more adventure-style excursions associated with them. The beaches on both trips are outstanding.

 

Aboard the HUGE ships... there's a lot of stuff that teens can do. Freedom-class ROyal ships have the surfing simulator, the rock climbing wall, in-line skating thing, mini-golf, ice skating, the pools (three pool areas..1 of which is a kiddie spray park)

The Royal Promenade is a great place to just hang out, too!

 

I was just on the Carnival Legend... it's the same size as a Radiance-class Royal... the water slide is fun...

 

As long as you go when there are other kids on board, they'll have a great time, regardless of which line you take. That means summertime cruises, cruises during spring break, etc...

 

First week of November, you find a lot of people from New JErsey on the ships... it's a two-1/2 day week for most families (teachers convention and election day closes the schools statewide for 3 days)

 

My opinion may be biased towards Royal...

[cb at sea]

The "D" is Dear, Dumb, Damn...whatever you want it to be.

There's no way kids of any age should be "bored"...if they are, that would be their LAST cruise! NO kidding!

[Goodnight]

Thank you very much for the replys... a few more questions (maybe more).

 

Do they set the drinking limit to 21 on ships or is it younger?

 

I noticed the prices are higher in March and April... maybe we will have to do February. This was supposed to be in place of my daughter's Senior High School trip. Would the weather at the beaches/ports of call be better in May/June?

 

Is there a standard or typical percentage to plan for over and above the cost of airfare and the cruise? I have seen that you need to plan for a 15% gratuity per day. Are the ports of call really gouging? Any ballpark idea per person to budget for to get a few trinkets?

 

Are the ships very far from the airports say in Ft Lauderdale? Trying to figure out transportation from the airport to the docks.

 

Thank you again!!

[Goodnight]

Top Ten Ships for Teen Activities

1. Mariner of the Seas

2. Navigator of the Seas

3. Adventure of the Seas

4. Voyager of the Seas

5. Carnival Glory

6. Carnival Conquest

7. Carnival Miracle

8. Carnival Victory

9. Carnival Spirit

10. Celebrity Constellation

 

These were listed as the best ships for teens apparently by teens who were surveyed. Again, thank you in advance for your time and feedback.

[reallyitsmema]

We love the Mariner and so did our son. He sailed with us at 16 and 17 and loved the activities.

 

Your older kids will not be allowed in the teen areas since they are over 17. They are strict and have a list of who is eligible to attend.

 

As far as drinking, on RCL, the drinking age is 21. For itineraries from South America and Europe, you can sign a waiver for them to drink at 18. I know that is a non issue since you are talking Caribbean but someone will correct me if I don't add that part.;)

[Goodnight]

Are activities like rock climbing walls, the surfing thing and other activities restricted only to teens? I would think not, but want to make sure. Are there extra fees for some activities on the ship or are they all inclusive? Thank you!

[reallyitsmema]

Are activities like rock climbing walls, the surfing thing and other activities restricted only to teens? I would think not, but want to make sure. Are there extra fees for some activities on the ship or are they all inclusive? Thank you!

Nope, those are not restricted to teens. They are also included in your cruise fare. When I said the older two will not be allowed in the teen areas, I meant the teen disco and the teen hangout area, called "the living room" on the Mariner.

 

They will also have access to the adult disco and the casino since they are 18.

[imsulin]

The drinking age onboard is 21. However, onshore at non-US ports, it is 18. The weather in the Caribbean from Jan - early June is usually very good, with median temps and lower humidity. You run a risk booking in Feb (Valentine's Day, President's Day) of higher prices. You again run the risk of higher prices in May/June due to: Graduations, Honeymoons/Family vacations. High booking season, and higher prices. ANY US Holiday will command higher prices! Prices from mid-Sept to mid - Dec. will be your cheapest (other than over Halloween and Thanksgiving), because it's during Hurricane Season, kids are back in school, Honeymoons are over, weather can be "iffy" (Although I've always had great luck!) However - not so many teens onboard. It's good that you're checking this out ahead of time, and hope you've gotten some useful information. then - there's always the issues of cell phone/computer added expenses, trip insurance, pre-paid tipping, and other onboard expenses, like ordering drinks, sodas, or plain old bottled water.

[Goodnight]

Is there a site you would recommend using for the best rates or any you would stay away from? I was looking at Travelocity, but don't know how it rates.

 

It sounds like I'll have to pay more than I wanted because we are sort of limited to February and March.

 

Any preferences on the Caribbean West, East or South?? Seems like the West is least expensive and South is most?

 

Thank you!

[imsulin]

Southern Caribbean cruises leave from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and not from the mainland US. I also think that the Western Caribbean cruises tend to be cheaper than the Eastern (which typically include at least one US port). You say you're in the midwest - have you looked at cruises leaving from Galveston, TX? Or New Orleans, LA? Those ports might be more within driving distance for you rather than the FL ports. We're not allowed to mention any cruise booking websites on Cruise Critic. Not every Royal Caribbean ship has the rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, and waverunner. RCI is definitely a great draw for your older teens, though! You can also call Royal Caribbean International directly, or get information from their website. Good luck to you!

[Mack2]

Rule of thumb is that prices are ALL vacations are REAL cheap the week AFTER New Year's till the week BEFORE President's Week (when most schools take off for break)

 

After President's week... prices get jacked up.

 

 

Prices used to be real cheap during the summer... but that's changed... More people are cruising in the summer... but it's HOT in the Caribbean. It's like... crazy HOT... prices stay relatively higher until Hurricane season... which is generally late August to early November.... during hurricane season, prices are cheap.

 

 

Weather in the spring in the Caribbean is beautiful... better than hurricane season... and it's not crazy HOT.

 

For the most part... I tend to use the internet to get an idea of what I'm going to spend for a cruise... then I call my Travel Agent (TA).

Well, I wish I had a regular TA, but my guy retired... so I've booked once through BJ's Wholesale club the one year, and AAA this past year.

I miss having a TA who's familiar with me.

 

Travelocity is a good site that'll give you a good range of prices for what you'll end up getting from a TA... prices don't vary much, but TAs sometimes are able to get little "extras" bumped into your trip.

[boulders]

Gratuities are roughly $10 pp per day. We spend roughly $300/day on our cruises for our family of 4. This includes gratuities, shore excursions, arcade, shopping, just a little gambling and very few drinks. This is in addition to the cruise fare. :p

 

I wouldn't use Travelocity. They won't help you if something goes wrong, and their prices won't be any better than elsewhere. There are plenty of cruise specialists out there. I usually book directly through the cruiseline or my favorite big box retailer.

[crusinmama06]

Not every Royal Caribbean ship has the rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, and waverunner.

 

Which RCCL ship doesn't have a rock wall? Every RCCL ship is listed as having one.

 

And it's a Flowrider. ;)

 

Goodnight - you can use those sites like the one you named and others like it to quickly price out a bunch of different cruise lines at once. Then when you settle on one, either call the cruise line directly or call a trusted TA.

[imsulin]

Which RCCL ship doesn't have a rock wall? Every RCCL ship is listed as having one.

 

And it's a Flowrider. ;)

 

Goodnight - you can use those sites like the one you named and others like it to quickly price out a bunch of different cruise lines at once. Then when you settle on one, either call the cruise line directly or call a trusted TA.

 

Well, then, every RCI ship does not have an ice-skating rink or a "Flowrider". :) (Thought that RCCL became RCI quite some time ago. Apparently, the terms are still interchangeable.)

 

Check out the RCI Tuesday specials for new bookings.

[crusinmama06]

(Thought that RCCL became RCI quite some time ago. Apparently, the terms are still interchangeable.)

 

As long as Royal Caribbean continues to use the web site www.rccl.com then those terms are interchangeable.

[SelectSys]

The drinking age onboard is 21. However, onshore at non-US ports, it is 18...

 

That is a good point. One thing it noticed on a Mexican cruise last spring break was the number of older teens that were binge drinking off the ship. I also noticed several older kids drinking in the Jacuzzi with alcohol smuggled on board in their luggage.