Help from teenagers please! Our 16 year old doesn't want to come on Legend cruise!

[shrews1]

We are so excited about our first cruise on the Legend, 12/12/10 but have two teen boys , 15 and 16, the 15 is really excited too but the 16 says it's his worst nightmare and doesn't want to come.

Any families with teens who can write something to change his mind? PLEEEEEASE!

[divingmedic]

We are so excited about our first cruise on the Legend, 12/12/10 but have two teen boys , 15 and 16, the 15 is really excited too but the 16 says it's his worst nightmare and doesn't want to come.

Any families with teens who can write something to change his mind? PLEEEEEASE!

Ya can try to tell him that there will tons hot 16-17 year old females on board:p That would have worked for me at that age.:D

[johnjen]

We are so excited about our first cruise on the Legend, 12/12/10 but have two teen boys , 15 and 16, the 15 is really excited too but the 16 says it's his worst nightmare and doesn't want to come.

Any families with teens who can write something to change his mind? PLEEEEEASE!

 

Sure, tell them this:

 

It's either you go with us or you go and stay with your Aunt/Grandma/Grandpa/Uncle (choose which would be the absolute choice for them). And, make them stay at the other house too, and away from their friends.

 

We went through the same ordeal with ours!

[MamaParrotHead]

Yeah. Two words. Tough. Crap. Explain how everyone knows how rough and torturous it must be to be forced to take a vacation in the Caribbean, but you suggest he suck it up or face staying with X and be grounded the entire week and follow through with it. No one else deserves his crappy attitude ruining their vacation.

[Roz]

If you can just get him on the ship, he'll be OK. Like a lot of adults, he probably has misconceptions about cruising. Tell him there's 24-hour a day room service and pizza!

 

Roz

[keishashadow]

Yeah. Two words. Tough. Crap. Explain how everyone knows how rough and torturous it must be to be forced to take a vacation in the Caribbean, but you suggest he suck it up or face staying with X and be grounded the entire week and follow through with it. No one else deserves his crappy attitude ruining their vacation.

 

:D i up the grounding threat to a full month;)

 

i just don't 'get it' but i've heard the same crap from all of my 'well-traveled' kids starting around age 16:rolleyes:

 

what's funny is the older two, now 29 & 23 tell their 17 yo baby brother to shut the heck up & enjoy it while he can lol

[kf657]

Well, My 16yo does NOT want to do anything! Oh, Well..tough luck.. All I can say is that he has done this before, and once he gets there he is fine and has a good time..What I told him is that I did not ask hime to go, And this house is not a democracy..When he pays the bills he can do as he chooses...

 

I think it is a teenager thing and I will survive- I survived the other 3- they turned out great!

[mariemorgan]

He's 16.. tell him Tough!! If he pouts the whole time it's on him.

[EmiGirl826]

My parents told me when I started paying for the vacation I could start having input on where we went. :)

[Aknot]

Yeah uh until they are adults (yes I have kids) they get no say so. They go. Let him sit in the cabin all day.

 

As a parent you are the one to make decisions for your children until they are adults.

 

Make the decision.

[ourtimenow]

Yeah. Two words. Tough. Crap. Explain how everyone knows how rough and torturous it must be to be forced to take a vacation in the Caribbean, but you suggest he suck it up or face staying with X and be grounded the entire week and follow through with it. No one else deserves his crappy attitude ruining their vacation.

 

 

My sentiments exactly!!!!! Mom, Dad, 16 y/o's are the enemy and must be destroyed!!! lol :D

Make em go! Enjoy and have fun!! (Mine are both full time in college in the fall, I will shortly be doing the happy dance!)

[tiyana4]

We are so excited about our first cruise on the Legend, 12/12/10 but have two teen boys , 15 and 16, the 15 is really excited too but the 16 says it's his worst nightmare and doesn't want to come.

Any families with teens who can write something to change his mind? PLEEEEEASE!

 

Has he specified a valid reason as to why he doesn't want to go? What are his fears? As a parent I would definitely be concerned. What has he heard or read that has him in defiance?

 

My DD gets the "I want to be with my friends" blues and expresses that sometimes she gets tired of cruising. She always wants her friends to come along from home but it is costly for me to pay for her friends too. Needless to say they don't often get to come along.

 

Once she is onboard and meets one teen that she clicks with onboard, she is fine. Maybe he feels he won't be able to have a good time or is very shy...not sure. there are great teen clubs onboard. I agree with the other poster...give him an ultimatum of staying with the grandparents or aunt/uncle while the rest of the family goes. It is hard to leave a child behind, but rather than listen to them complain the entire cruise, it might be an option.

[dlambright]

It depends on what they like to do. We have not been on the Legend but have been on 12 cruises, 6 with our teenaged sons and daughters.

 

1 - There is usually a video game room. Give them a budget for playing games.

2 - They can bring their favorite game system with them and play their games all week. I know they can do that at home, but if that is what they like to do, let them.

3 - The pools are great. They usually have fun activities to get involved with. They will meet new friends around the pools.

4 - There are usually quite a few kids their age on the ship. My kids always started the week slow but by the end of the cruise they were wanting to do everything with their new friends.

5 - The disco is always fun for the kids in the early evening.

6 - Excursions - pick some excursions he will like. ATV's, kayaking, parasailing, etc. Don't be afraid to let them experience some new things.

 

We always tell our kids the rules change while on a cruise. Do what you want when you want, eat what you want when you want. All house rules are relaxed during the cruise. The only rules are don't get off the ship without mom or dad and give us an idea where to find you on the ship. Our kids are well behaved and considerate to others so this works well.

 

If he doesn't want to go, let your son that wants to go bring a friend and have the 16 year old stay with relatives. He will change his mind the next time he has an awesome opportunity.

[Browezilla]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review_page2.cfm?ShipID=253

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=155

 

I think the sports areas, pool, movies, video area, and excursions are mostly to entertain. Comedian shows and the onboard family contests can be fun (scavenger hunt). Find some fun excursions, e.g. jet skiing, ziplining, snorkeling, ATV tours, etc.

It's easy to have a great time on a cruise, however if one starts out with an "I don't want to go, I won't like this" attitude, I suspect they won't like it.

 

At first my children were reluctant to go, but now it is their favorite vacation and now have been on 4 cruises and another one scheduled for next year.

[GetMeToABeach]

My son was 15 when he went on the Legend, which was also his first cruise, and he loved it. Like others have said, once you get him on the ship, I think he'll be fine. I also agree about maybe letting him have some input on the excursions. My son tried the teen club (club O2, I think) the first night, but didn't love it. He's not really social with a lot of strangers. BUT, he had a blast! He actually enjoyed staying in the cabin at night, watching tv and ordering room service "just because he could." :) My husband was frustrated, because he thought that our son should be out making friends. (which our daughter excelled at, LOL.) But I told my husband, it's his vacation too, and as long as he's enjoying himself, so what?? During sea days he enjoyed the pool, and his very favorite thing was having steak for dinner EVERY NIGHT! He graduates next year, and wants to take a cruise for his graduation present. :)

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

[gone_cruisin]

My 15 year old has tried this too. He is content to stay at home, not shower and never get off the xbox if given the opportunity.

 

He pouts in his room the first night, but after that he gets over it.

 

It must be a boy thing. My daughter loves cruising! I think it has something to do with disrupting their "pattern" and laziness.

[SkyMaster]

I agree with "getmetoabeach"! Also remind him of the 24X7 free pizza, and free soft serve ice cream! Lots of other teens around, (yep, girls too!) GREAT shows, and bands to listen to. Free room service (except a buck or so for a tip) and a hot tub and pool that offers lots of fun games, and other "stuff" to do! I'd have killed to cruise when I was 16! Get him aboard, and he'll love it!

 

"SKY"

[Delta Dear]

I agree with the 'tough beans," approach. I would not wish him on a relative nor would I allow him to opt out. I'd rather have him with me than to inconvenience anyone else with his care while I vacationed.

 

Who's the parent ? Who makes the decisions ? I don't believe in democracy either. It is a family vacation with all of the family present and accounted for.

 

With a 15 year old and a 16 year old, you don't have many more, if any, years left for a family vacation. Jobs, sports etc. begin to make those special times impossible to plan.

[divingmedic]

I agree with "getmetoabeach"! Also remind him of the 24X7 free pizza, and free soft serve ice cream! Lots of other teens around, (yep, girls too!) GREAT shows, and bands to listen to. Free room service (except a buck or so for a tip) and a hot tub and pool that offers lots of fun games, and other "stuff" to do! I'd have killed to cruise when I was 16! Get him aboard, and he'll love it!

 

"SKY"

Really, every vacation I ever took as a kid was to a family reunion or dropped at my grandparents place for the summer for slave labor.:( When I was ten my grandfather told me I was going to go cut and bale hay. Got out there and was handed an "idiot stick" and was given a jug a water and a pb&j sandwich and was picked up for dinner. What a fun summer that was.

[Delta Dear]

continued;

 

Let him know right now, he is going. Period. End of discussion !

[bonnys]

My 16yo DS said he didn't want to go on our cruise on the Dream this past February. We tried to talk sense into him but he still said no. So, we let him stay with my mom. By the time we started packing, he was regretting his choice. On the day we left he looked at me and asked if there was any way to add him. Umm, NO. When we came home and were talking about all the fun we had, he said he made a big mistake by not going and wouldn't be repeating it. Now he is excited for our cruise in March on the Miracle. His little sister is rubbing it in that she she been on more cruises...and that won't change til he starts paying for his own. Tough lesson to learn but a valuable one.

[CogitoErgoZoom]

Just tell him those 3 little words....

 

Chicks. In. Bikinis. ;)

[jerseygirl79]

How about encouraging him to check out cruise critict and carnival.com. Maybe if he does his own research and feels like he has some input he'll feel better about the trip and will grow excited.

 

I'm sure he'll grow bored of acting upset and looking at the cabin walls once you're on board. Have Fun! LOVE the legend!

[MustardStation]

you should probably find out why he doesn't want to go before forcing it. i'm 19, i never had this problem, but there could be a legitimate reason behind it. just...ask, before you drag him along.

[CruiseAdict218]

We are so excited about our first cruise on the Legend, 12/12/10 but have two teen boys , 15 and 16, the 15 is really excited too but the 16 says it's his worst nightmare and doesn't want to come.

Any families with teens who can write something to change his mind? PLEEEEEASE!

 

omg id be dying to go but anyway im 15 nd a guy and i had the best time on the Triumph, tell him he will meet lots of ppl or they have or they have all the food u can eat(buffets) I don't see y this would be a nightmare unless hes afraid the boat will sink, if thts the case I was the same at first but once hes on he should change if none works then trying use ur imagination if not leave him at home but hes missing out on alot