Teenage clubs do your kids like them?

[heatherbelle]

We have only cruised on DCL. He was 12 last time we cruised and was free to sign in and out of his club and he loved it, he wants to go on DCL again but it's very expensive, for 1 week.

 

So I have been looking at Indy, as we live in the UK and therefore no air fare to pay.

 

Can you guys tell me about the teens club and do you ave any pics? He will be 14 next year. Also how did your kids meet other kids. Prior to sailing on DCL, we joined a roll call and someone on there set up a meet for the kids and adults and also a pen pal club, so they could exchange e-mails.

 

Thanks.

[mrsdoc3]

I haven't taken my kids on RCL; Carnival a couple of years ago and Celebrity in March of this year. I signed them up for the clubs on Carnival. They went in once and decided it wasn't for them. They didn't even venture into them on Celebrity. They just hung out with each other. I have four though, so they had built-in companions.

[blueblock]

My niece (now 15) loved the kids club on Navigator in the Mediterranean last summer. She made friends from around the world and still Skypes with them.

[mariaw8889]

My 16 year old daughter had the time of her life on Freedom of the Seas in April thanks to the teen clubs. She now has facebook friends from Australia, England, Ireland and many from here in the US. She went to the meet up on the first evening and connected with a lot of teens then. There were nightly teen activities and dances.

[akcruz]

My kids have always enjoyed the teen clubs on RC ships. For some of the cruises they were able to connect with others their ages through the roll call for the sailing, but not for others.

 

The main thing that I will tell you is to make sure that your teen goes to the first night meet and greet. Often this is when the kids make their friends for the cruise. Once they have their group, they then meet up either at the club or elsewhere for an activity. If the kids are not there the first night it makes it a little more difficult to get involved.

 

Also, some have had issues where activities ended up getting cancelled due to lack of participation. Here again, if they have their friends they can either do the activity together or if not enough show, find something else to do.

[vaeyedoc]

We have only cruised on DCL. He was 12 last time we cruised and was free to sign in and out of his club and he loved it, he wants to go on DCL again but it's very expensive, for 1 week.

 

So I have been looking at Indy, as we live in the UK and therefore no air fare to pay.

 

Can you guys tell me about the teens club and do you ave any pics? He will be 14 next year. Also how did your kids meet other kids. Prior to sailing on DCL, we joined a roll call and someone on there set up a meet for the kids and adults and also a pen pal club, so they could exchange e-mails.

 

Thanks.

 

My 13 yo never has cared for kids clubs, but that is just him. He does love to cruise, just not into the clubs...

[PSCruiser]

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this is funny, but as opposed to most ships, with catchy names like "Fuel" for the teen lounge, the old Celebrity Mercury had a room with "Teenager Room" on the door.

I just pictured that they herded them all in there on day one, and it was, "be quiet, don't expect fun, and don't come out" for 7 days.

[Nick28]

My daughter (13) LOVED the teen club on Navigator in the Med as well...she has friends from around the world she emails and skypes...wonder if they are same?

[Onessa]

DD always liked AO, but really doesn't use the teen program. She has gone to the first night sometimes, just to meet some other kids. We just got home from a European cruise where she ran into three kids her age from Portugal looking for a fourth to play cards less than one-half hour after embarkation and by sail-away they had found a pair of twins (from near Berlin). They all had a great time all week, with some other kids joining in at different times. I don't believe that any of them participated in (or even stepped foot into the kids club)

[gingerpeaches]

My niece (now 15) loved the kids club on Navigator in the Mediterranean last summer. She made friends from around the world and still Skypes with them.

 

My daughter was 14 last year when we cruised on Indy. She made lots of friends and they all stay in touch.

[Wriggler]

As others have said it's the meeting on the first day that can make or break it...my 2 DS (17 and 14) have had mixed experiences...on Indy in February this year there were only 28 kids on in the teen age group and they had a whale of a time - there was always someone to bump into and hang around with.

 

Adventure in July was a different story - they went along to the first evening but didn't click with anyone but checked out the first couple of activities and said they were poorly attended so didn't bother again. They did however spend an aaaaagggggeeees up on the Sports Court and made friends that way - there was a huge amount of Spanish onboard and as my youngest said "you don't need to be able to understand each other to play football!"

[littlesteelo]

I have 2 kids, my daughter doesn't bother with the club, but my son absolutely loved it. He still keeps in touch with his friends, and he enjoys the cruise far more when he has people his own age to hang out with.

[mrsomalley]

We just took my husbands kids on their first cruise. We weren't sure if the 13 yo would be brave enough to try the teen club on her own since she is shy. She even has trouble making friends in our neighborhood when she knows the kids from school & sports. The first night she went to the teen meet & greet. She loved it! The only times we saw her were for dinner & port excursions. She made friends from all over the country. The are all friends on Facebook & have even talked about a reunion. It was a great experience for her.

 

The 10 yo on the other hand didn't like AO. We were told that the age groups were 6-8 & 9-11. Well since they are all in 1 room, its really 6-11. She felt a lot of the activities were "babyish" and others were too rough for her. We did force her to go a few times during sea days & even bribed her with a spa treatment. She went & didn't put up a stink but she really didn't enjoy it. I think it was especially hard since her sister was having so much fun & had more freedom.

[galavant3]

The main thing that I will tell you is to make sure that your teen goes to the first night meet and greet. Often this is when the kids make their friends for the cruise. Once they have their group, they then meet up either at the club or elsewhere for an activity. If the kids are not there the first night it makes it a little more difficult to get involved.

 

Agree! Have them go the first night for sure! My kids are all over 18 now but they LOVED the kid's club activities!!

[kassimer1]

DS loved the teen area on oasis, he asked if we could just move on to the boat.

[tasbm1]

My son, who is now almost 17, has loved the clubs from little on. This coming March will be the last time he will be able to use the teen clubs because of his age. He actually asked us to go on the cruise this March because he wants one more "time of his life" in the teen club. Every year he meets more friends from around the world and some of them do keep in touch. We have taken him on other trips in between cruises such as Disney, Jamaica, Mexico and such, but he always wanted to go back cruising. Fine with me, I agree! I love cruising too!

[Trainman-2]

When I cruised with my step son he would have preferred to be in the teen club than with us.

[littlesteelo]

My son, who is now almost 17, has loved the clubs from little on. This coming March will be the last time he will be able to use the teen clubs because of his age. He actually asked us to go on the cruise this March because he wants one more "time of his life" in the teen club. Every year he meets more friends from around the world and some of them do keep in touch. We have taken him on other trips in between cruises such as Disney, Jamaica, Mexico and such, but he always wanted to go back cruising. Fine with me, I agree! I love cruising too!

 

When he turns 18, they have the 18-20 meet up on Royal Caribbean, so he can still make a bunch of new friends. My son did on our most recent cruise.

[tasbm1]

When he turns 18, they have the 18-20 meet up on Royal Caribbean, so he can still make a bunch of new friends. My son did on our most recent cruise.

Good to know. A cruise might be the "bribe" I need to get him to go on vacation with his parents after he leaves to go away to college! ;)

[littlesteelo]

Good to know. A cruise might be the "bribe" I need to get him to go on vacation with his parents after he leaves to go away to college! ;)

 

I know what you mean, my son is leaving soon, but he loves cruising so much we don't need to persuade him. It was the other way around for our past 2 cruises- he persuaded us!