Picking a cruise with an older teen.

[pebblito]

This is my first post, so if I make any etiquette faux pas, I apologize in advance.

I am married and we will be cruising with my DD who is 10 and my DS who is 17. We are planning our very first cruise (YAY!) and I have been agonizing over it, trying to find the right one for our family that fits our budget. I have been reading CC until I thought I would go blind! Anyway, here is my dilemma:

I am trying to decide between a few cruises. First is the RCI Freedom of the Seas to the western caribbean Dec. 8th. getting a deluxe ocenview with balcony cabin. Then, Norwegian came out with their kids sale free promo and I realised for over $1000 less, I can sale on the Pearl doing the western caribbean in a mini suite on Dec 8th as well. There's also the Epic which sales the eastern caribbean Dec. 7th for almost $1000 less than the Freedom as well.

So, I am in a bit of a dilemma. I expect my DD will love spending her time in the kid's camps, regardless of which ship we are on, so I am not worried about her. My son is another story. He is worried about being bored on the ship and I wonder if the Pearl has enough to keep him amused. He's not travelling with a friend, and he has some concern about meeting other teens he can hang out with. I realise there are teen clubs as well, but I'm not sure how much they're used by teens who are on the verge of being considered adults. To me, it seems like the RCI cruise is probably our best fit for activities, but it comes with a smaller cabin and a higher price tag-money that could be spent on excursions in port, which we plan to do.

Any thoughts?

[Anginette]

I'm assuming he will still be 17 when you cruise?

 

The teen clubs aren't used in the sense that everyone actually stays and participates in the activities. When I was a teen, we used the club as a place to meet and then went off and did other things around the ship. That's why it's important to go on the first day - by the second day, the groups are formed and that's it because that's how it is.

 

We had a lot of fun hanging out by the pool, playing video games, etc. We went to dinner together in the MDR one night and felt very cool. I'm 23 now and I'm still in touch with some of the people I met on cruises as a teen. If your son is reasonably social, he'll have a great time on NCL.

[Mysticks1]

We sailed on Freedom of the Seas in a balcony cabin when my daughter was 17. She didn't participate in any of the teen events. She chose to mostly do things with us:eek:. That being said if your son is really active he would like the things offered on Freedom like the Rock Wall and the Flowrider. To me those things would not be worth the $1000 difference that you quoted, there was always quite a wait for them on our cruise.

I know that my daughter has preferred the Western Itineraries over the Eastern though. There were more "Things to do" in her words. We have done ATV's in Jamaica and Cozumel and a Waverunner trip to Stingray City in Grand Cayman which were the highlights of the trip for her. On the ship she just mostly enjoyed hanging around the pool which you can do on any ship.

[HOTROD1]

Christmas 2011 our group included a 16, 18 and 20 year olds. We sailed on the Epic. There were a bunch of things to do - some rock climed, library, bowling, pool, slides. We all had a good time on the Epic

 

Christmas 2012 just our family sailed Dawn - son was 17. My plan was to to roll call as there other families with 17 year olds. Unfortunately, no one set up roll call with the ship. Son was terribly bored since he is not a sun worshiper like his parents. Not much to do on board.

 

Go with Epic and have a great time

[RetiredArmyCruiser]

We took our then 17-year-old daughter on a Florida/Bahamas cruise from New York. She wasn't interested in the teen club at all and pretty much did whatever we were doing. The itinerary was great for her, though. We went to Sea World in Orlando when we docked in Port Canaveral and she absolutely loved it. In Nassau, she spent the day shopping with her mom at the straw market, and up and down the main drag there in Nassau. She still has purses that she (we) bought in Nassau. She speaks very highly of her experience there. Our third stop was Freeport, which was only for four hours early in the morning, which was not memorable at all.

 

That being said, we were very concerned that she was bored out of her skull, but she says it was the trip of a lifetime. When we were at sea, she complained often about being seasick, but was able to sleep it off - and she did a lot of that on sea days. She loved having room service, loved going to different restaurants on the ship each night. She is extremely social, in fact, she is now a hair stylist and loves chatting it up all day long, but she enjoyed some quiet time with mom and dad. It was a great family experience.

 

We were on the Spirit - definitely not a ship with all the bells and whistles, but she still claims to have had a wonderful time. She really chided us for not taking her when she was younger to play in the kid's area. The Spirit has a fabulous pool/kids area.

[jdvmd]

I would save the money and do one of the NCL ships.

Are you pulling the kids out of school to do this cruise as schools will still be in session and not out for Christmas break yet?

[pebblito]

Yes, he will still be 17. He won't be 18 for a couple more months after the cruise.

I am pulling my kids from school, as sailing during school breaks is a LOT more expensive!

Thanks for the input. Any idea how crowded the boat is likely to be in early Dec.? Staying away from crowds is a plus for me, not a drawback. ;)

[Sauer-kraut]

If it isn't school holidays it probably won't be so bad. I was just on the EPIC, and although it was spring break there seemed to be a huge group of teens hanging out all the time. Sometimes it felt like they were exploding out of the teen club area all at the same time to go get something to eat or hang out together. I never noticed any of the 'bad' behavior some sailings seem to garner.

 

I wasn't extremely mobile, but honestly the slides and the rock climbing wall looked like a lot of fun. There is also rappelling offered. After 6:30 pm the Spice area becomes all ages and there is a

jumbotron screen back there with movies, there is dancing themed nights back there too.

 

Curfew on the ship is 1 a.m. so they can take in the late night movie usually it ends just about then.

 

If you want fewer crowds for yourself I would suggest getting a spa pass, its nice in there and usually quiet (I managed to take several naps in there :D) As well as Spice is adults only all day long and there are hot tubs and a small pool back there as well as tiered loungers. A small food area (free) as well as a bar area (charge). I don't think you can really go wrong with the EPIC for your younger set.

[camz]

I guess it depends on the teenager. However, one thing is for certain, if the teenagers aren't happy, then nobody in the family is happy. When we took our teen on the Gem, 15 at the time, he did not want to join the teen club. But we pushed him to go down to see what it was about the first night. After that we hardly saw him. This was the same for our cruise on the Dawn when he was 16. He still keeps in touch with some of the teens he met on these cruises. He had a great experience and still talks about it now that he is 18. The teens would meet up and go to shows, dinner and other teen activities together. If you have a GSC stop on your itinerary, the teens love hanging out there together for the day. Good luck with whatever you decide to choose.

[SissasMomE]

This is my first post, so if I make any etiquette faux pas, I apologize in advance.

I am married and we will be cruising with my DD who is 10 and my DS who is 17. We are planning our very first cruise (YAY!) and I have been agonizing over it, trying to find the right one for our family that fits our budget. I have been reading CC until I thought I would go blind! Anyway, here is my dilemma:

I am trying to decide between a few cruises. First is the RCI Freedom of the Seas to the western caribbean Dec. 8th. getting a deluxe ocenview with balcony cabin. Then, Norwegian came out with their kids sale free promo and I realised for over $1000 less, I can sale on the Pearl doing the western caribbean in a mini suite on Dec 8th as well. There's also the Epic which sales the eastern caribbean Dec. 7th for almost $1000 less than the Freedom as well.

So, I am in a bit of a dilemma. I expect my DD will love spending her time in the kid's camps, regardless of which ship we are on, so I am not worried about her. My son is another story. He is worried about being bored on the ship and I wonder if the Pearl has enough to keep him amused. He's not travelling with a friend, and he has some concern about meeting other teens he can hang out with. I realise there are teen clubs as well, but I'm not sure how much they're used by teens who are on the verge of being considered adults. To me, it seems like the RCI cruise is probably our best fit for activities, but it comes with a smaller cabin and a higher price tag-money that could be spent on excursions in port, which we plan to do.

Any thoughts?

 

I personally would not pick the Pearl with a 17-year old. I'd go with either the Epic or the Feedom, and since the Epic is $1,000 less, I'd definitely pick that. There are a ton of things for teens to do, and mine loved the teen club.

[yoyocruiser]

I think the Epic is probably your best fit--it is very large and has a LOT of activities. Also, there will be more teens on the ship as it is much larger.

 

Congratulations for planning this trip--I have taken my son and daughter and we have had some of the best family times of our lives. I think you can relax--there is just soooo much to do and the weather is lovely and my teens always LOVED the food.

 

The suggestion to get your son to the teen club the first night is the most important suggestion on here. That's where it starts. If he goes--as they say--it is likely you will see him little. :)

[Elkpad]

Hi Pebblito,

 

We just returned from an Eastern Caribbean on RCCL's Independance, which is the same class as the Freedom, and we took our DS and DD, ages 15 and 17 with us. I thought I would share with you some of thier feedback in terms of having been on both NCL and RCCL lines and being about the same age. I have to say that after this last trip the kids actually said they preferred NCL. Now, understand each kid is different, but...mine did go to the initial teen meet and greet on RCCL. Hated it. Ended up going and doing thier own things most of the time. Occasionally hung out at the arcade, pool, etc.and they did meet new friends on the ship which they hung out with at the clubs, etc. The activities they thought they would enjoy such as the flow rider, mini golf, ice skating, etc. just didn't do it for them. When I asked thier preference they said they like NCL better in terms of activities they actually do (trivia, game shows, scavenger hunts, classes for various things like dancing, napkin folding, handwriting analysis, etc). They also felt the availability of food was better, the service and food quality was better, and they really like freestyle over the traditional dining atmosphere. Thier last comment was they liked the entertainment better as well. Hence the reason we are now going on NCL for our pacific coastal! And, from a personal standpoint, having been on both, I also generally prefer the NCL ships, service, suite ameneties, and entertainment overall better too.

[pengu1n]

You might want to check the roll calls for each and see the mix of people signed up. It won't tell you the whole makeup but maybe you'll know of a couple his age.

 

One problem with traveling when it's not school holidays, is that most of the other kids will be in school. It may cost more but you won't have to worry that no one his age will be there. Some itineraries will tend to have more kids too. In 2008, on our Alaska cruise, there were about 15-20 18-24 year olds and the crew was surprised to see so many!

[shelly11]

It depends on the teen of course. Mine went at 14 and 15 and refused to set foot in the teen club. She enjoyed the ship, shows with us, swimming, etc. Each trip we did see groups of teen wandering around so I would assume they meet in the teen club and did things together. My child was just not interested but she still loved her cruises. So yes you teen should have fun and plenty to do either way.

[Quincella]

I agree with others in that of the three you've mentioned, I'd pick Epic or Freedom. Not that there's anything wrong with the Pearl. My kids loved the Pearl. Still, the other two ships are larger and have more to do.

 

We also prefer Western itineraries to Eastern, but with Epic $1000 less I'd go Epic and not look back. We did a Western itinerary on Epic in 2010 and are doing Eastern on her in two weeks. It's the first time we've ever repeated a ship and we can't wait. My 16 year old may be the most excited of us all!

 

Have fun!

[glorialagos]

I will ditto what others have said - Epic for sure and go to the teen club the very first night to meet others. We have taken our daughter on many cruises since age 15 and she has always met friends and had a great time.

 

I also would be concerned that the dates you have chosen will be very low on number of kids. However, with the Epic being so large, I am sure there will be others in your situation. It only takes one other fun teen to have someone to hang out with and have a great time with.

[pebblito]

Well, my kids have vetoed an eastern sailing. They want Mexico, Jamaica, etc. so it's either the Pearl or the Freedom.

I have checked roll calls on both sailings, and I found 1 teen on 1 and none on the other. Mostly full of retirees, by the look of roll call solely. Wondering if the Pearl might have more kids with the kids sail free sale on now....

Doesn't help that my son is being difficult and saying he'll be bored unless he can take a friend.

Need to make up my mind quickly before the sale is gone....

[tweakes]

No matter which way you look at it, when you're cruising for the first time you will *NOT* get bored - no matter what your age is. A new ship is like a new city to explore, and it's fun to do whether you're alone or with a group.

 

My family of 8 went on the Pearl in October (ages 21 - 62) and none of us ever got bored. We all have different tastes and there's always something to do (the pools/hot tubs to trivia to bowling to shopping to just relaxing). No matter what age you are, cruising somehow brings out the best in people and you become more social. I've been on 7 (all while in my 20s) and I've made friends on each cruise - some were my age, some were considerably older, everyone is just looking to have a good time. The first few cruises my friend and I split off and did our own thing often and made friends on our own ... I think it's pretty easy to do.

 

Teens aren't going to use much of the CC roll calls, that doesn't mean they're not on board.

 

I agree with other posters that $1000 is a huge price difference for (IMHO) very few differences in activities. There's always plenty going on. As others have said, early December isn't going to have a large number of young people no matter which ship/cruise line you choose. I've also found that crew on NCL to be very nice (and young) and they seem to enjoy meeting new people from all over. Of course they do not become lifelong friends, but we've enjoyed crossing paths with them while on board.

[jdvmd]

Well, my kids have vetoed an eastern sailing. They want Mexico, Jamaica, etc. so it's either the Pearl or the Freedom.

I have checked roll calls on both sailings, and I found 1 teen on 1 and none on the other. Mostly full of retirees, by the look of roll call solely. Wondering if the Pearl might have more kids with the kids sail free sale on now....

Doesn't help that my son is being difficult and saying he'll be bored unless he can take a friend.

Need to make up my mind quickly before the sale is gone....

Most roll calls do not pick up until closer to sailing.

 

Just remember who the adult is here. I would not being given an ultimatum by my teen-aged son (he is 15). It is your vacation too.

[lisakoivu]

Our first cruise was on the Jewel, sister ship to Pearl. DD was 16 and DS was 12. We *made* them go to the teen/kids club to sign up the first day. DD went to all the evening "events", like the no-alcohol nightclub stuff for teens, etc. She never got home before 3 a.m. She hung with us during the day, in the deck chairs and at the ports. It was awesome. She spent about 50 50 time with us and new friends.

 

DS, on the other hand, met a group of people the first day, and we rarely saw him unless we requested his presence (for meals and ports and an afternoon swim with Daddio). Otherwise, we encountered him and his posse bombing around the ship from time to time. He WANTED a 3 a.m. curfew like his sister, but he had to check in at 11 and every hour after that, depending on what was going on. Honestly, I couldn't keep up to them.... DH and I were in bed at 9:00 every night. The nice thing about freestyle was, after a nap from 9 pm to 3 am, we'd all get up and go to the Blue Lagoon for wings and a game of cards. Ahhhh, cruising.

 

Two years later we went on Carnival Imagination and they were NOT happy, the kids club was terribly disorganized and there was no fun evening events. They love NCL, no matter what ship.

 

That being said, we are always on at Canadian Spring Break - guaranteed kids/teens to hang with. Don't know what December 8th will be like...

[djmess]

Well, my kids have vetoed an eastern sailing. They want Mexico, Jamaica, etc. so it's either the Pearl or the Freedom.

I have checked roll calls on both sailings, and I found 1 teen on 1 and none on the other. Mostly full of retirees, by the look of roll call solely. Wondering if the Pearl might have more kids with the kids sail free sale on now....

Doesn't help that my son is being difficult and saying he'll be bored unless he can take a friend.

Need to make up my mind quickly before the sale is gone....

 

Well, I've done the Epic 3 times and the Pearl once before. My son is 9 and will be 10 by the time we sail the Pearl on Dec 8, 2013 for our 2nd time on that ship. There will be kids. A friend of mine and our 2 boys are sailing. Decided to do a mom and son's cruise and take advantage of the kids sail free. We both homeschool, so just because school is in session, does not mean there won't be kids on the ship. Some are like us, others will take kids out of school. I say vacation and enjoy your family no matter what time of year you choose.

 

The Epic is wonderful, entertainment awesome, water slides great as well as bowling, rock wall, repelling, the list goes on and on.

 

The Pearl is also a great ship. I know the entertainment will be great. It's not Blue Man Group or Cirque, but it is generally top notch. The Pearl also has a nice pool, waterslide, rockwall and bowling alley.

 

No matter what ship, encourage your kids, especially the 17 y/o to attend the 1st teen activities so he can meet other teens. They can then decide to do organized activities or just hang together. The 10 y/o (well you guys) will be given the option to be allowed to sign in and out of the kids club after like 2 hours of participation. If you don't allow it, they won't let them, just letting you know. My son is a very experienced cruiser and is definitely looking forward to turning 10 and earning this priveledge. He knows if he doesn't follow my rules, it will be taken away and we will be attached to my hip

[djmess]

Well, my kids have vetoed an eastern sailing. They want Mexico, Jamaica, etc. so it's either the Pearl or the Freedom.

I have checked roll calls on both sailings, and I found 1 teen on 1 and none on the other. Mostly full of retirees, by the look of roll call solely. Wondering if the Pearl might have more kids with the kids sail free sale on now....

Doesn't help that my son is being difficult and saying he'll be bored unless he can take a friend.

Need to make up my mind quickly before the sale is gone....

 

Right after I responded to your post, I was perusing the boards and ran across this review of the Pearl. Has lots of info and some great pics. Personally, It is making me even more excited for the Cruise in December.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1792178

[ksimpso3]

I would chose NCL (but then I'm partial to it ;)). I have not been on the Epic (seems too big for me), but have been on several others, including the Pearl. My girls were 16 and almost 18 on our first cruise on Dawn (which has much less to offer in terms of rock climbing, bowling, etc). We "made" them go to teens club first day, which they both thought was lame as they were "too old", but they met other teens there and hung out with them for rest of cruise. They enjoyed eating with their friends in the different restaurants. They both had a great time and may have been bored a few times, but teens can get bored anywhere, so don't worry too much about it. The time we did Great Stirrup Cay, they loved coming and going on the tender at will. I was nervous about letting them wander the ship on their own since we had no way to get ahold of them (and because the younger one can be a bit reckless...worried about her going overboard:eek:), but we found we would just leave a note pad on shelf by door with notes as to where we were or what time we planned to be back. We didn't see a whole lot of them on sea days! We have never sailed during a school vacation (except once in July and it was crazy busy with kids!!) but there were always kids onboard. For $1,000 less, NCL is definitely the way to go.:)

[AllAmericanAmy]

Yes, he will still be 17. He won't be 18 for a couple more months after the cruise.

I am pulling my kids from school, as sailing during school breaks is a LOT more expensive!

Thanks for the input. Any idea how crowded the boat is likely to be in early Dec.? Staying away from crowds is a plus for me, not a drawback. ;)

 

Hey - are you my TWIN? lol I too am pulling my 17 year old son outta school cuz it's cheaper! He is not bringing a friend this time either. My son will be 18 in Feb. 2014 - sounds like our boys may be twins too!

 

Join us on the NCL Dawn sailing from Tampa December 1, 2013. Then we will KNOW for sure there will be at least one other guy for our sons to hang out with! lol Seriously - think about it. It is an outstanding itinerary (we just sailed same route a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to book it again!).

 

As far as crowded goes... most of the ships are pretty fully booked most sailings, I think. There will be far fewer kids during traditional school time. We just sailed NCL Dawn on Jan. 20 2013 outta NOLA - the teen club crew said there were 25 teens on-board and eligible for the club. Only about 12-14 of them actually attended (including the 2 with me). My guys had a FANTASTIC time - they liked the fewer kids on-board. More individualized attention from crew and got to know each other real well.

[indyfranks]

No matter what ship, encourage your kids, especially the 17 y/o to attend the 1st teen activities so he can meet other teens. They can then decide to do organized activities or just hang together.

 

I will echo this sentiment as well. Just back from the Dawn with DD 17 and DS 12. This was our 8th cruise as a family. The older teens will meet up in the teen club the first night and then split off into groups and do their own thing for the most part after that. Our daughter still communicates via Facebook, etc. with kids she cruised with 2-3 years ago!