Cruising with teenages

[ToddTristy]

Hello...

Sadly & unexpectedly my mother in-law passed away. She always had a dream of taking her three grand kids on a cruise. So, in order to get that dream alive we are trying to plan a surprise cruise for the kids in her honor, something they will always remember in her honor.

Issue, i'm trying to find the right cruise line & room to accommodate a family of five; 2 adults & 3 kids (14, 13, 11). So this is why I turn to you all for advise and help in planning a perfect cruise for the kids.

The only cruise we (wife & I) have been on was NCL in 2012. We are open to either the Caribbean or Bahamas.

Any information you can provide will be helpful,so thank you in advance for your help in planning a perfect cruise so our kids will always have a little extra something special to remember their "ole mamaw"

[cb at sea]

I would look into 2 connecting cabins....usually cheaper than a full suite! And, you get some privacy and space of your own, while the kids and their messes have their own space. The connecting doorway gives you immediate access, if you need it!

 

On RCI, the Voyager and Freedom class ships have balcony cabins that connect to an inside cabin...great for families, because kids don't need or care about the balcony!

 

Whatever you do, it will be memorable!

[Essiesmom]

On the family forum, there are multiple threads dealing with five in a cabin or groups of five. Doing a brief search, I came up with this list.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=56292985

A search on this forum brought up another:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2114096&highlight=cabins+for+five

[SuiteTraveler]

Have you considered doing something a bit different? Such as a Med cruise? That would be a total "Wow" and an everlasting memory for your entire family - experiencing your kids FIRST trip to Europe together! Now that would be something extraordinary! Either way, the lines I think you want to cruise on would be either NCL or RCCL and on their newest ships!

 

If you decide to go to the Caribbean, then think seriously about the NCL Epic, Breakaway or Getaway and think about getting a The Haven Family Villa which is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa with a living room/dining room. The MBR would be yours and it has a gorgeous bathroom with separate shower and tub. There is a second bedroom, which has bunks and sleeps 2 and has its own bathroom. Finally the sofa in the living room folds out to sleep 1 more. There are 4 TV's in this suite and it's part of The Haven, which means you get all the suite perks like a butler, concierge, the restaurant associated with the Haven, private Haven pool, and sun decks. It's about the best accommodations you could get.

 

These 3 largest NCL ships are full of activities and entertainment for all ages. The food is great. There are multiple restaurants that cost a bit extra - worth it! Cirque du Soleil show, Blue man group, Second City, Howl at the Moon, a full scale water park with all sorts of slides, two of these ships have a ropes course. These ships are AMAZING!

 

BTW, these Family villas are also available on the NCL Gem class ships and are less expensive on these ships, however those ships are not as big and don't have as much entertainment, BUT if you were to go to Europe for a Med cruise -these ships are perfect for that!

 

Other great choices would include RCCL Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas - again, so many activities. RCCL ships have flow riders, zip lines, ice skating. Even more shows than NCL - water show, broadway musical, ice show, comedy club, and so much more. I would suggest an Aquatheater Suite - a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite that overlooks the Aquatheater.

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

Welcome to CC, and sorry for your loss.

 

Are your kids busy do-ers that like rock climbing, ice skating, water slides etc??

Are they explorers who like learning about new places and history??

Are they bookworms, social butterfly's, solo-it's or tend to stick together with mum n dad n family??

Do they get along (in general) or fight constantly?

 

I think if you tailor their likes & personality into you cruise destination & brand / ship choice you will get a better outcome than focussing on the accommodation options first. :)

 

I hope you make some great memories for the kids & honour your mother-in-law in style!

[dorisis]

Disney line has large family cabins.

[dsrdsrdsr]

If you want the children to honour their grandmother, shouldn't they be involved in the planning?

[Dayenu]

At 13 and 14 I would not risk a surprise cruise, where they can't use Internet connection.

 

When you MIL was alive and told the kids she'll take them on a cruise, did they like the idea, or just nodded politely?

 

Just a thought.

[ToddTristy]

Thanks for the help, our kids are VERY laid back, yet love to have fun and try new things. They are very well behaved as they were not raised to be "those kids". Our kids have each others back 24/7 and get along, as we are a blended family. Yes, our kids love their electronics, yet we are covered with my hotspot for out of country travels.

Their grandma never got input from them, except asking if a cruise is something they would enjoy. All 3 agreed YES !! This was just mentioned to them last year.

Never considered MED cruise but will look at that as an option.

Keep the advise flowing as it all helps.

 

 

 

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[Lerin]

In 9th grade I would have Hated a surprise cruise with my family, and no I was not one of "those kids".

I was involved in school sports, student government and other activities. It really would have been a burden on my life to suddenly be whisked away.

 

Besides how do you plan to pack and get passports without them knowing?

 

Not to mention the relationship with their grandmother.

It's possible finding out the trip is to honor grandma may bring up some grief that grandma isn't there to enjoy it. It's possible your kids wanted to go on a cruise with grandma, not with mom and dad. Do you want them to spend the week in tears because nana is dead.

 

Since this is being planned to honor a family member, I agree with the last poster that it should be planned by the entire family.

 

I know every parent thinks they know their teenagers well, but many of us who have been teenagers can attest: our parents didn't know us at all.

 

Sorry for your loss but I am of the camp that a surprise grief cruise for teens is a very bad idea.

[JanineM]

My condolences on your loss. How nice that you're planning something for he family to honour your loved one's life!

 

My sister and her husband took their four girls on a surprise cruise. The girls were aged between about 13 and 17. The girls sound like your kids - they are game for anything.

 

Bottom line, they had a fantastic time. You know your children & know better than any of us i- so you'll know if they will enjoy the cruise & surprise. Check out the family board, or speak to a travel agent who specializes in cruises. We have sailed on Royal Caribbean several times and they have lots to keep kids occupied.

 

One note about your hotspot - you will need to buy an Internet package to use it on the ship, and they are not cheap. Will your kids go into meltdown mode if they have limited access to the Internet?

[Cuizer2]

Royal Caribbean has many family cabins, capable of sleeping six, that are not suites.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I agree about including the kids in on the planning. Maybe they can each take a port (when you all decide on the itinerary) and research interesting sights to see.

 

When our girl was 13, and we had just booked a cruise (which was a repeat of our prior one when she was 8), she complained that she wouldn't get to do what she wanted. So I gave her the brochures for the ports and some post it notes. A couple of the places she selected weren't going to be open on our port day, but she felt she was in on the planning. On the many sea days (more than port days), she got to spend time with her fellow teens. On the next cruise (same itinerary again), we had decided to possibly take a couple of excursions and I showed her where they were listed on the Princess site. She picked one, I picked one and we shopped in the other two ports.

[ToddTristy]

Thanks for the input !! No, kids won't go into melt down mode without electronics. With my hotspot we can use at ports and they will be fine.

Our kids are surprise lovers, we do it all the time with them. Passports have already been taken care of last year.

Great idea about each kid planning a port !! Didn't think about that. RC sees the way i'm leaning, however will talk with an agent about options.

Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

 

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[Cruise_me_Crazy]

I hope you have a great. Cruise.

 

I hope you do not think this is inappropriate, but if you have ashes of your mother-in- law, maybe a small ceremony and scattering with a laugh about the memories & some tears for everyone's loss would be appropriate.

 

You can still remember the grande-dame without the sadness then xxxxx :)

 

I am not sure what permissions you need for that :).

[ducklite]

Your budget will dictate your cabin choices. That would be good info to share. No reason people suggesting options that will cost you $15K when your budget is $5K.

[Essiesmom]

If you should think seriously about Europe, get copies of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and Rick Steves' Northern Europe Cruise Ports. Have the kids read about the ports available, and maybe choose the itinerary based on what they like. For some ports, he has free audio tours that you can download to ipop/mp3, and maps to print out to go with them. EM

[ducklite]

Agree with the Rick Steve's suggestion. I also like his "Pocket" guides for larger ports. They are small and lightweight (the Med Ports book is a great reference, but too large and heavy to carry around in port).

[CruisinBarb63]

I am also taking my kids on a surprise cruise next year. I chose Royal Caribbean for the selection of activitirs. Dependingon which ship, in addition to the usual shows & games, there is also rock climbing, flow rider, ice skating, bumper cars and kids clubs. We have two inside connected cabins but suites or connecred balconies are also an option. Your hotspot will only work if you purchase the internet package on the ship...it isn't cheap.

 

Have a great trip!

[cadien]

If you should think seriously about Europe, get copies of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and Rick Steves' Northern Europe Cruise Ports. Have the kids read about the ports available, and maybe choose the itinerary based on what they like. For some ports, he has free audio tours that you can download to ipop/mp3, and maps to print out to go with them. EM

 

He also has DVD versions, which we find very helpful to watch together for trip planning. Both public libraries and Netflix usually have them, since it's not really something you need to own long term.

[ducklite]

FYI, if you do consider Europe, I would lean towards small or medium sized ships. Europe is Port intensive and exhausting. There is usually one sea day on the entire trip, and you'll spend it sleeping and won't miss the rock walls and such. A small or medium ship will be able to call on ports large ones can't, and if Venice is in your plans, will be able to port in Venice, not miles away on another island.

 

Additionally they will have smaller groups on the shore excursions. I'll never forget how sad I felt for the 200 people from one of the large ships trying to cram up onto Mars Hill next to the Acropolis, or the huge groups following the flag like sheep into the Colosseum in Rome, or the thousands trying to get off one of the large ships into Fira on Santorini. Over an hour after the began people were still waiting for the tenders, and the line for the funicular had grown to another hour+ long.

 

I would also look at some of the European ships.

 

One thing to keep in mind, with luggage restrictions I'd be looking at ships with a a smart casual dress code every night instead of formal nights and such. At some point you will find yourself dragging luggage through the streets of your embarkation/debarkation port, and you will thank me for that advice.

Edited October 19, 2014 by ducklite