European cruises for teens?

[atlsea]

For my kids cruising is all about making friends and being in the teens club (age 14 & 16). We have so far only done Caribbean cruises and have been on some of the largest ships (allure and freedom ots, carnival breeze, Disney fantasy) so they always are surrounded by many kids/teens their age and don't seem to have a problem making friends. On the other hand, I've have seen enough of the Caribbean and want to cruise in Europe but my kids are afraid that their wont be as many kids on board. Does anyone have experience on European cruises with teens, were there many kids on board, and were your teens able to make friends.

[griffy116]

While you won't see as many, you will see teens on the Med cruises especially if you go during the summer months. Many of the Meet and Greets will list who is in their party and it will include teens. Keep in mind that teens boarding in Italy or Barcelona,(for example) won't be on the Meet and Greet Boards and you'll see mostly U.S. and U.K passengers on there. The pool seemed to have plenty of teens who seemed to be getting along, sometimes even with the different languages.

Edited July 23, 2015 by griffy116

[blueblock]

I took each of my nieces on a Mediterranean cruise when they were 14, and they both met plenty of teens from all over the world. There were more teens on Navigator than on Splendour, which is not surprising given their relative sizes.

[emdia43]

I took my teenage grandson on a western Med cruise from Barcelona - within a day he was best friends with Dutch, English and German teens and had a great time...

[trump]

My daughter was 16 on Liberty of the Seas Western Med cruise last July. Her prior cruises had all been to the Caribbean or Bermuda. I can't give you an official count, but there were plenty of teens onboard. However, she did not participate in the teen club as she usually does. She said she was too shy to enter the teen club with all the kids speaking different languages. It was a lame excuse, but that's what she said. I think it worked out for the best though, a Med cruise is VERY different than an island cruise. There was only one sea day and the port days are very intensive with getting up early and getting back to the ship late. We would enjoy dinner together and then go to a show together and be in bed early. I felt like you when I chose the Med cruise - I was ready for something different. I was a little concerned with how my daughter would like it.....but she did !! She really enjoyed going to 3 different countries, taking lots of photos, and eating different foods. The med cruise was truly more about the ports than the ship.

[caseymorgan]

A few years back we took my daughter who was then 16 on Freedom of the Seas out of Barcelona in early June. She met plenty of teens. The funny thing was unknowingly we were a few cabins down from a high school friend of hers from the states-- pure coincidence.

[kernow]

My son is 21 now but we cruised lots of times in Europe throughout his teens and he always made friends at the clubs.

 

You don't say what time of year you are thinking of, don't forget that in Europe school holidays are in July and August so there may not be so many teens in May/June. As others have said there is a bigger mix of nationalities , usually lots of English speakers from the UK but also by that age most Northern Europeans speak good English too.

 

Julie

[atlsea]

Ok thanks for all the information!! Another question I just thought of is that do the teen club counselors speak English as I know not all of the teens do?

[caseymorgan]

Yes. Most counselors (and cruise employees in general) speak English. The ATMs spit out US dollars, 120 volt plugs are used, and English is one of the languages used in announcements. It is an easy way to visit Europe for a first timer.

Edited July 23, 2015 by caseymorgan