Help my 14 yr old get the most out of the 2 day Allure of the Seas Sailing Nov 6th

[JBuffettPH]

My grandson really needs a break. Last month his Dad passed unexpectedly and I wanted to find something really cool for him to do that didn't interfere with School. He has off Friday November 6th so it looked like a perfect fit to take the 2 day Allure trip to the Bahamas leaving that day.

 

This will be his first cruise ever so I'm afraid I'm setting the bar pretty high. This was a bit of a stretch budget wise for a 2 day cruise. The cheapest room on the ship was a Central Park view room. I doubt we will be spending much time in the cabin anyways.

 

I've cruised a fair bit but not at all in the last 4 years and can't imagine you could do everything you wanted on this ship in 7 days so I want to make sure we maximize the 2 (or more like 1.5 with a 3 pm boarding) that we have.

 

I did say grandson but I'm only 51 and I'm fit and up for just about anything and want him to get to do as many things as he can. We just booked this and reserved for the Aqua Theater show for 7pm the night of sailing.

 

What are the things we won't want to miss or should prioritize to do?

 

I'm kind of thinking that the ship is a nicer destination than the Bahamas... I know I want him to at least get off the boat and look around a bit and see another culture but unless there is something really cool to do I think we'd spend most of the day on the boat?

 

What time do you think will be time would be the earliest we could board?

 

Thanks

[Clarea]

I believe Allure is returning from a transatlantic cruise on the day you would be boarding. Normally they would start boarding around 11am, but there are typically delays after a transatlantic due to customs and various inspections. It's unpredicable, but I would be surprised if boarding was not delayed at least an hour or two from normal.

 

If you grandson is interested, I would certainly have him try the Flowrider.

Edited October 6, 2015 by clarea

[tropiclvrs]

Definitely have him try the flowrider. Sign all of the waivers online in advance and go up there to the sports deck to get his wristband right away to avoid really long lines later. I believe they have the flowriders open on boarding day so he can get on it as soon as he has the wristband.

[bobmacliberty]

The Sports Deck in general is the place to be for teens. In addition to the Flowriders, there's the sports court that has basketball/volleyball, and the mini-golf course. For 7 day cruises, they typically do an informal get together for teens on the first evening. Once the kids break the ice with each other, they typically spend the rest of the cruise in packs, either doing organized teen club stuff or just hanging together. I don't know if they will do this for your cruise, and you may or may not want to leave him alone with other kids for a short cruise. One of the organized events that my kids loved was the teen scavenger hunt. Again, not sure if they will do this on your cruise. Depending on your grandson, he may also enjoy hanging in the teen club...the Living Room and the teen disco. Some kids may take a while to feel comfortable doing this with other kids that they've never met before (my older daughter takes a few days, and my younger daughter only needs a few minutes :)) so a lot will depend on your GS.

[bobmacliberty]

Oh...forgot to mention the zip line and rock climbing walls. As someone else posted, take care of the waivers in advance.

[cb at sea]

I can't imagine losing a parent at 14....that must be too awful....let him do what he wants (within reason)...poor child.

[denatravels]

How terrible for your family!

Stay on the ship-- will be much for enjoyable than Nassau.

[JBuffettPH]

I can't imagine losing a parent at 14....that must be too awful....let him do what he wants (within reason)...poor child.

 

Yeah it's tough enough being 14 without this. He has a lot of people who love him and a lot of support!!!

 

 

That's exactly what the plan is. A few years ago I started a tradition in our family called "King Day". He is going to get a whole set of them on this trip! I'm busting him out of school one day early and were flying to Orlando so he'll have all day Thursday at Universal then we hop a bus to The port Friday early to get on as soon as we can.

[Jenjer]

I am sorry for your and his loss. I lost my mom at 19 and its hard. We cruised in March right after my MIL died and it was actually a nice break from our grief. From everyone asking how we where. They mean well but sometimes you just want to not have to talk about it with everyone. Like My DD went to practice just hours after she died because no one knew and she could just be.

 

Pack his swimsuit and sunblock in his carryon, So after you board he can go straight to the flowrider. It will be the shortest line of the trip. If he is hungry you could eat before or go get him food to wolf down between sessions.

 

Make sure all the waivers are signed ahead of time

 

Don't worry about rushing to your room you will get to see it at bed time. spend your time enjoying the ship.

 

Go to the parties after dinner and just enjoy yourselves. Allure has so much to offer. The teen club will have activities "parties" my teen really enjoys them.

 

Not sure of your plans in Nassau but my teenage DD loves going to Megans bay and renting a paddle board she spends the day paddelling around. YOu can catch a cab outside the ship easily and there is a small cost to go tot beach and rent a board but its not expensive.

 

I bring cereal off the buffet and bottles of water to just have a snack. We go back to the ship early so we can enjoy it with less people onboard. Read DD on flowrider again.

[RCAlltheWay]

At that age, I really appreciated the freedom my parents gave me. It is really the only environment that they could let me do my own thing as a teenager and not have to worry about me. I can't remember if going to Atlantis was an option when we cruised there, but I would look into going there. We went as an on land trip a couple years ago and had a blast! Hope you all have great time :)

Edited October 7, 2015 by RCAlltheWay

[Paul65]

I think, unless there is something in particular that he wants to see/do in Nassau, just enjoying the ship makes sense. You really won't see much Bahamian "culture" on just a quick jaunt off the ship. You'll mostly just see shops and activities that cater to the cruise ship passengers.

 

Since you really only have one full day, make the most of that day with whatever most interests him. If that's hanging out on the ship, fine; if it's doing some excursion in Bahamas, that's fine, too. In fact, as I think about this, the most important thing might be to try to get him to some sort of youth activity that first night, to try to meet some other kids his age. If he hits it off with some other teens, what they plan to do the next day might just influence what he wants to do.

[sportsphotos]

Set him free to explorer the ship as soon as you get on. Get there the night before if you can so he can see the ship early in the morning. He will be very excited i am sure! Sorry to hear about his Dad thats a tough situation. There is so much for him to do on the ship you will be amazed. You are doing the right thing keep him occupied, and plenty of hugs! Have a great trip!

[JBuffettPH]

All the input is really appreciated. It's a two day so we were just traveling with a carry on so we thought we'd take it right to the room ourselves. Already showed him a you tube of the flow rider so can't wait to have him check that out.

 

Will also try the zip line and the rock climbing on embarcation day. The plan is to give him as much control of his environment as is possible since life's recent events have thrown him for a loop!!

 

Part of the deal was he had to go go dinner each night so we'll have fun with that.

 

Thanks for all the awesome ideas as well as the compassionate wishes.

Edited October 8, 2015 by JBuffettPH

[Jenjer]

Rooms are not available when you board. They are still turning them around from the last passengers. Usually its around 1:30 or 2 when you can get in. At that point they make an announcement and 90% of the ship heads towards the elevators to go see their room.

 

We always hang out on the pool deck and wait until about 45 min before muster run down change out of our wet clothing and then head off to muster.

 

If he is enjoying the flowrider see if they offer a group lesson time. I think it was about $50 but they limit the number of people so you get a lot of flowrider time. Its a great value. A private rental is around $400 a hour.

 

OH I made a mistake I recombined Megans bay that's in St Thomas not Nausau...sorry ooops. DO NOT ! try and go to Megans bay you will be on another island. :eek: We get day passes at Melia on Cable beach in Nassau or stay on ship.

 

 

I think your plan of giving him control over this trip is a great one. Grief never leaves us we just learn how to carry it better over time. We learn how to feel things other than it. Even if we feel joy and happiness that does not mean we didn't love our parent. To me it means we loved them enough to know what they would want for us.