18 year old in teen lounge on Anthem?

[CruiseGal999]

Can we assume you mean "over 17"?

 

If the cut off is age 18, then no, I don't think they mean "over 17". Someone 17 & 3 months or 17 & 1/2 would be allowed in.

[Ourusualbeach]

If the cut off is age 18, then no, I don't think they mean "over 17". Someone 17 & 3 months or 17 & 1/2 would be allowed in.

I'm thinking that when someone says over 17 most people logically assume that means 18. The only people that count months are parents with kids under 2.

[Eddie cranney]

I've searched online about this question, but everyone seems to have a different answer. Last summer, me and my family went on Harmony of the Seas and had a great time. My 17 year old son in particular loved it, he made a lot of friends in the Living Room teen area that he still talks to. We're going on Anthem of the Seas next month, however my son turned 18 in the new year. Knowing how much he enjoyed it last time, is it possible he'll be let in the club this time? Officially the rules say that once you turn 18, you're no longer allowed in. Annoyingly he is also in the three year age gap where he isn't allowed in teen clubs, but isn't allowed to do adult things like drink either. I have heard some people say you can waiver your over 18 privileges (like entering adult clubs) for entry into the Living Room but I'm not sure if this is true or not. He does look young for his age and could easily pass as a younger teen, but won't his SeaPass be checked? Will teen club staff really even care?

 

 

 

My step daughter has Down’s syndrome and loved getting to kids club she has a mental age of about 8 but once she turned 18 they would not allow her to join any age group under 18 age group club an said it was a safe guarding issue as she was an adult

 

 

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[spookwife]

First time on a cruise, and will have a daughter who will want to be with her younger 16 and 17 year old siblings. HOW does a cruise know how old someone actually is? Can you fib about your teens ages?

 

 

absolutely not. you are required to prove age for all passengers.. either via the passport or birth certificate. the cards are coded with that age and as an adult her card will NOT be valid for entry into any teen area.

[TNcruising02]

My husband and I took my son on a cruise when he was 17 and he really enjoyed the teen club. He met a lot of kids. We went again when he was 18. Although he had fun, he didn't meet anyone to hang out with. He saw some shows with us and we went on excursions as a family. Looking back, I wish I had let him bring a friend.

[ColoradoGurl]

I'm thinking that when someone says over 17 most people logically assume that means 18. The only people that count months are parents with kids under 2.

 

 

Not true. My kid is 187 months.

 

 

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[sailor05]

I think the secret to taking someone 18-20 is to take a friend along. They have each other to do activities and I think being with a friend helps them meet others.

[Travelling2Some]

First time on a cruise, and will have a daughter who will want to be with her younger 16 and 17 year old siblings. HOW does a cruise know how old someone actually is? Can you fib about your teens ages?

 

We had exactly that situation years ago. One of our daughters had just turned 18 a few days before the cruise. She's quiet and shy and was used to doing everything with her sister, who was still 17. The 18 year old could not get into the teen club and her younger sister and brother did not want to leave her out so they didn't go either. While it was unfortunate for our family and we were sorry they couldn't bend the rule, I can certainly understand that the parents of the youngest girls at the club would NOT appreciate the teen club admitting young men over 18.

[cb at sea]

Your 18 year old will do what ALL the adults do...except drink. He can go anywhere except in the "kid's " areas....as he's no longer a "kid"....he's legally an adult. He will be fine and find something to do...no worries.

[CruiseGal999]

I'm thinking that when someone says over 17 most people logically assume that means 18. The only people that count months are parents with kids under 2.

 

 

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[maryhou]

This is a very sore subject with me and RCCL........ our daughter who turned 18 in October during her senior year of high school has always LOVED every activity in the kids clubs for years. We were worried on the Christmas cruise this year she would be bored if she couldn't participate in activities. We were assured by the cruiseline it would not be an issue with her high school id yada yada yada . First night my husband and I went out and daughter went to first teen thing and was declined. She couldn't find us and was crying and devestated she'd have nothing to do all week. Let me just tell you it was a LONG week. There were no activities for 18-20 year olds specifically, it was a nightmare. The weather was not so pleasant that week so she had even less to do. But we survived and we are still cruising :) It is what it is they say ;p

[mjkacmom]

This is a very sore subject with me and RCCL........ our daughter who turned 18 in October during her senior year of high school has always LOVED every activity in the kids clubs for years. We were worried on the Christmas cruise this year she would be bored if she couldn't participate in activities. We were assured by the cruiseline it would not be an issue with her high school id yada yada yada . First night my husband and I went out and daughter went to first teen thing and was declined. She couldn't find us and was crying and devestated she'd have nothing to do all week. Let me just tell you it was a LONG week. There were no activities for 18-20 year olds specifically, it was a nightmare. The weather was not so pleasant that week so she had even less to do. But we survived and we are still cruising :) It is what it is they say ;p

All teen club won’t allow 18 year olds, it not just RCL. Unfortunately, it seems like folks in the call center don’t have a clue. Didn’t they have meet ups for young adults?

[spookwife]

This is a very sore subject with me and RCCL........ our daughter who turned 18 in October during her senior year of high school has always LOVED every activity in the kids clubs for years. We were worried on the Christmas cruise this year she would be bored if she couldn't participate in activities. We were assured by the cruiseline it would not be an issue with her high school id yada yada yada . First night my husband and I went out and daughter went to first teen thing and was declined. She couldn't find us and was crying and devestated she'd have nothing to do all week. Let me just tell you it was a LONG week. There were no activities for 18-20 year olds specifically, it was a nightmare. The weather was not so pleasant that week so she had even less to do. But we survived and we are still cruising :) It is what it is they say ;p

 

 

 

Years ago, if you were still in high school, you could continue to use the teen club. But that changed when there was a series of incidents( on several different cruise lines) involving older teens harassing young girls. One I particularly remember involved a young man who got fixated on a 13 year old girl. It got pretty bad

 

 

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[brookmill18]

One suggestion is to go on a ship like Anthem that has public areas that are inviting for the kids to hang out--that's basically all they're doing in the teen lounge anyway. My kids haven't done many of the actual sponsored activities, but they go to the teen center to meet up with friends, hang out, and then walk around the ship together. They spent much less time in the actual lounge on the Anthem because of 270 and the Seaplex--really nice public areas with couches, chairs, food, etc where they could meet and hang out for hours. DS15 last summer hung out with a group that included 2 just turned 18 siblings. The younger teens met at the first couple of get togethers in the lounge, and then asked the kids they met if it was OK for their siblings to hangout too.

 

I think this mostly affects high school seniors who are 18. By the time kids are out of HS they are more comfortable navigating things on their own, but that last year in HS or the summer after can be tricky.

[gerif]

This is a very sore subject with me and RCCL........ our daughter who turned 18 in October during her senior year of high school has always LOVED every activity in the kids clubs for years. We were worried on the Christmas cruise this year she would be bored if she couldn't participate in activities. We were assured by the cruiseline it would not be an issue with her high school id yada yada yada . First night my husband and I went out and daughter went to first teen thing and was declined. She couldn't find us and was crying and devestated she'd have nothing to do all week. Let me just tell you it was a LONG week. There were no activities for 18-20 year olds specifically, it was a nightmare. The weather was not so pleasant that week so she had even less to do. But we survived and we are still cruising :) It is what it is they say ;p

While I feel badly for your DD, why do you feel it will be any different for her once she turns 21? Who will know if her drink contains alcohol or not? Will it be easier for her to meet people then? Why?

[Grandma Dazzles]

This is a very sore subject with me and RCCL........ our daughter who turned 18 in October during her senior year of high school has always LOVED every activity in the kids clubs for years. We were worried on the Christmas cruise this year she would be bored if she couldn't participate in activities. We were assured by the cruiseline it would not be an issue with her high school id yada yada yada . First night my husband and I went out and daughter went to first teen thing and was declined. She couldn't find us and was crying and devestated she'd have nothing to do all week. Let me just tell you it was a LONG week. There were no activities for 18-20 year olds specifically, it was a nightmare. The weather was not so pleasant that week so she had even less to do. But we survived and we are still cruising :) It is what it is they say ;p

 

Sorry that the cruise was so upsetting for your daughter, however, I fail to understand some of your comments. She was basically able to do anything on the ship except drink alcohol. Lots of activities do not include alcohol, plus plenty of adults and young adults do not drink. She was free to go dancing, play sports, trivia, etc. Usually young people 18 and over make friends by the pool, listening to music, etc. and choose to get together.

[katiel53]

Looking at the question from the opposite side, I would hope that they would NOT allow an 18 year old in the teen club. When we were on Allure in July, the 12-14 year olds were mixed in with the 15-17 year olds. There is a big difference between a 12 year old and a 17 year old.

 

If 18 year olds were allowed in, it could be even worse. The younger kids ended up mostly not staying in the teen area because of the older ones who kind of ran the place. I would hope they wouldn't allow them in if it is the policy to mix the ages. I hadn't expected that as it was summer and there were more kids than other times of the year.

 

I do agree though, it's a difficult time for those 18-20 to be on a ship as they don't really "fit" into either adults or kids groups, but hopefully there will be others his age to be able to befriend.

[dh464]

Just off harmony our son is 18 and a senior. He had plenty to do all week. Meet tons of kids his age at the flow rider and sports court. Not allowed in the teens club and the ship didn’t offer ship sponsors thing to do for this age group alone. But he had a great time!

 

 

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[xxHadleyxx]

First time on a cruise, and will have a daughter who will want to be with her younger 16 and 17 year old siblings. HOW does a cruise know how old someone actually is? Can you fib about your teens ages?

 

As already stated, you cannot get away with lying baout her age--geez.

 

That said, your kids can spend all their time together if they want to; it's not like the under 18s are forced to go into the teen clubs. All ages are welcome to make use of most of the ship most of the time--inlucing the pool deck and sports courts, etc and many activities (dance classes, trivia games, game shows, shows, etc) are for all ages. No reason whatsoever that the teens both over and under 18 can't all enjoy themselves together.

[xxHadleyxx]

Sorry that the cruise was so upsetting for your daughter, however, I fail to understand some of your comments. She was basically able to do anything on the ship except drink alcohol. Lots of activities do not include alcohol, plus plenty of adults and young adults do not drink. She was free to go dancing, play sports, trivia, etc. Usually young people 18 and over make friends by the pool, listening to music, etc. and choose to get together.

 

I never quite understand all the angst about this either---my kids are almost 21 and almost 19. Both have been on 2-3 cruises in the 18-21 age bracket when not both sailing with us and even on their own they find things to do. Quite honestly, if my older teen was bored/complined/unhappy with an entire cruise ship available to them, I wouldn't be mad at the cruise line, but would be frsutrated with my child--who wouldn't be getting any cruise paid for me any time soon after making my trip a "nightmare" becuase no one held their hand in making friends or finding things to do---maybe that's why mine find things to do; they know i am not going to feel sorry for them ;p

[amarantha7]

I completely understand both being disappointed in not being allowed into the Teen Club as an 18-year-old when it was a favorite on prior cruises, and the fact that there aren't any structured activities for 18-20 year olds specifically. As a shy person myself, and the parent of a now 21-year-old son on the Autism Spectrum, I can appreciate the structured activities of the kids' and teens' activities helping the less outgoing and socially adept (in the case of my son). I had to set up expectations pretty explicitly on the last cruise for him. He was deeply disappointed, but luckily neither of his younger siblings are as enamored of the Teen Club and were happy to go to the pool or arcade with him. In the evening they mostly went back to their room and hung out and ordered snacks from room service or brought them up from the quick service offerings.

 

I expect on our next cruise in April, he'll hang out with his siblings during the day when it's an At Sea day and go to shows or clubs with us at night. He's now 21, so he can go to places without restrictions, and it makes him feel special and "grown up" to do things the younger ones can't, like go out to adult-restricted places, even with the parents (snore). On Port days, we all have excursions together, so I anticipate some "alone time" after we get back will be essential and welcome. As other posters have aptly said, there are plenty of things to do on the ship. I'm looking at taking a sushi-making class with my 17-year-old, and I see things like line dancing lessons and lots of other activities offered on a daily basis. You can very easily fill up a day with things like that. There's also the Solarium, which an 18 year-old can go to for a quiet swim or read a book in a lounge chair, which I enjoy doing!