Help - Traveling with 13 year old

[ariesknowbest]

Hi All......My hubby and I will be taking our 13 year old on a cruise in October.  We are looking to sail on Mariner of the Seas.  What suggestions do you have to make sure he has the most awesome time ever????  He is going through some things and I want to make sure he enjoys himself.  THANK YOU in advance for your suggestions/comments. 

[mjkacmom]

The most important thing is to have him go to the teen club the first night, so he can meet other teens.

[angie7911922]

And then to let him hang out with those teens throughout the cruise. They seem to create their own little clique on the ships. It's a great opportunity for your teen to hang with others from various states and countries!

[jbethel11]

On 2/5/2019 at 11:39 AM, ariesknowbest said:

Hi All......My hubby and I will be taking our 13 year old on a cruise in October.  We are looking to sail on Mariner of the Seas.  What suggestions do you have to make sure he has the most awesome time ever????  He is going through some things and I want to make sure he enjoys himself.  THANK YOU in advance for your suggestions/comments. 

When I was 13, not too long ago, I wanted to be the furthest away from my parents and siblings as possible! I liked having fun with just my new friends and myself, as my family would simply be a nuisance. I also LOVED being out with them past "bedtime" like 2 AM, but remember you are the ones in charge of his safety. I have come across a drunk person, who wanted pictures with us at this time, but I was with a group, so we had safety in numbers. Also, security does a good job keeping kids safe, just don't get on their nerves!

[Jandex]

On 2/6/2019 at 6:20 AM, mjkacmom said:

The most important thing is to have him go to the teen club the first night, so he can meet other teens.

I couldn’t agree more. He should NOT miss the first night. This is where they’ll meet their friends- much harder to do even the next day. 

[jac1976]

We just went on a cruise with our 13 year old in November.  I found a roll call page on Facebook for our specific cruise months ahead of time.  There were a bunch of us that said we had teenaged kids, so one parent set up a group chat on the app "Groupme".  The kids were able to talk to each other via this group text for months before the cruise.  They even set up a meeting place on the ship the afternoon it sailed away so they could meet each other before going to the club.  These kids became my sons best friends and I barely saw him the entire cruise.  In fact, he still texts with them on a regular basis.

[phxbne]

We did a cruise over Christmas with our 13 year old - she had zero interest in the teen club. She did miss the first night because iof jet lag (cruise was in Asia) but I’m not sure that really mattered. She loves trivia and we played that every session offered.......If you haven’t already, I would get him involved in choosing shore excursions, where to eat in port or on the ship etc. We have done 8 cruises as a family, and what we do in port is really our focus.

[rjscott]

I appreciated reading this thread.  My husband and I are taking our 13 yr old great niece on the Adventure of the Seas over her Spring Break next March.  My T.A. raved about the Teen Club and so I have looked into that via postings, and it does sound like a good idea, but she may or may not like it, and I am fine if she does or doesn't.  I like the idea of getting her involved in choosing excursions, and already have some info for her to look at.  (We live in different cities).  Her mother is very excited for her, so will be also involved in the planning.  

 

Becki