Alaska with young Adults

[lks1512]

Hi Everyone.  Thinking (way in advance) of booking a Princess Cruise/Tour to Alaska with Young Adults. we have previously traveled with Disney and an older Royal Caribbean ship.  Great itineraries, so we did not take advantage of the ship amenities for the kids.  Honestly, my kids were never interested in the bells and whistles, so I think they will be fine on a Princess Cruise and really enjoy it.  Never were big on the clubs or the activities. They will be 18 and 21 when we travel.  I am concerned that there will be very few in their age range on the ship, to the point that it could be awkward.  They don't need others to mingle with, I just don't want it to be weird.  It will be in June, so during school break.  Does anyone have an opinion. As a side note, the other cruise line we are considering is Holland America, so I don't think that would be much different. I appreciate candor.

[nukesubsailor]

1 hour ago, lks1512 said:

Hi Everyone.  Thinking (way in advance) of booking a Princess Cruise/Tour to Alaska with Young Adults. we have previously traveled with Disney and an older Royal Caribbean ship.  Great itineraries, so we did not take advantage of the ship amenities for the kids.  Honestly, my kids were never interested in the bells and whistles, so I think they will be fine on a Princess Cruise and really enjoy it.  Never were big on the clubs or the activities. They will be 18 and 21 when we travel.  I am concerned that there will be very few in their age range on the ship, to the point that it could be awkward.  They don't need others to mingle with, I just don't want it to be weird.  It will be in June, so during school break.  Does anyone have an opinion. As a side note, the other cruise line we are considering is Holland America, so I don't think that would be much different. I appreciate candor.

Alaskan cruises probably have the highest number of young people onboard of any Princess itinerary.  I don't think it will feel weird to your kids.

[lks1512]

4 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

Alaskan cruises probably have the highest number of young people onboard of any Princess itinerary.  I don't think it will feel weird to your kids.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, I appreciate it.

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

Alaskan cruises probably have the highest number of young people onboard of any Princess itinerary.  I don't think it will feel weird to your kids.

This has not been my experience. I often feel like I am sailing with senior citizens, especially on one way trips. RT Seattle maybe different.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, lks1512 said:

Hi Everyone.  Thinking (way in advance) of booking a Princess Cruise/Tour to Alaska with Young Adults. we have previously traveled with Disney and an older Royal Caribbean ship.  Great itineraries, so we did not take advantage of the ship amenities for the kids.  Honestly, my kids were never interested in the bells and whistles, so I think they will be fine on a Princess Cruise and really enjoy it.  Never were big on the clubs or the activities. They will be 18 and 21 when we travel.  I am concerned that there will be very few in their age range on the ship, to the point that it could be awkward.  They don't need others to mingle with, I just don't want it to be weird.  It will be in June, so during school break.  Does anyone have an opinion. As a side note, the other cruise line we are considering is Holland America, so I don't think that would be much different. I appreciate candor.

I think the 18-21 year old age group is hard to accommodate on a cruise ship. 

 

On a positive note, based on what you said about your kids, I think they will be fine. Princess one ways are very port intensive and there are some great (also expensive) excursions for this age group that many older people can't do. So budget for excursions. Glacier days are amazing also and there are enrichment speakers onboard.

 

I would worry more about them on the land tour. Have you considered renting a car and doing our own land trip as opposed to cruise line land tour?

[lks1512]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I think the 18-21 year old age group is hard to accommodate on a cruise ship. 

 

On a positive note, based on what you said about your kids, I think they will be fine. Princess one ways are very port intensive and there are some great (also expensive) excursions for this age group that many older people can't do. So budget for excursions. Glacier days are amazing also and there are enrichment speakers onboard.

 

I would worry more about them on the land tour. Have you considered renting a car and doing our own land trip as opposed to cruise line land tour?

Thank you.  Actually no - I did not think of doing our own land trip as I heard that was the advantage of Princess - they did the land part really well.  I am planning way in advance, so thank you for giving me something to think about.

[Coral]

I would go over to the Alaska boards:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=55  

[framer]

1970 and I was 18 and with my parents on a cruise.  Trust me I could ditch them and party all night.  Sneaking back about 5am most nights I was shocked no one said anything.  Yes I found a girl couple years older to hang with and had a blast.

 

That's what you have to worry about.  

Enjoy your cruise.

framer 

 

 

[TNTLAMB]

Cruised with teens to Alaska many times. They had a blast the 21 year old would likely have the most trouble if there were any. Too old for the teen club. Framer is right they find each other quickly and they can find "trouble" pretty easily.......  BTW in past cruises the CD has arranged for teen get togethers..

 

 

[cheeseclan]

Our son, now 21 has been cruising since he was 1.  There were many times at all different ages where he was one of only a few kids on a ship and had no issues.  He too is not into the clubs and went more for the lectures and info sessions by the officers on the ships.  We also did an AK land tour with him and he was the only teen on the whole tour.  Absolutely no issues for him whatsoever.

Your kids will be fine and they have each other.

[skynight]

Princess does a nice job in Alaska. Princess will have around 5 or 6 cruise director staff on board running activities. HAL only has a few CD staff. Their on board experience is more subdued.

The selected ship can make a difference. Grand Class ships tend to have more evening hour venues going at the same time with a variety of music and other activities.  

 

[AF-1]

We cruised Alaska two years ago with our two teenage grandkids.  They had a ball; they did a few things on the ship;  but most of the time they hung out with each other wandering around the ship together.  They were never bored

[USCcruisecrazy]

I would say if you are going to do a cruise/land tour with an 18 and 21 year old, Alaska is a great choice.  There is so much to see that is completely unique to Alaska they should have a great time just being filled with wonder.  Enjoy your cruise!!!

[Jnsplace1]

To add, if you are going one way, I strongly recommend the land tour.  Alaska interior particularly Denali is stunning.  I did it 10 years ago, and remember it more than I remember the inside passage.  It's fabulous.  If your kids love scenery and country, they should be fine.

[cruisenurse2]

Hello,

I was on the grand in 2016 round trip out of Seattle .  There were many young adults, many with grandparents and parents. They seemed to be very happy , especially in the dinning room. Actually they seemed to love the formal night , all dressed up (cute) . You know in my honest humble opinion , cruising teaches older kids a lot, especially practicing manners. Important for job interviews , and career skills. I think they will be fine. There is so much to do and not do. Its a chance of lifetime for them. Sometimes we all need to get away from all of the bells and whistles  and just be quiet and enjoy nature, and tradition. 

[DrSea]

On 11/5/2019 at 6:44 PM, nukesubsailor said:

Alaskan cruises probably have the highest number of young people onboard of any Princess itinerary.  I don't think it will feel weird to your kids.

What? 

[villauk]

We took our kids to Alaska when they were young (south bound from Seward to Vancouver) and they enjoyed it so much that they asked to return last year when they were older teens. On this occasion, we visited Las Vegas first before joining the ship in San Francisco and sailing north; we had an absolutely fabulous time and they met many friends onboard (they do find each other), even on an older ship like the Grand. 

[Tapi]

We did Alaska on Holland America. There were 14 family members ranging in age form 15 months old to 75 years old, including one teenager. Everybody had a great cruise, and our teenager never complained of boredom. On the contrary. Our days were so packed with activities that, she had little desire to go out and mingle with other teenagers after dinner, which is so not like her. She was exhausted and wanted to spend her time with her younger cousins and rest of the family. But it was understandable since she went dog sledding, kayaking, hiking, glacier viewing in a helicopter, etc. We had something going on every single day. 

 

We sailed round trip from Seattle, and passenger demographics did skew on the older side,  but not to the point where we were out of our element. There was a bit of everything. Families, younger couples, and seniors (many seniors).
 

With all of that said, and having sailed on both Princess and Holland America, I would lean slightly towards Princess. I think they are both wonderful cruise lines, but Holland does seem to skew more towards an older demographic. For the adults in the group that liked to stay out and have a few drinks after dinner, we found little life after 10pm. Except for a handful of people gathered at some lounges, the ship would feel quiet and deserted. But once again, our days were so packed with activities and our main goal on this cruise wasn’t great nightlife or staying out late partying, but seeing Alaska as a family. 
 

Sounds like your family will be just fine on an Alaska cruise, regardless of what cruise line you choose. As long as your teens go knowing what to expect, they will have a great time! 

Edited November 10, 2019 by Tapi

[lks1512]

On 11/6/2019 at 3:07 AM, cheeseclan said:

Our son, now 21 has been cruising since he was 1.  There were many times at all different ages where he was one of only a few kids on a ship and had no issues.  He too is not into the clubs and went more for the lectures and info sessions by the officers on the ships.  We also did an AK land tour with him and he was the only teen on the whole tour.  Absolutely no issues for him whatsoever.

Your kids will be fine and they have each other.

It is great that they have each other!

[lks1512]

I really appreciate everyone's input.  Sounds like Princess is the best bet, with a land tour and the kids will love it!