For teens if not X which ship?

[minniemom]

We loved our X cruise this summer to Alaska on Infinity. But we want to go next year and take our 15 & 17 boys and 22 daughter. Going with 2 other couples with kids. My boys were on Disney 2 years ago and loved it. Having been on X, It didn't look like much for teens.

 

Wondering between Princess or Royal Carribbean? I personally don't think we could handle Carnival, I have heard it gets too wild. I don't think I would want to go that badly to be on such a party ship, but that is just what I have heard.

 

I don't want to settle for less quality, but want my boys to have a good time. They are both over 6'2", and are really into football and wrestling.

Seeing mostly adults going to Alaska on X, just wondered if there were any of you who could offer some advice, or sugestions? If this was an adults only trip, I would only consider X, but having never been on Princess or RC, just wondering, Any help???

[Longboysfan]

Well with the younger adults.

RCCL is the best bet.

Lots to do on the ship. Rock wall, skating, surf boarding.....

The food and service may not be at the same level.

But each line is a trade off.

 

In a few years the kids will be gone. But they will remember the trips.

And they may get you on the wall and the wave board.

[caviargal]

Voyager class on RCI is an excellent choice for teens.

 

No, food is not as good as on X, but you can dine at the specialty restaurants and have a very nice experience. And service is less polished overall.

 

But, the ships have lots to do and are well maintained. The atmosphere aboard is significantly more casual.

[momofmeg]

Cabiergal is right that voyager class is agood ship for teens but I have to say this-it is NOT a good ship for adults.

 

We did our first Celebrity cruise this past Feb. on the Zenith. We cruised Mariner of the Seas 4 months earlier in Oct. 05. Celebrity was TONS nicer-even if we were on an old Celebrity ship versus the new RCCL ship.

 

I will tell you this too-although Mariner had all that extra stuff-on sea days everyone wanted to be by the pools-NOT ice skating, rock climbing, minature golf etc. and when there are over 3000 passengers on ship- those 3 TINY pools were not enough. (also you would not be the line to the soft serve ice cream those days!) Yes there is an adults only pool- (one of the three pools)but guess what? it was crowded with ADULTS.

 

We will go on Princess next month with our daughter. Now she loved the Mariner (she is 22-she was 21 when we cruised MOS) but she is very excited about movie by the pool thing Princess does every night. She was one of the FEW on our Mariner cruise that preferred ice skating to vegging by the pools sea days! I just wished there had been more like her on our cruise.

 

After next month I can let you know if Princess is really any fun or not.

[caviargal]

Cabiergal is right that voyager class is agood ship for teens but I have to say this-it is NOT a good ship for adults.

 

We did our first Celebrity cruise this past Feb. on the Zenith. We cruised Mariner of the Seas 4 months earlier in Oct. 05. Celebrity was TONS nicer-even if we were on an old Celebrity ship versus the new RCCL ship.

 

I will tell you this too-although Mariner had all that extra stuff-on sea days everyone wanted to be by the pools-NOT ice skating, rock climbing, minature golf etc. and when there are over 3000 passengers on ship- those 3 TINY pools were not enough. (also you would not be the line to the soft serve ice cream those days!) Yes there is an adults only pool- (one of the three pools)but guess what? it was crowded with ADULTS.

 

We will go on Princess next month with our daughter. Now she loved the Mariner (she is 22-she was 21 when we cruised MOS) but she is very excited about movie by the pool thing Princess does every night. She was one of the FEW on our Mariner cruise that preferred ice skating to vegging by the pools sea days! I just wished there had been more like her on our cruise.

 

After next month I can let you know if Princess is really any fun or not.

 

momofmeg, I will be curious to hear about your experience on the CB. She is a signifcantly smaller ship than Mariner and holds almost as many passengers. I have read many posts about the ship feeling crowded. I really do not know how that can be avoided, though, with ships that size.

 

The most overcrowded ship IME was Carnival Glory. It was awful!

 

I am not a fan of the big ships but also recognize that families look for just about the opposite of what I care about in a cruise. Nice that there are options for all of us.:)

[minniemom]

Hey, thanks for the replys. I am glad to read them. Let us know about the cruise next month. My 22 DD, is very quiet and LOVES to read, she doesn't swim at the pools, and loves to watch movies, so perhaps Princess would be better for her, but it sounds like my boys would like RC better. Well, I will keep on checking her for more reviews. Thanks

[SanDiegoHeather]

Go on Royal Carribean on their larger ships - there is a lot to do. I find Princess similar to Celebrity (but I like Celebrity better). The food isn't that great on Royal Caribbean, but you get in and out quicker and there is so much to do on the larger ships.

[brigittetom]

I have never been a big fan of RCL for dinner but I think the lunches in the Windjammer are outstanding along with the casual eating places. They offer a variety that Celebrity doesn't have in the buffet but in all fairness, Celebrity is coming around nicely just not in the actual buffet line. Our service on RCL has been exactly the same as X except for one waiter and that can happen on any cruise.

 

We've loved all of our RCL cruises and I wouldn't hesitate taking the kids and expecting them to have a great time. There are so many things for them to do and the casual eating places should be right up their alley. Great places for them to hang out on sea days.

 

I haven't sailed on Princess for many years so I can't comment there. :)

[momofmeg]

momofmeg, I will be curious to hear about your experience on the CB. She is a signifcantly smaller ship than Mariner and holds almost as many passengers. I have read many posts about the ship feeling crowded. I really do not know how that can be avoided, though, with ships that size.

 

The most overcrowded ship IME was Carnival Glory. It was awful!

 

I am not a fan of the big ships but also recognize that families look for just about the opposite of what I care about in a cruise. Nice that there are options for all of us.:)

 

I read up on it before booking-although this was not just my choice-my husband and daughter was in on this too. People that had been on BOTH ships-said CP is less crowded then MOS. Click on my profile and look at threads started by me and you will find it-this thread was from back in March.

 

 

The only real negative thing I was told was -It was said the show lounge was not big enough. 750 people is all that it holds. I guess because the restuarants are scattered throughout the ship that that helps the congestion. I was also told the pool areas do not get congested although the lido restuarant is a bit of a problem-something about where the salad bar is situated- but not terrible and still better then MOS.

 

You know my biggest two gripes about MOS was the promande area-ofcourse all the shops were RIGHT there-and a few bars and the coffee bar-the stage for the calaispo band-so that attracted alot of people to that one area. It is better that things be scattered throughout a ship. Nice idea and it is attractive-but it just does not "work" to me. As that puts everyone in one area. That place was jam packed every evening

 

Also on my MOS cruise-the pool area and lido restuarant were just jam packed on sea days- very few took advantage of the other choices-Meg went ice skating several times and she said there was never more then like 20 people there when she went in the sea day afternoons. We did the minature gold twice I think and we were the ONLY ones playing.

 

I preferred eating in the windjammer to the main dinningroom at lunch-even though I stood in line for 45 minutes- because it was easier for me to find things to eat on my diabetes diet-everything in the dinningroom was a set menu and the waiters did not want to go out of their way at all and they made that PLAIN. All the salads had chicken or shrimp or something like that in them and all I wanted was a simple green salad and I could not get one-except in the windjammer. Now my dinner waiter was much better about things-he would go out of his way and he was also tipped extra for this. Very nice man! He is on Freedom of the Seas now!

 

Another good thing about this upcoming cruise is we have 4 ports instead of 3 so one less sea day-that should help alot-plus we have a balcony booked-so if the crowds get to me on sea days I can spend more time on my balcony.

 

Even before you went on Carnival Glory I had read many, many, bad things about Carnival conquest class ships-if you remember I posted to you that I felt you would hate that ship. I have never cruised a conquest class ship and doubt I ever will-even if the cruise was free- NO WAY!

 

Now Carnival Miracle was a nicer ship and had 3 nice big pools-one of which was adults' only. The lido restuarant was very nice-all kinds of differant stations, like a deli, a pizza spot, an oriental spot and even a jamacian section-besides just all the regular stations of food-you know the salad bars. dessert bars, and then the areas that had the roast beef, ham, veggies, rolls etc.

 

The big slide that the ship had too was separate and not in a swimming pool and was actually on deck 12 and not the lido area. I think that helped the lido not to be crowded also. This slide was like one of those water park slides-not a pool slide-so anyway, that ship is a decent family ship and if anyone was to cruise Carnival, I recommend the Miracle.

 

But still as you know, no little nice things that Celebrity has-you know the welcome aboard drink, being escorted to your cabin, no steward keeping you in ice water, and no one to cary your tray up in the lido restuarant etc.

 

Hubby and I hope to do Celebrity more often-but we will probally when Meg comes with us go on another line-that she would find more fun. I am hoping this Princess will be the "in between" one-you know-nicer then Carnival-(even though I liked the Miracle much better then the fanasty class I am still not "gung-ho" on Carnival) but still "fun" for Meg-but hopefully a little "class" for hubby and I.

 

When we get back guys-I will post and let you know how we felt about Princess as a family.

[lkb125]

I took 15 yo grandaughter and 9 yo grandaughter on the Jewel of the Sea and they loved it. They had lots of activites the both age groups. Lorelle

[momofmeg]

I took 15 yo grandaughter and 9 yo grandaughter on the Jewel of the Sea and they loved it. They had lots of activites the both age groups. Lorelle

 

If I were to go back on RCI it will be a radience class ship or possibly on Sovereign again-for an old ship-she was not so bad.