Cruising with Teens

[Starzzy]

We are planning a cruise for the first time. It is to celebrate 2 high school grads (us and another family) Both will be 18 at the time and there will also be a 15 yr old. We narrowed it down to a mediterranean cruise end of June 09, however, I am not sure whether we should go with X (Summitt or Solstice)HAL (Noordam) or Royal Caribbean (Voyager of the Seas). Royal Caribbean sounds great for the teens, however, we want to make sure that we get the quality, service, etc. that the other 2 seem to offer. Any thoughts?:p

[onthelake]

In April we did the eastern and western Med b2b, our son is 14. Any itinerary is port intensive so I would concentrate more on where you want to go than on the cruise line. Our trip had an overnight in Venice on the first leg and an overnight in Alexandria on the second leg (so we could see the pyramids). Because the 'change over' was in Istanbul, we also had an overnight there.

 

Also, I forget the website but other folks on cc can tell you - you can check and see how many ships are in port on any day - an important point. When we were in Santorini, we were the only ship. The captain said when they would return, they would be one of seven ships in port. Yikes! You have to wait for the tram ride up, ride a donkey or walk the donkey trail. Even with one ship, this was a time consuming experience.

 

The overnight in Venice was the highlight of all our cruise experiences for me.

 

As for the teens, they will meet others from around the world - literally. I doubt if one teen club vs. another would make or break the cruise for them. With kids (and adults), sometimes you hit it off with fellow cruisers and sometimes not - can't plan that.

 

Have a great time!

[mmejj]

We are planning a cruise for the first time. It is to celebrate 2 high school grads (us and another family) Both will be 18 at the time and there will also be a 15 yr old. We narrowed it down to a mediterranean cruise end of June 09, however, I am not sure whether we should go with X (Summitt or Solstice)HAL (Noordam) or Royal Caribbean (Voyager of the Seas). Royal Caribbean sounds great for the teens, however, we want to make sure that we get the quality, service, etc. that the other 2 seem to offer. Any thoughts?:p

 

Hi My family is going on Voyager on Oct 4th sailing in the Med I'll let you know when we get back how it went my guy is 15 also.

[cb at sea]

On a port intensive trip, the ship's teen activities will be less of an issue--everyone is going to be off the ship and exploring!

While RCI has alot to do, you won't have the same food quality as on the other lines.

[ispooks]

u have to decide what is more important - the teen activites or the quality of food - sometimes u can't have it both ways...:rolleyes:

 

we have given up food quality for the kids and teen clubs, although the food is not quite as good, we still have a good time and the kids have a great time! we were on royal caribbean twice and they ( 15 & 10 year old ) had a blast! we went on princess ( food was better ), but kids did not have as good a time, therefore, we did not have as good a time...so, at this point, we go for the better kids program.

 

hope this helps...

[Keith1010]

If it was me, of the three I would go with Celebrity for the reasons you mentioned.

 

And, even, on a port intensive cruise such as the Mediterranean, the quality of the ship does make a difference.

 

Another one to consider is Princess.

 

Keith

[Ripley's Lady]

Thanks for the heads up on choosing a line with kids.

Celebrity is hard to beat for service.

 

We are considering a cruise with grandkids in the future.

I will be lurking, reading and following threads on this topic.

Your points here - as well as on another thread on cruise internet connections are clear, succinct and useful. You said it far better than I did!

[SelectSys]

We are planning a cruise for the first time. It is to celebrate 2 high school grads (us and another family) Both will be 18 at the time and there will also be a 15 yr old. We narrowed it down to a mediterranean cruise end of June 09, however, I am not sure whether we should go with X (Summitt or Solstice)HAL (Noordam) or Royal Caribbean (Voyager of the Seas). Royal Caribbean sounds great for the teens, however, we want to make sure that we get the quality, service, etc. that the other 2 seem to offer. Any thoughts?:p

 

We have been a big fan of RCCL for the past 5 years and have really enjoyed their ships. I think the older the kids get, the less they will care about skating, climbing walls, and mini golf. Ours were 14 and 12 the last time we where on a cruise and they didn't take advantage of the facilities all that much. More time seems to have been spent just wandering around with ship board friends and going to the pool.

 

In terms of service, the RCCL ships are fine but the food in the main dining room is just OK. The alternative restaurants are good but this means spending more money.

 

At some point I know we'll try Celebrity. It actually is less money than RCCL for similar cruises with possibly higher service levels.

 

Good luck!

 

BTW - I looked at the Solstice trip at the end of June, that looks like a great cruise! 7 days on Voyager doesn't seem long enough for the med to me considering the distance you'll be travelling.