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Viking to Alaska, good for teenagers?


Mary233
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Brother in law and sister law, both in their 60s, booked a Viking Cruise to Alaska, wondering if we would like to go also. Hubby and I are in our fifties and we would be bringing two teens, at the time they will be 16 and 19. I know my husband and I would enjoy it, but I'm concerned about my kids. Anyone out there who has been on a Viking Alaska cruise? Did you see many teens? Thanks.

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Viking has not yet sailed in Alaska so we can't answer specifically about Alaska or what kind of an audience it will attract but Viking 's terms and conditions are fairly clear, as you can read below. We have done two cruises with Viking, both falling during school holiday time and there were only a handful of multi-generational groups on each. Viking staterooms sleep only two people; there are no connecting cabins. There are no programs or facilities for teenagers--no teen disco, no rock wall, no zipline, no arcade. The entertainment is low key-- classical music, ABBA, Beatles, Rat Pack, easy listening.

 

From Viking's Terms and Conditions:

Children/Minors

 

Due to the nature of our cruise and travel itineraries, the Carrier does not maintain facilities or services for children aboard cruise vessels or otherwise during the trip. On all cruises and cruise journeys, minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied and share a stateroom with a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult over the age of 21. We reserve the right to limit the number of minors under the age of 18 years on board and on land excursions booked through us.
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Brother in law and sister law, both in their 60s, booked a Viking Cruise to Alaska, wondering if we would like to go also. Hubby and I are in our fifties and we would be bringing two teens, at the time they will be 16 and 19. I know my husband and I would enjoy it, but I'm concerned about my kids. Anyone out there who has been on a Viking Alaska cruise? Did you see many teens? Thanks.

 

Not many teens at all on Viking.

Depends STRONGLY on the teens' interests.

Viking Homelands 13 day Baltic cruise there were 2 daughters 16 & 20. I talked to them several times as I have granddaughters I'm considering and they absolutely loved the cruise.

Kids who love nature might like Alaska but not sure if a Viking cruise would be active/physical enough for them. One complaint I got from younger 40s couples on Viking Ocean is that almost all the optional activities were for geezers. Just one bike foray and one kayak tour.

 

I know my younger teens would love a Viking river cruise because they love museums & history. And better yet speak French.

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To be blunt about it, no, Viking Ocean cruises are not good for teenagers. They are not designed to be good for teenagers. Viking is rather explicit about this in their Terms and Conditions. There are no facilities specifically designed for children or teenagers, and if under 18, they must be in the same room as a parent or adult over 21. According to this document, you could not put just the 16 year old and 19 year old in a room together. It is very possible that they will see no one else their own age on the ship. Everything - entertainment options, dining, physical layout - is designed with an older clientele in mind.

 

Alaska is a wonderful experience for some teenagers, but given how many choices there are, I would not do it on Viking.

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To be blunt about it, no, Viking Ocean cruises are not good for teenagers. They are not designed to be good for teenagers. Viking is rather explicit about this in their Terms and Conditions. There are no facilities specifically designed for children or teenagers, and if under 18, they must be in the same room as a parent or adult over 21. According to this document, you could not put just the 16 year old and 19 year old in a room together. It is very possible that they will see no one else their own age on the ship. Everything - entertainment options, dining, physical layout - is designed with an older clientele in mind.

 

Alaska is a wonderful experience for some teenagers, but given how many choices there are, I would not do it on Viking.

 

While I agree with Richard2 that the Viking experience really does not catered to young adults, I would not go as far as making the blanket state "not good for teenagers" because there are exceptions to every rule and there are high school and college students who do very well on Viking. Personally, I think that Viking may very well attract some multi-generational groups on the Alaska cruises and that your two would not be the only teenagers on board if in the end you were to decide that your kids would do well in the environment. But, the decision is yours and you need facts to be able to make the decision, so keep reading. The various threads in the Viking Oceans forum should give a good idea what life is like on board the ship and from there, you should be able to decide if Viking, with all the restrictions it places on traveling with minors, is the right cruise line for your children.

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I'm sailing Viking for the first time this December with my 19 year old son; he has sailed with us on the largest ships of both Royal Caribbean and NCL and had a great time...in fact we saw very little of him on some of those cruises. However, his favourite cruise to date was a Uniworld river cruise we did when he was 16...there were no other children onboard and only 150 other people aside from our family. I'm comfortable that he will have a great time on our upcoming cruise; I am trying to do research on the various tours offered and what we can do on our own, like visiting a couple soccer stadiums, etc. It all depends on the teenager...

 

With that said...my recent booking experience with regards to my 19 year old has been different from what I believe is clearly stated in the policy that a number of persons shared. I wanted my son to have his own cabin which Viking would not allow as they indicated that there needs to be at least one person in the cabin who is 21. We resolved the issue by having him share a larger room with my sister who is also travelling 'alone'.

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We have taken 4 Viking cruises. Have never seen teenagers on any.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

It depends on the time of year. If school is in session, then it is possible that there will be no teens on board. We sailed during summer vacation and Christmas vacation and there were a handful of family groups sailing each time.

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I wonder how they would ever know who is in which cabin? With a 19 yr old do not see that as a problem. 14& 16 year olds yes!

 

I think that 16 is the minimum age on board. Also, Viking reserves the right to limit the number of minors on board, as stated in the Terms and Conditions, so really, you don't have to worry about unruly gangs of teenagers.

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Brother in law and sister law, both in their 60s, booked a Viking Cruise to Alaska, wondering if we would like to go also. Hubby and I are in our fifties and we would be bringing two teens, at the time they will be 16 and 19. I know my husband and I would enjoy it, but I'm concerned about my kids. Anyone out there who has been on a Viking Alaska cruise? Did you see many teens? Thanks.

Please read through the various threads for Viking Ocean regardless of topic. You will find an unlying theme of cruisers who specifically choose VO for its lack of children/teens, lack of casino, lack of climbing walls, lack of entertainment.......... lack of everything anyone under 21 might like.

Will your 16 and 19 year olds really and genuinely love to sit respectfully and engage with folks 50-70 years for an entire cruise? While listening to parlor music?

If not I'd choose one of the myriad of other lines that cater to young people's desires. I believe in setting vacations up to succeed, not fail.

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