Cruising with Early Teen Granddaughters

We're in the early stages of planning for a 2020 caribbean cruise possibly with our granddaughters. They'll be 12 and 14 by then. They get along well but have different interests - one is artistic while the other is athletic. Both, of course, spend too much time online. This will not be an option as I will not entertain any wifi package.

Has anyone travelled on X with teenagers? What sort of cabin configurations? Any ships better with that age group that others?

If you can get a Family Veranda that would provide 2 sleeping areas which would be nice. I’m not sure if you can book it for 4 or if it requires 5 passengers until shortly before sailing.

You didn’t say when or where you will be sailing but having been on 20 Celebrity cruises we have seen very few children, however we don’t sail over holidays or during Spring Break.

IMHO there is very little for teens to do on Celebrity. No water slides, rock walls, mini-golf, ice skating, etc. There is a arcade (pinball, etc) table tennis & small basketball area. Have you considered another cruise line that would have more activities for teens?

I’m always amused when I see that people think there’s nothing for teens to do on Celebrity. Not all teenagers want rock-climbing walls and water slides. When I was that age, I jut wanted to read and spend time by the pool. That’s pretty much what we do now!

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I’m always amused when I see that people think there’s nothing for teens to do on Celebrity. Not all teenagers want rock-climbing walls and water slides. When I was that age, I jut wanted to read and spend time by the pool. That’s pretty much what we do now!

 

 

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Different children different interests, our granddaughters would be bored to death on Celebrity. They are 13 & 15 and loved the waterside, rock wall and beating us at mini-golf. They also enjoyed the early evening comedy shows a rarity on X and ice show.

I would look into sister line RCI (Royal Caribbean); same parent company as Celebrity (RCCL), but RCI is the more family-focused RCCL brand whereas Celebrity is more adult-oriented brand. Far more activities and venues geared for teens on an RCI ship and almost certainly more similarly aged peers for them to socialize with.

I’m always amused when I see that people think there’s nothing for teens to do on Celebrity. Not all teenagers want rock-climbing walls and water slides. When I was that age, I jut wanted to read and spend time by the pool. That’s pretty much what we do now!

I respectfully disagree. Although Celebrity is our cruise line of choice (23 cruises), we chose RCI Anthem of the Seas for our 50th Anniversary cruise with our children and eight grandchildren (3 boys and 5 girls ranging from 10 to 18). I can tell you with absolute certainty, that none of them would have the fun they had on a ship designed for this type of family fun on any Celebrity ship.

I fully agree with Gonzo on this one. While there may be more kids to socialize with on shorter cruises during school breaks, the RCCL ships will have more activities that would interest them. There is nothing worse than a bored teen.

Last year my 16 year old grandgirl and I had a wonderful week on the Silhouette. We had 3 ports and Coco Cay. She was never bored. She went with me to Captain's club events and the cruise director treated her like a princess. She always found food that she liked.

For the boys I would definitely choose RCI where they could be active on the ship.

I suppose it depends on the children> Involve them in the planning and get their ideas..

Thank you all for your input. We're still early in the planning stages. RC has always been a fallback position. In part, it will depend on the itinerary. It will also depend on how much the girls mature in the next 2 years. That can be a little scary. :confused:

If you can get a Family Veranda that would provide 2 sleeping areas which would be nice. I’m not sure if you can book it for 4 or if it requires 5 passengers until shortly before sailing.

 

You didn’t say when or where you will be sailing but having been on 20 Celebrity cruises we have seen very few children, however we don’t sail over holidays or during Spring Break.

 

IMHO there is very little for teens to do on Celebrity. No water slides, rock walls, mini-golf, ice skating, etc. There is a arcade (pinball, etc) table tennis & small basketball area. Have you considered another cruise line that would have more activities for teens?

Well, I did mention a 2020 Caribbean but we've been on RC 3 times and that may be a better option. This cruise is supposed to be "mine" but the girls have been doing well with some family issues so I'm happy to give them a bit of a reward.

We were just on Silhouette, our first X cruise, and saw maybe 20 teens and 6 or 8 younger kids. All were well behaved but I really don't know how they stayed occupied.

I cruised with my kids 3 times... 6 & 8, 12 & 14, 14 & 16. The younger one loved it every time. He's outgoing, makes quick friends and loves hanging with adults (especially his grandmother!). The older one wasn't quite keen on it and after his last cruise said he didn't want to go with us again. He's grown now and spent his honeymoon on a cruise, so it wasn't a BAD experience. ;) It will totally depend on what your grand daughters enjoy as to whether or not X would be a good choice. If they are expecting to be entertained and have tons of things to do all day... they might be disappointed. My biggest suggestion is to pick an itinerary with very few sea days. You can always find things to do ashore.

I cruised with my kids 3 times... 6 & 8, 12 & 14, 14 & 16. The younger one loved it every time. He's outgoing, makes quick friends and loves hanging with adults (especially his grandmother!). The older one wasn't quite keen on it and after his last cruise said he didn't want to go with us again. He's grown now and spent his honeymoon on a cruise, so it wasn't a BAD experience. ;) It will totally depend on what your grand daughters enjoy as to whether or not X would be a good choice. If they are expecting to be entertained and have tons of things to do all day... they might be disappointed. My biggest suggestion is to pick an itinerary with very few sea days. You can always find things to do ashore.

We're leaning towards the islands with a good bit of beach time. Pretty sure the younger (and grandma) will be content to stay on the beach while the older and I may tend to wander a bit. Likely everything on foot rather than excursion. I agree with being port intensive which is why we're looking at maybe a 7 or 8 night in the Antillies - lots of sand and sea.

We're in the early stages of planning for a 2020 caribbean cruise possibly with our granddaughters. They'll be 12 and 14 by then. They get along well but have different interests - one is artistic while the other is athletic. Both, of course, spend too much time online. This will not be an option as I will not entertain any wifi package.

 

Has anyone travelled on X with teenagers? What sort of cabin configurations? Any ships better with that age group that others?

Count me in the "they'll be just fine on X" camp. We picked an RCCL cruise 3 years ago because our kids were 9 & 11 back then and it would be their first cruise. They're both fairly active and we figured there would be more for them to do. Not once did they do the rock wall, waterslide, ice skating, or mini-golf preferring the regular pool for the sea days. They did enjoy the shows, and based on the shows we saw on the Equinox back in Nov. I'm sure they'll enjoy the shows on our upcoming Silhouette cruise.

You're the best one to judge whether your grand daughters will be bored or not. I do agree with those that recommend a port intensive itinerary if for no other reason than it's a safety valve just in case.

Just my 2 cents.

Count me in the "they'll be just fine on X" camp. We picked an RCCL cruise 3 years ago because our kids were 9 & 11 back then and it would be their first cruise. They're both fairly active and we figured there would be more for them to do. Not once did they do the rock wall, waterslide, ice skating, or mini-golf preferring the regular pool for the sea days. They did enjoy the shows, and based on the shows we saw on the Equinox back in Nov. I'm sure they'll enjoy the shows on our upcoming Silhouette cruise.

 

You're the best one to judge whether your grand daughters will be bored or not. I do agree with those that recommend a port intensive itinerary if for no other reason than it's a safety valve just in case.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks. We did a Greek Isles a few years back. Venice -> Kotor -> Corfu -> Athens -> Mykonos -> Katalonos (sp?). Didn't care for Athens - too crowded. The rest were wonderful especially Venice. If you can spend a day or two in Venice it's worth it. Just keep in mind that you can go a couple of blocks from the tourist areas (St Mark Square for us) and the prices drop drastically.

I have teenagers. They love good food and for that part - Celebrity would win I think (based on others opinions, we haven't sailed with X yet)...but I would choose RCI or Norwegian to keep them busy and having fun on sea days. Unless it is a very heavy port itinerary and they won't be on the boat long enough to grow "bored".

So much depends on the kids. I know kids whose parents keep them constantly busy with activities and entertainment. These kids cannot go without constant things to do. My boys were not raised that way. They both love down time and relaxing. My 11 y/o loves Celebrity because it is quiet and laid back. He reads, we play cards and board games, swims in the pool, takes walks around the ship, plays basketball, watch movies, and we always have a ping pong competition (that I lose every time). His favorite place on the Silhouette is the hideaway.

I also know those kids I talked about before would be bored to death on Celebrity. There are not a lot of kids on X, but it can be the perfect cruise line for the right kids.

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So much depends on the kids. I know kids whose parents keep them constantly busy with activities and entertainment. These kids cannot go without constant things to do. My boys were not raised that way. They both love down time and relaxing. My 11 y/o loves Celebrity because it is quiet and laid back. He reads, we play cards and board games, swims in the pool, takes walks around the ship, plays basketball, watch movies, and we always have a ping pong competition (that I lose every time). His favorite place on the Silhouette is the hideaway.

 

I also know those kids I talked about before would be bored to death on Celebrity. There are not a lot of kids on X, but it can be the perfect cruise line for the right kids.

 

I can see both girls spending time in the Hideaway and the Library on Silly. We were just on board last week and those were favorite spots. Neither needs to have their hand held all the time. The kids we did see last week never looked bored. One interesting event for kids was a scavenger hunt in which they had to find passengers from different countries. While my DW was shopping a group approached me but I'm fro USA and they needed someone from Columbia. They were having a blast just engaging passengers and the passengers seemed to get a kick out of it, too.

We're in the early stages of planning for a 2020 caribbean cruise possibly with our granddaughters. They'll be 12 and 14 by then. They get along well but have different interests - one is artistic while the other is athletic. Both, of course, spend too much time online. This will not be an option as I will not entertain any wifi package.

 

Has anyone travelled on X with teenagers? What sort of cabin configurations? Any ships better with that age group that others?

We have taken our two kids (one athletic, the other artistic) on 12 Celebrity cruises with a few of them when one or both were teenagers. They seemed to enjoy the cruises no matter what age they were (ok, maybe our son was oblivious to his first cruise when he was 7 months old).

As far as cabin configurations go, it depends on how much space you want. A regular quad cabin will work although it is tight. I have pretty much booked the FV cabins on the Millennium class and Solstice class ships which are larger cabins that give a family of 4 more space. Two adjoining cabins are also a popular way to go, which we have yet to do.

Here is a brochure from Celebrity marketed towards families published in 2017: Celebrity Family Brochure. For those that are following the "Why does celebrity still have arcades?" thread, there is a picture of an arcade on the last page.

I'd hate seeing the girls overdoing the internet too. But I'd personally allow a limited use to "talk" to their friends. Just my opinion, especially if on X where they won't find much to do on sea days.

We have done RCL when cruising with a multigenerational group. Something for everyone and lots of other kids to meet. (My nephew, in fact is still friends with others he met onboard 20 years ago.)

We have sailed on the Equinox and the Millennium with our granddaughters. We chose to get adjoining cabins. On the Equinox, there are outer doors at the entrance to the adjoining cabins that close so that there is a mini-hallway between the two cabins. On the Millennium, the doors are more centred in the cabin (much like is typical for adjoining hotel rooms). Both set ups worked well for all of us.

On our cruise on the Equinox, the girls were younger and enjoyed spending some time with other youths their ages when we had sea days. Most of the time on sea days, we had different activities planned such as cards, writing journals, lawn games, swimming, etc. so we spent our time together.

On the Millennium we were on a longer cruise in Asia. Their parents joined us on the cruise. The girls, who were close to the age of your grandchildren at the time of the cruise, spent all of their time with family on sea days and port days. They loved trivia and the shows.

We have also sailed with the girls on Princess, Regent, and Oceania. Each cruise line was a good fit at the time we took the cruise.

Only you know your grandchildren and will know what type of cruise would work best for them.

If you sail on the Equinox during school break, there will likely be lots of other children/youth onboard.