Cruising with an 18 year old??

[quincytoo]

We have cruised with our son when he was 13, 14 and then 16. We cruised NCL first cruise and the kids camp was not great then discovered Princess and he loved the Teen zone. We are thinking of bringing him on a cruise next Feb or after school ends to celebrate his gradurating from high school. He will be 18 and in that no man's zone.

 

 

We have always kept a really tight rein on him as far as curfews and knowing where he is at almost every second. He has an extremely high level of ADHD and is 17 going on 15 LOL people always remark on what a nice polite well mannered boy he is and he is but it took hard work :rolleyes:

 

He LOVES cruising everything from getting dressed up and dining in the nice restaurants, watching MUTS, swimming, he really enjoyed the group activites with the teen zone, etc, etc otherwise I would consider doing another AI in Mexico.

 

We have cruised with Princess for our last three cruises and love them but am thinking that they don't offer a whole lot for the ages of 18-21???

 

Any information on RCL or other lines heck maybe Princess does offer programs and such for those age groups but we don't see it??

[SelectSys]

... He will be 18 and in that no man's zone...

 

 

I think that sums it up pretty well. I am sure that there will be other kids / very young "adults" in his group but he'll be pretty much on his own to seek them out. Maybe consider doing a cruise that emphasizes the destinations more than the Mexico and really focus on doing things as a family - Alaska and Europe come to mind as possible destinations

[cb at sea]

I'm not sure than any line offers much for the 18-21 year old group....They can gamble at 18!

Most young adults in that age group aren't into "structured activities"...they hang out at the pool, search for the opposite sex and use the sports deck/activities...along with the arcade.

Most are use to making their own fun!

[kitty9]

I really think that cruising with the 18 to 20 year old group is the toughest because they're just in between everything. No more kid's club and no structured activities for them---and I don't know of any line that has organized activities for that age group. They can get into the adult clubs, but they can't drink on many itineraries. They can gamble in some casinos, but not all as some have an age of 21 to gamble.

 

I suggest that if you found a line that you really like, stick with that line. No reason to change if you really had good experiences.

[quincytoo]

Thanks everyone :)

 

I think we are going to stick with Princess, I had thought maybe RCL would have more to offer as I heard they had rock climbing walls, ice rinks, wave pool?? and such. I truly know nothing about RCL.

 

We do spend much of our time together as a family but also I was hoping that maybe the cruise ships held some sort of organized functions, to a lesser degree then the teen zone for the no man zones age group.

 

No way, I would let him be pretty much on his own to seek them out

[reallyitsmema]

We are in a similar situation. We have sailed twice on the Mariner of the Seas with our son, at 16 and 17. He hung out in the teen area and on the basketball court most of the time and met some great kids that he still texts 2 years later. We did not sail this past June as we always do because at 18, I wasn't sure he would find enough kids his age to hang out with and I didn't want to pay for a friend to come with us.

 

We are considering a last minute cruise for Christmas and his 19th birthday, which is tomorrow :), since there should be lots of college kids out on break that he can hang out with. We are still going back and forth about it but will definitely go either a RCI Voyager class or Freedom class ship because of all the extras you mentioned.

 

I know he will find kids on the basketball court like he has in the past but I don't know if he will go to the disco at night or if he will end up hanging with us.

 

It is a tough age range that the cruise lines really need to address. A few pick up basketball games, a few mixers, a lounge for them all to meet in would go a long way.

[Luv2Cruise525]

Hey Everyone!

 

I'm in college and can definitely give you the inside scoop! I've always met people my age at the night club on the first night. I try to be as outgoing as possible and go over to people who look around my age. I've never had an issue and everyone is really friendly. I've only been on Carnival and Royal and thye have been fine in regards to meeting people. My best advice would be to be very outgoing and make friends as early on as possible!

 

Hope this helps :)

[quincytoo]

Hey Everyone!

 

I'm in college and can definitely give you the inside scoop! I've always met people my age at the night club on the first night. I try to be as outgoing as possible and go over to people who look around my age. I've never had an issue and everyone is really friendly. I've only been on Carnival and Royal and thye have been fine in regards to meeting people. My best advice would be to be very outgoing and make friends as early on as possible!

 

Hope this helps :)

 

 

This helps so much :)

 

I wouldn't mind him going to the night club (I think the under age set is allowed in before 11??). We might be close by to ensure that all was well but with enough space not to cramp his style :)

 

I know we met some great families through the roll calls as well so that might be a way to help him.

Thank you :)

[quincytoo]

We are in a similar situation. We have sailed twice on the Mariner of the Seas with our son, at 16 and 17. He hung out in the teen area and on the basketball court most of the time and met some great kids that he still texts 2 years later. We did not sail this past June as we always do because at 18, I wasn't sure he would find enough kids his age to hang out with and I didn't want to pay for a friend to come with us.

 

We are considering a last minute cruise for Christmas and his 19th birthday, which is tomorrow :), since there should be lots of college kids out on break that he can hang out with. We are still going back and forth about it but will definitely go either a RCI Voyager class or Freedom class ship because of all the extras you mentioned.

 

I know he will find kids on the basketball court like he has in the past but I don't know if he will go to the disco at night or if he will end up hanging with us.

 

It is a tough age range that the cruise lines really need to address. A few pick up basketball games, a few mixers, a lounge for them all to meet in would go a long way.

 

I so agree....I think the cruise ships need to pick it up as far as this age group is concerned. I don't think they need all that the Kids club or Teen Zone offers but they do need some type of organized functions for them.

[onthelake]

Also remember that your son has been on cruises before. Talk to him about what he really looks forward to - what are the on board highlights for him. Then you can be sure that HE will not be disappointed by not being included in the programming that he has taken part in the past.

[mahimahi1414]

Well if he's 18 he really shouldn't have a problem just going to the 15-17 activities. I've done that in the past and I've seen people do it before. At the teen disco they might not let him in but during the day he's fine there.

 

Also there will be 18-21 year olds at the night club. They just can't buy drinks. They can easily get drinks if they want (an odds are they will) though.

 

Check my previous posts I did a real long write-up like last week about the 18-21 age group.

[holly_hypocrisy]

I just turned twenty yesterday (Gosh, I feel old. :eek:) and I have a long year ahead of me as far as still not being allowed in casinos or to buy liquor, etc. :( It's quite the useless age, but closer than I was at 19! :) Anyways, I'm going to be going on a cruise in Feb. (My first! :D) I was also wondering about anything for my age group. I, luckily, will have my best friend with me, so if all else fails, we can just entertain each other like we do at home. (In a small town, you make use of what you've got.) I guess we will most likely just have to take that route. We'll have the pool, water slides, casino, and stuff like that to do. I'm also planning on making a photoblog or scrapbook of the trip, so we can spend some time doing that, too. I'm sure we, and any 18-20 year old will have an absolute blast on the cruise, no matter what is available. You could be stuck at home!!! :D

[beachchick]

Well if he's 18 he really shouldn't have a problem just going to the 15-17 activities. I've done that in the past and I've seen people do it before. At the teen disco they might not let him in but during the day he's fine there.

Also there will be 18-21 year olds at the night club. They just can't buy drinks. They can easily get drinks if they want (an odds are they will) though.

 

Check my previous posts I did a real long write-up like last week about the 18-21 age group.

 

 

Which cruise lines have you done this on? Most of them do not allow 18+ passengers into the teen programs/club/disco, period. There's a reason for that too. Many parents do not want 18+ young adults in teen venues with their 15 y/o daughters or sons. There are also liability issues, which could be a problem with the cruise lines' insurers. Rates are based on specific underwriting, including age minimums and maximums set by the cruise lines.

 

beachchick

[mahimahi1414]

Which cruise lines have you done this on? Most of them do not allow 18+ passengers into the teen programs/club/disco, period. There's a reason for that too. Many parents do not want 18+ young adults in teen venues with their 15 y/o daughters or sons. There are also liability issues, which could be a problem with the cruise lines' insurers. Rates are based on specific underwriting, including age minimums and maximums set by the cruise lines.

 

beachchick

 

 

I did it on Celebrity. There were a couple of kids who were 18/19 and had younger siblings or relatives who were 16/17 so they stayed with them. When I was 15-17 there were over 18s in the teen area on both Holland America and Royal Caribbean. There were certain young adults they did ban from the teen area. I'm pretty sure the staff all knew I was over.

 

Also Holly, check your cruiseline because you'll probably be allowed anywhere on ship.

[beachchick]

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting and something I think many parents of younger teens would want to know. When our DD was 15, we would not have wanted her to attend a teen club where there were 19 y/os, and certainly not if we had been told that the age maximum was 17. One of the things that many cruise lines, RCI that we know of, advertise is that the teen program holds to strict age limits. I'm sure the liability insurers would not be pleased to hear of this.

 

beachchick

[akcruz]

mahimahi, I appreciate your posts regarding this issue, however have found the exact opposite to be true from our own experience.

 

We sailed this summer with our 19 year old DD and she had a VERY difficult time connecting with others her same age. We sailed on the Mariner (RCL) a ship she has been on before and very much enjoyed. She still had a wonderful vacation, but ended up spending most of it with mom and dad.

 

RCL does have meet & mingles for the 18 - 21 year olds however they are really a bust. She tried to attend 2 of them and never actually found anyone else. The first was in the disco at 11 PM and the second was on the promenade during the 70s dance party. No specific place and no staff there to 'gather' kids. The difference here is that she is a quiet kid and not really that outgoing. When she was younger she would attend the first night at the teen club, meet some kids and be set for the rest of the cruise. We did have a few kids on our roll call that were 16 - 17, but we got 'they are in high school and i'm in college' so that didn't work.

 

The other issue we ran into is that while my daughter is in college, she is not the party type kid. She did meet a few kids her age (one large family where all the kids hung out together), but all they wanted to do was drink, not her thing at all. For those that think this age will not be able to get alchohol think again. The stories she told us. . . .

 

Bottom line she did have a good time, who wouldn't with mom and dad taking them on vacation, but RCL and it appears other lines, really need to step it up in this area. To the OP, look at what the ships have to offer, what your son would like to do, then assume he will be spending his time with you doing these things. Whichever ship meets that criteria, have a great cruise.

[mahimahi1414]

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting and something I think many parents of younger teens would want to know. When our DD was 15, we would not have wanted her to attend a teen club where there were 19 y/os, and certainly not if we had been told that the age maximum was 17. One of the things that many cruise lines, RCI that we know of, advertise is that the teen program holds to strict age limits. I'm sure the liability insurers would not be pleased to hear of this.

 

beachchick

 

Two things I noticed though. The actually teen club on my RCI (like the after 10:30 when it turns into a disco) they were relatively strict about over 18s. Checking ID etc. Some snuck in anyway though. They were much more lenient when it was the earlier activities (like scavenger hunt or basketball) because there's no way of identifying who is over and who is under (neither my Celebrity nor HAL had a teen club than anyone went to because there were not enough teens on the cruise)

 

As I said earlier, there were some overs 18s that were asked to leave. I had younger siblings in the 15-17 age range. The over 18s that only came to pick up 15 year old girls or were trying to find younger teens to drink with them were promptly asked to leave and were not allowed back in.

 

It's pretty much impossible for the teen program to check the ages of everyone for all activities since people just come and go as they please so keep that in mind.

 

Akcruz, my cousin on my most recent cruise (also 18) had the exact same problem and she stayed with her parents the whole time. Most I met in this age group went that route. Also regarding alcohol, I could have easily possessed alcohol on every cruise I took since I was 15 (I said no back then of course). It's not just 18-21 parents that should be concerned. If you have a kid whose 14/15 (especially if you have a girl), there's a good chance someone will be offering your kid booze. Just be aware of what they're doing, who they're associating with, and that they aren't sneaking out after curfew.

[Luv2Cruise525]

I'm really surprised with everyone's experiences! I've been on two cruises since turning 18 years old (1 RCL and 1 CCL) and on both I have managed to meet at least 5 people my age, both girls and guys. I'm actually extremely shy but on cruises I have nothing to lose so I go out and find people my age. The night club is the perfect spot on the first night since most people are looking for friends. I think that on every cruise there are people your age who are in your exact situation and you just have to make it a goal to find them. If I can do it, anyone can! :)

[twinksmom]

Thanks Luv2Cruz, I have two teens, a 17 yr old daughter and 14 yr old son, and I appreciate your prospective since you are also a teen...that's the last thing I want is my kids being plied with alcohol! Luckily, they are good kids that know better...

[snowy owl]

I've been thinking about this too. We are cruising this June on Carnivals Miracle and my dd will turn 18 two days before we cruise. They have always made friends on cruises. Most of them have been through Camp Carnival. I just hope she can find someone to hang out with. So far our roll call has a couple people around that age. I sure hope more speak up. It nice when we all can talk on here before the trip.

[schoolinmy3]

We are taking our kids (ages 19, 17 and 10) on their first cruise with HAL. However, they are more interested in the ports we will be visiting- they are big on history, especially early Roman time periods, and we are going to be on a cruise in the Mediterranean. My kids were homeschooled and although do not lack in the friends department (they are presently driving themselves to a friend's house in S. Carolina for a few days), are about as far from partiers as a teenager can get! I do think if they can find some others their age interested in some card games or ping pong it would be fantastic. But they are pretty used to being with us as it is anyway.

diane