18-20 year olds?

[MustardStation]

Hey all, I'm sailing on the Solstice on August 8th. I've never sailed with Celebrity before, but from my previous experiences (two) in this age group (I will be 20 in two weeks), it seems there isn't usually a whole lot going on. Does Celebrity have a lot for those of us who are too old for any of the teen activities, yet too young to drink or anything? I know I can gamble. Unfortunately, I am also shy, so I have a harder time meeting people. Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated!!

[MustardStation]

bumping this up...

[China Blue]

Hi Courtney,

 

I can understand your concern. I recall taking my two somewhat shy daughters (ages 18 and 20) on a Bermuda cruise with Celebrity a few years ago and they faced the same situation you mention. The younger one hung around with the older teens in the teen club occasionally but most of the time she kept her older sister company as they explored the ship and the ports together. Sometimes they'd join me for trivia (we won!), once for bingo (a first for all of us), once for a formal afternoon tea (which they seemed to enjoy as a change of pace). Most of the time on sea days they watched movies, sunbathed, read books/magazines, went to the pool/hot tubs, enjoyed several shows and karaoke too. I noticed on my most recent cruise that there were those in your age group who seemed to meet at karaoke...they'd pull each other up to sing together spontaneously which I thought was a great way of meeting.

 

At the very least you know you will enjoy the ports...sightseeing and plenty of shopping opportunities, right? Food is great on the ships too! Best of luck to you...hope you have a very enjoyable cruise. :-)

[nadalina]

Hi, Courtney. I just returned from the Solstice with my shy 16-year-old granddaughter..... just the two of us. Granted, she is considerably younger than you, but she experienced the same concern before we left. There were quite a few kids her age on the ship but a lot of them were from other countries and she really made no effort to meet them. And she has extremely fair skin and burns easily, so the pools, except for the Solarium, frankly, offered no real attraction for her either, but she/we found plenty of stuff to do. She really enjoyed the hot glass shows (went 4 times and would have gone more but just didn't have time), karaoke (because a lot of teenagers were performing that week), the production shows, Sipra (the party band.... they play poolside but they also play in the main lobby two nights and everyone dances..... they're really great, we thought), trivia, the Celebrity version of the "Battle of the Iron Chefs", which was hosted by Misha, the Exec. Chef and it was really fun, drinking specialty coffees in Cafe al Bacio, shopping in the onboard shops..... believe me, we were so busy that there was not enough time to do everything we wanted to do. We had three days at port and three full days at sea and we made the most of every single minute of every day. It became our routine each evening when we finally returned to our cabin to lie in bed, read the daily newsletter for the next day, and decide what all we wanted to do.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and will be open to joining in some of the fun onboard. Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll be happy to try to answer.

 

Peggy

[Ilovecruising31]

Hey all, I'm sailing on the Solstice on August 8th. I've never sailed with Celebrity before, but from my previous experiences (two) in this age group (I will be 20 in two weeks), it seems there isn't usually a whole lot going on. Does Celebrity have a lot for those of us who are too old for any of the teen activities, yet too young to drink or anything? I know I can gamble. Unfortunately, I am also shy, so I have a harder time meeting people. Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated!!

 

you can always hang out wif me :D

[MustardStation]

Yes, I know about all of that, but that's not enough to keep me entertained while I'm alone. I know on one of the RCI cruises I went on more recently, there was a meet and greet for 18-20 year olds...thats what I meant. I already do all of the above, just...alone. And well...nobody likes to be alone!

[fleckle]

Courtney, are you traveling with your family? If you have traditional dining, they usually try to seat family groups with children of around the same age together.

 

If you ask to be seated at a large table for dinner, you will meet people, even though they may not be of your age. Another way to meet people is to eat breakfast or lunch in the main dining room and ask to be seated with others.

 

I think I recall seeing a special party for young adults listed in one of the dailies on our last cruise, but I didn't pay attention to it because (unfortunately) I am not in that age group. In any case, you can certainly attend the regular parties for everyone on board and participate in the other shipboard activities.

 

If you take any excursions, you will meet people on them, especially if going on a small boat or van where the people all get to know each other's names. Small group excursions are usually better than large ones for getting to know people. They also offer various classes on board where you can meet people who share common interests.

 

Unfortunately, there are typically not too many passengers of your age on Celebrity cruises, but maybe there will be more during summer vacation time.

 

If you just smile and say hello to people, even walking down the hallway, most will reciprocate and then greet you if they recognize you again elsewhere on the ship. Befriend some elderly couples and they will "adopt" you.

 

For shy people, it is easy to strike up a conversation just about anywhere if you ask someone a question, like where to find the library or internet room or movie theater or where did you get that delicious looking ice-cream. Most people are very happy to share information and help someone out. Many times on a ship, if you ask a "where is" question, the person will personally take you there. (Try that if you see a good-looking young man.)

 

You can check to see if there is a roll-call for your cruise and if you can't find one, start one. That is a good way to meet people from your cruise in advance.

 

Hope you enjoy yourself and have a wonderful cruise.

[MustardStation]

Yes, I will be with my family, but we're the type to do whatever it takes to get a table for 4 in the MDR. Also, we don't do excursions, so thats out. I'm going on a trip to Israel next week without my family, so I'm hoping that will help me be able to talk to people easier, but it's so hard! Last summer, I had a friend with me, and having him around definitely helped, but this summer, I've just got my sister, Ilovecruising31 or whatever her username is (nothing against you, chellie, you know that!! <3 mwah, you're luscious)

[Ilovecruising31]

Yes, I will be with my family, but we're the type to do whatever it takes to get a table for 4 in the MDR. Also, we don't do excursions, so thats out. I'm going on a trip to Israel next week without my family, so I'm hoping that will help me be able to talk to people easier, but it's so hard! Last summer, I had a friend with me, and having him around definitely helped, but this summer, I've just got my sister, Ilovecruising31 or whatever her username is (nothing against you, chellie, you know that!! <3 mwah, you're luscious)

 

<3 you don't have to tell me, i know i am luscious :D

[Infi]

I haven't ever seen a M&G for 18-20 on Celebrity like I have on other lines. But, you do have the fact that it's summertime in your favor - if it was fall or winter, it would be even more difficult to meet people in your age group.

 

Here's something else to consider - perhaps you could ask the CD (on the first day, or via a letter dropped off at guest relations) if they could arrange a meetup for that age group? Nothing fancy, just a corner of a lounge and maybe a cruise staff member to facilitate. Most of Celebrity's CDs are very friendly and approachable, and to plan something like that and put it in the Celebrity Today is pretty simple. It's worth a try. Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

[nadalina]

Courtney, I feel certain that the teen counselors do, indeed, have social events for older teens. I read somewhere onboard that they definitely separate older teenagers from younger teenagers and organize more mature activities for them. So I would be extremely surprised and disappointed if this did not happen while you are onboard. I just hope you will go to introduce yourself to the teen counselors very soon after you board so they will be sure to include you in their planning.

 

Also, I just remembered that a bulletin was delivered each evening for my 16-year-old granddaughter from the Teen Center detailing all of the events scheduled for different age groups for the next day. I'm sure the more teens in your age group onboard that week and who show an interest in participating in the events planned by the counselors, then the more events they will be willing to plan. I have read some parents and grandparents write that their teens thought the Teen Center was "lame" and refused to go, but they never even gave it a try, and they really might have enjoyed it if they had. So I hope you will go with the great attitude that you are already expressing and will meet some great new friends to hang out with.

[MustardStation]

Thanks everyone. Nadalina, I know there are activities for older teens, but isn't that only 15-17? I could be wrong, as I've never been on a Celebrity cruise before, but I'm definitely not in that age group. Oh well. But...thanks :)