Fun things to do in ports with 15 year old boy

[rksomaha]

My 15 year old son and I are going on our first cruise with the rest of my immediate family in November. Our stops are Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize City and Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

 

My son is all boy and interested in active things, but is bummed b/c he is not old enough to drive legally in any of the ports. What fun things (and not ridiculously expensive) are there to do in these ports for him?

 

Also - if anyone is on RCL Liberty of the Seas over Thanksgiving with a teenager, I'd be interested in hearing from you. The only other kids in our group are girls age 6 and 3.

[Roz]

I'm well over the age of 15 and I wouldn't dare drive in most of those ports. Can't imagine letting a teenager do it, even if it was allowed. People drive like maniacs, roads are narrow and winding, in some ports you drive on the left side of the road, etc.

 

I assure you over Thanksgiving there will be gobs of families with children, including teenagers. Have you checked out the roll call for your cruise?

 

Also, go to the Port of Call forums and check out the activities and excursion in each port; it may give you some ideas.

 

Roz

[LarryL]

I doubt you or your son will be lacking for things to do both on the ship and at the ports regardless the activity level. The teen center is structured for the kids at their age groups. That said, keep an open mind while on excursions for wanting to "hang out" with new friends, even on excursions or at port. Our 15 year old daughter and her best friend had a great time with all the activities as well as meeting a lot of people their own age. They left us during a port stop and met up with other kids. I was really nervous but all worked out well. They are surprisingly motivated to return to the ship. You may find you have a lot of free time for yourself. You'll have a great time. If you check out your ships roll call you may find other families with kids in the same age group.

 

Larry

[6rugrats]

Did you mean to say "dive" not "drive"?

 

If it was drive, I am totally confused as to why your son would want to drive in port. There will be many, many kids on a cruise over Thanksgiving. You may find he makes friends and changes his mind about what he thinks would be fun.

 

Besides going to the ports of call boards here, have you looked at a guide book or gone to webpages such as frommers.com and looked at what there is to do/see at each port?

[rksomaha]

Thank you all for the answers! I did roll call for our ship and our dates and it seems there are a few that have gone on there with kids his age. He's a quiet kid so I hope he jumps in and makes new friends.

 

I did say DRIVE. He just got his learner's permit a few months ago and he is itching to go drive one of the ATV's or jeeps we've seen on some of the excursions and is kinda bummed cuz the legal driving age for these ranges from 16-21. No worries - I'm okay with him NOT driving!

 

Thanks for all your tips and if I can get some free time - well I'm ok with that. I'm a single parent and have him 360 days a year so a little "free" time is always welcome!!

[Fergus]

My husband did a bike tour in Belize a few years ago and enjoyed it. Most of the ports have zip-line tours, ATV tours, snuba, stuff like that - your son should have no trouble finding activities he likes. My son is now 16 and has cruised a number of times - he always finds something to keep him busy, and he's not really a very "social" kid.

[njdevil08]

Grand Cayman - have you looked into Moby Dick's tours? There are snorkeling (not sure if he's interested in that?) and also Stingray City tours. Stingray City is lots of fun and I think your son would enjoy it. You really can't know until you go, but it's basically a sand bar where you can swim with HUNDREDS of stingrays. It's an incrediby unique and fun experience.

Here's the link:

http://www.mobydicktours.com/Stingray-City/Stingray-City.html

 

Cozumel - Here's a link to Cozumel Tours.

http://www.cozumel-tours.com/adventure-tours.htm There are tons of "active" tours and I know a few friends that did the Discovery Jungle Park Tour and LOVED it. There are so many options so I posted the link and you can look through all of them. By the way, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure your son can drive an ATV on any of the tours on that link.