Cruising with a 13 yr old

[crock25]

Hello,

My family and I are new to cruising. A friend and I did a 4 day cruise a couple of years ago and I loved it. Since then I have been trying to convince DH and DS to venture into the world of cruising. We are big Walt Disney World lovers and this will be our first non DisneyWorld vacation. While we thought that we would do the Disney cruise after looking at some others now I am even more perplexed. DS will be turning 14 a few months after our cruise. The RCL seems to have more for him to do but am I wrong? Any ideas, tips, opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[SG81]

not sure about RCL, but i was a teen when i went on my first cruise with my parents on Carnival. i ended up meeting a few other kids my age and had a great time. we didn't go to any of the camps (even though i hear they're good). we just hung out at night (ate pizza, sat by the hot tub ect.)

 

i think he'll have a good time on either curise line

[cb at sea]

Disney is a master of entertainment.....if you choose that route, you will all have a ball!

 

If you go with a different line, you will STILL have a blast....there's alot to do on the ship, and of course, with the ports, it won't matter which ship takes you there...the ports will be the same no matter which ship you're on!

 

At 14, your son will probably be hanging out in the kid's club, pool or sports deck 90% of the time. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the mainstream cruiselines. (Carnival, RCI, or NCL) I think he will have a better time on those lines, than on HAL, Celebrity or Princess, for a Caribbean cruise.

[onthelake]

We did Disney when my son was 12 and he enjoyed it, would do it again but even he would tell you it is aimed at a younger audience and, when we were on, quite Girly. It was Princess time most of the time.

 

At 13, most any cruiseline will give your son a great time - it is all about meeting friends whether they spend time in the club or playing ping pong, arcade games, eating pizza and fries or swimming.

 

Go with the itinerary and price point that feels right for your family. It will be great.

 

Actually, he just asked for a Cunard cruise for HS graduation in 2012!

[mjkacmom]

Dd14 is my oldest, and loved her week on NCL (you can't go wrong with the 3 a PP mentioned), and met SO many kids. They spent time in the club, and out of the club. The last few days, we saw her for 1/2 hour every day (which was fine - we have 4 more). She still keeps in touch (via facebook and one meetup) with the. She didn't even want to go on the cruise, and leave her friends, was afraid she wouldn't meet anyone, and she had the best vacation ever.

[bevomom]

I've found Royal Caribbean to be a good line for the tweens. They have a separate Adventure Ocean area for their age group that is a lot more social than the younger areas. Such as tables, counters with bar stools, music and an arcade. (It varies ship to ship.) The activities are geared for their interests and it's hard to get your kids to want to leave for dinner. lol

 

The on board activities are nice too. Bigger ships have mini-golf, a roller-blade course, basketball, rock climbing wall, ice rink, etc. I think my kids have actually enjoyed cruising more as they've gotten a little older and can handle some independence on the ship. My girls always come home with pen pals and great memories. Good luck!