teens on cruises?

[rw2001]

Has anyone taken their teens on a river cruise with them? I'm a single mom with two 13yo girls who would be traveling with me. I'm thinking of making the trip in 2016 or 2017, as next year our big trip will be a return trip to China (both girls were adopted from China) and I'm sure it will take me some time to save $$$ for the next big vacation.

 

I've never been to Europe and have been intrigued with the idea of a river cruise there for a long time. Both of my girls are well behaved and polite, get along well with each other, and love to travel (they've also never been to Europe).

 

I'm sure we'll do as many tours as we can and that we'll be able to handle the close quarters, but most of the discussion I see is about adults traveling and not much about teens/kids.

 

Thanks for any input.

 

Rita

[aquilegia]

You rarely see kids on river cruises and only few, if any, teenagers. While at least your girls would have each other for company, I'm afraid they might be bored. Because river cruise ships are necessarily small, typically 120 to 150 people, they don't have many facilities for entertainment. I would look into taking a sea cruise around the Mediterranean instead. River cruises are not a cheap option and you could probably find a cruise on a large ship with plenty of facilities for your daughters which would cost no more (if not less) than an ocean cruise.

[Talisker92]

The other issue is that most river cruise ships have beds for 2 people, so you would have to find one with single cabins. I think Viking has some.

I agree with aqueligia about a med cruise. Many ships have provisions for 3 in a cabin.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Talisker92

[pacmom]

All lines say a minor must be in a cabin with an adult. Sometimes a rollaway can be put in a suite. This is something you would have to ask the individual lines. There really is nothing on board most of the boats to occupy teenagers. Uniworld's Antoinette has a dedicated space for showing movies. Good luck finding a line that fits your needs. Pat

[pacmom]

Just a quick note to say welcome to CC. There is a search function that might be of some help to you. There is also a "sticky" at the top of the board that might answer some of your concerns and/or questions. Pat

[Floridiana]

Are you going to handle China on your own, without a group? If you do, Europe is a piece of cake. There are day excursions for the most beautiful sections of the rivers. Way cheaper than booking an all-inclusive river cruise. Plenty of trains between the cities and excellent public transportation in the cities. It's going to be more adventurous and you cannot lug big suitcases.

[orchestrapal]

Has anyone taken their teens on a river cruise with them? I'm a single mom with two 13yo girls who would be traveling with me. I'm thinking of making the trip in 2016 or 2017, as next year our big trip will be a return trip to China (both girls were adopted from China) and I'm sure it will take me some time to save $$$ for the next big vacation.

I've never been to Europe and have been intrigued with the idea of a river cruise there for a long time. Both of my girls are well behaved and polite, get along well with each other, and love to travel (they've also never been to Europe).

I'm sure we'll do as many tours as we can and that we'll be able to handle the close quarters, but most of the discussion I see is about adults traveling and not much about teens/kids. Thanks for any input.

Rita

 

Why not take your girls to a European Capitol and let them have the excitement of Europe rather than the retirement crowd and sleepy towns of River Cruising.

London, Paris, Rome and Berlin will be never to be forgotten memories of your girls travel lives,

[Ozjohnno]

I'd like to suggest you have a look at the Tauck Bridges Tours that are specifically designed for children traveling with Adults. From what I've read they appear to be the ideal way for children to get a look at a bit of history without being overwhelmed and it seems the tours are designed to be fun for them as well as the adults. You'll find the relevant information on their website and if it appeals to you a brochure could be mailed out or downloaded.

 

I hope you find the right mix for your family.

[nana541]

Rick Steves also has family tours of Europe.... I think they would love it! Other wise go to Paris or Rome!

 

 

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[Talisker92]

Why not take your girls to a European Capitol and let them have the excitement of Europe rather than the retirement crowd and sleepy towns of River Cruising.

London, Paris, Rome and Berlin will be never to be forgotten memories of your girls travel lives,

I am sure that Budapest, Vienna and Amsterdam will enjoy being called sleepy towns

[Got2Cruise]

Look at one of the ocean cruises to the Mediterranean. Or Uniworld has family cruises in certain dates

[nana541]

Three in one cabin in a river cruise is a problem! While 3 in a cabin on an Ocean Cruise is easy and rarely an issue... Third person usually sails at a greatly discounted rate!

 

 

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[orchestrapal]

I am sure that Budapest, Vienna and Amsterdam will enjoy being called sleepy towns

 

Absolutely not but the rest of such a cruise would still be dull for teenagers and even to some of us over teen age for oh so many reasons.

[nana541]

I really think 3 in a cabin on a River Cruise is the biggest issue, this is just rarely if ever done!

 

 

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[Mark_T]

I really think 3 in a cabin on a River Cruise is the biggest issue, this is just rarely if ever done!

 

The other side of that problem is one adult can't travel with 2 children using 2 cabins either, as each child needs an adult ticketed in the cabin with them.

[Floridiana]

I second the European capitals idea without tour group. Fly to London. Explore by Underground. Take train to Paris. Explore by Metro. Maybe rent a small apartment instead of a hotel room. No need to overdose on museums although you can do that in both cities. Besides the usual famous places, Paris has bakeries with fresh croissants and baguettes, small neighborhood markets with fruit, ice cream shops ... Even the department stores are exciting. Watch the movie 'Amelie' before you go to Paris.

[crystal1010]

I've taken my girls -ages 18 and 22 - and two nephews ages 10 and 12 on Paris and the Heart of Normandy with Viking. All the kids loved it. They said they would probably not take it with their friends but our extended family had a wonderful time. Our kids are well travelled and love the history of Europe. Just depends on the kids and whether they enjoy the experience. Ours have cruised for years but Viking was one of their favorites. My daughter also went with my mom the next year and my other daughter is going with my mom next spring. If they love traveling it is a great experience. The only negative is no triple cabins but they also loved the Med cruise we did as a family and they have triple cabins.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I've taken my girls -ages 18 and 22 - and two nephews ages 10 and 12 on Paris and the Heart of Normandy with Viking. All the kids loved it. They said they would probably not take it with their friends but our extended family had a wonderful time. Our kids are well travelled and love the history of Europe. Just depends on the kids and whether they enjoy the experience. Ours have cruised for years but Viking was one of their favorites. My daughter also went with my mom the next year and my other daughter is going with my mom next spring. If they love traveling it is a great experience. The only negative is no triple cabins but they also loved the Med cruise we did as a family and they have triple cabins.

 

How did you handle the cabins?

[crystal1010]

We listed an adult in each room but they just switched. That would be the sticking point for a river cruise with one adult only. No triple rooms!

[ashvb]

We were the youngest on our cruise, and we are in our late 20s. Everyone else seemed to be 60+.

[nana541]

We were the youngest on our cruise, and we are in our late 20s. Everyone else seemed to be 60+.

 

 

But did you have a great cruise in spite of the age differences??

 

 

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[ashvb]

We did. We loved our cruise! To my knowledge, no one seemed turned off by the fact that we were on it. We had a lot of folks join us at our dinner table and heard great stories that only come with experience. The crew and everyone else started jokingly calling is the honeymooners despite being married for nearly five years.

[CPT Trips]

Did you take a poll to see how many couples were married less time than you, or just living together? ;)

[xpcdoojk]

You rarely see kids on river cruises and only few, if any, teenagers. While at least your girls would have each other for company, I'm afraid they might be bored. Because river cruise ships are necessarily small, typically 120 to 150 people, they don't have many facilities for entertainment. I would look into taking a sea cruise around the Mediterranean instead. River cruises are not a cheap option and you could probably find a cruise on a large ship with plenty of facilities for your daughters which would cost no more (if not less) than an ocean cruise.

 

I agree, if money is an object, there is simply no comparison to a sea cruise. much more expensive and much less to do. That said river cruises are great. Enjoyed it very much, but I am 55, and we were in the youngest 1% on our cruise. I am sure at peak season in the summer that river cruises might have more kids than ours in October... that said... these cruises are super expensive compared to an ocean cruise.

 

jc

[caviargal]

I agree, if money is an object, there is simply no comparison to a sea cruise. much more expensive and much less to do. That said river cruises are great. Enjoyed it very much, but I am 55, and we were in the youngest 1% on our cruise. I am sure at peak season in the summer that river cruises might have more kids than ours in October... that said... these cruises are super expensive compared to an ocean cruise.

 

jc

 

IMO, this is not always the case and depends on the cruise line, accommodations chosen, and factoring in all of the many extras charged on ocean cruises.

 

If we ocean cruise it is with Oceania or similar and they are priced very similarly to river cruises. Oceania's excursions are outrageous and we plan our own. While there are more inclusions on O than many other lines, we still rack up quite a tab for drinks, wine with dinner, fitness classes, etc.

 

I see that you are an RCI fan and seem to like the monster ships from your signature I have more than 30 RCI cruises under my belt but stopped cruising with them years ago due to (IMO and IME) deterioriating quality and increasing nickel and diming over the years, as well as far too many kids and too many people overall on their ships, as well as a dislike for floating shopping malls as a vacation hotel.

 

We cruise in the off season and find it to be a very good value. Our bill at the conclusion of a river cruise in minimal and we enjoy the more intimate experience aboard.

 

River cruising and ocean cruising are apples and oranges. Our upcoming AMA cruise is costing us less than our last cruise on O.

Edited December 3, 2014 by caviargal