Best cruise for a teen

[Cruisermom2nick]

We are seriously considering a cruise the week of Dec 13th with our 16 year old son. Are the Celebrity ships exciting enough for him? Are there any ships which have fun teen clubs with dancing, etc. ? :)

[Barry ATL]

We are on a 12/13/2015 cruise specifically because that is one of the slowest cruise weeks of the year. Most of the other teens will be out of school the following week.

 

There have been many threads on here about kids of all ages. Usually, the teens find others. If your intent is to entertain your teen, then Royal Carribean is a better pick. Celebrity is a bit more "refined".

 

Again, many teens go on Celebrity and have a great time. Some of the parents will chime in and give you more detailed info.

[omeinv]

A Caribbean itinerary would certainly be the best choice for a teen. Celebrity has a a teen program that seems to get high marks, but as the poster above said, that Mid-December run is probably one with the fewest school age children/teens; since at that point most parents would wait for the school break.

 

However, depending upon your teen, they may have a better time without a horde of their peers.

 

Royal Caribbean ships definitely have more ship board fun things (climbing wall, flow rider, etc). Celebrity would only be a better choice for a kid that can either entertain themselves, or be entertained by activities geared for adults.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[OCruisers]

December 13th is not going to be the best time of year to cruise on any cruise line with a teen. Most others his age will be in school. :o

 

LuLu

[cb at sea]

ANY cruise will be fine for a kid of ANY age...really!

[cruisead]

Celebrity doesn't attract as many kids as other lines, and seeing that Dec 13 is when school is still in session, chances are there will be very few, if any, teens on board. If you'd wait one more week, Christmas vacation will be in full swing, and there will be more kids. We've cruised at the time you're considering, and the only kids on board were pre schoolers and younger.

[cynbar]

It definitely depends on your teen. If he will be looking for other teens to hang out with, he may well be disappointed. It will be a slow week on all the cruise lines ---- Celebrity does attract kids and has a good kids and teen program, but it won't be very active if there are only a few aboard. If your teen will be happy spending time with you and enjoying cruise activities that all ages can do, such as pool time and good food and shows and reading a good book, then your trip will be a success. But if he is hoping for other teens and lots to entertain him like rock climbing and flow riders, look for another cruise line or change your week. Royal Caribbean caters more to families, even a slow week will be busier than Celebrity. NCL might be worth looking at too.

Edited May 23, 2015 by cynbar

[TSC]

I second the votes for Royal instead of Celebrity with teens. When we cruise alone, my husband and I usually go on Celebrity, but we always take the teen grandkids on Royal. (When they were younger, Disney and Carnival worked fine too, but I like RCCL for teens.) The teen clubs on any ship can be hit or miss as teens hate to be in uncomfortable situations, but if the cruise peeps can get them working together, they can be lots of fun.

 

Celebrity is too boring for teens. The music is usually aimed at the older crowd (40-80), the movies are aimed at adults, and the nightly shows are too. I can't imagine a teen sitting through some of the shows on Celebrity. But, on RCCL, the entertainment is geared toward a younger crowd. There will be more rock music, more family friendly movies etc.

 

And, I also agree that the week you've chosen will have less kids - however, I think there will be more on an RCCL than a Celebrity.