13 year old boy?

[ddcruiser]

Would a thirteen year old boy (traveling with grandparents) enjoy a Disney cruise? Or is he too old to really like Disney? Thanks, Ddcruiser

[Shmoo here]

Would a thirteen year old boy (traveling with grandparents) enjoy a Disney cruise? Or is he too old to really like Disney? Thanks, Ddcruiser

 

I suppose it depends on the boy. I know some people always like Disney. While others "grow out" of it.

 

There is Edge - the tween club for his age group. You can check past Navigators here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/ for an idea of what sorts of activities Edge does on a cruise.

[jalves]

Would a thirteen year old boy (traveling with grandparents) enjoy a Disney cruise? Or is he too old to really like Disney? Thanks, Ddcruiser

 

There are no generic thirteen year old boys so there's no way we could answer this question. You'll need to probe him yourself as to his like/dislike of Disney.

 

For the record, this specific 60-something year old boy enjoys Disney cruises.

[Gardeneroflove]

Does he make friends easily?

Does he like swimming or slides?

Does he enjoy movies?

[moki'smommy]

A 13 year old would be in the Edge, the "tween" programming if he chose to do the activities. THey do a lot of video games, activities such as "make a commercial" where they are given a video camera and each group does a commercial for a product of their choosing (suggestions are given from the staff), video scavenger hunt (they have a list of things to find around the ship and have to film the things to prove they found them...also done in small groups), etc. Most kids like at least some of the activities.

 

He can also go to the Lab and Club during "open house" hours if he wants to do things like Marvel Academy (Magic).

 

Then there are water slides, movies, sports deck, mini golf, etc. Some of these activities depend on which ship you choose.

 

It really is up to the kid though. It isn't the real physical activities that you get on RCL (where they have rock climbing, ice skating, etc)

[slightlysilly]

I actually have one of those 13 year old boys. We aren't into Disney really, but we enjoy the food and the service. That said, he gets out of school and likes to travel. On our last Disney cruise last February (he was 12 at the time) he made friends with the kids in the Edge club and still chats with them on Instagram and Snapchat from time to time. We are going again this February and he isn't complaining about having to go.

Edited December 20, 2016 by slightlysilly

[alaska_planner]

as everyone has said, it depends on the boy..

 

we did our first disney cruise when our son was 15 (and our daughter 18)..

 

we're all disney crazed (well, me, DD and DS...DH just goes along as he likes to be with us)..

 

anyway, our son was very much a homebody at home...

he had exactly one friend and was painfully shy...

 

and then we got on the disney wonder (this was back in 2002)..

 

and a new kid was born...

 

he practically lived at the teen club...

we insisted he eat meals with us and go to the theater show with us, but other than that, he was in the teen club...including on Castaway Cay..

 

and when we got off the ship at the end of the cruise, we saw how all the kids came up to him to say goodbye and shake his hand...

we saw this super confident kid...

 

such a change..

 

and he stayed that way even when he got home...

a whole new person...

 

he says it himself today that the cruise gave him the opportunity to try out a new persona for himself and he saw how everyone liked the friendly outgoing version of himself...

 

and we cruised again when he was 17 and he had just as much fun in the teen club on that cruise..

 

so...that was a 15 year old...not 13..

 

but had you asked me beforehand whether he would enjoy the teen club, i would have said, no way...not in a million zillion years...

but he did...and it really did change his life!! :)

 

not saying that's what will happen with your 13 year old...

just saying it's impossible to know what will happen with any kid...

Edited December 20, 2016 by alaska_planner

[slightlysilly]

I forgot to mention (Alaska.planner reminded me) that we did not see our son much during the cruise as he was running around doing various activities with his new found friends. We met together at dinner time to share our experiences for the day which was really fun.

[LizzyDragon]

I went when I was 17 and felt at the time that there wasn't much tween programming and that I fell in a weird gap between the kids and adults. But that was nearly 15 years ago, so hopefully Disney has improved the tween options since then.

[moki'smommy]

We did several cruises during my daughter's teen years. There were good and "not so good" times in the teen group. It largely depended on the kids and how they jelled as a group. And honestly, fewer kids was better than a lot.

[Club Disney Chandler]

Would a thirteen year old boy (traveling with grandparents) enjoy a Disney cruise? Or is he too old to really like Disney? Thanks, Ddcruiser

 

 

My 16 year old boy loves Disney cruises, loves Carnival too but he really likes the independence of being on a ship and eating, sleeping and keeping his own entertainment schedule. We've been cruising since he was 11 and they are by far his favorite type of vacation.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

No one does entertainment like Disney....it's not ALL about "characters" and stuff! It's a cruise vacation. He'll be fine!

[sm3ds]

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Edited December 26, 2016 by sm3ds
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[sm3ds]

If he likes socializing with other kids he should love it. Outside of the teens clubs I don't think Disney ships have a lot to keep a 13 year old entertained. At least mine aren't interested in towel folding an Disneytrivia. They do enjoy videos games, and the organized activities of the clubs. They also enjoy the independence they get on a ship. The one negative about the clubs is if he does like them you may not see him the entire cruise. If I want to spend time with my kids I choose something other then cruising.