Caribbean Princess - trying to decide -- good for tween?

[scooter90]

Interested in sailing summer of 2006 and trying to decide which line. Previously have sailed Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Thinking seriously about CB, but have a 12 year old. Will there be enough to keep her entertained? Also, what would be a good cabin location (balcony preferred)? There will be three of us in the cabin so we want sufficient room (DH, DD and me).

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

[CruiseFever]

That is one of the most difficult ages to fit into the kids program on Princess or other lines as well. Not so much because of the programs but because of the kid. The big turn off is if your 12 year old is resentful of being in a place where there are younger kids or other 12 year olds just as miseable as they are. If that was the case, you might as well not waste your time past going the first night.

 

But DO go the first night unless the ship is sinking at the time; it's that important.

 

Then is when you'll find out if there are others her age and get a feel for what's going to be offered....and that does change slightly from sailing to sailing depending on the age mix of all the kids. It there are 200 5 year olds on board and 6 12 year olds, staff resources are obviously going to be devoted more toward the younger group. That doesn't mean the 12's are getting slighted. In fact it could be great for them. Could be one counselor to 6 kids.

 

There are just so many variables.

 

Personally I think Princess or Royal Caribbean's Adventure Ocean program are more suited to your age group.

 

If I were you I'd be looking at those two and not so much Carnival. Carnival is tops in younger kids and is going to take over the teens with Club H2o but they don't seem to know what to do with 12's so much.

 

If your daughter is really active and outgoing (maybe even "hyper") Adventure Ocean at Royal Caribbean might be a really good fit. I do feel confident enough in Princess' program to say that if this is a deciding factor and all other elements were equal, I'd pick Princess. Your choice of the Caribbean Princess is a good one too.

 

As far as cabins are concerned, for the most part the standard balcony cabins (categories beginning with the letter "B") are about the same size, between 235 and 285 square feet including balcony. Here's an example:

 

 

 

 

Since you're concerned about space, moving up to a mini-suite (categories beginning with the letter "A") might be just the right fit at about 324 square feet including balcony. Here's an example of those:

 

 

I had a mini-suite on the Golden, a similar ship to the Caribbean Princess with my daughter. There is sufficient division of space that it was like she had her own little room where the third person's bed was located.

 

Within each category are subcategories ( like AD, AB, AC, etc) that vary in price. For the most part this has to do with location, higher priced being deemed more desirable in general.

 

I'd go with the Mini-suite if it was me.

 

One other option you might consider (and this might be a stretch) based on your knowledge of your daughter and your budget is to take a friend along. That's a whole other ballgame then. You could book a standard balcony cabin with an inside cabin for the girls right across the hall which would give everyone more privacy, storage space, bathroom space, etc AND pretty much guarantee that your daughter would have a good time. Of course her (and the friends) maturity level is a big factor to be considered. Just a thought.

 

Good choice on the ship though!