Cruising with a teen

[Smileonboard]

We have been on several cruises with our son but he has always been in the kids club and really enjoyed it. We are looking to cruise next summer and he will be 13. I know that puts him in the teen club. I am worried he will be a little lost as he is used

to the structure of the younger group and it helps him be comfortable when Counselors break the ice. For those who have cruises with a young teen did they like the teen club ? What types of activities did they do ? Is there any structured time or is to on then to figure it out - thanks 

[ShelleyQT]

There will be a meet-and-greet at the beginning of the cruise.  After that, there will be planned events like dances, video games or other group games.  My kids used to go to the initial meet-and-greet and thereafter they just hung around with the kids they met at that first event, sometimes at the teen club but mostly just walking around the ship, getting ice cream, etc.  

 

I would recommend that you talk to him ahead of time, and let him know that even though he might be scared, he should really try to be brave, and give it a shot by attending some events and trying to be friendly.  Other kids will be "in the same boat"  (see what I did there?  😉 ) and will also be nervous.  If he does this, he'll have a great time and he'll meet friends that he might even stay in touch with forever.  My daughters still have friends from cruises we took when they were kids.

[complawyer]

we have taken  our grandson on cruises since 2010 when he was just 11 thru 2018 when he was 19. he enjoyed and got along well with what ever age group he was in. the entourage is for teens, and i'm sure your son will have a great time, meet new friends, and have an unforgetable experience.

 

 

[mommaof 3]

My daughter was 13 on her last cruise and LOVED the teen program.  It was divided into 2 groups, younger & older, but sometimes they were together.  She is not very outgoing typically, but the staff did a good job getting them comfortable.  The biggest challenge was getting her back “home”  at midnight..she also discovered older boys are a lot of fun on this cruise. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[WorkNCruise]

Our teen has a great time.  She found 2 other kids to hang out with when she wasn't with us on the last few cruises. They just toured the ship and did what kids do.  I think it can help that all the kids are removed from their social structure and pecking orders that they are used to.

 

We always say the internet on the ship is to expensive so we won't buy it for her but we really do it to unplug her from social media a couple times a year.  

Its always funny to see the flurry of texts and other social media posts flying off her phone during sailaway before we are too far offshore for a connection.

 

It might seem cold hearted but it does her good to disconnect from her routine same as us and she has never had a cruise she didn't like.  Plus I maintain an email address that is attached to her cruise line accounts so she has all the loyalty points from the various cruise lines.  In the future she can take all that over if she ever wants to Cruise on her own when she is older.

[FLAHAM]

In my experience, kids who are confident enough to enjoy the children’s programs away from their relatives on board do well in the teen club.

[complawyer]

my grandson has always enjoyed the activities. he used them from the time he was 10, until our last cruise, july 2018 when he was 18. he always met other kids/teens, and we rarely saw him during the entire cruise.

 

dont sweat it, you child will have a great time, and may even forget she is traveling with her parents

[mjkacmom]

All of my kids LOVED the teen club, met others and we saw them at dinner.