Any things to do for a teenager on Discovery Princess?

[jp2746]

We are sailing on Discovery Princess for the first time this year.  I have always booked on more "kid friendly" cruise lines but we booked a couple of years ago and have Goodwill credits that we need to use before the end of the year.  So we are taking our son who is a mellow 16 year old.  Should I bring him games and books?  I refuse to get him internet!  That is why we cruise to get away from internet.  I feel like we are going to have to focus on food (which is always his plan!) and sitting by the pool a lot.  Am I wrong?  Is there anything to really do with his parents that would be for a family?

[nattie]

We just came back from Discovery princes Alaska cruise. Being Alaska, there was no functioning internet really anyways :).

DS is 13 and has been cruising with Princess for a long time (he just got elite status), so he has tried all of the kids club levels on Princess. Sounds like this is your teen's first Princess cruise? The teen lounge on Discovery is very nice and is modeled after cool "hang out" area for teens to get together by themselves or with counselors. The lounge does have multiple gaming systems with decent game choices.

On our last cruise though my teen did not spend any time in the lounge besides first day visit to sign up (in case he wanted to go later). Our free time was spent in the hot tubs/open deck watching movies on MUTS, playing various games on the sports court (we really liked how Discovery court is positioned, vs other ships of its class), going to game shows in Princess live (DS loves them) and just hanging out listening to live music/chatting. Being in Alaska, there were only 2 sea days, so we didnt have that much "free" time.

There are plenty of activities you can do as a family, just depends on what your teen is into. 

Edited August 22, 2022 by nattie

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, jp2746 said:

I feel like we are going to have to focus on food (which is always his plan!) and sitting by the pool a lot.  Am I wrong?  Is there anything to really do with his parents that would be for a family?

My daughter sailed with us on a number or cruises when she was a teen.  (14-19).  Without a doubt the single most enjoyable thing she did was to meet other teens and from there, they made their own fun.  Children that age are not confined to the Teen Club, and they can come and go as they please.  So on each cruise we would sign her up for the Club and she would go there on day one and before you knew it, she was part of a posse of 4-6 other similar-aged teens who became fast friends.  They don't need organized events, though they did partake in a number of those.  The most important thing was just to meet up and hang out, which is what teems like to do the most.  After dinner she would take leave of us, head to the teen club, meet up with whomever was there, and she was back in the room by her curfew of 11:30-midnight.  What did they do?  Not sure.  Hot tubs. X-Box. Basketball. Talk. But she always had fun and wanted to go back. On Sea Days, it was more of the same.  After lunch, she would say: "I'm going to meet up with my friends at the Club.  I'll be back in time to change for formal night."  Did they stay in the club?  Not usually.  Not often, actually.  They just used the Club as a place to meet up before striking out on their own.  So the takeaway is, don't assume that organized activities offered by the ship are going to be what keeps your teen occupied.  Teens are going to do what teens do best.  Meet up, talk, gossip, soak in hot tubs, play on the Sports Deck and exchange information so that they can text each other.  My daughter still keeps in touch with many of the friends she has made on board.  Too much emphasis is placed on activities and events that are offered by the ship when in reality, what teens want most is independent time away from their parents and a chance to hang out with people their own age. There is no better place to give a teen some additional independence than on a ship.  They really can't get lost or get into any real trouble.  Make sure that they have the Soda and More package so that they don't need you buying them drinks, and you be surprised how much fun they will have when you tell them that they are free to do whatever they want after lunch (or dinner) and to just be back at the cabin by [set your time].  

[ghstudio]

Teens will meet other teens….it’s not planned…it just happens.  Don’t worry