What can my 18 year old do on board Princess in Alaska?

[darnheather]

Originally, I had planned to take my sister on a cruise to Alaska this August. Unfortunately, she has had to cancel so I'm now considering taking my 18 year old. She's only ever sailed Disney when she was young enough to be in the clubs. What can she do for fun during sea days? What is the night entertainment like? 

I was thinking to bring some small board games to play on the balcony while drinking hot chocolate. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

there will be other young people onboard, if she is an extrovert.

 

My 13 yo loves Princess, even though he is an introvert and doesn't do kid's or teen club. He is never bored.

[skynight]

There will be live music in the Piazza as well as the lounges. One of the musical groups will be a party band and will most likely play set in the Piazza mid to late evening. Probably game shows like the marriage game, liars game, musical trivia. There will be theater shows and some comics. 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

She can do everything you can do except drink Alcohol.  So she can eat, drink non-alcoholic beverages, use pools/hot tubs, go the spa, gamble in the Casino, attend activities and events, go to lectures, arts/crafts, dance to live music or in Disco (if the ship has one), audience participation games, karaoke, production shows, MUTS, sit and read, play board/card games and so on.

 

There should be enough people onboard between 18-25 for her to find a social group if she so wishes

[MJU]

Two years ago I took my 18 year old granddaughter on Discovery to Alaska.  They had nightly meetings for 18-20 year olds.  My granddaughter loved it and is still in touch with many of the "kids

[reedprincess]

What @AtlantaCruiser72said! She can do/fo any and every thing/where except buy booze.  

 

And what @MJU said. There's 18-20 meetups aboard, usually the first couple days.  They find each other, lol. 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

I think the only activities she won’t be able to do is drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes .. not that I’m suggesting she do either.  I believe she will be able to gamble if she wishes to do so.  

[darnheather]

45 minutes ago, MJU said:

Two years ago I took my 18 year old granddaughter on Discovery to Alaska.  They had nightly meetings for 18-20 year olds.  My granddaughter loved it and is still in touch with many of the "kids

This sounds wonderful. 

[darnheather]

19 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I think the only activities she won’t be able to do is drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes .. not that I’m suggesting she do either.  I believe she will be able to gamble if she wishes to do so.  

I don't gamble and I'd really rather she did not, but I suppose losing $5 might be a good lesson. 😆

[darnheather]

1 hour ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

She can do everything you can do except drink Alcohol.  So she can eat, drink non-alcoholic beverages, use pools/hot tubs, go the spa, gamble in the Casino, attend activities and events, go to lectures, arts/crafts, dance to live music or in Disco (if the ship has one), audience participation games, karaoke, production shows, MUTS, sit and read, play board/card games and so on.

 

There should be enough people onboard between 18-25 for her to find a social group if she so wishes

What are the production shows like? What is MUTS? Is there a daily paper copy of things to do or is it only on the ap?

[memoak]

Just now, Cruise Raider said:

I think the only activities she won’t be able to do is drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes .. not that I’m suggesting she do either.  I believe she will be able to gamble if she wishes to do so.  

Why can’t she smoke cigarettes ?  I have never seen anyone carded for smoking. She cant buy alcohol but if you have some in your cabin it would be up to you if she drinks it or not

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Why can’t she smoke cigarettes ?  I have never seen anyone carded for smoking. She cant buy alcohol but if you have some in your cabin it would be up to you if she drinks it or not

I don’t know if they check but my DH just saw a sign onboard that the age for smoking cigarettes while in Alaska is 22 years of age or greater.  

[capriccio]

Don't forget to share the cruising experience info with her.  The Alaska Cruises page on the website is a good start:  https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises

 

Make sure she scrolls down to the bottom of the page for the links to the Alaska Onboard Experiences and, especially, the North to Alaska Program link (https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/north-to-alaska-cruise-activities).

[reedprincess]

2 hours ago, darnheather said:

What are the production shows like? What is MUTS? Is there a daily paper copy of things to do or is it only on the ap?

Production shows are singers and dancers performing a 35-40 minute show. Broadway -esque. 

MUTS is Movies Under the Stars 

Yes, there's a paper daily event listing aka Patter, in your cabin every night for the next day.

You can see loads of sample ones online..

 

There's trivia, bingo, demonstrations, enrichment speakers, game shows, tastings, shows, movies, spa, casino, port lecrurs, and so forth. Something going on all day

Plus, of course, watching the world go by.

 

Enjoy.

[jeromep]

2 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Yes, there's a paper daily event listing aka Patter, in your cabin every night for the next day.

You can see loads of sample ones online..

The Patter isn't what it used to be.  In years past the daily Princess Patter was a tabloid cut, double sided and folded document, printed fresh each afternoon, and distributed by the cabin stewards to every cabin, which had a little daily blurb from a deck officer or the cruise director, usually a weather report for the next port day, a spotlight section that featured one of the notable staff members on board, and a detailed daily schedule along with little box "ads" for different venues and services on board highlighting the spa, or a particular show or singer.  If it was a port day there would be a tabloid cut double sided print and folded Port Guide inserted in the Patter, which had local port information, port agent information, some curisory information about the port and the overall location, and a lot of shilling for Effy Jewlers on shore, and maybe Diamonds International.  Because we all know that when people cruise, the second thing on their mind is buying jewelry.  Not!  Anyway the Patter would also be filled with little half sheets and quarter sheets of freshly printed ads and promotions for on-board shops and for the spa.

 

Currently the Patter is nothing more than a daily schedule.  It is now a letter sized, double sided, printout that is just a day's schedule along with a listing of venue, and restaurant hours, and the office hours for places like the Future Cruise Desk or when the Internet Cafe is staffed.

 

Much of the old Patter has made its way onto the Princess app, so you end up relying on the app for the day's activities and schedule.  I miss the Patters because they were a nice keepsake from a cruise.  Now, all I end up bringing home is the daily schedules which is not nearly as interesting to look through as the old Patters.

 

Movies Under the Stars in Alaska is almost always a bit chilly.  At the main pool they will take the loungers and cover them with padded covers that have little pillows on them.  They will also hand out blankets or have them available at the towel desk during the movie.  They also serve popcorn and warm cookies and milk.  The bar at the pool will also be open and the grill and pizza stand will usually be open during the first hour or so of the film.  We've done MUTS in Alaska at least twice, and it can be a chilly and windy experience.  Some folks are smart and hang out in a hot tub to watch the movie, but it is a great experience and the movies are usually either topical to the cruise, or fairly recent run.  On our last Alaska cruise we watched "Independence Day" on Independence Day.

[memoak]

Just now, jeromep said:

The Patter isn't what it used to be.  In years past the daily Princess Patter was a tabloid cut, double sided and folded document, printed fresh each afternoon, and distributed by the cabin stewards to every cabin, which had a little daily blurb from a deck officer or the cruise director, usually a weather report for the next port day, a spotlight section that featured one of the notable staff members on board, and a detailed daily schedule along with little box "ads" for different venues and services on board highlighting the spa, or a particular show or singer.  If it was a port day there would be a tabloid cut double sided print and folded Port Guide inserted in the Patter, which had local port information, port agent information, some curisory information about the port and the overall location, and a lot of shilling for Effy Jewlers on shore, and maybe Diamonds International.  Because we all know that when people cruise, the second thing on their mind is buying jewelry.  Not!  Anyway the Patter would also be filled with little half sheets and quarter sheets of freshly printed ads and promotions for on-board shops and for the spa.

 

Currently the Patter is nothing more than a daily schedule.  It is now a letter sized, double sided, printout that is just a day's schedule along with a listing of venue, and restaurant hours, and the office hours for places like the Future Cruise Desk or when the Internet Cafe is staffed.

 

Much of the old Patter has made its way onto the Princess app, so you end up relying on the app for the day's activities and schedule.  I miss the Patters because they were a nice keepsake from a cruise.  Now, all I end up bringing home is the daily schedules which is not nearly as interesting to look through as the old Patters.

 

Movies Under the Stars in Alaska is almost always a bit chilly.  At the main pool they will take the loungers and cover them with padded covers that have little pillows on them.  They will also hand out blankets or have them available at the towel desk during the movie.  They also serve popcorn and warm cookies and milk.  The bar at the pool will also be open and the grill and pizza stand will usually be open during the first hour or so of the film.  We've done MUTS in Alaska at least twice, and it can be a chilly and windy experience.  Some folks are smart and hang out in a hot tub to watch the movie, but it is a great experience and the movies are usually either topical to the cruise, or fairly recent run.  On our last Alaska cruise we watched "Independence Day" on Independence Day.

I fail to see what any of this post has to do with an 18 year old. I do believe the can go to all the lounges for music and hang out with other young people. There are always some people in her age range 

[jeromep]

54 minutes ago, memoak said:

I fail to see what any of this post has to do with an 18 year old. I do believe the can go to all the lounges for music and hang out with other young people. There are always some people in her age range 

Funny, I recall my mom telling me that if I had nothing nice to say I shouldn't say anything at all.  I suspect you didn't get such advice.  I recommend that you think before you post something rude and mean.

[voljeep]

balcony ... room service ... unlimited wifi ...

[DCThunder]

Your granddaughter can take all the selfies she wants to share on whatever social media she patronizes, including the heart hands around the setting sun!

 

Also, don't discount that on an Alaska cruise you can also look at the scenery as the sail up the Inside Passage takes place.  Then the whole time in Glacier Bay (assuming it's on the itinerary) will be spectacular.

[darnheather]

7 hours ago, voljeep said:

balcony ... room service ... unlimited wifi ...

Shhhh, don't tell her about the wifi, I'll never be able to talk to her if she knows. 

[darnheather]

6 hours ago, DCThunder said:

Your granddaughter can take all the selfies she wants to share on whatever social media she patronizes, including the heart hands around the setting sun!

 

Also, don't discount that on an Alaska cruise you can also look at the scenery as the sail up the Inside Passage takes place.  Then the whole time in Glacier Bay (assuming it's on the itinerary) will be spectacular.

Glacier bay is on the itinerary and the reason I went with Princess. Primarily I don't want to hear, "I'm bored." or "I miss Disney." I'm trying to show her photos and tell her as much as possible about the good things so that she won't immediately compare it to Disney. 

[DCThunder]

43 minutes ago, darnheather said:

Glacier bay is on the itinerary and the reason I went with Princess. Primarily I don't want to hear, "I'm bored." or "I miss Disney." I'm trying to show her photos and tell her as much as possible about the good things so that she won't immediately compare it to Disney. 

Alaska cruises are very port intensive so make sure you book some interesting excursions in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway.  Does she have any interest in the outdoors or wildlife?  There's a whole lot of it to see in Alaska.

[KarmaCruisers]

At 18; I would have HATED a Disney cruise..but I’m 42 now; so when I was 18 the world was very different.

like others have said; she can do anything you can do, sans consume alcohol.

i know if I got taken on a cruise when I was 18; I’d of been stoked!

 

But if she’s like the typical teen; I’d say pay for her WiFi package and set her free.

[reedprincess]

1 hour ago, darnheather said:

Glacier bay is on the itinerary and the reason I went with Princess. Primarily I don't want to hear, "I'm bored." or "I miss Disney." I'm trying to show her photos and tell her as much as possible about the good things so that she won't immediately compare it to Disney. 

She's going to compare it to Disney that's natural and to be expected.

The hope is to make favorable comparisons!

As she's now 18 everything, every lounge, venue and activity is open to her - except gambling on the casino.

Puppies in the Piazza will probably be a big hit - they bring in sled dog puppies in one port, usually Juneau I think...she can cuddle them, etc.  No one else does this.

She can join karaoke, join in the game shows (Yes/No is pretty funny - she has to last 2 minutes without saying yes or no to questions and conversation, nor any/yeah, or variations of. It's quite funny!).  She can hit the dance club, etc.  

Focus on what she can do, the sightseeing, etc.   

It'll be great!

 

[darnheather]

20 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Alaska cruises are very port intensive so make sure you book some interesting excursions in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway.  Does she have any interest in the outdoors or wildlife?  There's a whole lot of it to see in Alaska.

I have booked the helicopter with sled ride on the glacier, whale watching tour, and a nature walk with food at the end. She really just like video games, but I'm hoping to show her the world outside is beautiful.