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

[KarmaCruisers]

4 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

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

 

 

No, 18+ is allowed to gamble on princess cruises 

[Dani24]

You may want to look up Patters for some recent Alaska cruises (which at this point means either last years, or visit the roll calls for some of the upcoming Alaska sailings -- particularly your same ship/itinerary -- and ask if they can share pictures of the Patters). That will help give you a sense of what activities are on board. Most are free, so encourage her to try everything and see what she likes.

 

We did our first Princess cruise at 25, and our first Alaska (on Princess) at 29. So a little older than her, but we still had a blast!

 

Encourage her to bring a camera, or have her phone ready to take pictures. Alaska is awesome for scenic cruising (even outside of Glacier Bay, which is just an amazing day on its own). You may spot whales just off the ship, or bears along the coast, or gorgeous vistas for days. As someone else said, it's perfect for making some epic social media content!

 

The Discovery at Sea educational programs on Princess Alaska cruises are top notch too. 

 

On our last Alaska cruise they had some fun additional activities like an escape room, and a multi-day murder mystery thing. Check the Patters for your sailing (or ask people who are sailing before you) what kinds of special activities are onboard.

 

Movies Under the Stars is fun, if you like the movie. But Princess has a decent selection of movies available in the stateroom too.

 

Games/activities like BINGO, trivia, karaoke, gameshows, etc. can be fun to attend or participate in. 

 

Musical acts, comedians, and theater shows are worth checking out at least once. There's also dancing at night. 

 

The library on board may have board games and books you can check out. They also usually have daily puzzle sheets. My husband and I like to compete with each other to see who can finish each day's puzzle the fastest. We carry it around with us and work on it when we have down time.

 

Bring a book and find a lounger on deck, or a quiet, cozy spot indoors (inside Skywalkers during the day is a great place to watch the scenery and read in the quiet).

 

I saw you mentioned she likes video games. Some ships now have a video arcade in place of the old cigar lounge. It costs money, but perhaps a little gameplay will scratch that itch for her.

[reedprincess]

2 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

No, 18+ is allowed to gamble on princess cruises 

Dang it - I meant buy booze in the casino. And I noted in my first comment that she could gamble, etc.  Oops. Thanks for pointing out my very obvious mistake.

[Kay S]

Our last Princess cruise was with 17 year old grandson (twins) a year ago.  They have been cruising since they were little and both are Platinum now.  They have always done the kids' club, but on this cruise they decided they were "too old."  This time they played ping pong, pickleball, used the gym, watched movies in the cabin and ordered room service.  We had more of their company on this cruise than we ever had before when they were reluctant to leave kids' club.  It was so nice to enjoy their company.  (We have been taking them cruising since they were wee tikes.)

[charliedalrymple]

On 4/25/2024 at 8:57 AM, 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

 

Atlanta Cruiser said it perfectly.  Of course, there is a wide range of personalities and interests amongst 18-year-olds, and you know your daughter best.

 

On a 10-day cruise several years ago, we befriended a lovely couple who had brought their 18-year-old and 17-year-old sons.  The boys were as different as night and day.  The older son was a somber, middle-aged man in a boy's body who loved nothing more than sitting with us adults and drinking tea while discussing politics and current events. The younger son was a bon vivant who made friends his age immediately and we scarcely ever saw him, except for when he occasionally ran past with a gaggle of shrieking adolescents. Both boys loved the cruise!