High School seniors on Zuiderdam for Spring Break?

[banksidedrive]

We are trying to decide which cruise line to take our two high school senior daughters on for spring break. We like the itineraries for both the Zuiderdam and the Crown Princess, but we've heard that Zuiderdam attracts far fewer older kids than other lines, and that if we're looking for other kids for them to hang out with, Zuiderdam isn't a good option. Any opinions?

[mfd25]

Having been on many a spring break cruise in both my student and now teaching years on lines from Carnival to Holland America I have always seen quite a number of young adults on all of them.

 

The choice of which ship depends, to my mind and sensibilities, very much on what your daughters are looking for in their vacation. If meeting and hanging out with other girls (and guys?) their age is important for your daughters and will make or break their having a good time, I would choose Crown Princess as a better choice given its larger size and the consequent greater likelihood of having a critical mass of young people. If, however, your daughters are interested in having a more laidback time and are not as concerned about meeting and hanging out with others their age, then Zuiderdam might be your best bet.

 

I am sure your daughters will enjoy whatever you choose!!

 

As a child who has been taken (and continues to be taken at the advanced age of 25 along with my lovely fiancée) on many cruises by my parents, I am always thankful to be able to go on any ship to any ports of call.

[tinaparrotthead]

I would MOST definately choose the Crown! HAL is not the cruise line for spring breakers of any age. There is really not much for them to do. They will be board, without a doubt! The Crown has a very nice teen club and the activities are wonderful! We were on the Crown a few months ago and the ship is beautiful. What I noticed about the Crown and their activities was that the teens (hearing conversations between the teens and them and the adults) was that they were having a blast! The disco opened up just for them with their kind of music. Also, on HAL the "sidewalks" roll up early and there is mostly classical and jazz music. In the disco they have theme nights on HAL which involves 50's sock hop, and 60's music which I don't think seniors in high school could appreciate.

Try to persuade them to try Princess (the Caribbean Princess would be a great choice!) as HAL's average age is 70 years old! They would most likely be upset after choosing HAL at ANY PRICE!

[doglover44]

I have to completely agree with tinaparrothead!! Having just returned from the Zuiderdam (12/16-12/23) with a high school senior and college junior, I can say first hand that the Zuiderdam is not the ship for young people. While the ship is wonderful, with amazing service and food, we found the entertainment on the ship to be dissapointing. The Northern Lights disco is small and if under 18yrs old, you aren't supposed to be in there. Music wasn't the best either (that's according to my kids) If your kids are under 18, I definately wouldn't recommend this ship because there isn't much they can do, other than go to the variety show after dinner. The teen program is for kids 13yrs to 17yrs old which is a pretty big age gap. I did get to see the kids program every day and it looked like there was always something going on in the loft - just not sure how many kids in the 16-17yr old age group were participating. Having said all of this, we still had a wonderful family vacation, loved the ports and my husband and I would definately return to this ship - and our same balcony cabin!

[hammybee]

Someone has to take the flip side so I guess that means me.

 

If you do a search on this or the Princess board for "brownie fight", you may get to a link of a video of a spring break cruise on Princess last year. Yeah there were plenty of kids on board and they took over the atrium one evening and the rest is history. Many of them looked to be young adults of drinking age and it was apparent that many were drunk.

 

It really comes down to what you, the parents, want for your daughters on a cruise. There will be kids their age on HAL, but not as many on Princess. It's not going to turn into a scene out of some B moive, on HAL.

 

Also be aware that many kids, especially older teens, tend to sail in their own cabins and kids congregate in these cabins, on any cruise line. Staying up and out all night is a right of passage on all cruise lines for the majority of older teens ( Sleep when you are dead, sort of thing) and regardless of what they say, it's all about the shipboard romance.

 

Regardless, as a parent, you are responsible for your kid's behavior and consequences. - Mother of an 18 year old

[seaisme]

We are trying to decide which cruise line to take our two high school senior daughters on for spring break. We like the itineraries for both the Zuiderdam and the Crown Princess, but we've heard that Zuiderdam attracts far fewer older kids than other lines, and that if we're looking for other kids for them to hang out with, Zuiderdam isn't a good option. Any opinions?

We will be taking our two nephews, ages 16 & 17 (they will be close to 17 & 18 at cruise time) over the Easter holiday on the Zuiderdam. We fully expect that they will have a great time. Have already "met" several teens sailing on the same date through the roll-call board. As other responses have provided, it's what you, the parent expect to provide for the young folks. HAL is safe, and provides a nice program for teens. The cruise isn't about night-clubbing for our nephews, it's about enjoying the entire cruise experience. If it's party-time you are looking for, then I would suggest not selecting HAL.

[tinaparrotthead]

Someone has to take the flip side so I guess that means me.

 

If you do a search on this or the Princess board for "brownie fight", you may get to a link of a video of a spring break cruise on Princess last year. Yeah there were plenty of kids on board and they took over the atrium one evening and the rest is history. Many of them looked to be young adults of drinking age and it was apparent that many were drunk.

 

It really comes down to what you, the parents, want for your daughters on a cruise. There will be kids their age on HAL, but not as many on Princess. It's not going to turn into a scene out of some B moive, on HAL.

 

Also be aware that many kids, especially older teens, tend to sail in their own cabins and kids congregate in these cabins, on any cruise line. Staying up and out all night is a right of passage on all cruise lines for the majority of older teens ( Sleep when you are dead, sort of thing) and regardless of what they say, it's all about the shipboard romance.

 

Regardless, as a parent, you are responsible for your kid's behavior and consequences. - Mother of an 18 year old

 

I saw the "brownie" video. I cruised on the Crown in November 06. Let me say that what I expected to see of the video and what I actually saw were two completely different things. The hype that surrounded this incident was much worse than the actual incident. This type of situation could happen on any cruise line and I thought that the crew on the Crown handled the situation very well! The B movie that you refer to could happen on ANY ship, HAL included! These did NOT appear to be High School Seniors, which is what the OP asked about.

If the seniors want to go on a cruise, hang out in someones stateroom and watch videos, then I guess HAL would be a great line for that. "Shipboard romance" (I feel sure you were talking about the ship and not a romance with someone of the opposite sex) is not what I would think a group of High School seniors would find fun!

It is my educated opinion that a group of High School Seniors traveling would want and need something to do on board, ESPECIALLY after dinner. It has been my personal experience, having raised children that going on a cruise and not having anything to do but stay up all night would be a real bummer for young adults just graduating from high school. This "right of passage" is something they do on a regular basis and not something that their parents want to pay large sums of money for.

HAL/the Zuiderdam would not be the ship that most young adults would find fun! Again, Princess, Royal Caribbean and maybe NCL would be a much better match for this age group!

Enjoy!

[kryos]

Also, on HAL the "sidewalks" roll up early and there is mostly classical and jazz music. In the disco they have theme nights on HAL which involves 50's sock hop, and 60's music which I don't think seniors in high school could appreciate.

If you've got a port-intensive seven-day cruise, though ... those kids are gonna be tired come 10:00 p.m. or so ... especially if they've got the prospect of another early morning port stop the next morning.

 

I don't know ... it would seem to be more about the ports than the boat, so I can't imagine teens not having a good time. Worst comes to worst, and the boat is as dull to them as watching paint dry, they've still got at least four port visits that can make for full and exciting days. And, even if the activities in Club HAL are lame ... there is always sunning at the pool and just enjoying family time. That has to count for something.

 

So, while I agree that HAL is not necessarily the best choice for teens ... I don't think it is quite as bad as you are making it out to be ... at least not in the case of a port-intensive seven-day cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Dolphins]

How times have changed. When I was in high school, it was a big deal to have a one day cruise up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain. Now they go on an ocean cruise for a week? Guess I was born too soon?

[hammybee]

I saw the "brownie" video. I cruised on the Crown in November 06. Let me say that what I expected to see of the video and what I actually saw were two completely different things. The hype that surrounded this incident was much worse than the actual incident. This type of situation could happen on any cruise line and I thought that the crew on the Crown handled the situation very well! The B movie that you refer to could happen on ANY ship, HAL included! These did NOT appear to be High School Seniors, which is what the OP asked about.

If the seniors want to go on a cruise, hang out in someones stateroom and watch videos, then I guess HAL would be a great line for that. "Shipboard romance" (I feel sure you were talking about the ship and not a romance with someone of the opposite sex) is not what I would think a group of High School seniors would find fun!

It is my educated opinion that a group of High School Seniors traveling would want and need something to do on board, ESPECIALLY after dinner. It has been my personal experience, having raised children that going on a cruise and not having anything to do but stay up all night would be a real bummer for young adults just graduating from high school. This "right of passage" is something they do on a regular basis and not something that their parents want to pay large sums of money for.

HAL/the Zuiderdam would not be the ship that most young adults would find fun! Again, Princess, Royal Caribbean and maybe NCL would be a much better match for this age group!

Enjoy!

 

Neither you nor I were on the Brownie Fight cruise, so neither of us can speak as to how bad it got. Cruising on 11/6 is not the same thing as cruising during Spring Break, no different than say, Cancun. Princess is well known as a Spring Break Cruise line because the minimum age is 18. This is different than all the others, I think. Even NCL goes to 25 during Spring Break. For this reason, I do not think things would get as out of control on HAL as they might on Princess. HAL will have many kids. Princess will have hoards.

 

There is no difference between high school seniors and college aged kids on a cruise, especially when the seniors are girls. This age group finds most organized activities to be lame and it's all about hanging out with their peer group. Some might initially participate in an organized something to meet others, but it soon breaks down to independent groups.

 

Most kids choose to become someone else on a cruise and they are fed by the group experience. The group becomes far more important than ports of call or spending quality time with the family unit. I have seen plenty of kids who wolf down dinner with the folks only to immediately join their peers for a more relaxed dinner together, in a casual enviornment.

 

I have known parents who impose strict curfews upon their kids, booked in separate cabins and have no clue that once the kids are in for the night, so are 20 others. I have known parents of boys who make a point of ensuring the boys carry their own protection. I have known parents who accept that their kids are going to be out all night and take the , where can they go, posture.

 

As for romance, no I am not speaking of the love of the sea or the ship. Come on now, these are 17-20 year olds and sometimes older, when their parents will not allow them to drink onboard. For many, it's their first taste of freedom and as importantly, they get to be someone else for a week, 10 days or 2 weeks, dependent upon intinerary.

 

I remain pro HAL for this age group because it's a little lamer and does not have the reputation as a Spring Breaker's dream. Can you tell I am the mom of an 18 year old girl?

[kryos]

How times have changed. When I was in high school, it was a big deal to have a one day cruise up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain. Now they go on an ocean cruise for a week? Guess I was born too soon?

LOL ... I know exactly what you mean. I have friends at work ... their kids go on senior class trips to Disney World or Europe ... week-long trips. My senior class trip was a day trip to a ranch-type resort. We went by bus in the morning, came back that evening ... and my parents could barely afford that. A week at Disney World? "Not on my nickle," I can hear my dad saying. He wasn't being cheap. We just didn't have the money for that sort of thing. Dad would have rathered use that kind of money to help me out with tuition at the local Community College ... not for a week at a Disney Park.

 

So, yeah ... guess I was born way too soon as well. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[tinaparrotthead]

Neither you nor I were on the Brownie Fight cruise, so neither of us can speak as to how bad it got. Cruising on 11/6 is not the same thing as cruising during Spring Break, no different than say, Cancun. Princess is well known as a Spring Break Cruise line because the minimum age is 18. This is different than all the others, I think. Even NCL goes to 25 during Spring Break. For this reason, I do not think things would get as out of control on HAL as they might on Princess. HAL will have many kids. Princess will have hoards.

 

There is no difference between high school seniors and college aged kids on a cruise, especially when the seniors are girls. This age group finds most organized activities to be lame and it's all about hanging out with their peer group. Some might initially participate in an organized something to meet others, but it soon breaks down to independent groups.

 

Most kids choose to become someone else on a cruise and they are fed by the group experience. The group becomes far more important than ports of call or spending quality time with the family unit. I have seen plenty of kids who wolf down dinner with the folks only to immediately join their peers for a more relaxed dinner together, in a casual enviornment.

 

I have known parents who impose strict curfews upon their kids, booked in separate cabins and have no clue that once the kids are in for the night, so are 20 others. I have known parents of boys who make a point of ensuring the boys carry their own protection. I have known parents who accept that their kids are going to be out all night and take the , where can they go, posture.

 

As for romance, no I am not speaking of the love of the sea or the ship. Come on now, these are 17-20 year olds and sometimes older, when their parents will not allow them to drink onboard. For many, it's their first taste of freedom and as importantly, they get to be someone else for a week, 10 days or 2 weeks, dependent upon intinerary.

 

I remain pro HAL for this age group because it's a little lamer and does not have the reputation as a Spring Breaker's dream. Can you tell I am the mom of an 18 year old girl?

 

Actually, I was stating MY OPINION after having seen the video As for the remainder of your statements, my OPINION is based on the fact that Princess, Royal Caribbean and even Carnival has many more structured activities for kids (through the age of 18) than does HAL. The structured activities if the kids participate, help to keep them busy with clean fun. That is, of course, if there is a large amount of parental control. I too have raised children and was actually a teenager once myself:) We all know that even well behaved, honor roll teens MIGHT if given the chance, misbehave. I was simply trying to state what my OPINION was for the OP so that they could make the best decision for their seniors on spring break for the best cruise line under the circumstances. I WAS NOT putting down HAL or any other line. All lines have their good and not so good points depending upon what you are looking for.

To the OP...I sincerly hope that we have given you enough information so that you can make your own informed, educated decision about what cruise will be the most fun for your family!

Happy Cruising!!!