Teen or Preteen placement

[jessinphilly]

My dd will be two weeks short of 13 years old when we take the Island Princess to Alaska. I am in a quandry as to whether we should enroll her in the preteen or teen program (which starts at 13). We are not traveling with any other family and I know that the teen program is more lax. Has anyone had experience withthe programs who can give me some guidance as to where she should go? I know that the age of the group in general may help some. thanks

[Fritzie]

When are you going on the Island? We'll be travelling on the SB July 30th cruise with a 13 y.o., too.:) Never mind--I see by your ticker you're leaving soon. Do give the details on what your daughter thinks about the teen center! Have a great trip!

[Fuzzzy]

My dd will be two weeks short of 13 years old when we take the Island Princess to Alaska. I am in a quandry as to whether we should enroll her in the preteen or teen program (which starts at 13). We are not traveling with any other family and I know that the teen program is more lax. Has anyone had experience withthe programs who can give me some guidance as to where she should go? I know that the age of the group in general may help some. thanks

 

I do not have a teenage daughter. It seems that your DD is on the edge for the Princess programs. Have you shared the two programs with her and have asked her opinion? Yes, I am sure she has an opinion.

[Andee]

My understanding is that the cruiselines are pretty strict about the age limits, and that passengers don't get to select which program their children attend.

[RodneyG]

If I were a 13 yr old , I doubt I would like to be in a preteen program along with younger kids.

I reckon just let her decide for herself if she indeed wants to be in a program. A lot of kids dont join as they find the programs either restrictive or boring. My daughter has had far more fun just finding friends aboard and doing her own thing with them (last cruse she was 10)

I suppose it depends on her disposition and level of maturity , if she is shy and doesnt make pals , the programs are a fine way to help her do so.

[cruisemom42]

In my experience you won't be able to "choose," Princess will assign her to the pre-teen program based on her age. When I cruised the Baltics with my son, his birthday was our actual embarkation day and I had to PROVE to them (via Passport and speaking with several people) that he was 13 and should be in the teen program. He had been pre-assigned to the pre-teen program based on his age at registration.

 

Having said that, the age groups on Princess are such that she shouldn't feel like she's with a crowd that's too young. Activities are very loosely organized for both teens and pre-teens -- which is a good thing because they let the kids have some choice what they want to do, rather than forcing them to do pre-scheduled activities. Also, for the pre-teen/teen groups it seems to be the best way of meeting others.

 

Teens have the ability to come and go (sign in and out) of the program at will. I can't remember if pre-teens do or if parents have to agree. My son has been cruising since the age of 5 and Princess is his favorite in terms of kids programs.

[Jacqueline]

Frankly, as a mother of three who has traveled on Princess since 2000, I will say that this is really a tough one,

Of course, from sailng to sailing, there is a different mix, And it just takes one other girl to make the week.

It is hard when they are in the little kids group, with a bunch of 8 year old boys. On the other hand, in the teen group. your daughter will be exposed to many older kids, and the sorts of activities that this age group does. A girl told my daughter she was 16. It turns out she was 14 and hanging out with kids that were 17-19. NOT GOOD.

Just hope for the best.

Fortunately, this is a port intensive cruise.

[kendon]

Unfortunately they are VERY strict about this policy especially during high peak cruises such as holidays and summer vacations. If the teen program is crowded, forget it. The biggest problem is that she would be in with kids a whole grade below hers, which I doubt she would like. We've been through this before. My son was two months away from his 13th, and only after expaining the school and grade situation did they give in with the stipulation that if any of the kids compained, he was out. Late birthdays can be a problem.

[marinearchit]

If her brithday is close enough to the sail date you can get her into the Teen Center. On my Thanksgiving cruise (I'm 14) with my family, there were 1 or 2 kids that were about to turn 13 who were in the Teen Center. There was one kid who was 12 but looked 14 so he was in there also.

And if her birthday isn't close enough, you could always lie a bit about her birthday when she registers for the Center.;) (And hope they dont check her other info)

Anyway, the Teen Center was awesome and all of the stuff we did was great. So try and get her into the Teen group and she'll have alot of fun.

[cruisemom42]

If her brithday is close enough to the sail date you can get her into the Teen Center. On my Thanksgiving cruise (I'm 14) with my family, there were 1 or 2 kids that were about to turn 13 who were in the Teen Center. There was one kid who was 12 but looked 14 so he was in there also.

And if her birthday isn't close enough, you could always lie a bit about her birthday when she registers for the Center.;) (And hope they dont check her other info)

Anyway, the Teen Center was awesome and all of the stuff we did was great. So try and get her into the Teen group and she'll have alot of fun.

 

I'm not saying this isn't possible (obviously it worked for the poster) but on every cruise I've taken with DS, he is already "signed up" for the appropriate age group based on the age given when registering for the cruise (including welcome message and list of activities in our cabin on arrival).

 

I see that you are on Island Princess, so perhaps they will be a little more flexible since it's a smaller ship (fewer kids perhaps?). Anyway, she'll have fun whichever group she's in.

[pmck]

FYI.. my daughter was a few months away from being 13 when we sailed on the "Grand" 3/31/07 and since our son was 14, I thought it would be a good idea to put them in the same group 13-18 yr olds.. Well, you have to fill out a paper with their date of birth on it, so I just moved up her birth year by one and signed her up... (She wasn't sure that she wanted any part of the "group" thing, but I wanted to sign her up, just in case).. Well, later that day, when she got back to her room (they were right next to our room) there was a message on her phone that said that after they verified their records, they found out that she was still 12, so they could put her in the 13 year old group, but she couldn't have the curfew of the older group (1 A.M). Instead, she would have to have the 11P.M. curfew of the younger group. Needless to say, now she's "mortified" and wouldn't go to ANY group!! I forgot, that everything on the ship is computerized and all their info is in there!! :confused: It didn't matter, we had a blast anyway...so will you..:)

[Tina G]

Hmmm...is DD mortified because she is the youngest in an older teen crowd, or because parent got caught in a lie?:(

[lumpkin]

I agreee with most posters that the ships cannot fudge the birthday cutoffs (for insurance purposes, I suppose).

However, as a parent of a current 13 yr old, when we cruised last August (she was one month shy of 13 at the time), she went in to the tweens group, not the teens. I personally think this is better, since in the teen group she would be hanging out with teens up to age 17, and this can be very awkward. She did fine with the 11 and 12 yr olds.

This summer she will be 13 (almost 14) when we sail, and I am even now nervous about her being with the older kids. I am hoping they split the teen room between the younger and older teens.

[Cruisin' Chick]

On our last cruise, my girl was 8 and put in the 8 to 12 group. It was the Island Princess (it's more of a mid size ship...it's not considered on of Princess' smaller ships at all) so the size of the program more depends on what of year you're sailing. When the OP goes (mid-June), there should be plenty of kids onboard.

 

When you first get to your cabin on embarkation day, there will be a packet of info for your daughter for the Shockwaves group (the 8 to 12 group). They go by age on the passports or birth certificates. I imagine some people plead that their children are mature enough, but the ship's counselors may be under orders that they are no exceptions.

 

BTW, there were some 12 year olds that participated just about every day so they obviously didn't have a problem with being with the younger tweens, such as my daughter.

[jessinphilly]

Thanks everyone for the replies. We are sort of up in the air as to which group she should be in. The mom in me wants her in the younger group and would love to blame it on the cruise line. But if she will be unhappy, that would not be good. Glad to hear that some others had younger kids with late birthdays and the kids could enjoy the tween program. DD does have friends in 5th and 6th grades, so she should be able to find a few friends. Again thanks, and keep the replies coming! You are all so great.

[tequilasunrise]

Sorry, when I first read this I thought you said she was 13! (getting too late at night). If she is 12, they will not allow her to enroll in the teen program. This happened to us once and they said the rule is, age on the FIRST day of the cruise. Their reasoning was that there are 17 y/o boys allowed in the teen room and that 12 y/o girls are, well, too young for that. Tho, most of the 16 and 17's meet there then go their own way.

 

I've seen ppl try to sneak younger kids into the teen programs with varying degrees of success.

 

The borderline ages are tough, but hopefully she will find some friends to hang out with that are near her own age and/or have fun with some of the activities.

 

Have a good cruise!

[Casshew]

I had the same situation last year with my DD12 - soon to be 13, upon reflection, I decided I prefered her hanging out with the younger group and not 15/16 year old boys :D

[Colo Cruiser]

My dd will be two weeks short of 13 years old when we take the Island Princess to Alaska. I am in a quandry as to whether we should enroll her in the preteen or teen program (which starts at 13). We are not traveling with any other family and I know that the teen program is more lax. Has anyone had experience withthe programs who can give me some guidance as to where she should go? I know that the age of the group in general may help some. thanks

 

 

I agree with the majority, Princess will not allow anyone that is not in the specifed age group to join that group. :)

[pmck]

Hmmm...is DD mortified because she is the youngest in an older teen crowd, or because parent got caught in a lie?:(

 

 

Because they found out that she was 12 and NOT 13 like I said! I did it so that she would be more comfortable with my son if they decided to go at all... Why else would I "lie"???:confused:

[bmgaritty]

Because they found out that she was 12 and NOT 13 like I said! I did it so that she would be more comfortable with my son if they decided to go at all... Why else would I "lie"???:confused:

 

 

Great example you are setting for your children.........

[nomars_girl]

I had the same situation last year with my DD12 - soon to be 13, upon reflection, I decided I prefered her hanging out with the younger group and not 15/16 year old boys :D

 

Definitely agree! My DD turned 12 on the trip, so she was 11 at boarding so there was definitely no question of where she would be. But if I did have a choice, I would have had her go with the younger group. And they really only need to find 1-2 kids their own age they get along with to have a great time.

[Host CJSKIDS]

When we were on the Golden in Europe they had so many teens that they actually placed our just turned 13 year old son in the younger group and we had to argue to get him into the real teens club to be with his then 15 year old brother.

 

Each sailing is different, sometimes the teen club can be filled with almost all 13 and 14 year olds and sometimes it's all 16 and 17 year olds. Princess is very strict about where they place the kids sailing and do not like to put them ahead.

 

An example of just how strict Princess is:

We took our family on that ill fated Star sailing that caught fire, it was to be the last sailing that my daughter could go into the teen club along with her brothers and our friend's daughter. Needless to say, the ship caught fire and our cruise got cut short and of course as you all know we also lost all we had brought with us. When I returned home I tried to rebook another cruise to make up for this one and my daughter would have just turned 18 right prior to the sailing. I asked Princess if they would make an exception this one time due to the unique circumstances so all the kids could be in the same group and they were not willing to. They explained to me that they were very strict about this and would not make an exception. Now who knows,maybe once we got on the ship they would have changed their minds, I just wasn't willing to take the chance and went with Disney since they were willing to make an exception.

[pmck]

Great example you are setting for your children.........

 

 

Oh Yeah, it would have been MUCH better to have my 12 year old daughter (who had never been on a cruise before) feel uncomfortable with a bunch of strangers, rather than to put her with her brother who would take care of her and keep an eye on her. Give me a break... You people crack me up...you are so righteous!!

[Tina G]

Oh Yeah, it would have been MUCH better to have my 12 year old daughter (who had never been on a cruise before) feel uncomfortable with a bunch of strangers, rather than to put her with her brother who would take care of her and keep an eye on her. Give me a break... You people crack me up...you are so righteous!!

 

OK, Paris Hilton. I guess the rules are for everybody else except YOU!:(

[pmck]

OK, Paris Hilton. I guess the rules are for everybody else except YOU!:(

 

 

Who are you the judge and executioner? You must be PERFECT!! :p

No, I FOLLOW the rules, and accepted their decision. I was just answering the OP with my situation. This probably doesn't even concern you.. You're just looking for a fight. Look somewhere else!