River cruise with teen?

[moritz]

We are planning a European river cruise next summer with our 15 year old. We are in our 50s. I know that Uniworld is offering "family friendly" tours next year, but I want a longer itinerary than they are offering for families. Have any of you traveled with a teen on Uniworld or with any other company? Any thoughts/suggestions?? Help is much appreciated!

[paul929207]

We were on a Uniworld river cruise 4 years ago. There was a woman with her 18 or so year old granddaughter. She was the only one under 40 on the ship.

 

She seemed to have a great time. I think she knew in advance there would be few if any people her age.

[lbenson]

We are taking two almost 13-year olds in a few weeks on Avalon's Romantic Rhine. My son knows that it won't be like the mega ships we have taken. I don't think there will be a problem. Our boys are well behaved and I know that they will enjoy the sightseeing. I will let you know when I return home how it went.

[steamboats]

moritz,

 

Our 7 y old DD has taken 8 river cruises in the US, 2 in Europe/Germany and 1 ocean cruise. It all depends on the kid. The kid should be well behaved, know that there´s no kid style entertainment aboard (except for the TV but with limited choice). So take a good book, IPod/MP3player, maybe a handheld game console like Nitendo DS Lite (all depending on the kid). Maybe try to get your son interested in the history and prepare him what to see and explore. Check with the websites of the towns your visiting and you may find some more teen like excursions. Skip the ships tour and tour on your own with your son. Let him decide what to do. Especially with a teen it shouldn´t be too difficult.

 

steamboats

[CincyAL]

I for one would NOT river cruise with a teen. As was mentioned earlier the youngest passengers on my two river cruises were maybe late 30's.

Majority were 60's and up.

 

Our daughter LOVED our ocean cruises, I would NOT subject her to a river cruise. She was an excellent student and STILL would be bored to tears. She would be miserable and so would we.

[magmorr75219]

There was a family of 6 on our ship (2 week long tour). The kids were 8, 10 (2), and 12. They were fabulously well-behaved, and did not seem bored. The parents used it as a means of teaching, I think.

 

I'd say it just depends on the teen. Are they interested in history? If so, then it might be a great way to see a lot. Can they interact well with adults? The kids on our boats did, and it was really fun to be with them (we were the youngest couple on the boat otherwise). Everyone (staff and passengers) tends to dote on the younger folks.

[laughoutloud]

We're taking our boys (6 & 10) on a river cruise next month.

 

With a morning or afternoon excursion scheduled every day, I am sure they will find something to interest them. I understand the captain will let them visit the bridge. And there will be the excitement of the locks.

 

No TV or video games. During the down time, they'll be working on their summer reading lists, & playing cards/ board games with us.

 

I, for one, am looking forward to spending quality time with them, something that I'll treasure as much as the cruise itself.

 

:)

[ggo85]

I doubt that there is any particular line that is better or worse for teens. Cabins, itineraries, and activities on board typically are similar -- not identical -- among lines. How happy your teen will be depends on (1) your teen and (2) the itinerary (in that order).

 

Understand that there is really no entertainment other than the port itself (and you usually sail at night) or maybe some quiet music on the ship. Given that most passengers are 50+ and either enjoy the quiet or want to sleep (as do younger passengers, BTW, after a full day touring), it's not a problem.

 

However, you won't find teen activities, rock climbing, video arcade, pool, movies, shops, pizza parlors, a workout room, or probably other teens. If your child is mature, likes being with his/her family all the time, and can handle quiet time for days on end (reading, etc.), great. Otherwise, beware.

 

In terms of itinerary, shorter may be better as well as places of interest to your teen (for example, a cruise focusing on the wine country probably wouldn't be great).

 

Good luck and hope you enjoy!

[OhioDogLover]

We took three teenagers (15, 16 and 17) on Peter Deilmann last summer (Danube River, what a nice itinerary.) They are all experienced cruisers and travelers. One speaks German, which was helpful, but not necessary. They are well behaved. There were no activities for the children on the ship, really. The river cruises are really for the ports, at least that is what I think. Yesterday, we received a Viking brochure for next year. DS, somewhat to my surprise, not only read it, but selected several possible options for next summer. I agree that it depends on the child. If your child is interested in history, music, art, etc., I think it would be fine. Bring something to entertain them, though.

 

Ohiodoglover