Which cruise for college age?

[rphgf]

After a really tough year (long story) I would like to do something fun and special with 2 of my kids. They are boys, 18 and just 21. So many people have recommended cruising that I am willing to give it a try although I swore I would never do it. To be honest, I am afraid of motion sickness.

OK, so what do you'all think would be a good cruise? As far as price goes, I don't want the most expensive but I don't want the cheapest either.

Some things to consider: I live on the east coast, we are not picky eaters, I am looking at late June or early July for about 7 days, and we cannot go diving - but we love the heat.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

And, my boys have never been to the Caribbean or Mexico.

[cb at sea]

Any of the mainstream lines (Carnival, RCI, etc...) will be a great 1st cruise! Probably one of the larger RCI ships would be a good fit, as they have alot of "sporty" things to do for the boys.

As far as motion sickness--if you have it on land, you will probably have a bit on the ship. Be proactive--start taking Bonine (or something!) the day before the cruise starts, and daily thereafter. You shouldn't have a problem! The se large ships are not like little fishing boats--many times, you won't feel anything! Try to book a cabin mid-ships--something near the center--for the least amount of motion.

Personally, I prefer the E.Caribbean (not a fan of Mexico!)!

[bqkali]

After a really tough year (long story) I would like to do something fun and special with 2 of my kids. They are boys, 18 and just 21. So many people have recommended cruising that I am willing to give it a try although I swore I would never do it. To be honest, I am afraid of motion sickness.

OK, so what do you'all think would be a good cruise? As far as price goes, I don't want the most expensive but I don't want the cheapest either.

Some things to consider: I live on the east coast, we are not picky eaters, I am looking at late June or early July for about 7 days, and we cannot go diving - but we love the heat.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

And, my boys have never been to the Caribbean or Mexico.

 

Hi - I'm 21 and my sister is 19, so we're basically the same age as your sons. We are planning a cruise (for just the two of us) in December.

 

When we were deciding, we looked at Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norwegian. We also didn't consider Carnival because you have to be 21 to cruise unless you are travelling with someone 25+ (so basically my sister wasn't allowed!). Nothing wrong with Carnival from our point of view but I just wanted to explain why it wasn't an option for us. It might be a great choice for you and your sons! The other cruiselines were simply out of our price range. We ended up ruling out Princess because it seemed like there would be more passengers our age on RCCI or NCL.

 

One thing we discovered in our search was that Royal Caribbean seems to have a lot more activities on board, or at least a more activities that appealed to us. For example: rock-climbing, ice skating, bowling, wave-rider pools, mini-golf. If your boys are active, this might be something to consider.

 

We ended up choosing Norwegian because my sister loved the freestyle concept. You can eat whenever you want (no set dining times) and a huge plus to her: you don't have to eat with strangers. Another plus for her was that you don't have to dress up. For me, I kinda liked the idea of everyone looking nice and meeting new people. Depends on your preferences. Her opinion ended up "winning" because I travel several times a year but she can't afford that. I figure I'll get my way on a different trip when I travel with someone else ;)

 

Another thing to consider is if your boys like down time. If they like to be busy all the time, you might want to look at a port-intensive itinerary, but if they just want to chill and relax, an extra sea day might make a big difference. Don't forget about what YOU want, too! Where would you like to go? What would you like to do?

 

Since you are on the east coast, you have a lot of options. You didn't mention specifically where you're from, but there are ships leaving from Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Charleston, Florida...wherever is most convenient for you might impact your choice also. Can you drive to any of these ports? If you have to fly no matter where you leave from, it might not make as much of a difference.

 

I don't think you can pick a bad cruise, but with college-age kids I'd focus on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian. Maybe if you told us a little about their personalities someone could help pick a ship with activities that appeal to them or itineraries where they stop in specific places that will be fun for them.

[rphgf]

Thanks for the input guys!

The boys are very social. That's one of the reasons I was thiking a cruise over just touring. They surely don't want to hang out with mom at night.

As far at the departure point, although NY would be the best I am afraid that the Atlantic waters would be more rough. Am I right on that?

By the way, which is calmer, the eastern or western Caribbean? How about the Mediterranean? Some of those cruises looked very interesting - something I could enjoy also. The only problem would be the airfare. I priced it out and OUCH.

How do you find out which cruise ships have more college kids, over say younger kids, or older adults? I've been told that Holland is definitely an older crowd - is that right?

Also, are the Disney cruises all young kids?

You can see I have been searching the internet for info - there is so much out there but it is confusing.

Thanks.

[arlodog]

We have always cruised as a family and my "kids" are now 19 and 20--when I asked if they wouldn't prefer to go with their friends on spring break this year rather than go on a cruise with us they were shocked! They told me that as long as we were going they wanted to go too...don't think I will ever be able to go with just DH and myself!

That being said, they much prefer RCCL over Carnival. Even though they are not into rock climbing and we have never been on one of the ships with the ice rinks--they say they like the crew better and the food on RCCL. They love Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Grand Turk especially. The highlight of this years cruise was riding segways! We always try and take port intensive cruises; we love to get off the ship and just wander around. We always meet up for dinner together and then spend the evening going to the shows and casino. If you have a friend that could go with you that might increase your enjoyment--if your kids are like mine they will spend alot of time relaxing and doing their own thing. We used to all share a cabin, but now we just get adjoining rooms--less stress so we don't have to worry about keeping our cabin clean (we just apologize profusely to the cabin steward and leave a bigger tip!)

Have a great time and get the kids interested in the trip by looking at the threads on the ports of call that you plan to visit.

[Fergus]

If your boys are the type that like to strike out on their own, St. Thomas would be a good stop for you........you could enjoy the shopping in Charlotte Amalie while the boys take a ferry to St. John and check out the beaches - very secluded and beautiful. You can rent bikes on St. John and bike to some absolutely stunning areas.

 

You really should consider Alaska also. We took our 12 and 15 yr olds and we ALL enjoyed it more than any other cruise we've ever done. There are just so many things to do on shore - kayaking, whalewatching, dogsledding, train rides, fishing - way too many to mention here, but check out the Alaska board for more info.

[galavant3]

We've taken our kids on several RCI cruises and they are addicted! They like the larger ships - Freedom or Voyager Class (more people thus greater liklihood of finding kids their age). At 18 they can go into the night clubs, they just can't drink until 21. If your kids are social, it will be the best vacation they've ever had. Ours (girl 21, boys 18 and 15) take advantage of every activity and every show. They also love to eat in the dining room because the waiter quickly learns their names and preferences.

[galavant3]

Forgot to mention, I have always suffered from motion sickness and I don't feel it at all when cruising so it might not be an issue. Otherwise, you'll find lots of suggestions.