Graduation Trip Cruise

[Jilliebean28]

Hi everyone...I am new here. I have been on 3 cruises (all Disney) when my kids were small. My youngest will be graduating from high school next June and a group of her friends and their Moms are trying to plan a graduation cruise. I would love any advice you all could pass along. We are probably going to have about 10 kids and 10 Moms and are looking at cruising in late June, on a 7 night Caribbean cruise. We are from the Boston area. Any ideas on cruiselines, etc?? Thanks!!

[aflynn3]

Are you looking to leave out of Boston, NY area or okay with flying to Florida? Might be helpful for posters to know.

[pjtulsa]

Late June is Prime season so don't look too hard for a cheap cruise.

 

I would suggest Carnival, I have taken teens on them several times and they always have a great time. They tend to have a more party atmosphere than NCL, DISNEY, HAL OR PRINCESS. Of course if money is no object, I have also heard that RCL is great.

 

I would start looking now, if you can book something under Carnival's early saver you will receive OBC or upgrades if the price goes down anytime before you cruise.

 

Airfare is another thing. You can start looking for airfare about 10 months out and it is not always the cheapest then. Its hard to decide when to buy but if scheduling is important, buy earlier than later.

 

Good Luck & Happy Planning

[Peery5]

We took an 8 day eastern caribbean cruise on Carnival Miracle out of NYC and loved it. Our daughters, then, were 20 and 17. They both loved it as there was plenty to keep them occupied and lots of young people their age to keep them company.

[Jilliebean28]

Are you looking to leave out of Boston, NY area or okay with flying to Florida? Might be helpful for posters to know.

 

Ooops....yes, we would be fine going out of Florida too. Of course, going out of Boston, NY or Baltimore would save some $$. Thanks again!

[Jilliebean28]

bump

[Uncle Fester]

RCI or Carnival seem to have the most activities that would appeal to teens.

 

One thing to keep in mind with a group with this age group. The cruise lines tend to draw a bright line between being 17 and 18 years old. 18 and you're an adult, and can do all of the adult activities, including the casino, but no alcohol. It also means that you can't get into the teen club any longer.

 

17 year olds are not adults and can use the teen clubs, but can't get into the disco after a certain time and may be limited to other activities, and won't be allowed to use the casino.

 

Some have said that the cruise line may sometimes allow an 18 year old who is still in high school to be included in the teen activities, but they give up their right to do adult activities.

 

If your group of teens is all 17 or 18, then this shouldn't be a problem. If it's mixed pretty evenly, you might end up with a situation where some are allowed to one thing and others not.

[mixitup]

We have a group of teenagers/kids that are going on this cruise