first cruise, with 2 teenagers
 

We have 5 days available at the end of March. Have traveled extensively (Asia, Europe, Middle East) but never on a cruise. We'll be taking our 13 year old daughter and a friend of hers. <BR><BR>I'm looking for a ship that we can all enjoy (that means no disney!) - the adults like peace and relaxation, good food and wine. Kids need to be entertained as well. Do not want ship that caters to wild partying. Don't want &quot;cheesey&quot; entertainment.<BR><BR>Any suggestions??

Try one of RCCIs Voyager class ships (Voyager, Exploere, Adventure, Navigator). They have tons of activities for the 13 yesar old to enjoy (rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, mini golf, etc) and a terrific teen program that my kids love. The adults will also love it.<BR><BR>We sailed on Voyager last year and can;t wait to go on another one of these ships.

Hi Catherine,<BR><BR>I would definitely stay away from Royal Caribbean. The Disco and liquor is available to teens through older friends. All mass-market ships are party-type ships. Also the food and wine is only average.<BR><BR>Best to look at Celebrity or the new ships of Holland America who now has an excellent expanded children's program.<BR><BR>Most 13 year olds will get to meet others and hang out together. They are not really into structured programs. When they get together with their new friends they decide as a group which programs itnerest them.<BR><BR>Keep in mind, a ship like a large city and a child can get into trouble. Keep one eye open. They will have a wonderful time with your supervision. <BR><BR>Paul

The kids are going to be bored on HAL and Celebrity. I would avoid these lines, personally with (2) 13 year olds. My friends who have brought kids on Celebrity have deeply regretted it.<BR><BR>I would look into Princess. RCCL's Voyager class of ship would be a second choice.

Princess is my suggestion. I am in my mid 30's and I was bored on Celebrity and Holland America. I can't imagine being 13 on these ships. We also found the entertainment lacking on Celebrity (but better on HAL).

catherine - if you had more than 5 days I would heartily recommend one of the voyager class RCCL ships. We have two teenage girls and they would vote the Explorer their best of 13 cruises. Disregard Paul's comments - he certainly doesn't have the perspective of a parent of teenagers sailing the voyager class ships. When his kids were teenagers, the Norway was brand new. What he fails to realize is that ill-behaved teens will find alcohol and mischief on a garbage skif if they want to - it has little to do with the cruise line, ship or anything else.<BR><BR>Since you only have 5 days, I would heartily recommend the Monarch of the Seas. RCCL is a good family cruiseline and the ship, while not of the most modern era, is very clean, and well maintained. It does the western caribbean giving you good ports for active teenager excursions. If you're interested, I and others on this site (excl Paul) can give you advice on excursions.

If one reads carefully Catherine's post ..... good food ... good wine.... peace and quiet .... daughter that has traveled with them in Europe, etc.<BR><BR>Celebrity has an absolutely wonderful children's program with quality staff and quality prizes (not cheap plastic trinkets). I have sailed many Celebrity ships with my family. It is a country-club experience.<BR><BR>Holland America is gearing towards famlies. The Maasdam had more than 20,000 children aboard in 2002. The new Zuiderdam is projecting 30,000 children in 2003. The staff to children ratio is 1 staff to every 30 children. The Waverunner Teen Club has a dance floor where they can dance to a booming sound system and special lighting effects. They have their own game room to play video games, watch movies on a big screen TV, compete in teen games for cool prizes or just hang out with friends. The club also has a pantry with juice and soda machines. Half Moon Cay (private island) has swimming snorkeling, sailing, volleyball and frisbee. <BR><BR>So when parents enjoy elegance, the kids will have a blast.<BR><BR>Think twice about RCCL Voyager since I sailed both the Voyager and Explorer and it is a fact that teens are drinking in and out of the disco. It is a fairly large city, boys and girls. They are fun ships with plenty to see and do but not the experience that Celebrity and Holland has.<BR><BR>I am sure parents know that teens do not tell parents everything and if parents think they do, they are naive. Of course you can trust them ...... up to a point.<BR><BR>Princess has great ships and good food along with a great children's program but I do not believe it is up to Celebrity or Holland's standards. I am sure many will agree.<BR><BR>Paul

As a voice of a mother with teens, we have sailed on all the major cruiselines that our family can afford (HAL, Celebrity, Carnival, Princess, RCCL, NCL).<BR><BR>They hated Celebrity. They were so bored. They couldn't wait to get off the ship. Their teen program was lacking a year ago when we sailed. I had heard that their program for 5 year olds was decent but did not compare to Carnival, Princess or RCCL.<BR><BR>The teen program was a little better with HAL, but the teens had far more fun on our trip on Explorer of the Seas and on the Grand and Sea Princess.<BR><BR>I can say that we experienced no problems with alcohol with my teens.<BR><BR>Personally, I wouldn't listen to Paul. We have yet to sail on the new HAL ship (only a few weeks out) and may consider that but the older ships we will not sail on as a family again. My kids felt like the average age on the ship was 80 and I couldn't disgree much with them.<BR><BR>They also enjoyed Carnival's teen program but we as a family didn't like the ship. It wasn't one of Carnival's newer ships.

My girfriend recently sailed on HAL and was bored to death. She said never again. By the way she is 55!! What will a 13 year old think?? She has sailed twice Carnival and wanted something different. If Carnival isn't quite what you want, then I would stay with RCCL. They are a fine line, but of course as in anyplace, you would keep an &quot;eye&quot;out for you child. That is only common sense. Alcohol is easy to obtain on any line.

Please read Catherine's post again.

Thanks to all for your input. But I'm confused as ever. I'm wondering if a cruise is even what we should be considering?? <BR><BR>We like to travel fairly loosely - lived in Japan for a couple years, drove everywhere; went to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea with the kids (ages 5 and 9) without an itenarary or reservations. Not crazy about guided tours, unless absolutely necessary- like in Lebanon. Didn't care for Disney at all. Hate waiting in lines or being treated like cattle. Generally rely on local transportation or rent a car when we're in Europe. Don't like to be stuck.<BR><BR>We originally were considering a nine day trip to either France (daughter studying French in school) or Scotland (she loves castles), but schedule dictates only 5 free days.<BR><BR>Our family loves the beach, spent several summers in panhandle of FL - back when it was quiet sleepy place. Didn't care for Cancun, but loved the quieter beaches in Mexico. Didn't much care for all-inclusive resort in Dominican Republic, though beaches were nice. Costa Rica all-inclusive was better as we were able to rent a car and go off on our own. Have not been to Caribbean.<BR><BR>My in-laws suggested a cruise as they have been on many and greatly enjoyed. They've not traveled with kids. Our daughter is quite level headed and am not worried about her drinking or getting into usual teen trouble. She'd be interested in snorkeling, rock climbing, swimming, and so on. She is on the kid side of 13, playful rather than into boys, drinking, clothes. (I know that is gonna change one of these days, and I'm enjoying this while it lasts.)<BR><BR>We were looking for a nice relaxing few days, where we (mostly me!) didn't have to plan a bunch of activities to entertain our daughter and her friend. Where the adults could relax and enjoy a few days as well.<BR><BR>So what do y'all think? Is a cruise for us or should I be looking to plan another type of vacation??

Have you considered Windjammer? Good if you can squeeze one more day. Totally different than mainline cruises but still loads of fun and a lot less luggage to hassle with.

catherine - the Monarch would be a wonderful cruise for you and your teens.While the ship is a few generations back, it still has the modern features such as the atrium and modern teen facilities (teen club, etc.). We sailed her sister ship the Majesty when my daughters were 14 and 11 and they had a ball. You can get several different western caribbean itineraries that will be &quot;active ports&quot; with snorkeling, scuba, waterfalls, etc.<BR><BR>As an alternative (pricey but worth it) I would suggest the Radisson Diamond sailing out of San Juan (5 day cruise) that included Tortola, St. Barthelemy, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. Radisson has most everything included in their price to include water sports (wave runners, snorkeling, etc.) and they do it right from the ship. Check it out on their website or go to Expedia for the pricing.<BR><BR>Cruising can truly be relaxing and someone once said &quot;its like waking up in a different five star resort every day.&quot;

i have to agree w/ peters last post both recomendations are great choices... Radisson although a litle more expensive has a higher level of service and food and a more interesting itinerary than the standard w. carib. as for paul's last comments HAL would NOT be enjoyed by 13y/o's (and as for his misleading statistics... 30,000 children in a year <BR>compared to the number of overall passangers isnt a very high precentage.)<BR>and besides that fact.. HAl and CEL do not offer 5 night sailings. (paul... before you tell other people to read the origional post more thoroughly you should do the same before posting as the post clearly said they had 5 days!!)<BR>but a cruise is definately a GREAT vacation option that will please everyone.

I'm sorry I have no advice. You see, we are planning on taking our girls (18 and 16 when we go) on a cruise. I'm already researching so am really interested in what you decide to do. Would you please post a message when you return and give a report?<BR>You can e-mail me that's easier.<BR>Thank you!

To Mary;<BR>We have sailed with our two teenagers on eight cruises and the best for teens would have been the Voyager class ships of RCL. They are the ones with the rock climbing, ice skating, etc. Their teen programs are excellent and I would have to disagree with Paul and his comments about alcohol and the disco. Neither I or my wife heard or saw any instances of teen drinking in or out of the disco. Actually, the teens on that cruise were better behaved than on most of the other ships we've been on. You need to take Paul with a grain of salt sometimes.

Actually Disney is very nice, with good food and wine. Their adults only deck is ideal to get away from the littler ones, they have a great spa and excellent shows. Their private island, Castaway Cay, allows you to be distanced from all the activities. On my sailing we saw older couples, younger couples and singles. So there is something for everyone,I loved it!

Catherine, reconsider the cruise. Since you've posted on the cruise forum, you're not likely to hear anything other than how wonderful they are. I think I'm a traveler with similar tastes as your own (like to be independent and actually experience places). I tried the cruise thing once. Never need to do it again. What cruisers and cruise lines never tell you is that they are NOT FOR EVERYONE regardless of the ship/itinerary.<BR>There have been lenghty threads on &quot;to cruise or not to cruise&quot;. Try a search or repost a similar question on another forum. You'll get a more balanced perspective.

We went on a Disney Cruise for 3 days. 4 in the park and 3 on a cruise. I thought it was great, and we are in our late 40's. Hmmm!! Not sure what that means, but the Castaway Island was a great day. The food was o.k. but I thought it was a nice family type atmosphere. I am not sure I would go Disney again, but I enjoyed my 3 days kids and all. A vacation is what you make of it. Some folks enjoy most things, and some people dislike almost everything. It just depends on ones outlook I suppose.

HEY, WE TOOk two teens, (age 14 and 16) on a 10 day cruise (Princess) and we never saw them. They had the time of their lives, and were busy with new friends...had to force them to show up at dinner just to know they were still with us. Go for it.

Kids should have a great time on any ship. My kids would rather cruise than go to Disney World. If they are bored it is their own fault.<BR><BR>If parents would stay up until 3 or 4AM they would see what goes on on many cruise lines. I do. Do you?? I also have many conversations with the security staff. Most parents do not care. They do not want to hear what their teens ar doing since it is their vacation also and they do not want to be bothered. I have sailed both the Voyager and Explorer and I know what goes on. No one can tell me different. To prove me right just go into the disco at 2AM, sit down, buy a coke and look around for half an hour. <BR><BR>In any event I am sure you will believe what you want. I am just telling you to be observant. Better safe than sorry since you will be the first ones to sue the cruise line.<BR><BR>Paul<BR><BR>

Paul - your kids are fifty years old! Disney World wasn't even in existence when your kids were &quot;kids&quot;!<BR><BR>As for your observations on the Explorer and Voyager - the one thing I'll guarentee you is that you won't see anyone's teens whose parents have raised them right and care enough to monitor their whereabouts. And none of those caring parent's teens will be seen around the ship at 3 or 4am - gaurenteed!!!!!<BR><BR>Once again, its not the ship - its the parents that matter.

Hello from one Catherine to another!<BR><BR>Catherine, sounds like you have a pretty terrific daughter! I teach that age group and she sounds like an intellegent and sensible girl. I don't think that she will get into trouble and I am sure that you will caution her.<BR><BR>Typically on cruises, teens usually meet with other teens and hang out. Usually the older teens are the ones hanging out in the discos and &quot;pushing the envelope&quot;. I have seen teens drinking but I have also seen many teens on cruises just hanging out and having a good time, and not getting drunk or getting in trouble. I only cruise in the summer so I see lots of teen behavior. Teens with a good head on their shoulder and strong sense of self worth tend not to hang out and get drunk.<BR><BR>I would try the cruise. I would, however, wait till you had time for a 7 day cruise and go on that. Shorter cruises tend to be more of the party atmospher you don't want.<BR><BR> I am an independent traveler and have done many land based trips all over . I spent 3 weeks in Europe last summer by myself on a trip I planned by myself and had a glorious time. I couldn't see myself following the tour group leader like a lemming and it was great to experience Europe and meet local people.<BR><BR>I have sailed on many cruises as well. I look at a cruise as an inexpensive means to island hop, since I love the Caribbean and I am a snorkel and beach fanatic. I have no trouble finding peace and quiet on the ship since there are many places to &quot;hide&quot; on the giant mega ships now. I have sailed on the Voyager of the Seas twice and it is a great ship in terms of activities. I loved the excercise classes, the rock climbing wall, they have a very nice ice skating show and they open the ice rink for kids to skate - call them to get the specifics on whether you need your own skates or not. The Western Caribbean itin will be very interesting for your daughter - lots of great snorkeling opportunities, especially at Stingray City.<BR><BR>In terms of food and entertainment, don't expect gourmet dining. If it were just you and your husband, I would recommend Celebrity in a heartbeat. But I have had friends who loved the Celebrity ship, but their kids were bored. As far as the Voyager,the food is good, but not great. There are some &quot;cheesy&quot; aspects to the cruise, such as some cruise person will be around seemingly everywhere you turn to take you picture when you get off the boat, when you get on the boat, etc. <BR><BR>As an independent traveler, I look at the entertainment not as &quot;cheesy&quot; but as &quot;campy&quot; - from the hairy chest contest to the conga lines. Look at your cruise as a chance to explore a particular aspect of American pop culture, relax and go with the flow. And realize you can always find a quiet spot to simply enjoy yourself. Definitely do your own shore excursions - this is the part of my cruise I enjoy the most.<BR><BR>So, to summarize my advice, I would do a 7 day cruise when you have the time available. Maybe do another short trip for your 5 days in March. When you do your 7 day cruise, the Voyager would be a good ship in terms of activities.

I took two 14 year olds on HAL Amsterdam and they had a great time. They have come along way in the past few years and have a much younger crowd than when I first sailed on HAL about 15 years ago. Like you, I wanted relaxation, good food, good wine etc. It was an excellent choice for us. (wife and I are both in our mid 40's)

Took our kids, then 10 and 14 on a cruise in Alaska two years ago. The younger didn't mind being in the kids program and made some friends quickly. The 14 year old, however, was put into the &quot;teen&quot; program that ranged from 14 to 17 years old. What bothered us was that their &quot;program&quot; didn't BEGIN until 10 pm. and went until 2 am. While that might be allowable for the 17 year olds, we, as parents of one of the younger kids in the program, didn't like the age span, especially because of the maturity levels within that age group. There was a girl who was already in college (bright girl, who entered early) and then ours who just graduated 8th grade. Talk about an age span. <BR>The group would &quot;hang&quot; out together in the hallways and around the pools, but weren't allowed into the teen club/disco area until after the littler kids were gone...as I said, not until 10 pm. The counselors pretty much left them on their own too because they wanted them to feel &quot;independent.&quot; They had a few contests and things, like a scavenger hunt for them, and a &quot;whose the hottest girl/guy&quot; contest and such, but we didn't like the idea of the mix and thought the cruise line should have broken the group into a younger and older teen group, such as 14-15s or 14-16s or 16-17s or 17 and above. (I don't recall if the program went up to 18 year olds.)<BR>So parents beware and know your kids if you cruise with them.

I am sure Catherine's daughter is adult oriented and would stay with her parents if the children's program is not for her. She would also have her friend to be with and they could choose what they wished to do every day. <BR><BR>I am pleased to hear one poster that praises the HAL program. Hopefully we will hear from Celebrity passengers about their wonderful program. Overactive kids just may be bored but they are in the minority.<BR><BR>Hopefully Catherine will change her mind about cruising and will add a couple of days to her 5-day schedule.<BR><BR>Paul

Changing your tune, again, to suit the audience; eh, Paul?<BR><BR>catherine - after all the good advice - I'd try the Monarch for the 5 days and treat it like a &quot;sampler&quot; to see if you like cruising. The experience you get won't be as complete as you'd get on a 7-day larger, newer ship experience; but it will give you a taste to see if cruising is for you and your family.

Thanks to all for the information. Great input, but we're still chewing on all this... It is not all that easy to find a cruise for the very specific 5 days we have available. Wish we had a few more days to play with.<BR><BR>And then, I'm not sure I can envision us at a &quot;hairy chest contest&quot; or a &quot;hottest guy/gal contest&quot; (and we'd not be forerunners in either contest!). Surely there are alternatives? How intense is the feeling of being in a crowd or in lines?<BR><BR>Good food would be a necessity also. Anyone ever feel clausotophobic (sp?) or &quot;stuck&quot; while on a cruise?

I understand your fear of being &quot;stuck&quot;. Personally I have never felt stuck becuase I use cruise vacation to unwind and get away from everything. It's sorta like a retreat on a ship. Although most ships offer many things to do from internet cafes to casinos, etc., I usually love doing very little on the boat. My typical sea day consists of getting up, having a great workout, showering, eating breakfast and then spending the day reading, looking at the ocean, napping, taking a spa treatment, having conversations with friends and/or family that have traveled with me and enjoying the fact that these conversations are relaxed and not interupped by the usual day to day interuptions.<BR><BR>My shore days are spent relaxing at the beach, looking for unique island arts and crafts and spices, and snorkeling as much as I can. I almost always plan my own excursions and have had great experiences with meeting the islanders and enjoying authentic island food and cultures. You have probably done similarly while traveling in Asia.<BR><BR>Just like any vacation, you can do as little or as much as you want to do. Although I usually like to do my own thing, I have danced in conga lines and other &quot;silly&quot; cruise things because I needed to relax and be silly! I go with no particular expectations except to relax and I usually have a very good time.<BR><BR>In terms of lines, you will encounter these on most major cruise line when embarking and disembarking and with some buffets. I usually avoid excessive lines by going early or at an off time. On a cruise you are not constantly waiting in line like you would be at Disneyworld, only for certain things and good timing can help you avoid or minimize the lines.<BR><BR>In terms of food, I have eaten at some of the finest restaurants around the world from Paris to San Francisco to Australia,etc. I live in Louisiana and regularly eat at great restaurants such as Emeril Lagasse's NOLA and K-Paul's (Paul Prudhomme of blackened redfish fame). I consider myself a &quot;foodie&quot; and for the most part have been pleased with cruise ship fare. No, it is not always gourmet quality, but it is not swill either. Breakfast and Lunch are typically massive buffets with lots of offerings to please a wide variety of palates. You can have a omelet made to order before your eyes and a wide variety of ethnic cusines are offered. Dinner is typically in courses with and tend to be things such as Vichyssoise and escargot for appetizers and herb encrusted sea bass, lobster, etc. <BR><BR>One thing I suggest is to involve your daughter in the planning of the cruise. What kind of activities would she and her friend like to do on a sea day? WHat would she like to do in port? She could even plan shore activities for the various ports of call which would be a great learning activity.<BR><BR>Another great resource is the web site www.cruisecritic.com. If you go to the section &quot;Boards&quot; there are sections for each of the cruise lines and there are hundreds of cruisers who can give you even more information on what the ships are like, what the food is like, and what the teen program is like. Compare responses for the Voyager class ships to those of HAL, Princess and Celebrity.<BR><BR>One other request, please let us know what you do decide. I am curious to know what you decide, whether you decide to cruise or not. If you do decide to cruise, I hope it is a 7 day, because these tend to be less party oriented than shorter cruises. <BR><BR><BR>

I have taken my son on the Voyager when he was 13. He loved it. Lots of &quot;stuff&quot; to keep him entertained HOWEVER, last year we sailed Celebrity's Galaxy and he still describes it as the best cruise ever. He loved the teen program, he liked the club director and the kids. The ship was small enough and the group was managable in size that he was able to meet a lot of kids and yet not have to contend with meeting 800 kids. Of course, cruising on school vacation with any cruise line, there will be kids. When the kids are in school, it doesn't matter how wonderful the kids program is, there have to be kids to have a program. We would sail on Celebrity again in a minute. This year four of us are going on the Explorer since my older son and husband haven't been on a mega ship before.

Hi Catherine. I was reading this with interest as my son was invited to go on a cruise with his cousin (they are 16) and I am also looking for the best option. However, I can tell you that when my husband and I take our kids on vacation, we never consider a cruise. Instead we choose a beautiful resort where we can spend a few quiet days on a beautiful island--the kids have a great time--even if there are few other kids around. I'd be glad to give you some of the ideas we have.--this year we are doing St. John, last year we went to Turks and Caicos--so that is an alternative.

Okay, here's my take..wde have taken our teens and they both had a great time. You must trust them, and check on them from time to time. I often went to the teen center and asked &quot;where is Mark, and where is Angela&quot;. If the supervisors didn't know, then I'd go looking for them, with the understanding they be back in their cabin by midnight. You got to treat them like you trust them,but be sure they understand that you are ging to inforce some rules. Anyway, by the time they are teens you have either done your job or not--teaching them right from wrong,that is. Why not give Princess a try. That was our choice and it turned out to be swell, all around. The kids said they had never had such a good time, and said they 'would never forget it'. I am glad that we could give them a wonderful memory.

A ton of thanks to all posters - the information/opinions, while often conflicting, are welcomed, interesting and bring up many more questions!!<BR><BR>In the end, it has been very difficult in finding a cruise that fit into our very constrained vacation time - let alone our &quot;style of travel.&quot; Ended up booking a week at a resort in Captiva, FL (we've stayed there several times before - teens should have a good time). This will also allow us (my daughter, her friend and me) a full week. The hubby will meet us there.<BR><BR>I think we will end up taking a cruise at some point - just to justify all the research I've done...<BR><BR>Will keep reading here, and I'm sure we'll find the perfect cruise for us. Y'all are great with the advice, thanks!