Traveling with teens

[Kathysum]

We are taking a group family cruise on the July 10th Diamond Princess to Alaska with teens. My teens are well behaved but I am concerned about how much free rein I should allow them on board.

Are there any activities or entertainment specifically geared for teens?

I already have noted that the internet access is pricey so I have already warned them about the internet cafe access fees.

Anyone here cruised with teens?

Any safety concerns?

Any reccomendations, suggestions or warnings would be appreciated.


Kathy

 

[Einstein]

I have NO children but have been on enough cruises to see the good and the bad. Let me 1st say that the Diamond and ALL Grand Class ships have a VERY Good childrens program and YES they will have a rhrough agenda for the daily activities.. As there will be more children onboard since its a summer cruise that should allot your kids a FAR better opportunity to meet and make friends and have FUN. That being said I think the majority of problems I have seen have come from the FREE reign attitude that MANY parents allot their teenagers. When given free reign and roaming priveledges MOSTkids atr quite responsible but when in groups they tend to get a bit bolder. While Princess will have qa VERY detailed agenda tehy are by NO means completely in charge of the teenagers whereabouts every moment. From the questions U are posing I am sure U are a responsible parent or U would NOT be asking these questions. I guess my advise would be to handle them NO different than if they were home and make sure they have a check-in time with U to report their accountability. Also perhaps an occasional checkup by U or hubby would reassure U and possibly avoid any embarassing moments via a contact thru the pursors desk. The safety issues are quite visible and will be reinforced at the muster drill and a reminder occasionally that the waters of which U are surrounded are VERY dangerous and can take a life VERY quickly. I know U will have a Gr8 time on the Diamond and enjoy the beauty of Alaska. :thumb

 

[Kathysum]

Thanks Einstein,

We are traveling with a family group of 13 for my inlaws 50th wedding anniversary and will have plenty of adults and college age kids to chaperone. We have already assigned adult/teen buddies. I am just trying to stay ahead of the game.

The teens in question are 12, 14, 15 and 16. They know what is expected of them. You can be assured their Dad and I will be keeping close tabs on them!...not to mention their grandparents, aunt, uncle, a college age brother and 2 college age cousins!

I appreciate the benefit of your experience.

Kathy

 

[TinaLee]

Hi Kathy! We've been cruising with my now 17-year-old daughter since she was 5! (Heck, she even got to meet Einstein at a sail away party once).

The 12 year old will not be a part of the "teen" programs on a Princess ship, and that's an awkward age. Might think the younger kids are TOO young, if you know what I mean. Hopefully there will be quite a few in that actual age group. I believe the 14 y/o and up will all qualify for the teen programs. They have a dedicated teen room, and I believe on this ship they have their own sun deck/hot tub area as well (they do on Grand/Golden). They have special times set aside for the teens in the disco areas, but no teens under 18 in the discos after 10 p.m.

We've always had a curfew with Cory, but it's a flexible curfew depending on what is going on any given night. Since the pools are open 24/7 and fresh water on Princess, usually the teens like to hang out for a while, change into swim suits and hit the pools and hot tubs once they get booted from the disco areas. Most nights she's in by midnight to 1 a.m. I DO NOT believe in letting them stay out all night. She's in the cabin before I go to sleep.

My best advice is MEET THE PARENTS of the kids your kids are hanging out with. Make sure your kids understand that they don't go into another cabin for ANY REASON. Keep in touch with them. Bring post-it notes so they can leave you a note in the cabin. Make sure they know where YOU will be if they need you. Casually "wander" thru the deck with eyes wide open to see what they're up to. Mine is a BIG time card player. They can get decks of cards from the Pursers desk and sit out by the pool or in the card room playing cards for hours!!

They'll have a wonderful time. If I can answer any specific questions, I'd be glad to!

TinaLee