My husband and I were on a cruise the first week in January and our 12 and 15 yo said they wanted to go on one with us next time. It was a trip my husband qualified for thru work so it was only for us. While we were on the cruise, we kept saying, what would the kids be doing now if we had them here? It seemed like there wasn't much for them to do consistently, and surprisingly the things scheduled for their age groups were late at night like 10pm.
Have you had your kids on a 4-5 day cruise and if so, what did you all do? I mean, there is eating of course. And we sat on the deck one afternoon and read our books. And there was the water slide and pool. And we went on land during the stops. But what else? Did you just let them run around with other kids they met? This makes me a little nervous mostly for my 15 yo daughter who is high functioning but has ADD and Asperger's. I would not want to put either in harms way by trusting them to just go off and hang with kids they just met but I don't know what else they would do.
We don't want to waste the money and go and then not have fun or have them "bored" because there isn't any electronics for them. lol We have been together 7 years and have not really gone on a "big" family trip and we have money saved up to do something this summer. If we don't do the cruise, we are thinking of driving to CA and hitting a couple of the big theme parks and a couple days at the beach in between. Any thoughts? Maybe I'm worrying about it for no reason. =0)
We noticed the activities during the day for "kids" were under 12 yo. The older kids scheduled activities for 12 and older were usually at night. They had "family friendly" comedy show but that was 45 minutes. I guess we could just try it and see.
They have teen groups and lots of activities. Usually they can't do it all!!! Can't imagine them being bored at all.
i guess it's hard for me to answer this because i just don't think kids should spend 24/7 being entertained, especially when they hit the teen years. nor would i consider it putting my kids 'in harms way' by letting them play and hang out with new friends on a ship. they probably couldn't explore the entire thing in that short a time frame, and it's not like they're going to get lost.
i can't imagine that any kid would be bored on a 5 day cruise, and i'd worry about a kid who did. if books, a pool, new friends and new countries to explore don't keep a kid 'entertained' over the course of less than a week, that's the real problem.
khairete
S.
My friend has gone on Nickelodeon cruises with her son who was 12/13. He loves them. Lots of activities so maybe check out those. Funny though how when I was a kid, a pool and a book was all I needed... I'm not criticizing. I feel the same way about entertaining my kids but sometimes wonder how this all got started. Anyway, your alternative of a California vacation sounds great too. So incredibly much to do in CA. I'm not sure why a cruise would be "better". Actually, probably more relaxing for you if you find a cruise with activities for tweens/teens. Otherwise, CA would probably be more fun.
We did a Royal Carribean cruise when our girls were 13 and 11. Our oldest also has ADD and anxiety. We LOVED that the electronics went in the safe and they couldn't even think about them. My 11 year old got more out of the activities for kids than my 13 year old. That is simply due to personality differences and the fact that my 13 year old missed the 1st day mixer, which would have been key to getting to know some people. Also she would have been the very youngest in the teen group (a little too intimidating for her). She is 15 now and I know she would be a lot more comfortable with the programming. She even says she would love to do that now that she is a older, and she would be thrilled to meet some other teens. I don't recall activities being late at night. Our youngest LOVED the room service breakfast because she loves to get up slowly at her own pace. And she could stay in the room while the rest of us enjoyed the buffet. We spent plenty of family time at the pools, and at shows, evening dining room, and on day excursions off-ship. My kids loved the freedom, and it was OK they spent some downtime in the cabin sorting shells and watching TV. We were fine letting them go for ice cream, check out of kids programs, etc. on their own. They did really well with the independence and following our safety rules.
I have a 12 year old.
I can't imagine him being bored on a cruise.
Tween events, kids camps, pool, slides, arcades....
A friend of mine is a travel agent. They would be very helpful in a case like this at finding the right cruise for you.
I haven't been on a cruise, but I know from hearing from friends and family that they differ widely in what is offered and places they stop (what's available to do at each destination).
Some are definitely geared more towards families. I would suggest that route if it were me. Friends of ours went on a Disney Cruise (not that your kids would be into that) but the kids were aged 2 years-16 years and everyone enjoyed themselves (the whole extended family went).
The entertaining kids thing ... we were shocked last year - took our kids camping for a week. No where but beach and wilderness. The kids said it was the best trip of their lives. We never left to go into town or any of the local attractions - saved a ton of money and best memories ever. Blew my mind (wish I'd known that before) :) Doing it again this year.
Good luck :)
We had the kids a on the cruise with us. We took them to the beach when we were docked for 1.5 days, and other times they had to check in with us regularly (since our cell phones didn't work). They had a friend each, so they needed to stick together, and we always had meals together to check in. The ship had a climbing wall, some family friendly activities, and a teen scavenger hunt. You have the added concerns about your one child, so you'd have to determine if your daughter could handle the ship or not.
It sounds like you need to look at family cruise lines / family themed cruises.
5 Best Cruise Lines for Families
http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/cruises/articles/5...
My kids are young teens, and it is not unusual to be up late for things on non-school nights. Their school activity nights go to 9, YMCA events run to midnight, the B&G Club has movie nights that are 9-11pm.
Time isn't the big question for your daughter, imo, it is about her capabilities and needs. I can't say what those are, but you know them. :-)
Some of the cruise lines have tween activities and I can't imagine they don't have some sort of activities and events for the younger teens too.
10pm isn't all that late for kids this age. Some kids this age stay up later than midnight on the weekends.
I think you need to research each line and find out what they offer for them and ask them if they'd like that.
I haven't been on a cruise myself, but have friends who have been.
In terms of kids activities and keeping your kids occupied, it really depends on the style of cruise you choose. There are cruises that are geared towards adults and cruises geared towards families. If you do your research, you probably can find a cruise or cruise line that will meet the needs of your whole family. I hear that Disney does a great family cruise with some wonderful activities for kids the ages of yours.
Do keep in mind that the activities for the younger kids are probably scheduled for the daytime because they ARE younger, and can't stay up late. Also, teens love staying up late. You might be surprised, it's possible that there are cruise that target the teen population.
Anyway, good luck and have fun whatever you decide to do.
Mine were 5, 7, and 9 when we cruised and they all stayed at the late night parties when they had them for their ages. When we were on the ship they were in the camps if they were open, but otherwise they were with us. They enjoyed the pools, the arcades, the unlimited ice cream, basketball, mini golf, and the 9 year old enjoyed hanging with her friends she met on the ship. We are super protective so it took a lot for us to let her go off, but she is very responsible and did fabulous. She was back when she was supposed to and stayed where she told us she was going to be...because we checked on her a couple of times in the 2 hours she had.
We want to go on another so badly, but the kids will all be a little older, since they are now or about to be 8, 10, and 12. A cruise might be 2-3 years for us, and I'd love to hear opinions on kids those ages. But mine also love to just hang by the pool or do the sports activities. They also enjoyed the shows.
Honestly, I would do it. The older kids I know that have cruised have LOVED it. Plus you should hit 2-3 ports on a 4-5 day cruise and that's priceless on it's own. Go and enjoy - you guys deserve it!
My 8 year old tended to stay with us for all of the shows we went to. She went to camp a few days for a few hours. Otherwise, at 8, life still revolves around her. Cruises are great and your 15 YO will be fine either with the other kids (they will help her out) or just hanging out with you. Royal Caribbean has great programs for kids of all ages (me included).
Go and have fun. You'll love it.
Like you said, your kids are too old for the daytime kids' activities but I think it would really depend on the destination. I've cruised twice - once to Mexican Riviera and once to Alaska. The MR cruise was much more fun - they had all kinds of things going on on deck during the day that would be great for tween/teens. But the Alaska cruise had none of that and the passengers were older. It was so cold, doing activities on deck was out of the question.
I think your kids will get bored with just the pools and slides and the arcades are small and expensive. I can't imagine how much it would cost to keep kids entertained in the arcades for any real length of time. I think you need to find a cruise that offers poolside activities/entertainment.
