Will my 15 & 13 yo boys have enough to do?

I found a great deal on the Reflection that I couldn't pass up! I've been on RCI but never on X so I'm wondering about activities for my young teenage boys and what they will need to wear. I don't have sport jackets for them.

When & where are you going. A port intensive cruise would have them busy during the day. If they are used to things like the rock wall, flow rider, skating rink & mini golf they may be disappointed as there are none of these type of things on X.

I have seen groups of children participating in the ship's youth program & they looked like they were having a blast but the ones I have seen were around 6-9 years old.

Hopefully others who have sailed with teenage boys can chime in.

If during a school break there will be enough others their age that activities will be organized for them

IMHO it really depends on their personalities. My son is more of a quiet type - he always enjoyed Celebrity although having sailed RCI as an adult I heard "I wish they had ships like this when I was a kid". He would bring his laptop with some video games loaded, reading material, etc.. We would also bring a couple extra games to play as a family (like Yahtzee). There is a decent children's program, as well as a basketball court, pool, game room. S class ships also have a decent selection of movies on the television (M class not so much). So can they have a good time? Absolutely. Would they have a better time on an RCI ship - probably. My belief is that until they are the ones paying, they go where the family prefers and find ways to have fun. These days life is so chaotic a little chill time, and some family time can be good for everyone.

As to jackets - on most cruises yes, they do enforce the jacket requirement in the MDR at dinner on formal nights. There is alternative casual dining where dressing up is not mandatory, and free room service. Also, the specialty restaurants do not require jackets on any nights, although of course that can get expensive for a family of four.

When is the cruise?

Thanks for the feedback. The cruise is during school break so I assume there will be more families on board. My kids are low-key. They didn't take advantage of most of the activities on the Liberty so I guess they will be fine. I am really looking forward to this trip!

If you have them in nice pants and a long sleeved shirt(even that isn't necessary) they will be fine. Even men wearing this are fine.

Not so! Men without jackets may not be fine. Some do slip in but others are turned away. This may be a good time to have your young men consider abiding by the dress code as written

Specialty restaurants don't require jackets, but at the cost per person, it would probably be cheaper to just buy your boys a jacket!

Seriously, you can probably find nice looking jackets at thrift shops. As young men grow out of their clothes so quickly, there's a pretty fast turnover of merchandise there, you should be able to find perfectly fine jackets at not much cost.

My granddaughters have always loved their Holiday cruises on Celebrity from when they were little until now as older teens. :)

LuLu

Time for the kids to learn what "properly dressed" means. There will plenty of opportunities in their future for them to get dressed up. Get them used to it now. They'll look good, will have great self-confidence, and will learn an important lesson.

Time for the kids to learn what "properly dressed" means. There will plenty of opportunities in their future for them to get dressed up. Get them used to it now. They'll look good, will have great self-confidence, and will learn an important lesson.

Break them in to these uncomfortable situations.:rolleyes:

My nephews cruised for the first time at 7 and 10 this past winter. They loved it. We were on Silhouette and they never once complained they were bored. When we were on there were 43 kids on the ship, so they had LOTS of attention from the ship staff everywhere they went.

As for dressing - they wore khakis and collared shirts for dinner in the MDR each night, was never an issue.

As for dressing - they wore khakis and collared shirts for dinner in the MDR each night, was never an issue.

Exactly.

I was on the Solstice to Alaska in June. One formal evening about 10:00 pm I ran into two well-behaved young gentlemen about 14 years old on an elevator. They both had sports coats. It was near the end of the cruise and since they seemed friendly, I asked them if there were enough activities to keep them interested and entertained. They both enthusiastically responded that they were having a great time on the ship, and that this was their favorite vacation. I can't think if a better endorsement.

As for putting on a sport coat, some people find any coat uncomfortable. Personally, I don't find my white tie and tails uncomfortable. Why not use this opportunity to try out dressing elegantly? Maybe they will enjoy it. My wife's nephew who is about 13 has an appreciation for ties and sport coats and dress shirts. He seems better behaved when he dresses up.

I hope you have a great cruise. Jerry of Jerry and Lady Kathryn

My issue with sport coats involves packing them. It is going to be a challenge already to pack lightly for this trip. We are 4 in a stateroom. As far as future opportunities to wear them.....they just don't happen often enough to justify the cost. If we have to forgo the MDR, i guess that's what we will have to do.

they do enforce the jacket requirement in the MDR at dinner on formal nights.

they do enforce the jacket requirement in the MDR at dinner on formal nights.

Maybe 5% of the time--and then if the guy has scrufty clothes on.

What a great opportunity to dress up as a family! I love seeing young people dressed up on formal night and getting their photos taken - priceless. As for following the guidelines - because lets face it - there are plenty of other lines that don't require dressing up so why choose the line that does and then not participate. There will be enough children dressed properly that your boys might feel left out if they also don't get the chance and who wants to miss the formal night dinner by eating in the buffet.

Jackets need not be expensive - just shop at a discount or consignment shop and then you can re-sell them after they've been out grown. As for packing - don't - put your boys in their jeans and sneakers with a shirt and the jacket over that - plane too hot or too cold - instant on and off. Totally in style for travel these days and they'll look like rock stars - tell your 15 yr old that the girls will like it. :D

Break them in to these uncomfortable situations.:rolleyes:

COMPLETELY the wrong way to look at it, and a terrible example for kids. Dressing up is not uncomfortable, it is an event to be celebrated. Create that image with children at a young age, and they will dress to impress for a lifetime.

Often the kids like to eat together at the buffet, so they wouldn't need jackets there at all. They can eat with you as a family on the "smart casual and above" nights, and eat with the other kids on the "formal nights" giving you and your husband a night to yourselves.

I second the recommendation to look at thrift stores for sport coats. I would have the boys wear them on the plane if that is how you get there.

If they don't want to wear them, tell them it is practice for being an adult in the professional world. I see a lot of college students who are so uncomfortable in a coat and tie when they approach a career fair or interview that it makes a tense situation even worse. Mine practice wearing dress clothes regularly so that when the interview comes, at least that isn't another problem.

My newest dilemma is whether my son should wear his tux, his suit, or his dress blues on our next cruise.

I second the recommendation to look at thrift stores for sport coats. I would have the boys wear them on the plane if that is how you get there.

 

If they don't want to wear them, tell them it is practice for being an adult in the professional world. I see a lot of college students who are so uncomfortable in a coat and tie when they approach a career fair or interview that it makes a tense situation even worse. Mine practice wearing dress clothes regularly so that when the interview comes, at least that isn't another problem.

 

My newest dilemma is whether my son should wear his tux, his suit, or his dress blues on our next cruise.

Congratulations - it sounds like you've raised a wonderful young man and thank him for his service from us!

Often the kids like to eat together at the buffet, so they wouldn't need jackets there at all. They can eat with you as a family on the "smart casual and above" nights, and eat with the other kids on the "formal nights" giving you and your husband a night to yourselves.

This is usually what our kids do, they dont want to sit through a long dinner, at their age, its eat and run, (although they do join us sometimes and know how to have a civilised meal, they just prefer not to!) look, this question was not just about dining and formal wear. So, enough for them to do....?

The ship has a sports deck, and a teen club, a small arcade room and a pool. As long as you make sure they are observing good ship behaviour they should have enough to do. But, I always ensure port days are researched and organise tours that keep them active, and entertained in a way that suits them as kids, like water rafting, beach trips, volcano hikes, cycling tours etc. not just churches.

My boys love Celebrity, and so far, we have enjoyed taking them.

Our boys are virtually the same age as yours and they do enjoy X. They meet others of a similar age at the first night get together in the teens club. The staff organise certain activities and the teen club also has other facilities on hand (Xboxes, ping pong tables, etc.). Additionally, there's the sports court and arcade. Most teens tend to 'hang out' together with similar aged kids.

We also involve them in the decision making for the port excursions. You'll find everyone enjoys their vacation more if they feel they've participated in the planning. As Louise stated, do something they are interested in and they enjoy as well as all the 'old' people activities (as parents are sometimes called) :D.

Our kids do join us every evening for dinner and then go change their clothes to meet their new friends. As for formal wear, we have one son that loves dressing in his waistcoat or jacket, complete with tie, for dinner and one that prefers a shirt and tie with dress trousers (I believe this is because he wears a blazer every day to school and feels like he's going there instead of to dinner :p. I also realise this is possibly different from children in the USA where school uniforms tend not to be the norm). As he looks smarter than some men in the MDR, he has never been turned away.

You've actually reminded me of a previous experience:

On one of our Royal sailings a few years ago, my DH and I had planned to go to Chops with our travelling companions and so the children were going to go to the buffet. The waitstaff in the MDR wouldn't hear of such a thing and told the boys to come to dinner on their own. The couple on the next table with a small child said they would also appreciate the boys (our 2 and our friends' 1) coming to the MDR as they had kept their child entertained every evening. So, my DH escorted the boys to the MDR table and then left them to enjoy their meal; they had a fantastic time. The following evening, the couple from the next table showed us some very funny photos they had taken of the boys :).

Btw, do try the Lawn Club Grill if you have one on your ship - our kids loved the experience. They also enjoyed Qsine, which I think was better experienced because we went as a group. The speciality restaurants usually offer deals throughout the cruise. If none are advertised, ask and you will probably find the restaurant managers will offer some sort of discount e.g. 2 for 1 on the kids meals ;).

We find even on the Royal ships that provide all the extra facilities, our kids don't tend to use them frequently. Every child is different. They do love the sports court and would miss that on any ship.

Our kids have been on every one of our cruises and said they have enjoyed them all - some more than others, but that goes with any vacation :).