Taking Grandchildren on a cruise

We want to take our grandchildren on a cruise in June 2016. Our granddaughter will be 16 and our grandson 14.

Our granddaughter is mature for her age and our grandson is a typical teenager.

We are very open to suggestions to a cruise line and ship. We typically cruise Celebrity and RCC and have our Diamond and Elite status, but we have also done Carnival, NCL and Princess for a total of 18 cruises. Warm weather is a must, and we would probably do a 7 day cruise from the East coast starting from our home state of PA. Flying to Florida is not a problem.

My wife is concerned that a Disney cruise may not interest our granddaughter. The cruise is really for her 16th birthday.

Any suggestions are more than welcome. We typically book our cruises 12 months or so in advance.

Seeing you have sailed RCI, do you think the grandchildren would enjoy that cruise line? Seems a good choice. Most kids love it, don't they?

I am not a Disney fan so agree that not all of us go all happy with cartoon characters. :)

Have you looked at bermuda?....cruised there in June 2 yrs in a row....beautiful island,a lot to see and do and ncl and X actually overnight there for 3 nights...out of Boston or nyc...

Have you asked your grand daughter to help pick up the cruise line she most like to cruise on for her birthday?

You are indeed special grandparents to do this for her. I had only one remaining living grand parent growing up and my memories of her are not pleasant ones. But because of this and looking back I found it only made me a stronger and kinder person. At least this is what my priest and friends tell me.

Thanks for the replies so far. We did Bermuda 2 years ago on RC and were in Hurricane Sandy. Lost a 2 year old vehicle with 16K miles on that trip while it was parked in Bayonne. I prefer sailing the Caribbean for their first cruise for smoother waters. Our granddaughter also sent me a Nov 2014 press release from Princess stating they were partnering with the Discovery Channel for programs on the ship starting this year. This may be a very good idea. Both of our grandchildren are technical in nature. I will have to keep an eye on their future cruises. Right now it doesn't look like they go past spring 2016 for the Caribbean cruises.

We've taken our grandchildren on two cruises. For teens, I think the RCL ships have the most to do (ours are very active), but most cruise lines should be fun.

I'd agree that the Caribbean is the best for truly warm weather in winter; Our favorite is the southern Caribbean, but that is a little harder to do on a 7 day cruise unless you start in San Juan.

Our kids loved both the eastern and western routes, so I wouldn't hesitate to do either. Ask them what activities or sights they'd like.

Having done a bunch of cruises with kids, I would say the Carnival Breeze and the larger RCCL ships are the most apt to keep teenagers entertained.

As for ports, I agree the Caribbean is the best treat. I choose based upon excursion. Some of my kids favorites over the past few years have been:

ziplining in Antigua

scoot cars in St. Maarten

flow rider in Grand Turk

scuba diving in St. Thomas (Coki Beach)

Aruba (can't remember hte private island, but had a water park, smorkeling, banana boat ride)

Swimming with dolphins

Snorkeling with sea turtles in Barbados and St Thomas

River tubing down the mountain in Grenada

Have fun!

We want to take our grandchildren on a cruise in June 2016. Our granddaughter will be 16 and our grandson 14.

 

Our granddaughter is mature for her age and our grandson is a typical teenager.

 

We are very open to suggestions to a cruise line and ship. We typically cruise Celebrity and RCC and have our Diamond and Elite status, but we have also done Carnival, NCL and Princess for a total of 18 cruises. Warm weather is a must, and we would probably do a 7 day cruise from the East coast starting from our home state of PA. Flying to Florida is not a problem.

 

My wife is concerned that a Disney cruise may not interest our granddaughter. The cruise is really for her 16th birthday.

 

Any suggestions are more than welcome. We typically book our cruises 12 months or so in advance.

Allure or Oasis.

Incredible ships.

Any RCI Freedom class or Oasis class are off the charts for kids or teens. I have a couple teenagers myself and they can't wait to go back. 7 days of heaven as far as they are concerned. Worth every penny. There is also plenty of adult things to do. These ships are nothing short of amazing. ( Diamond member with RCI) trust me 😄

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One thing to remember is that June is during hurricane season. So if you select a Caribbean cruise (and it's a good idea to ask the grandkids what they're interested in), just be prepared for the itinerary to change, so don't make it about going to specific ports.

If you want to check Princess cruises for a June cruise, check into their Alaskan cruises. Even though it might not be a "warm weather" cruise, there's a chance that it won't be cold. I guess the line has switched out from their partnership with California Science Center to Discovery. So the science activities are at least continuing. The Alaskan cruises are a great experience for kids, so offer that choice to them.

We want to take our grandchildren on a cruise in June 2016. Our granddaughter will be 16 and our grandson 14.

 

Our granddaughter is mature for her age and our grandson is a typical teenager.

 

We are very open to suggestions to a cruise line and ship. We typically cruise Celebrity and RCC and have our Diamond and Elite status, but we have also done Carnival, NCL and Princess for a total of 18 cruises. Warm weather is a must, and we would probably do a 7 day cruise from the East coast starting from our home state of PA. Flying to Florida is not a problem.

 

My wife is concerned that a Disney cruise may not interest our granddaughter. The cruise is really for her 16th birthday.

 

Any suggestions are more than welcome. We typically book our cruises 12 months or so in advance.

Why not get a list of ships that meet your timing and embarkation locations and have the Grandkids research which one they would like to cruise on?

I would give them a few very different options. If they are mature and want an unforgettable experience, consider Alaska. If they just want to hang out at beaches and the pool on the ship, the Caribbean. BTW- what do YOU plan on doing while they are at the beaches? I think Alaska would be a great experience for both generations.

June is a great time to travel to Alaska. And, June ISN'T hurricane season in the Caribbean. I believe you don't have to be seriously concerned until August rolls around.

One thing to remember is that June is during hurricane season. So if you select a Caribbean cruise (and it's a good idea to ask the grandkids what they're interested in)' date=' just be prepared for the itinerary to change, so don't make it about going to specific ports.

 

If you want to check Princess cruises for a June cruise, check into their Alaskan cruises. Even though it might not be a "warm weather" cruise, there's a chance that it won't be cold. I guess the line has switched out from their partnership with California Science Center to Discovery. So the science activities are at least continuing. The Alaskan cruises are a great experience for kids, so offer that choice to them.[/quote']

 

While June is the beginning of hurricane season, the risk is extremely low as it takes a lot of summer's warming to create the necessary conditions. Hurricanes are very rare before August, with peak season being in September.

 

While Alaska might not be particularly cold -but it surely does not meet the "warm weather is a must" criterion.

Why not get a list of ships that meet your timing and embarkation locations and have the Grandkids research which one they would like to cruise on?

This works great! I did this with my kids and they worked together and narrowed their options to the Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine. They debated and chose the Breeze. I am much less particular what ship I sail on, as long as I go :D

Unless you are stuck on the Caribbean for some reason, how about Alaska. There are lots of interesting things that kids would enjoy there.

DON

Our granddaughter also sent me a Nov 2014 press release from Princess stating they were partnering with the Discovery Channel for programs on the ship starting this year. This may be a very good idea.

There is a very strong hint.

A good thing you are mentioning it. It would also interest me.

Here is the link.

http://www.princess.com/learn/excursions/index.jsp

Check out the Mexican Riviera out of Southern California. It's almost always hot there.