18 yr old son what to do for him?

This is our first time cruising and will be going Aug. 2nd on the Carnival Glory Western Carribean. I see that they have camp carnival for kids which my 12 yr. old will enjoy but as far as for my older teen who just turned 18 I see that the cut off age for the teens is 17? Will he be allowed to join them or is there something for ages 18-20? This is kind of worrying me because I'm going to feel bad if he has to hang out with mom and dad. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You're 18 year old can do everything on the ship except drink alcohol. There really aren't any organized activities specifically for 18-20 years. Carnival may have some sort of singles meet and greet on the first or second night of the cruise. I have poked my head in on one of those before and several young adults attended, but I know the attendance for those can be a hit or miss, but it never hurts for him to check it out if your sailing has one . If your son is somewhat outgoing, and just hangs around the pool and such, he will meet people his own age.

As far as camp carnival, they are pretty strict on the ages and more than likely won't let him in. They have been reports (on here) that 18 year olds that were still in high school were allowed to attend Camp Carnival by showing their school id, but I'm not sure how often that is allowed.

I'm sure your 18 year old will be fine.

Enjoy!

Your 18 year old will likely meet others who are around the same age.

Even those who are still eligible for the program once they reach a certain age prefer not to use the program but be on their home.

I am sure a nice time will be enjoyed by you and your entire family.

Keith

On Royal here is an informal "club 18-25" type thing. Basically just a drinking gambling club.

You or your son may want to join the Roll Call for your cruise. He may be able to meet others his age before the cruise.

He can also just check the pools after boarding. He probably just needs to find where the others congregate.

This is our first time cruising and will be going Aug. 2nd on the Carnival Glory Western Carribean. I see that they have camp carnival for kids which my 12 yr. old will enjoy but as far as for my older teen who just turned 18 I see that the cut off age for the teens is 17? Will he be allowed to join them or is there something for ages 18-20? This is kind of worrying me because I'm going to feel bad if he has to hang out with mom and dad. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

that age group is in limbo.. he may NOT participate in any kids club programming. he is classified an adult abut cannot drink.. so while he can do everything else( gamble, Bingo, enter the AO areas) that's it.

sometimes they do have an informal gathering of the age group the first or second night to see if there is any interest in planned actives.

There is not much that can be done for 18 years olds (on cruise ships or anywhere else). Guys that age can generally fend for themselves (and most prefer it). On cruise ships the last thing they want to do is hang out with younger teens. The key for most older teens is finding a few friends (in their own age group) after which they will do their own thing.

Hank

Tell him to go and watch where they play basket ball or some type of sports. That is where our 19 year old granddaughter met some others in her age group.

Don't worry, in the summer there will be lots of guys his age. Enjoy

Don't 18 yr olds still chase skirts?

On Royal here is an informal "club 18-25" type thing. Basically just a drinking gambling club.

Interesting - in 22 years cruising with RCI I've never heard of that, and all three of our now adult children have cruise with us through the age group you refer to. For all US based itineraries the drinking age is 21 so those who are 18 - 20 would not be able to be part of that. (and Alaska cruises the gambling age is 21)

There are certain activities set up for 18 -20 year old passengers who are below the drinking age but too old for the kid's clubs. But as everything on board is open to anyone over 21, once they reach that age they can enjoy all that is offered independently.

Tell him to go and watch where they play basket ball or some type of sports. That is where our 19 year old granddaughter met some others in her age group.

Don't worry, in the summer there will be lots of guys his age. Enjoy

Good idea. The 18+ year olds always meet up and form their own social groups. We've always seen them enjoying meeting new friends. Your son likely will do fine. It won't take much effort for him to find peers.

Encourage him to do the activities through out the day, pool volleyball, basketball, karaoke- even just to watch, trivia.... He will be bound to meet people... Get involved and be more out going then normal the first day, that way right of the bat, he WILL meet someone!

If your son is still in high school bring documentation and they will allow him to participate in the organized activities. If he has graduated, then unfortunately, he needs to learn how to make his own fun because Carnival provides very little for this age group. The disco and serenity deck will be off limits to him, but he can go to the casino.

Thanks to all of you who replied. I really appreciate it and definitely helped. He is still in highschool going to be a senior this year. I'm sure he will be fine. Was just wondering and really weird that they don't have anything g set for that age group. Thanks again.

This is a big fear of mine as well. My youngest son is now 16 and loves, loves, loves cruising. The other four could not have cared less after age 12 or so. And this one loves the kids club/teen club. What do I do with him at 18? The thought of him trolling the basketball court or the outskirts of piano bars and walking up to groups of other possible 18 year olds is just: ugh. I'm afraid he would be grafted to me all day talking about azipods or saying he's (rightfully) bored. A week at sea reading his summer reading list- also not good (he will turn 18 the summer before senior year).

The only solution I can think of is to let him bring a friend. I wish Carnival or NCL (the lines we cruise when we bring kids) had an 18-20 club, even one that met for an hour a day, just so he could meet people.