Best Ship for group of teens

We have only been on one cruise and it was on the Carnival Sensation to the Bahamas. I don't think this is a great ship for teens as it was lacking teen activities.

My daughter's 16th birthday falls on Spring Break 2019, so thinking of taking her and three friends on a cruise instead of a traditional party.

Which ship is best. Looking at ports out of Tampa or Cape Canaveral (we live in Tampa). Would prefer a 4 night cruise. I would like Western Caribbean, but I think the ship is probably what would drive my selection. I want one that has a lot of teen activities.

I suggest an Oasis class ship out of Port Canaveral, but that will be a 7-day cruise. The cruises our of Tampa are smaller ships with fewer bells and whistles.

I'd also suggest Oasis class or Quantum class as having the most teen activities; Harmony would be my personal strongest recommendation, but those are all going to be 7 night cruises.

Symphony has a 3 night and a 4 night Caribbean cruise out of Miami in May, 2019. Not spring break and not PC, but it's a bigger ship with a short itinerary.

Maybe NCL might be better than Royal? I've never sailed them so I'm not sure, but unfortunately the Royal ships doing shorter cruises don't have all the big bells and whistles of the bigger ships, or even like Freedom class. Mariner, Enchantment, and Majesty are the ships doing shorter cruises from PC and Tampa, and they are all smaller ships. You can see their amenities easily at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Caribbean_International#Ship_amenities

None have Flowriders, only Mariner has mini golf and the night club.

Although not leaving from your preferred ports, Independence is a larger ship that sails 4/5 night itineraries from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Mariner is also a larger ship that does 3/4 night itineraries from Miami to the Bahamas.

I wouldn't necessarily call them mega-ships, but both offer plenty of onboard activities like rock climbing and ice skating.

Although not leaving from your preferred ports, Independence is a larger ship that sails 4/5 night itineraries from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Mariner is also a larger ship that does 3/4 night itineraries from Miami to the Bahamas.

 

I wouldn't necessarily call them mega-ships, but both offer plenty of onboard activities like rock climbing and ice skating.

I forgot Independence! Royal didn't have them on the 2019 Deployment list for some reason so I assumed it was going back to Europe, Australia, or Asia, but I see she's sailing from FLL. IotS would probably be my top choice for shorter cruises with teens.

We can't do the 7 day because the girls may miss school. It doesn't have to be Western Caribbean.

I would normally recommend Oasis Class for teens, but Independence will be perfect for the 4/5 day itineraries, and she will be getting a large revitalization next year.

I'd

 

Maybe NCL might be better than Royal? I've never sailed them so I'm not sure, but unfortunately the Royal ships doing shorter cruises don't have all the big bells and whistles of the bigger ships, or even like Freedom class.

I found an article about teens on cruises and NCL was one of the recommendations. A former co-worker was a cruise addict and took more cruises than anyone I know. She and her husband (no kids at the time) would get great last minute cruise deals. I remember she said after a NCL cruise that she felt it had the best on board activities but the smallest rooms. I am okay with a small room. I would probably book two rooms, one balcony and one inside. DH and my son would be coming too and would be in the separate room.

Princess has an outdoor area for teens which sounds nice. I don't think Princess sails from the ports I want. :(

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=159

When I search RCI departing from Tampa in March 2019, I found Western Caribbean on Brilliance of the Seas. Is that not a good ship for teens? It is listed as 5 nights.

One Stops in Key West and Cozumel.

Another stops in George Town, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

We can't do the 7 day because the girls may miss school. It doesn't have to be Western Caribbean.

Then I'd go with Indy out of Port Everglades.

Just know that you must have notarized letters, signed by both parents of each teen, giving permission for the teens to sail. This letter must also give you permission to make any emergency decisions for them, including medical. If you don’t have these letters, they will be denied boarding.

Also, generally speaking, those shorter cruises, especially during spring break, can become party hearty, heavy drinking cruises.

I think Brilliance is a decent ship for teens. But to be honest, most teens tend to find the ship’s teen activities to be “lame” and they usually seek each other out and do their own thing. So knowing that, I don’t think organized activities are all that important.

My teens loved Norwegian Getaway. Lots of fun activities and comedy.

We are trying Royal Freedom of the Seas next week - for Promenade, Flowrider and Ice rink.

RCCL Symphony of the Seas looks amazing. And truly... can’t wait to sail Norwegian Bliss.

Just know that you must have notarized letters, signed by both parents of each teen, giving permission for the teens to sail. This letter must also give you permission to make any emergency decisions for them, including medical. If you don’t have these letters, they will be denied boarding.

 

Also, generally speaking, those shorter cruises, especially during spring break, can become party hearty, heavy drinking cruises.

 

I think Brilliance is a decent ship for teens. But to be honest, most teens tend to find the ship’s teen activities to be “lame” and they usually seek each other out and do their own thing. So knowing that, I don’t think organized activities are all that important.

Disagree. Those ships are not designed for kids, and don't have much to offer, particularly to teens.

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. We took my granddaughter on Allure, and I know you aren't considering that ship, but there were very, very few activities for teens. They had one ice skating session, one boys basketball game and maybe a couple of other things.

The kids really just hung out. They also had the 12-14 year olds grouped in with the 15-17 year olds. My granddaughter was only 12 and I felt that there was a huge difference between a 12 year old and a 17 year old. I wouldn't book any RCL ship just for the kids activities as they are very limited.

If the kids just like hanging out in a lounge, then RCL would be fine for them. There really isn't any supervision, not that a 16 year old needs to be totally supervised, but the kids were really on their own for the majority of the time.

Kitty9 has provided correct and useful information. I would never take a group of 16 year olds on a cruise, especially on a short spring break cruise. These really can turn into a party cruise with a lot of young adults not exercising the best judgment.

But, if you do so, in addition to the documentation mentioned, advise you require each girl to purchase a trip insurance policy that will cover medical emergencies.

You may also want to check into RCCL's cabin policies for sailing with multiple children who are not related to you if you are looking at your DD bringing several friends.

There is a reference in another current thread where this was a problem for grandparents who wanted to bring 3 grandchildren but apparently since they weren't the parents of the kids, they weren't allowed to book the kids in a separate cabin without an adult.

I remember reading the original thread but couldn't find it in search this morning, and we've only brought one friend per cruise with us, so I haven't encountered this policy but recalled it for the type of sailing that you're planning.

Good luck and hope u find a way to make it all work out for your Dd's sweet 16.

We can't do the 7 day because the girls may miss school. It doesn't have to be Western Caribbean.

I have never understood this line of thinking. Traveling and experiencing the world is just as important as sitting in a classroom. Honestly probably more important as it teaches things they'd never learn in a classroom.

I have never understood this line of thinking. Traveling and experiencing the world is just as important as sitting in a classroom. Honestly probably more important as it teaches things they'd never learn in a classroom.

While you may think that way about your kids, making that call for other people's kids is not the same.

While you may think that way about your kids, making that call for other people's kids is not the same.

Not just me who thinks this. Now that article is just about vacations in general.

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/811800/how-vacations-make-kids-smarter

Not just me who thinks this. Now that article is just about vacations in general.

 

 

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/811800/how-vacations-make-kids-smarter

Like I said, there is a big difference between deciding that for your kids, and deciding it for other people's kids. The OP is asking about taking other people's kids along on a cruise for their daughter's sweet 16. It makes the planning and approval a little more difficult in some situations. This was also not the point of the post in the first place.

Saying that travel is important does not mean missing school, since unless you are doing more than 3 months of traveling anually, you can still (in most cases) not miss school while still getting in travel. In this case the op wants to keep it to less than 7 days, which is respectable, and their decision.

I have never understood this line of thinking. Traveling and experiencing the world is just as important as sitting in a classroom. Honestly probably more important as it teaches things they'd never learn in a classroom.

Dd16 takes 4 AP classes that require a lab, plus 2 honors classes. Junior year is the hardest. She missed a week freshman and sophomore year due to an overseas competition, it took a solid 2 weeks for her to make up the work.

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. We took my granddaughter on Allure, and I know you aren't considering that ship, but there were very, very few activities for teens. They had one ice skating session, one boys basketball game and maybe a couple of other things.

 

The kids really just hung out. They also had the 12-14 year olds grouped in with the 15-17 year olds. My granddaughter was only 12 and I felt that there was a huge difference between a 12 year old and a 17 year old. I wouldn't book any RCL ship just for the kids activities as they are very limited.

 

If the kids just like hanging out in a lounge, then RCL would be fine for them. There really isn't any supervision, not that a 16 year old needs to be totally supervised, but the kids were really on their own for the majority of the time.

I can't imagine a 12-year-old not finding things to do on the Allure or similar ship. Not sure what you were expecting. There is so much to do, perhaps cruising just isn't for your family.

Activities include more than one pool, with scheduled games; full sports court with soccer and basketball; rock climbing; ice skating; flow riders; mini golf; table tennis; shuffleboard; other quieter activities such as trivia, board games to borrow, etc. There are also classes and demonstrations that many teens enjoy, some do have a fee, thinking of scrapbooking that I did, as an example. All the shows, other than comedy club which is an adult venue, have great entertainment for all ages.

I guess everyone is different but I think anyone, young or old, should be able to find something to do on the bigger ships.

If you are looking at 4 night cruise enchantment runs Monday through Friday so you would still miss the same amount of school as a 7 night on an Oasis class ship. This is out of Canaveral.

The Brilliance 4 night runs Thursday through Monday out of Tampa

These are related to March/April 2019 scheduled.

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