Help a first time cruiser. Going RCI Allure 7 day with 12 and 15 year old in July

Hi there, trying to decide on what kind of room to get for us. hubby wants a oceanview balcony and I am thinking since the 15 year old is 6'2" already I should get 2 rooms (hopefully connecting) I would like to be close to the action but not have it be super noisy any suggestions on which deck and where on the ship. The 12 year old does get motion sickness sometimes.

Also is Allure the best for this age group? If we are spending this much money on a trip I really want them to have a great time.

Thank you for your time,

Nichole

You can get balcony staterooms as low as deck 6, to help minimize the motion.

Allure is great for those ages. They will have plenty to do. Just went this past summer with a 12 y.o. and 16 y.o. Perfect ages to give them the run of the ship and just rendezvous for dinner time, port days, and the occasional show.

Putting 4 in a cabin is like 4 in a camper for sleeping, bathroom. Some folks like it, some don't. You might also look at booking a second inside cabin across the hall. You will have to book one adult in each cabin but can switch around onboard. Depends on how much you trust the kids.

Ship doesn't move all that much and kids might be too busy to get sick. Frankly the places they will spend their time in are also the places that move the most - upper deck and aft. Where you sleep isn't really going to matter. Bring meds, of course.

Midship on lower decks help minimize the feeling of motion. Also being able to get out on the balcony (fresh air) helps. You might consider a lower level Central Park balcony or oceanview balcony but I'd get two cabins, either next to each other or connecting if possible. You should call now. We tried to get two that were next to each other for June, mid-ship and weren't able to. There is one cabin in between the two cabins.

Last July we were on Allure and my granddaughter had just turned 12. I was surprised that the 12-14 year olds were in the same group as the 15-17 year olds. There, to me, is a big difference from 12-17.

There weren't many scheduled activities and basically the kids just hung out and the older ones roamed the ship. The only activities they had were one hour of ice skating and a boys basketball game. There may have been more activities, but they were not given the schedule of events for the 12-14 year old group. They were given the 15-17 year olds schedule.

Those events were not the ones for the younger kids and the only way to find out what was scheduled was by looking in the cruise planner which meant that most of the kids couldn't arrange for things with their new friends because they didn't know what was scheduled until later at night.

I am hoping that this summer there will be the schedules for the 12-14 year olds so they can get together and have fun with kids of their own age. Most parents of the kids my granddaughter met were like my son and daughter-in-law in that they didn't allow their kids to just wander around and they could go to a scheduled activity, but because they didn't have the schedule to plan together like the older kids did, they missed out on things as not many kids ever showed up.

Would recommend two cabins - having two bathrooms is a huge plus. You might have difficulty finding connecting cabins at this late date. If not available you might find side-by-side or across the hall would work. Personally like deck 8, but take a look at the deck plans and see where you think you will spend the most time. Lower decks, midship, tend to be the most stable.

Make sure they attend the teen club/get together on the first night. A lot of friendships are made then. They will be in different age groups, but those groups are often combined if there is not a great deal of interest. At that age they can sign themselves out of the club, and many kids just choose to meet their new friends for activities.

Always pick-up games on the sports court, mini golf, table tennis, etc. Ice skating has more structured times - check the cruise compass for open skating times (long pants and socks required). Pools, zip line, flow rider, rock climbing - lots to keep kids busy.

Many times getting 2 cabins is cheaper then trying to get 4 into 1 cabin. There was just a price reduction yesterday for the July 22nd cruise on the Allure.

Hi there, trying to decide on what kind of room to get for us. hubby wants a oceanview balcony and I am thinking since the 15 year old is 6'2" already I should get 2 rooms (hopefully connecting) I would like to be close to the action but not have it be super noisy any suggestions on which deck and where on the ship. The 12 year old does get motion sickness sometimes.

 

Also is Allure the best for this age group? If we are spending this much money on a trip I really want them to have a great time.

Thank you for your time,

Nichole

Great choice, the 15 year old should love this ship. I've spent 21 days on this class of ship and it moves less than many smaller ships so under normal weather, here is hoping his sea sickness is less.

We've already done 5 in a room, including our son who was about the same size as your son. For that trip we had a family promenade stateroom on Freedom of the seas. I honestly thought that we had enough room, but then again the family promenade staterooms are bigger than a normal ocean view balcony room.

On our last cruise we had myself, wife and two daughters and we opted to get the two adjoining rooms. It was very nice having the additional bathroom to get ready in the morning and before dinner.

I’d go with 2 rooms if possible. Having 2 bathroom and would be a big plus. There are lots of adjoining cabins so that might be an option too.

Thank you for all the feedback. I will try to get them booked right away and get 2 adjoining rooms or at least across from each other. I read somewhere that the balconies open to each other? Is this true of all balconies. Which floor is closest to the kids club stuff? Higher is better for that?

Thank you for all the feedback. I will try to get them booked right away and get 2 adjoining rooms or at least across from each other. I read somewhere that the balconies open to each other? Is this true of all balconies. Which floor is closest to the kids club stuff? Higher is better for that?

Kids Club is on deck 14. The vast majority of balcony dividers can be opened, but you may find an occasional divider that cannot. No way to know in advance.

Thank you for all the feedback. I will try to get them booked right away and get 2 adjoining rooms or at least across from each other. I read somewhere that the balconies open to each other? Is this true of all balconies. Which floor is closest to the kids club stuff? Higher is better for that?

Just a heads up - learned from traveling with family.

Watch your terminology if dealing with someone over the phone. Your best rooms would be connecting rooms - just like a hotel room with an inside door - very convenient. Adjoining rooms means next door to each other. Separate cabins - just next door - you have to enter from hallway. Not a big deal, but connecting are so much more convenient for family use.