Cruise with a teen boy

[putnam]

I’m planning a cruise with my 14 year old grandson in August 2023. Can anyone who has done this with teenagers give me advice on which cruise line to choose, excursions to take, etc. I hope to do a cruise tour with a few days in Denali before the cruise. I hope that the ship will have some activities to keep him occupied and entertained.

Thanks for any advice you can share.

Edited December 17, 2022 by putnam

[Langoustine]

You will probably need a consent form signed by both parents; consult whatever cruise line you pick. My main experience is with Holland America, which I love, but do not recommend for a 14 year old. Friends have suggested you look at Royal Caribbean.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Langoustine

[Coral]

I would also suggest Royal Caribbean. Try to find an itinerary with lots of ports. There is a ton of things on RCCL ships for teenagers.

 

I would get your son included in the shore excursions. There are a ton of really cool excursions that a teenager would love. Some are pricey like taking a helicopter and landing on a glacier, glacier trekking, Glacier Point Wilderness Safari (hike, canoe, etc...). Also deadliest catch/bearing sea crab fisherman's tour in Ketchikan. Definitely budget for these excursions. Everyone thinks Alaska is for seniors but there are a ton of cool things for your grandson's age.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Coral

[Northern Aurora]

Just want to make a quick comment -- Alaska cruises attract multi-generation families.  There will be a number of 14 year olds onboard.  

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, Langoustine said:

You will probably need a consent form signed by both parents; consult whatever cruise line you pick. My main experience is with Holland America, which I love, but do not recommend for a 14 year old. Friends have suggested you look at Royal Caribbean.

 

I will add to this post that to be completely safe you should have 2 forms.  One will be a permission to travel.  The second will be a permission to treat.  They may not be absolutely necessary but it can't hurt to have them.

 

DON

[putnam]

Thanks for your responses. I’ve already traveled to Europe with his 2 older sisters so documents will be handled. I was looking for experiences that you may have had cruising Alaska with a teenager. Which excursions they enjoyed the most, for example.

[CCJack]

great trip for a teen... he is a lucky kid !   I second the vote for Glacier Point Wilderness Safari , I think a teen would really like that.  

[broncorckcrwlr]

We have taken 2 of our teenage grandsons on cruises with Carnival and Norwegian and they had a great time on both lines. I think they Carnival best though. We haven't taken them to Alaska yet but we are in June 2023. Already booked.
 

[Cruisingcrew5]

Our last cruise on NCL we had our twin 15 year olds with us and they loved the Entourage teen club ( one came in first for the week long competition he liked it so much 🤣 ). We never saw them outside of shore excursions and meals. They are still in communication with others they met onboard too! This was to Mexico but we are headed to Alaska this summer on NCL and they are already looking forward to the club. 

[Lilith]

On 12/23/2022 at 1:20 PM, broncorckcrwlr said:

We have taken 2 of our teenage grandsons on cruises with Carnival and Norwegian and they had a great time on both lines. I think they Carnival best though. We haven't taken them to Alaska yet but we are in June 2023. Already booked.
 

We are taking our 3 grandkids on RCCL 6/16.  What are you booked on?

[Lilith]

We are taking our grandson (16) and 2 granddaughters (13 and 9) on RCCL Ovation OTS on 6/16.  Looking for suggestions for excursions.  Hubby and Tripp would like to fish in Ketchikan, but RCCL wants over $500 each!  TIA.

[cw2go]

6 hours ago, Lilith said:

We are taking our grandson (16) and 2 granddaughters (13 and 9) on RCCL Ovation OTS on 6/16.  Looking for suggestions for excursions.  Hubby and Tripp would like to fish in Ketchikan, but RCCL wants over $500 each!  TIA.

 

List your ports and budget, I'll try to offer some suggestions. Alaska excursions are very expensive but there are some cheaper options. 

 

Patty

[Coral]

8 hours ago, Lilith said:

We are taking our grandson (16) and 2 granddaughters (13 and 9) on RCCL Ovation OTS on 6/16.  Looking for suggestions for excursions.  Hubby and Tripp would like to fish in Ketchikan, but RCCL wants over $500 each!  TIA.

I would be hesitant to go fishing in May or June in Ketchikan. I have sailed several times during this time and everyone I have spoken to has not caught anything. Maybe things are better later in the season. They were upset to spend $$$ and not catch anything.

[Lilith]

Thanks for responding... We will look at doing something else

[Lilith]

4 hours ago, cw2go said:

 

List your ports and budget, I'll try to offer some suggestions. Alaska excursions are very expensive but there are some cheaper options. 

 

Patty

Ketchikan, skagway and Juneau.  Thanks patty

[cw2go]

13 hours ago, Lilith said:

Ketchikan, skagway and Juneau.  Thanks patty

 

Ketchikan~

Lumberjack Show fun for kids. 

Bearing Sea Fishermans Tour kids love it. The Deadliest Catch 

Walk Creek Street and Hike Married Mans Trail (Easy) 

Bus out to Totem Bite Park. Explore on your own. 

Duck Boats 

 

Skagway~ 

The OceanSpeed Raft is super fun and very informative. 

Rent a car and drive to the Yukon, can get out as you wish and the scenery is gorgeous! Grab a copy on here for Murrays Guide with points of interest along the route. most want the Yukons sign photo. 

 

 

Juneau~

Bus to Mendehall Glacier, explore the visitors center, Romeo a wolf that has a long history/sweet story in Juneau is mounted there. Walk the trail to the falls. My boys had a great time and we were lucky enough to see bears. Momma and two cubs. 

Whale watching in Juneau is great! 

 

There is so much to enjoy in Alaska and the adventure never ends. This is list of lesser pricey options that will get you in a direction. You know your budget and grand children best. 

 

Patty 

 

 

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[Lilith]

Thank you so much, Patty.  I am checking out all those options to see which will work best.  Appreciate you taking the time to respond.  Dotty

[cruisinqt]

We are doing Quantam of the Seas with Royal because we have 2 daughters and we know they want young fun stuff to do. Quantam has laser tag, bumper cars, the flowrider, an escape room, a rock climbing wall, a skydiving simulator and a fully enclosed pool. Plus there are lots of specialty restaurants they’ll enjoy like Johnny Rocket’s where they can get cheeseburgers and milkshakes. I think your grandson would enjoy a ship like this. 

[rnr4thatsme]

Are the water parks on the ships open and useable in August?  We were thinking of bringing a teen on NCL Bliss.

[broncorckcrwlr]

On 1/3/2023 at 11:10 AM, Lilith said:

We are taking our 3 grandkids on RCCL 6/16.  What are you booked on?

Carnival Miracle 6/12-6/22 out of San Francisco.

[jeromep]

On 12/18/2022 at 10:55 AM, putnam said:

Thanks for your responses. I’ve already traveled to Europe with his 2 older sisters so documents will be handled. I was looking for experiences that you may have had cruising Alaska with a teenager. Which excursions they enjoyed the most, for example.

What is your grandson interested in?  That is an important consideration.  Does he like things that "go"?  The excursion on the White Pass & Yukon in Skagway is a winner.  Great tour guides, spectacular vistas, interesting trivia about all the sights along the way, plus a ride in a restored vintage rail car.  Give him a digital camera and have him take photos.  Sure he probably has a cell phone that will do that, but a decent task specific digital camera will let him do better composition.

 

Is he outdoorsy?  Are you up for a hike?  There is a pathway up to Lower Dewey Lake, overlooking the train tracks at the port and where the ships dock.  There is also an Upper Dewey Lake, but I'm not sure how the path is to get to it, and how far that path is in addition to the path to Lower Dewey Lake.  You can get directions and advice from the park rangers in town.  The scenery is spectacular, and you'll end up burning a lot of calories.  Be careful the trail is minimally maintained and has a lot of switchbacks because you are basically going straight up hill.  Lower Dewey lake is large and you can walk around the whole thing.  I think it is about a mile to walk around it.  Again, spectacular scenery and great exercise.  You can locate the lake on Google maps or Google Earth.  When you are done with that hike you will be tired, you will want to do nothing more than sit by the pool or in the hot tub for a couple of hours.  But it is well worth the hike, even if you don't walk around the lake.

 

In Juneau, getting a bus tour out to the Mendenhall glacier is not going to be that exciting, but once there it is another place with amazing outdoor views.  The visitors center is also very nice with a lot of information about the glacier, and glacier related science.  Going back to the boy that likes things that go, the tram up to the top of Mt. Roberts is very cool to ride, inexpensive, and again, great views of the channel below and all the cruise ships in port.

 

The lumberjack show in Ketchikan might be a winner.  There is a lot going on, it is physical and pretty fast paced.  Going back to the things that "go" theme, a duck tour might hit the spot.  They are amphibious buses.  The best part is when they drive into the water and you meander around on the water.  The amphibious buses they use in Ketchikan are new, purpose build rigs, not the old WWII surplus amphibious trucks which have gotten a bad reputation for accidents due to age and maintenance.

 

I mention all the things that "go" because when I was his age, I liked things that go and frankly, still do.

 

Princess does a great job in Alaska.  On board there are no water slides or flow riders, but Princess has a good reputation with their kids clubs, they are very thematic to Alaska, and in the summer months there are usually enough kids on board that he may find a group he wants to socialize with in and out of the club hours.  Royal Caribbean has a lot more youthful entertainment on board, but I'm not sure if that is what he wants or even needs.  Plus, if it is cold outside, it will be really cold trying to use a water slide.  Pools are freshwater and heated on Princess, and plenty of hot tubs, so even if a day or evening is a bit cool, pools are still usable.

 

Speaking of pools, all the lines do this now, but Princess has Movies Under the Stars.  They put special pads on the loungers and hand out blankets, along with movie snacks and show a movie.  It's fun, but again, in Alaska, can be a bit cold.

[Coral]

I am going to play devil's advocate:

 

1. White Pass - I have seen adults fall asleep on the train. I do think it is beautiful but I think a 14 year old would be better off doing Glacier Point Wilderness Safari (hike, canoe to a glacier). Or maybe look into Mountain Flying Services: https://www.mountainflyingservice.com/haines-skagway-glacier-bay-flightseeing-tours  A friend has done this several times and raves about it. Also helicopter landing for dog mushing.

 

2. Mendenhall glacier. I found incredibly boring the hike to it when you can take a 14 year old ice trekking and/or landing on Mendenhall glacier via helicopter. I personally like Adventure Bound Alaska to Tracy Arm but it requires a long day in Juneau. I no longer go to Mendenhall via bus. The glacier has retreated so much. Maybe look into Taku glacier salmon bake where you take a plane over scenery and 

 

3. Ketchikan - Lumberjack show. I found this extremely enjoyable for those age 5 or under. I would think a 14 year old would find this lame. I would google this and see if this is of interest to him. I think the same of the duck tour. It seems to be enjoyed by young children and senior citizens. I would look into the Deadlist catch/Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's tour. Or look into flight to Misty Fiords.

 

I have been to Alaska a lot and have tried a variety of excursions.

 

I would strongly recommend getting your grandson involved in the planning process. There are a ton of videos out there that will give him a good feel for the excursions. I work with college age students, so a little older but I would think a 14 year old would want adventure. Alaska is really for the young - so much to do.

[atobols]

We took our teen boys on a Princess Alaska cruise in July 2019 and we're going back this summer.  The boys will be 17 and 15 this time.  We did:

 

1.  Juneau - Whale watch and Mendenhall Glacier combo - The boys liked the whale watch because they got to see lots of orcas.  We did junior ranger badges at Mendenhall (they collect all the national park badges) and then walked out to the glacier.  We saw a porcupine sleeping in a tree along the way.  The kids enjoyed that day.

 

2.  Skagway - We rented a car and drove up to Whitehorse.  They enjoyed the scenery for a little bit but overall, it was a long ride and they both fell asleep at various times.  I wouldn't do that again.

 

3.  Sitka - We walked off the ship and went to an eagle sanctuary and then over to Sitka national park.  The boys enjoyed seeing the eagles and they did a talk and brought in a golden eagle for everyone to check out.  My sons weren't impressed with the totem poles at the national park.  They did love that the ranger showed them salmon berries and they got to eat tons of those.

 

This year we're taking Grandma with us and we're doing.

 

1. Juneau - Whale watch and Mendenhall Glacier - We liked it enough to do it again

2.  Skagway - Glacier Point Wilderness Safari

3.  Ketchikan - Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Adventure