Teenagers on Cunard

[Oliversgrandma]

We recently enjoyed a Canary Islands cruise on QE (Nov/Dec 23) and are considering booking a Norwegian Fjords cruise on Queen Anne in August this year.  We are thinking of taking our son and his family with us this time  My concern is whether Cunard is suitable for teenagers (2 boys aged 15 and 18).  Are there likely to be many teenagers on board and are there any teenager specific activities organised?  The cruise is in the main school holiday period.   The recent cruise was very much adult only (just a couple of pre-schoolers).  Has anyone experienced Cunard with teenagers in the summer holiday period?   Views on Cunard for teenagers?  Many thanks in advance.  

[exlondoner]

They do have a section of the children’s club called something like the teen zone, and, in the school holidays, I have usually noticed a fair few of that age, though not oodles. All the young I have seen have obviously been enjoying themselves, bar one, and that was down to her mother, I think. On the other hand there won’t be big things like climbing walls, ice rinks, and flumes, so that may fall short of their expectations.

[david63]

Also I would add that with it being a fjords cruise there may not be as many youngsters on as there would be if it was, say, a Med cruise.

 

You could always try asking Cunard how many others of their age are currently booked on the cruise.

[Victoria2]

There was a great group of teens on our QV July Baltic cruise last year. They sounded [overheard in lifts/passing groups around the ship] as if they were having a fantastic time.

 

[D&N]

Things have changed since my days. At 15, I was only interested in teenage activities if they involved young ladies. At 18, I was managing supermarkets.

At those ages I preferred adult company to other teens.

 

I took an almost 15 year old boy on a 3 night med tourist cruise in 1992 and he had a ball. His main interest was in members of the entertainments team.

[Wagtail adventures]

I would have no hesitation taking my nephews who are teenagers, I am sure they would love it 👍

[schattenfell71]

We travelled the transatlantic route with QM2 and the Baltic route with QV. Both with our daughters 22 and 17 years old. First they were a little bit "nervous" about it (different language) but they really, really liked both tours.

 

They were "the stars" during the transatlantic cruise, because our daughters were the youngest guest on board and everyone recognized them and said "Hello Hannah and Lea".

 

There were a lot more younger people and childen during the Baltic cruise and it was fun also.

 

By the way my youngest daughter said yesterday that she misses Cunard and all of the stuff and guests so much. Expecially "Do you want more tea....more tea?"😄

 

[WantedOnVoyage]

Maybe times have changed, but I sailed without parents at age 16 and 17  on FRANCE, RAFFAELLO and LEONARDO DA VINCI and wouldn't be caught dead in any venue designated for "teens" although FRANCE had a teenagers room with bowling and a soda fountain with the world's smallest ice cream cones.  We teens had better things to do....  mainly avoiding adults, sneaking into First Class and getting into First on Italian boats by having a girlfriend in First Class... they even gave you a note!  And yes... we all wore jackets AND ties in the evening, too.

 

It's amazing that young people cannot even go on a cruise without a parent until they are 21! I was an "old salt" by then. 

Edited February 8 by WantedOnVoyage

[kitkat343]

We took a 6 and 2 year old on a Cunard Norway cruise in May (during the UK and US school year).  There were very few children, probably due to the timing.  Our last Christmas Cruise on Cunard was filled with children, and my 13 year old had a wonderful time roaming the ship.  Norway is absolutely gorgeous and has new restrictions on ships coming into the heritage fjords starting in (I think but you should check) 2025, so I'd strong recommend sailing that voyage that sooner rather than later.  If you are interested in the fjords (as opposed to the longer cruises near the arctic) my favorite three ports were Flam, Geiranger and Olden.  Flam and Geiranger are both scheduled for restrictions, so try to get there while you can.  Aleseund is also much beloved on the Baltic forum (I didn't sail there on my cruise since the itineraries vary a lot).  Cunard did a really good job in Norway, and I think your kids will find other young people to hang out with (I only saw my 13 year old for about 10 minutes each day we were at sea.  he had a wonderful time).

[tv24]

IMHO, Cunard is not a great choice for teens, unless they are very mature and like to hang out with adults.  There are a couple of things for them to get involved in:  At night, teens seem to love the disco.  And there are often movies to see.  Otherwise, exercise in the fitness center, a dip in the pool, or a long walk on the promenade.  That's about it.

[exlondoner]

7 minutes ago, tv24 said:

IMHO, Cunard is not a great choice for teens, unless they are very mature and like to hang out with adults.  There are a couple of things for them to get involved in:  At night, teens seem to love the disco.  And there are often movies to see.  Otherwise, exercise in the fitness center, a dip in the pool, or a long walk on the promenade.  That's about it.

Counterintuitively, perhaps, I have heard of teens much enjoying the dancing classes.

[D&N]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Counterintuitively, perhaps, I have heard of teens much enjoying the dancing classes.

I far preferred gym/sports periods when we had dance tuition for our year's annual dance. I hated sports at school, because you didn't get to choose and it was mainly team sports.

 

Even back then it was best if you got to select a girl that was a good dancer.

[ace2542]

On 2/7/2024 at 6:50 PM, david63 said:

You could always try asking Cunard how many others of their age are currently booked on the cruise.

They are unlikely to answer that question due to data protection GDPR legislation.

[exlondoner]

13 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

They are unlikely to answer that question due to data protection GDPR legislation.

How is giving numbers of anonymous people contravening data protection? Schools are allowed to say how many pupils they have.

[david63]

5 hours ago, ace2542 said:

They are unlikely to answer that question due to data protection GDPR legislation.

It has never been a problem in the past and it has nothing to do with GDPR

[arielmomma]

My teenagers love Cunard. It's their favorite line. Since my youngest was 11, they've been partaking in the adult activities. They're 16 & 19 now. My daughter loves the mid-afternoon plays and concerts. She also enjoys partaking in the RADA classes. In my experience, the other adults have always enjoyed having some young blood participating in the classes. Both of my kids participate in the ballroom dance classes and evening dancing. My son loves the jazz music in the evenings. They also enjoy the planetarium and some of the speakers. My daughter loved learning about the Titanic on our last cruise. Neither have ever had anything to do with the kids' clubs except to check out books from the kids' clubs' libraries. That's where most of the children's/teen books are kept. They enjoy sitting out on the Promenade in a lounger and reading before the sea.

 

Whether or not they'll enjoy it depends on your teens. While my kids like ropes courses and zip lines, they prefer good food, good music, good books, and more traditional cruise experiences. I hope yours have an amazing time. 

[NE John]

3 hours ago, arielmomma said:

My teenagers love Cunard. It's their favorite line. Since my youngest was 11, they've been partaking in the adult activities. They're 16 & 19 now. My daughter loves the mid-afternoon plays and concerts. She also enjoys partaking in the RADA classes. In my experience, the other adults have always enjoyed having some young blood participating in the classes. Both of my kids participate in the ballroom dance classes and evening dancing. My son loves the jazz music in the evenings. They also enjoy the planetarium and some of the speakers. My daughter loved learning about the Titanic on our last cruise. Neither have ever had anything to do with the kids' clubs except to check out books from the kids' clubs' libraries. That's where most of the children's/teen books are kept. They enjoy sitting out on the Promenade in a lounger and reading before the sea.

 

Whether or not they'll enjoy it depends on your teens. While my kids like ropes courses and zip lines, they prefer good food, good music, good books, and more traditional cruise experiences. I hope yours have an amazing time. 

Reassure your daughter that Titanic was not a Cunard ship. Your children are the future of this line. 

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, NE John said:

Reassure your daughter that Titanic was not a Cunard ship. Your children are the future of this line. 

And, if you go to one of the excellent talks by Mr. Flounders, you will find he is scathing about White Star, which managed to hold the record for the worst losses in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and keen to emphasise the superiority in all ways of Cunard, who did own the Carpathia, which sped to the rescue.

[arielmomma]

22 hours ago, NE John said:

Reassure your daughter that Titanic was not a Cunard ship. Your children are the future of this line. 

LOL. She's well aware. The speaker was quite clear about that. You're right about my kids being the future of the line. I hear so many comments about how the younger generations don't want the formality and traditional cruise experience that lines like Cunard have to offer, but I simply don't believe that's the case. My husband and I are in our 40's and we love Cunard. My kids are in their teens. They love it, too. I just don't think lines like Cunard advertise enough here in the US. Ironically, my family learned about Cunard through a Disney Cruise Group. Once we tried QM2, we were hooked!

[stan01]

On 2/7/2024 at 9:11 AM, Oliversgrandma said:

We are thinking of taking our son and his family with us this time  My concern is whether Cunard is suitable for teenagers (2 boys aged 15 and 18).  

 

Get them Wi-Fi packages and they'll be fine when they don't want to join grandparents and parents (or any other teens who happen to be on board which is likely if this is during a school holiday).

 

[MylesS]

17 hours ago, arielmomma said:

I hear so many comments about how the younger generations don't want the formality and traditional cruise experience that lines like Cunard have to offer, but I simply don't believe that's the case.

Completely agree. I started to travel on Cunard ships as a child until I became an adult and started going on my own. I'm 25 now and my girlfriend is 24, so a little older than your children, but Cunard is always our preferred & first choice of holiday.

I don't think it's a case of young adults/generation not wanting to go or try it, but because they're not being advertised to enough, or well enough. Though this is of course easier said than done.

And of course, for the younger generation, cost is a big part of it. Especially in the current climate. We are very fortunate.

[MCC retired]

If the teens are first time cruisers , they may enjoy  Cunard during schools breaks.

If they have cruised other cruise lines (especially the amusement park at sea ships)

it could be a bit of a let down?

[arielmomma]

4 hours ago, MylesS said:

I don't think it's a case of young adults/generation not wanting to go or try it, but because they're not being advertised to enough, or well enough. Though this is of course easier said than done.

And of course, for the younger generation, cost is a big part of it. Especially in the current climate. We are very fortunate.

I completely agree. Cost is a huge factor right now. In the past, I was able to get good deals on Cunard, making them comparable to other lines. In spring 2022, I got an amazing deal. However, my family's last two cruises have been on HAL b/c Cunard was far more expensive. Plus, the outrageous cost of staying in NY pre and post cruise - YIKES! 

[kitkat343]

7 hours ago, MCC retired said:

If the teens are first time cruisers , they may enjoy  Cunard during schools breaks.

If they have cruised other cruise lines (especially the amusement park at sea ships)

it could be a bit of a let down?

This is a really good point.  My kids were really happy on their first Cunard cruise - we sailed to Norway.  Prior to that, my children had only sailed on very old ships.  They were very happy on that cruise.  After my 3rd was born, we started sailing out of NY to avoid flying, and happened to sail on two ships with waterslides.  They definitely missed the waterslides on our last Cunard cruise, so I think a child's prior cruise experiences are something to consider.  My younger kids missed the waterslides more - my 13 year old had lots of friends he hung out with and he participated in trivia with his friends  and his new girlfriend even got him to attend a ballroom dancing class.  My younger kids seemed to miss the waterslides and splash pad more, although they really loved meeting Santa and the New Year's buffet on the ship

.

Edited February 11 by kitkat343

[gapiro]

My experience is that it really depends on the teenager.
A friend of mine had her teenage daughter last time  and she loved it, but she's also an arts student who loves dance and music, and spending time with her family, so was on the dancefloor everynight with her family and random people and just having a whale of a time. 
A teenager who is more sport orientated or thrill orientated might have a different experience.