Splendour Teen Activities

[aussiegirl]

There was so much for teenagers to do on this cruise. Since it was Spring Break for many schools, there were a lot of kids of all ages aboard. To the surprise of me and my kids, there were also lots of teens aboard. Each evening we received a copy of the Compass listing the next day's activities. There was a separate Compass for each of the children's age groups. I had two teenagers with me (one is 13 and the other is 16) and I know that the activities are divided by age (12 - 14) and (15 -17). There was a teen center called Optix on Deck 10 next to a video game room. The first night there is a "meet and greet" party for the teens which my kids did not go to, but which I would recommend. My son found out later that he could have signed up at that meeting to earn activity points which he could have redeemed for prizes on the last evening.
On the days at sea, there were teen activities almost all day long -- organized games, sport tournaments for ping-pong, minigolf and rock wall climbing, video games, karaoke, etc. In the late night, there was a teen disco for the kids 16 and over. The activities for the younger teens lasted until 11:30 pm and then they often went to the Solarium Cafe for late night munching. Kids under the age of 16 had to be out of the public areas by 1:00 am.
My teens did not always participate in the organized activities, but there was still plenty for them to do. There was a 12-hole miniature golf course, two ping-pong tables, 4 shuffleboard courts and the rock wall. All of these activites were free and open from 9 am to 9 pm (except for the rock wall which had varied hours). Even though the rock wall was popular and not continually open, my kids had no trouble getting a chance to climb it. Teens do, however, have to have a parent sign the permission waiver for them. Lots of teens also went to the game room (which was very nice) to play some of the games there -- Scrabble, Monopoly, Sorry, and cards. The main pool was open 24 hours a day but mostly seemed to be populated by younger kids. The Solarium pool and spa was open to teens 16 and older; however, it was open one evening for the younger teens. Teens 16 and older could also use the gym.
There were regular activities which teens sometimes attended -- napkin folding, towel folding, trivia and the backstage tour of the 42nd Street Theatre. (My daughter who is very interested in drama loved this.)
Both of my kids had real misgivings about this cruise, thinking that there would be nothing to do and nobody to be with, but they had a great time!