teenagers on the ventura

[willow3]

I am thinking of taking my 14 year old son on the ventura next summer but my husband thinks he will be board.we have always cruised without children but now the ships are advertizing family cruises I would like to give it a try and the reveiws for this ship sound ideal.any comments?

[tom_uk]

What's the cruise? For a teenager there would be a big difference between a 7 night Iberian Coast cruise - 5 or 6 ports of call - and a 14-night Med cruise with a number of days at sea, possibly consecutive days.

[miss-heli]

I am thinking of taking my 14 year old son on the ventura next summer but my husband thinks he will be board.we have always cruised without children but now the ships are advertizing family cruises I would like to give it a try and the reveiws for this ship sound ideal.any comments?

 

He will love it !!

We discovered cruising as a holiday 9 years ago and since then it has been the only choice of holiday for our sons who are now 22 and 16.

The facilities for the under 17s are great and once they meet up in the club they have a great time with their peers.

you will find that they often dine together and play sport and just 'hang out'

The only problem you may find is rounding him up for trips on shore and persuading him to join you.

He will not be Bored

we are on Ventura this July so look out for my comments in mid August

[berlingo]

I agree that the last problem you may have with your 14 year old is boredom!

 

I would encourage him to find out as early as possible what is going on in the Teen Centre and meet the other Teens on board. My teen tended to use the Teen Centre as base and meeting point for new friends. She was far too sophisticated to join all the organised activities but a few did meet her exacting standards and she really enjoyed them.

 

The main thing she loved was the extra freedom she had on ship compared to at home. For my husband and I the ship felt a very safe environment so we could relax the rules a bit but we still insisted on us knowing her plans, regular check ins and night curfew times. (We take walkie -talkies with us which make keeping a eye on her a lot easier and also gave my husband and I more freedom!)

 

I think it is important to establish firm ground rules about behaviour, timings and spending plus consequences right from the start. We also find holding back some spending money in lieu of good behaviour works wonders. Keep a daily check on your on board spend you do not want to find that you have been treating all the other teenagers on board!

 

Both of our daughters love cruising and actually cried on our disembarktion day last year because they did not want to go home. I am sure your son will love it !