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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Talk to me about cruises

9 replies

Ikeatears · 07/04/2024 18:03

Only ever done two short cruises on a Royal Caribbean ship but these were 80s and musical themed and not run by RC themselves so not typical.
We're looking for around 10 in the med with 14 yo Ds. We'd like a ship with lots going on (water slides etc) but Ds is unlikely to join in teen clubs. He does love football though so one with a small pitch would be an advantage lol.
Any suggestions on which cruise lines? Or any tips on how best to book? Any advice at all would be great. Thanks.

OP posts:
OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 07/04/2024 18:06

With those restrictions go on one of the new Royal Carribean ships. Your teen will prefer those over all other lines. They really do know how to keep teens occupied on a cruise.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 07/04/2024 18:12

Royal Caribbean is the best option but also worth trying NCL or MSC as likely to be better on price.

TunaCrunchy · 07/04/2024 18:25

I started cruising when my DC were 9 and 10 and found RC and Disney the best.

lumierplate · 07/04/2024 18:51

Royal Caribbean would fit everything youve said.

budgiegirl · 08/04/2024 12:17

Royal Caribbean is great for kids, but we also love NCL. We tend to find they've got the most bang for your buck (especially if you want to drink on the cruise - the drinks package on Royal Caribbean is eye wateringly expensive).
We also like the freestyle element of NCL - no formal nights, eat where you want, when you want, no need to sit with strangers or at a set time each evening. You just turn up to the restaurant, you either get seated straight away, or they'll give you a buzzer. We've never had to wait more than a few minutes.

We've taken our three teens on cruises on NCL, and there's been plenty for them to do. Check out individual ships, as not all have a sport court, but we went on the Norwegian Getaway, which had a sports court and water slides, swimming pool, hot tubs plus table tennis, ropes course, giant chess, bowling, arcade, and shuffleboard (surprising, my DD's favourite thing to do!). Some ships also have karting or laser tag, but this tends to replace a sports court.

My middle son spent his whole time playing basketball and football with other teens, and none of them went to the teen club at all. But it can be worth going to the teen club on the first night, just to make some friends, then making their own arrangements after that.

hazelnutlatte · 08/04/2024 12:27

As others have said, Royal Caribbean ships tend to have the most fun stuff for teens.
I'd suggest avoiding the MSC virtuosa - facilities great (waterslides and splash park etc) but the ratio of guests to facilities is much worse than other cruise lines - we did a 3 day cruise with kids and spent most of the time in a queue!

saurabhskgt · 08/04/2024 14:11

ya sure buddy, Kerala cruises are a unique way to experience the enchanting backwaters of this southern Indian state.

mitogoshi · 08/04/2024 15:27

As well as the ship facilities it's the itinerary and options in port that matter. We often are off from 9-5 each day so no point paying for onboard facilities you don't use. So much comes down to what you enjoy - the ncl ship was moored next to us at Southampton and Dp definitely had waterside envy, our elegant Cunard ship did have a lovely hot tub at the back though, drinking Prosecco looking at whales in the Atlantic was amazing!

I would suggest going onto a cruise travel agent site like planet cruise and putting in your parameters and see what is available. Mine liked Marella when they were a little older as it's AI (and nobody monitored the buffet wine taps for underage drinkers!) they liked the silly contests, think itv rather than my preference for bbc4!

Ikeatears · 08/04/2024 18:44

Thanks everyone. Given me food for thought. My only issue now is that I feel guilty leaving the adult kids at home and we’re wondering if she was pay for a villa instead 🥴🙈

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