You’ve always enjoyed family vacations. First it was just the two of you, falling in love as you discovered romantic places. Then you relished building sandcastles at the beach with your adorable toddler. Another baby and a few vacations later, there was the magical trip to Disney World when your 8-year old wore her Mickey Mouse ears 24/7. Your memories of fun times with the family on vacation are golden, but suddenly your kids are 13 and 16 and much too cool to hang out with Mom and Dad for a whole week. A Royal Caribbean family cruise will change that.
So what’s a good vacation that will give your family the togetherness you crave and still be fun for all ages? Answer: A family cruise, specifically, a Royal Caribbean family cruise. Why? When there are activities galore, peers to socialize with, and space for teens to safely have some independence, you’ll find the general teen surliness and exasperated eye-rolling minimized. And that helps Moms and Dads relax, too. It’s a win/win!
5 Reasons Your Teen Will Love Royal Caribbean
- Deck activities – Teens will love Royal Caribbean’s innovative, adventurous deck activities like zip lining, the FlowRider® surf simulator, rock-climbing walls, and ice-skating rink, as well as the H2O Zone water park, table tennis, mini-golf and basketball courts (features vary by ship) Parents will love that they are all complimentary.
- Age categories – Some cruise lines lump ages 13 and up together, but Royal Caribbean understands the distinction and wisely divides their youth programs into tweens (12 to 14) and teens (15 to 17). Unique activities are pre-planned for each age group with Adventure Ocean staff to facilitate. Tweens can enjoy a spirited game of dodgeball and Dance Dance Revolution or get together for a movie night or talent show. Teens can meet and mingle at pool parties, teen dinners or the teen casino, and learn how to mix records at the Scratch DJ Academy.
- Dedicated teen areas – All Royal Caribbean ships have dedicated teen areas to keep teenagers engaged, social and entertained. The Back Deck outdoor sun area is a place for 12-17 year-olds to make friends and relax with their peers. The teen lounge is a laid back hideaway for kids to just hang out together until the wee hours, or several ships have the popular teens-only nightclub to dance the night away with new friends.
- Arcade – What teen isn’t drawn to the beeps, clangs and bells of an arcade? Royal Caribbean’s shipboard arcades feature favorite classics like Pacman and foosball, but also the latest video games like Guitar Hero, Fast and Furious Drift and more so tweens and teens can play to win.
- Teen-specific Spa treatments – Teens enjoy the TLC of a luxurious spa treatment, too, and Royal Caribbean as designed a special YSpa menu for teens. Choose from an Acne Attack facial, Beach Babe deep conditioning hair treatment, Sole Mate pedicure or other youth treatments.
Bonus: 5 Tips For Cruising with Teens
- Buy the fountain Soda Package – Purchase the drinks package that allows unlimited refills at any of the shipboard bars, lounges or dining rooms. This will save soda drinkers a lot of money!
- Set expectations for togetherness – Discuss in advance whether you expect your teens to dine with you, what shore excursions you plan to do together, etc. Know the ship’s teen curfew and agree on how and when they need to check in with you.
- Set a daily spending limit – Milkshakes with friends at Johnny Rockets and arcade games can add up quickly, so set some rules in advance. Review cell phone rules to avoid outrageous bills.
- First night teen activities – Make your teens go to the teen programming the first night or two. Teen friendships and cliques form early on, so they’ll make peer connections for the rest of the cruise.
- Let them sleep late – Teens stay up late and love to sleep in. It’s vacation, so let them! If you have an early excursion, agree on wake up time the night before.
Royal Caribbean ships are quite literally floating playgrounds with all the elements to make a vacation with teens a family trip to remember: tons of activities with opportunities for family togetherness as well as teen independence. You can give your young adult a chance to stretch their wings in a safe environment, while you make more precious family memories together.
To find the perfect Royal Caribbean ship and itinerary for your family, contact the cruise specialists at Covington Travel.
Photos courtesy of Royal Caribbean International
Older kids hate Royal Caribbean ships because 16/17 year olds have no interest in hanging out with 13 years olds and then forced into a curfew.
I appreciate your opinion, EJP, but from my own experience, my three teens LOVED both of our Royal Caribbean cruises (Caribbean and Mediterranean). I agree that 16/17-year-olds are waay too cool to hang with 12/13s, but our experience was that the kids were divided into age-appropriate groups (2-year spans) and made some lasting friendships. They are now all in their 20’s and still keep up with some kids they met on the cruises! As a single mom, I also spent some “adult” time with each and as a family: spa time, rock climbing, ice skating, specialty dining – so my teens were never bored or felt like they were forced into the kids club. I have to stand by Royal Caribbean as a fabulous family cruise for teens. 🙂 – Beverly
I have never been on a cruise before and I have some questions that hopefully someone can answer:) do my teens HAVE to go to the teen club ? When is teen curfew? Finally, is all food included in the final price? Thanks again
Hi Kat, Good questions! The short answers are no, depends, and yes (mostly). 🙂
Teens are never required to attend the teen clubs, but from my experience, hanging out with their peers really enhances their vacation experience. It gives them autonomy in a supervised setting where they can socialize with their age group, and it gives parents some well-deserved time off. Generally speaking, there is no age-specific curfew on cruise ships, but that is always up to the Captain for safety standards. As for dining, all meals onboard are included in the cruise fare; however, many cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, offer alternative dining venues that have a surcharge of $20 – $40 per person. Alternative dining is always optional and there are multiple other dining choices that have no additional charge. Similar story with drinks – water, juice, tea and coffee are always included, but soft drinks and alcohol are additional on traditional cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean (often included on luxury lines). For more detail, please contact one of our cruise specialists at 804-747-7077.
im leaving for our cruise this saturday (im 15) will there be any video games on board?
Hi Charlie, There sure will be video games if you’re sailing on Royal Caribbean ships. They have fabulous pay-to-play arcades with everything from air hockey to driving games to Guitar Hero. The teen club will likely have computer access, as well. You’re going to LOVE it! Have fun.
I’m going on a Royal Caribbean cruise with my family. My son will be hardly a month away from 15 when we do. So I’m just wonder how strict they are when it comes to the age groupings. My son would probably end up hating the vacation if he was stuck with the young kids, so I was wondering if he could do the 15-17 things.
Hi Luke, I understand your predicament. It’s tough to be a teen! A 13-14 age group can span at least three school grade levels, and almost-15-year-olds are much more mature than just-turned-13. From my experience, the kids’ clubs are relatively tight on age groupings. I would recommend he go check out his assigned age group for the first two days and see if he’s comfortable there. Kids tend to form their “vacation clicks” early on and he might find other almost 15-year-olds there, too. If not, interact with the supervisory crew to see what options there may be. Some of the activities may combine with the next age group up and he can always pick and choose when he wants to participate or hang out. If he does bump up to the next age group, remember that he could be on the other end of the same maturity disparity in 15- to 17-year-olds. It can also be a good opportunity to treat him as the young adult that he is and do some more grown up things with you. I always made sure to have some one-on-one time with each of my three kids when we cruised and it fostered many happy vacation memories. Wishing the same for your family! – Beverly
We are taking our very first ever cruise on RC EOTS in late November. Our sons are avid game enthusiasts, and I wondered what is the cost of playing the arcade games, or are they complimentary?
Hi Heide, The arcade games are pay-to-play that use the room key/boarding card as a payment card, so depending on your perspective of “avid game enthusiasts,” I recommend you and your sons agree on a daily budget for gaming. You can give each individual card the ability to charge onboard or, if open charging privileges are too tempting, you can turn off that feature for their cards and simply load a set amount onto the card (one-time or daily). The amount you authorize is charged to your shipboard account with any other charges to be settled at the end of the cruise. Last time I looked, there were machines in the arcade to reload funds. Bon Voyage!
Hello, i’m just wondering if you know how far apart the teens areas are from eachother. Im going next year, and i’m quite lazy, and hope they aren’t on different ends of the ship. xD
Hi Carly, The layout depends on the ship, but your travel advisor can provide you with a deck plan. And I wouldn’t worry – you’ll be so energized by the atmosphere, you won’t have any problem navigating the ship. Have fun! – Beverly
super nervous about my kid making friends what to do??
Hi Elizabeth, I think many Moms can identify with your worry about your kid making friends on a cruise. I recommend that you take them to check out the kid’s club EARLY on in the cruise – like the first day right after sail away, or first evening after dinner for tweens/teens (then leave them there – don’t hover). Kids tend to make their vacation alliances quickly, so those who don’t show up until the third day will probably find groups have already formed and it could be harder to break the ice. The cruise staff are well trained to promote inclusive behavior, so even shy kids find it easy and fun to get involved. Don’t worry, as long as there are other kids on board, they’ll find each other – and you can go book a massage or have a romantic adults-only dinner! Enjoy your family cruise – Beverly/Travel Maestro
I am 14 and I am staying a room with my cousin who is 15. We wanted to do all of this together, could we request that I go up to the older group or she goes down to the younger group?
Hi Macey, That’s a common question. From my experience, the cruise line is fairly strict about keeping the groups true to the ages they are labeled, but you and your cousin should definitely go together to meet the teen club staff (on the first day) and ask if you can stay together. The number of other kids on the sailing is probably a factor. If it’s spring break and many families are on board, they will likely stick to the rules, but if only a few teens are on board, they may bend a bit. Either way, you and your cousin can pick and choose which activities to participate in and some may be for both ages. You are never required to go to the teen club – unless the parental units say so! 🙂 Have fun! – Beverly
I’m going on my first cruise ever in February. I’m 13 and my sister is 15. It’d be awesome if I could go into the teen casino. Is there an acceptance for sticking with your siblings?
Hi Allie, Typically, cruise lines’ kid’s clubs are fairly strict about age groups. That’s for your safety, as well as fun. I recommend you go to your own age group and meet some other 13-year-old travelers. That’s all part of the fun of traveling and you’ll still have plenty of time to hang with your sister at the pool, in port, and during dinner. Have fun! – Travel Maestro