16 yo on board....restrictions?

[cruisingwithtwins]

So...my twin daughters will be celebrating their 16th birthday.....are there things that they can't do because of their age (obviously I'm not talking about drinking, lol)....but things like the spa or sauna.....is there dancing available for their age.....night activities that they can or can't attend with me?

Still definitely in the exploring and learning phase, but I keep wondering if their age will limit their experience. They don't typically like to do the teenager type things....not into computer games or the playstations or those types of things.....the music they enjoy isn't exactly "today's popular" music, etc. I keep reading about teenagers going to the Stack, but can't find any information about what they do there, lol (maybe as the mom I'm not supposed to know ).

 

[kcashner]

What happens in The Stack is very dependent on the group that is cruising that week. DD had cruises with some really neat kids and cruises where she basically didn't go there because she didn't "fit" with the group. The Stack has computer games, Guitar Hero, etc. There are music stations with a wide variety of music. There are dances/parties every night. They meet on the first night to learn the rules and supposedly establish what they want to do for the week, although this is something of a joke. Even though there is the illusion that the teens pick the activities, they come out almost the same on each cruise...DD says they really don't determine much if anything. If they still do it, video scavenger hunt and Gotcha were favorites.

What your 16 year olds cannot do--anything labeled "adult." That means no spa, no sauna, no fitness center, no adult cabaret shows, no adult dancing. The night club area will be off limits after 9 pm. What they can do--anything labeled "family" or "teen." There are family cabaret shows at 7:30; family dances in Studio Sea and the Promenade Lounge, family game shows, and some really fun activities. They can stroll on the deck or go for late night swims.

There are a couple of sessions in the fitness center open to teens with the group from The Stack. Even if this is the only thing they do, they can attend those.

 

[aurorafan65]

Really they can pretty much do everything except stay in the adult only areas - I believe that's only 18 & up.

Our kids never do the kids rooms, they stay with us which is fine since it's a family vacation. We stay by the pool & go to the shows together. We also go sit in the lounges & listen to music or walk on the deck. There really is tons to do without staying in the stack.

If you look at the Navigators (there's a link to them in the sticky) they show activities broken out into age groups i.e. 3-5, 8-10, family & adult. So there's plenty of stuff to choose from. They can try the stack, they may find other kids who have the same interests.

For the spa - dh did a father/son thing, I'm not sure what the age requirement for them to go solo to the spa is (sorry this was on a RCCL ship)

 

[kcashner]

On the DCL ships, the spa is an adults only area most of the time. If there are available appointments, they will sometimes offer port day specials for teens or mother/daughter pairs. However, these can only be booked on board IF those specials are offered. If adults have filled the spaces, there won't be any teen times.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

I've cruised at ages 12, 15 & 17 and I never went to any of the teen/kids clubs. I've never had any problem finding anything to do. Some of the things I really liked to do: lounging on deck 4, playing shuffleboard on deck 4, going to family game shows before dinner, going to the nightly shows, and just exploring the ship. I've also watched a movie in the theater, but that was because it was raining outside and it was a sea day. They always have plenty of activities going on for families.

They won't be able to do any of the adult things (18 & up) like Palo, swimming in the adult pool, and going in the adult areas. It certainly never bothered me much.

On the DCL ships, the spa is an adults only area most of the time. If there are available appointments, they will sometimes offer port day specials for teens or mother/daughter pairs. However, these can only be booked on board IF those specials are offered. If adults have filled the spaces, there won't be any teen times.

We did a cruise last March and the first day my mom went up to the spa to see if she could make an appointment for a manicure. They fit her in right away. I expressed interest in it (I was 17 at the time), and she said she'd ask them if they'd let me get a manicure. They had no problem fitting me in for one

I think for things like a manicure, pedicure, etc. they don't really have any problem letting teens in (as long as they have available spots). I'm not sure if they'd let a teen go in for a massage or something, unless it is some sort of special.

 

[kcashner]

They do make a difference between the spa and the salon (where they do hair, manicures, and pedicures). Minors are allowed into the salon, although this is a relatively recent change that mothers have been asking for over the years.

 

[cruisingwithtwins]

On the DCL ships, the spa is an adults only area most of the time. If there are available appointments, they will sometimes offer port day specials for teens or mother/daughter pairs. However, these can only be booked on board IF those specials are offered. If adults have filled the spaces, there won't be any teen times.

How sad that the spa can't be open for teens! For their 13th birthday this year we pampered ourselves at a spa and had a wonderful time. This rule will probably disappoint them the most.

 

[PigletsPal2]

On our last cruise, they offered a back/neck/shoulder chair massage on deck (not in spa), if that's something that interests you.

Queen Colleen

 

[js]

How sad that the spa can't be open for teens! For their 13th birthday this year we pampered ourselves at a spa and had a wonderful time. This rule will probably disappoint them the most.

I agree with you.
We are sailing with my mother and my sister, her dh and her three young sons.
My son will be 13 and my daughter will be 17 and going into her senior year of high school.
She had gotten massages on RCCL and Princess before and she really thought she could eat with my dh and me at Palo since she enjoyes fine dining.
Although we don't have any problems on the RCCL ships, I think she may be at an inbetween age for sailing DCL but we are going as a family and it is a cruise so I am sure she will still have a great time with the kids she meets.

 

[kcashner]

How sad that the spa can't be open for teens! For their 13th birthday this year we pampered ourselves at a spa and had a wonderful time. This rule will probably disappoint them the most.

And I treated DD to a spa experience on the ship for her 18 the birthday. She also celebrated her 18th at Palo. The wait made it that much more special.

If you are not happy with the rules, let DCL know. If they believe they can make money by allowing teens to have spa treatments AND that it won't offend adults they will do it. However, there are many family experiences on the ship and they are cautious of keeping spaces for adults only.

I would hazard a guess that Palo will never change the "adults only" policy. That is the draw of that restaurant. Yes, I know that many teens can handle an elegant restaurant, but until the day that they can't fill Palo with adults (which is never!) it won't be open to minors.

 

[cruisingwithtwins]

However, there are many family experiences on the ship and they are cautious of keeping spaces for adults only.

.

See, that may be the problem....reading about the "family experiences" there just doesn't seem to be a lot that MY teens are interested in doing....so far nothing about The Stack that we've read appeals to them. They aren't kids who just "hang out" with other teens. They're obviously going to be too old for the kids club......so their reading of these boards so far is really making them wonder if a DISNEY cruise is going to any fun except when we're off ship. And considering their obsession with all things Walt DIsney World and Disneyland....that is just not normal for them. They are actually saying they want to look at OTHER cruise lines to see if there is more for their age bracket to do and where they won't feel left out because they are 2 years too young by someone's standards.

This has just happened this weekend so maybe they'll keep reading and find more about the Disney cruise to interest them, but sadly I'm worried they won't....and "I" really want a DIsney cruise just because I know that the service will be exceptional. That's not enough for them, though.

So, if a teen isn't interested in The Stack....and while they may sit through the DIsney movies, we own all of them so that's not very special, that's more "time to kill" activities...........what does that leave...swimming, shuffleboard and eating? LOL.....help! Tell me more of what they might enjoy.

And...since they have been raising the money to pay for this cruise, they're going to be the ones to have the final say of what we do. One of them just pointed out that they already have almost enough if we go on another cruise line......and that if they still wait until they're 16 we could do a longer cruise with that company if they keep up their working for the money.

This is not looking good for me.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

See, that may be the problem....reading about the "family experiences" there just doesn't seem to be a lot that MY teens are interested in doing....so far nothing about The Stack that we've read appeals to them. They aren't kids who just "hang out" with other teens. They're obviously going to be too old for the kids club......so their reading of these boards so far is really making them wonder if a DISNEY cruise is going to any fun except when we're off ship. And considering their obsession with all things Walt DIsney World and Disneyland....that is just not normal for them. They are actually saying they want to look at OTHER cruise lines to see if there is more for their age bracket to do and where they won't feel left out because they are 2 years too young by someone's standards.

This has just happened this weekend so maybe they'll keep reading and find more about the Disney cruise to interest them, but sadly I'm worried they won't....and "I" really want a DIsney cruise just because I know that the service will be exceptional. That's not enough for them, though.

So, if a teen isn't interested in The Stack....and while they may sit through the DIsney movies, we own all of them so that's not very special, that's more "time to kill" activities...........what does that leave...swimming, shuffleboard and eating? LOL.....help! Tell me more of what they might enjoy.

And...since they have been raising the money to pay for this cruise, they're going to be the ones to have the final say of what we do. One of them just pointed out that they already have almost enough if we go on another cruise line......and that if they still wait until they're 16 we could do a longer cruise with that company if they keep up their working for the money.

This is not looking good for me.

I would suggest taking at look at recent Navigators. It'll list all the activities that there are to do throughout the cruise. Even if something looks lame, go ahead and do it anyways. You might be surprised. They have activities scheduled almost all hours of the day, so go ahead and do some of them.

Trust me - I was never interested in any of the teen/kids activities and I still found a bunch of stuff to do. I'm also pretty shy, and I still found most of the activities fun.

Now that I'm 18, I'm really excited to cruise again. Having the age limit does make finally being able to do adult activities more special. It is a bummer that they won't be able to do the adult things, but there really are plenty of fun things to do on the ship.

 

[kcashner]

All I can tell you is that DD is not a "typical" kid. She was taking classes at a local college while she was technically in middle school. She was very used to hanging with adults and others older than she, and played classical music on several instruments.

At about 17, I asked her whether she wanted to cruise another line. She said that if I wanted to, it was OK to look at it....but to keep in mind that it wasn't going to be as good as Disney. She added that if it started with a "C," don't bother even considering it.

I can't promise that your kids will love it, but we do. For high school graduation, she wanted a cruise with friends. ALL the girls loved the Disney touches. I don't know what the boys thought--18 year old boys don't talk to old ladies!

 

[cruisingwithtwins]

but there really are plenty of fun things to do on the ship.

Could you be more specific? Everything we've read about The Stack says the same thing....dance parties, movie nights, interactive games and a bar that dispenses smoothies and soft drinks.

So to them they're looking at watching moveis they can already see at home....and drinking smoothies. Not exactly worth a few thousand dollars of their hard, very hard, earned cash.


I am so depressed today with their talk of not wanting to go...it's all they've talked about for almost a year as they worked and saved their money. I told them until they had 1/2 of the cost saved we wouldn't even start researching it....and they reached that savings account goal last week. And now they just want to forget the whole thing. I want to cry (because secretly I too have been looking forward to this cruise....but for me, just sitting and doing nothing sounds like heaven....because at home that rarely happens, lol).

 

[kcashner]

Ok, a couple of activities in THe Stack that I know she likes...there's one where they are divided into groups and actually make a movie. THey get a video camera, and they script, act, film, and present it to the group.

Video scavenger hunt--find things around the ship and film them (cameras are provided) to prove that you found them.

Gotcha game I don't pretend to know all the rules of this, but it is a day or multi-day long game where they are assigned to "kill" specific people including ship's officers, etc. They are provided with a photo and must figure out who the person is, etc. There is also a way they eliminate each other. I know DD got a server to put a sticker on the bottom of another teen's glass with an X on it. By drinking the contents of the glass without having detected the X, he was eliminated.

Brains vs. Brawn game...girls vs. boys to answer questions/complete tasks. Better to be physically stronger or smarter????

In addition, the Stack has a long list of crafts, etc. that can be done at any time by requesting the necessary supplies from the CMs.

 

[eva]

Do check out the navigators. Here's a link:Navigators

Everything is open to them unless it is listed as Adults. Unfortunately, they will not be able to sit around the adult pool or any of the other adult areas that most have already listed; like the spa, fitness room, Cove Cafe, and Palo. After 9 pm they will not be able to go in the adult nightclubs. But Studio Sea is a family nightclub that has events going until 11:30 or so each night. There is also family dancing in the Promenade Lounge most nights. They can still use the other two pools. And I think they will really enjoy the events in Studio Sea. DH and I do. You will find that a DCL cruise will be great for some teens and not so great for others. You will need to do some real research and make a decision.

 

[eva]

Gotcha game I don't pretend to know all the rules of this, but it is a day or multi-day long game where they are assigned to "kill" specific people including ship's officers, etc. They are provided with a photo and must figure out who the person is, etc. There is also a way they eliminate each other. I know DD got a server to put a sticker on the bottom of another teen's glass with an X on it. By drinking the contents of the glass without having detected the X, he was eliminated.

This game sounds really fun. I assume they are mimicking the movie "Gothcha", where kids on a college campus hunt each other down with paint guns.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

Could you be more specific? Everything we've read about The Stack says the same thing....dance parties, movie nights, interactive games and a bar that dispenses smoothies and soft drinks.

So to them they're looking at watching moveis they can already see at home....and drinking smoothies. Not exactly worth a few thousand dollars of their hard, very hard, earned cash.


I am so depressed today with their talk of not wanting to go...it's all they've talked about for almost a year as they worked and saved their money. I told them until they had 1/2 of the cost saved we wouldn't even start researching it....and they reached that savings account goal last week. And now they just want to forget the whole thing. I want to cry (because secretly I too have been looking forward to this cruise....but for me, just sitting and doing nothing sounds like heaven....because at home that rarely happens, lol).

I've never been to the stack or any of the kids areas. I was saying that there were plenty of fun things to do without going to the stack.

Just check out the navigators. I really enjoyed the game show type things. The ones I went to and really enjoyed were after the nightly show and before dinner (or after dinner and before the show if you have early dining). One of my favorites was "Who Wants to be a Mousketeer?" It's just like the tv show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" but all the questions are disney-themed. When you enter the room they give each person a different number. When the game starts, they pick a number and the person with the corresponding number goes up into the "hot seat." If the number picked is an adult, they can take a kid to go up with them and vice versa. The set is just like the tv show and there are 5 questions you have to answer. They start off easy and get increasingly hard. There are 2 lifelines you can use (I think - I don't remember the exact number). My number actually got called and I took my mom up there with me. I'm usually a pretty shy person, but I had a blast going up there! I actually won, and I was the only person that night to win. The questions do get quite hard, but it's a blast. It's the little things like the game shows that makes the cruise really fun for me

 

[aurorafan65]

I think you are focusing WAY too much on the Stack! As said several times by many people there are plenty of activities that are for everyone in the family. My kids never go to the kids rooms & we all have fun together. We go by the pool, we play bingo, we do trivia, go to the library, walk around the deck, go to the shows, eat, sit in the lounges & listen to music, animation class & one of our favorite making towel animals. Just because they can't stay in the adult areas - basically quiet cove area & Paolo's shouldn't be a deal buster. Even if you look at other cruise lines, there are places they won't be allowed either. We've been on RCCL & they have adult only areas too - any cruise line will have them.

As said before check out the Navigators & take a look at all the activities. You can also go over to cruise critic & look at the Compass' from RCCL & believe me you'll see a big dfference in how much is offered for all ages on DCL compared to others

 

[DMMarla07860]

I pretty much started cruising DCL in 2005 when I was 17, went for the first time when I was 14 in 2002, but since I have been 17 years old I have gone every year in a row, going on my next cruise in 6 days and turning 22 years old. I go and do stuff with the college club onboard more now and talk with people more now, but when I was 17 I didn't go to the teen club onboard and I had a blast doing different things on the ship like going to movies, going to partys, going to different shows, going to the pool lots of fun