Bored Teen?

[Promomx2]

We're thinking about taking our first cruise to castaway. It would just be myself, dh and ds, who is 15. He's not too much on going to a kids activities, would he be bored? Is there any place when he can go fishing?

 

[Goofy Mum]

We're about to embark on our first cruise but I couldn't beg my soon to be 15 year old son to go with us. He prefers to stay home and go to school! So my husband is staying home with him and Im taking my other 3 sons.
I guess it all depends on what sort of teen you have there. My son is a very academic, video game/computer kid. We can hardly get him out of his room.

 

[hgon76]

Are you kidding? I think my DS 14 may have had the BEST time out of everyone! Once he found friends at the stack, he didn't get in til 2am everynight. I had a heart attack the first night when I awoke @ 1:30am & he was not back. Then after talking to some other parents of teens I found out that the teens club doesn't close til 1-2am & then the kids sometimes go other places on the ship after. I did almost strangle him on the last night when we had to be at debarkation @ 6:30 & he wasn't in at 4:30am! My husband was like "don't worry, where COULD he go? We're on a boat" Ahhhhh, overboard??? Typical paranoid motherBut if your teen isn't shy about meeting new people, he'll be fine.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I think there may be some fishing excursions (but an adult in the party would have to take it too) but nowhere just to go fishing on your own.
My DD13 is rarely interestd in what goes on in the quest, but she loves the cruise ship. She enjoys the time to just lounge on deck with her kindle and read with no pressure to do other things; she likes seeing the show; she enjoys many of the family activities and she likes the meals and all the ever available snack options.

 

[kcashner]

The teen areas on the ship are big on parties...but also on computer games, Guitar Hero, etc. In addition, he'll have the sports deck, pools, etc. Fishing is available at some ports. Not sure which cruise you are on--you'll be going to at least one place in addition to Castaway Cay.

 

[Goofy Mum]

Are you kidding? I think my DS 14 may have had the BEST time out of everyone! Once he found friends at the stack, he didn't get in til 2am everynight. I had a heart attack the first night when I awoke @ 1:30am & he was not back. Then after talking to some other parents of teens I found out that the teens club doesn't close til 1-2am & then the kids sometimes go other places on the ship after. I did almost strangle him on the last night when we had to be at debarkation @ 6:30 & he wasn't in at 4:30am! My husband was like "don't worry, where COULD he go? We're on a boat" Ahhhhh, overboard??? Typical paranoid motherBut if your teen isn't shy about meeting new people, he'll be fine.

Yeah, like I said it depends on the teen. My son is somewhat bashful and has a select group of friends but he doesn't react well in social situations. He's never taken an interest in school activities or dances. His idea of fun is his triple science club after school on Tues.
This is why I didn't nag him about going. My other three are the total opposite!

 

[Uno Mas]

My 15 year old son cannot wait to get back on the cruise ship. He spent the last two cruises on the basketball court on the sports deck the entire time. We hardly saw him at all, except when we turned on channel 12 on the room tv, which has a live feed to the bball courts! He brought his own ball with him on the ship and just went and played pick up games with whomever was out there. He did the same at Castaway Cay - they have mini-hoops at the sports area over there and between that, shuffleboard, and all the food, he was entertained the entire time.

 

[bbn1122]

This is our First DCL but we were on a Carnival cruise this past summer. My DS 15 meet new friends at the teen club. He did have some cousins with him, but he does not see them but once a year so he knew them as well as the new kids he met. He loved hanging out with his new friends and cousins. He loved that he could come back to the cabin at 1am and it was okay with his parents. He is a sci fi basketball player. He is comfortable playingd D & D as shooting hoops all day. He is on the quite side, but I have found there comes a time in their lives when they have to learn to socialize and learn how to come out of their comfort zones. It looks to me that there will be many opportunites on this cruise for him either to find fun alone time or join in a group activity.
His two DB 10 & 12 will be on the cruise, but I think he will take refuge from them at the STACK.
They all can not wait till April!!!

 

[elgerber]

Yeah, like I said it depends on the teen. My son is somewhat bashful and has a select group of friends but he doesn't react well in social situations. He's never taken an interest in school activities or dances. His idea of fun is his triple science club after school on Tues.
This is why I didn't nag him about going. My other three are the total opposite!

This is my son too, but not even for a science club. His social life consists of online strategy games on his computer. He doesn't socialize hardly at all out of school, and has very few friends. That said, he was 15 on our cruise, and was out every night till 2 am or so. We saw him for dinner only. He got up after we left for breakfast, at lunch with other kids, met us for dinner, then left again. He had a blast!

 

[hgon76]

This is my son too, but not even for a science club. His social life consists of online strategy games on his computer. He doesn't socialize hardly at all out of school, and has very few friends. That said, he was 15 on our cruise, and was out every night till 2 am or so. We saw him for dinner only. He got up after we left for breakfast, at lunch with other kids, met us for dinner, then left again. He had a blast!

, that's so funny. My son is totally a "home body". He plays after school sports (basketball, football, baseball), but that is really the only "social life" he has. So, he LOVED the freedom he had on the cruise. And really was fond of the friends he made. He said they all "cried the last night of the cruise because they had spent all day everyday together all week and they would never see each other again." Dinner was the only time we saw our DS too. Most of the time he didn't even stay for desert! But, it made me feel good to know he was having such a good time and he liked being allowed to do something he'd normally never be able to do.........stay out til 2am.

 

[Tony94]

I'm 15 and love the stack. During the day its kinda boring, but I found plenty of other things to do. At night its a LOT of fun.

 

[DrRae2B]

I'm 15 ... At night its a LOT of fun.

How MUCH fun, exactly?... and what KIND of fun??.... I'm taking my sister on our first cruise next year- she'll be 15. Don't get me wrong- I want her to have fun, but not the kind of "fun" that would be objectionable. I mean, there aren't packs of teenagers walking around smoking pot at all hours of the night, are there? Or drinking? Or worse yet, doing, uh... ya know...?

Sorry for all the questions-- I want her to have a good time, but I just don't know about letting her stay out till 2 am with no supervision. I mean, who knows what could happen-- I realize it's Disney and all, but it's not like they screen everyone who embarks on the cruise for past sexual offenses or drug use or criminal records. I want her to have fun, yeah, but I also want to be sure she's safe.

Am I being overprotective? (I'm only 28 but I sound so OLD!! Lol).

 

[Mickeyhugger]

How MUCH fun, exactly?... and what KIND of fun??.... I'm taking my sister on our first cruise next year- she'll be 15. Don't get me wrong- I want her to have fun, but not the kind of "fun" that would be objectionable. I mean, there aren't packs of teenagers walking around smoking pot at all hours of the night, are there? Or drinking? Or worse yet, doing, uh... ya know...?

Sorry for all the questions-- I want her to have a good time, but I just don't know about letting her stay out till 2 am with no supervision. I mean, who knows what could happen-- I realize it's Disney and all, but it's not like they screen everyone who embarks on the cruise for past sexual offenses or drug use or criminal records. I want her to have fun, yeah, but I also want to be sure she's safe.

Am I being overprotective? (I'm only 28 but I sound so OLD!! Lol).

Just to put your mind at ease I am a protective father of a 15 yo girl who took her BFF on our last Magic cruise. They did the stack at night and had a great time. I ran into them numerous times every night and NEVER saw a problem. I have a open and honest relationship with her and ask lots of questions and she said ever one was respectful and no one was even smoked cigarettes. I know that it is a different crowd each week but you know how responsible your sister is and how she will handle certain situations. I tell my daughter frequently that she has spent 15 years earning my trust and respect and that it will only take seconds to loose it. hHope this helps.

Rob

 

[PoohJen]

To the OP: DCL is great for all ages, but if he's not into organized activities, I'm not sure what there is that he will like throughout the day/night. There are video games in the Stack/Aloft. There is a pay-your-way small game room. There is free pizza and dogs, etc. on deck. There is a small pool. There are movies, shuffle board, ping pong. Perhaps he'd find some other teens to hang with and just enjoy the ship.

To the parents of teens...it's still a good idea to give your child a curfew!

The teens' club closes at 1-1:30, there is no supervised/organized place for your child to be after that. My teen missed curfew on our last cruise, I found him hanging out/napping in Studio Sea with a few other teens. Nothing going on there, just guys and gals hanging out in a dimly lit area.

If your child is out til 4 - where is he? Most of the time, they are hanging out in the small elevator lobbies on various floors, or on the stairs, or behind the elevators on Deck 5 (or 6, I can't remember - I just remember rowdy teens not far from my room hanging out there very late at night!). I also came upon teen couples in dark corners outside of the adult clubs, which also aren't open too late.

That's not to say teens staying out late are getting into trouble. But really, it's okay to draw a line and say "be in by 2" etc., get some sleep and have more fun tomorrow. Sometimes part of having new freedom is knowing when to tell yourself 'it's time for bed'.

 

[mobopolo]

My boys are both huge video game players, this was one of the selling points (the ship has video games) But as my Dad always told us... "If you're not having a good time, it's your own falt." You make of it what it is. You choose to have a good time or not. As for family, the family that plays together stays together, included vacationing together. That's not to say we can't all do our own thing. One may want to sleep all day by the pool, while another wants to do every activity possible, but in the end we would all meet up at dinner time. Sometimes we all need to be out of our comfort zone, and when I look back on it now as an adult, I am happy my parents basically made me do some things I thought were lame, stupid or thought I would hate. What do teens know anyway? I say take them kicking and screaming all the way... , they can stay in the stateroom, or get out and explore, it's their choice, but drag them along for the ride. No regrets

 

[MACfamily4]

Agreed. Our motto is, "If you allow yourself to be bored, that's your problem. Solve it." As a result, we rarely hear the words, "I'm bored" from our kids. There may not be anything he's used to doing, but there is certainly a multitude of things to do. Have fun!

 

[Disney Freak 5]

I'm also a teen to. 15 to be exact. And I love everything about Aloft and The Stack. I've been there 5 times between each and a 6th time on March 27. We have a lot of fun. A lot. The counselors are great and friendly and keep the enrgy flowing through us all. During the day, such as sea days, it's really just a chill time. But during the night we do all of the fun activities. Parties, movies, games etc. During the day I usually just stay on the b ball court. I know all the cruises I've been on I'm never bored and I meet A LOT of friends. Even if your kids aren't social they are bound to meet someone just like them. Trust me it's a lot of fun. I usually am with my friends all day during cruises. It's just so much fun!!!!!!!!

 

[ajeent]

We just got off of the Western Magic a few weeks ago. My 15yo son was determined NOT to go to the stack - he was just going to hang out and chill. I pretty much forced him to go to the meet and greet Sat night at 10:30 - told him to be back at midnight.. He came in at 11:57 - totally pumped up - talking a mile a minute and asking if he could go back til 1am. He had a blast the rest of the week. Always had a curfew and we saw him around with his new friends quite a bit. The kids seemed well behaved and the one night that I was out at 2am (goofy kid had misplaced his ipod and I was helping him look for it - his friend found it - whew!) there were some kids in Studio Sea and they were just lounging around talking.
My son now chats with his new friends on facebook. So I would say to have your son at least try the Stack a time or two and see what happens. He might get hooked!

 

[has]

Our first cruise we took my 12 D nephew. He is home schooled so not much social life to my dismay!!!!! He had a great time at the stack, talking to the crew members, but his favorite time was hanging out at the gift stores. He became an honorary crew member helping out in the gifts shops. On the last night of our cruise, the crew members gave him a silver ring and a certificate. He tried to hold back the tears as he said good-bye to his new friends. He still keeps in contact with them by mail and email.

When the ad for the Dream came out he said, "Hurry and take my little sister on a trip so I can go on the Dream with you and Grandma again!"

Like they say, "Spending time with the family.......PRICELESS!

Happy Sailing

Hiedi

 

[mobopolo]

Our first cruise we took my 12 D nephew. He is home schooled so not much social life to my dismay!!!!! He had a great time at the stack, talking to the crew members, but his favorite time was hanging out at the gift stores. He became an honorary crew member helping out in the gifts shops. On the last night of our cruise, the crew members gave him a silver ring and a certificate. He tried to hold back the tears as he said good-bye to his new friends. He still keeps in contact with them by mail and email.

When the ad for the Dream came out he said, "Hurry and take my little sister on a trip so I can go on the Dream with you and Grandma again!"

Like they say, "Spending time with the family.......PRICELESS!

Happy Sailing

Hiedi

This is AWESOME!! He should look into the Disney College Program at Disney World. They have their own campus and everything!