Teens and Disney Cruises!!

[triplemm]

Hey everyone!
So I posted this on the Teen Disney Forum, but I figured it would get more exposure here, sooo...
This thread is mostly for TEENS, but it's definitely open to all ages,
I'd love to hear everyone's opinions about all things Disney Cruises !!
So that incudes: advice, insider info, your favourite things on the ships, your experiences, your opinions on VIBE, your favourite ships, ANYTHING
I'm excited to see what y'all have to say

 

[SnowWhite2]

My girls are 17 and 19 and have been cruising for 10 years. They love DCL and refuse to go on another cruise line.

They like hanging with the other kids but they do more things outside of the Vibe together. They like the counselors in the Vibe also. The only thing they don't like is that they can't go to the outside portion of the Vibe very often. So they leave and go to the pool deck together.

DD19 cruised with a kid in 2008 that now goes to college with her. DD17 has a bunch of friends that she hangs with every cruise. We even got assigned to sit with them at dinner without asking (random pairing).

 

[Lucijoy]

Just returned last week from a 4-night Disney Dream Bahamas cruise with hubby and 2 DSs (17 and 22). DS17 got checked into Vibe when we were touring the ship after boarding/lunch. They turn in their KTTW card to get a Vibe card (works just like KTTW elsewhere). DS went to the first night meet n greet and stayed for dodge ball (got in around 12:30 a.m.). Said he had fun. Mentioned there was another guy or two that was cool. He went back a few times, but not like he "had" to be there. He and his brother enjoyed activities together--basketball, mini-golf, 5K and snorkeling on Castaway Cay. He went back the last night for a last hurrah but didn't stay late. Both boys enjoyed the cruise.

 

[maryliz]

The only thing they don't like is that they can't go to the outside portion of the Vibe very often. So they leave and go to the pool deck together.

So the VIBE "pool/hot tub" deck isn't open at all times? That's too bad ... my DD was really looking forward to spending a lot of time out there because we have 3 full Sea Days on our upcoming cruise. Do they post that info in the Navigators?

 

[DisneyGirl421]

I'm not a teen anymore, but I did go on 3 cruises on the Magic while I was a teen!

This was wayyy back when ('01, '03, and '05), so the teen stuff has changed drastically and I couldn't tell you a thing about Vibe, lol.

But, I had a BLAST on all three cruises. I was 13 in '01, and 17 in '05. All three times I had been talking to a few teens through the DISboards, and met up with them on the first day, becoming fast friends throughout the entire cruise.
I barely ever saw my parents, other than dinner/shows and the port days. Well, except Castaway Cay, because I went to the teen beach (do they still have that? idk). We were either in The Stack (what Vibe used to be called) or by the pools or just roaming the ship.
I still talk to a bunch of the people I met (and this was way before facebook even happened so that tells you something!), and I actually just met up with one of the girls who I met on the '03 cruise in Disney last week!

So yeah. I loved cruising as a teen!!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

I'm 17, and my favorite place in the world is a Disney ship! (The Magic or Wonder, to be specific!) I'm not a huge fan of the teen clubs; I'm a character stalker, and I just like to walk around and explore or chill by the pool. I'm so tight with my family that I hang out with them a lot too.

I love learning from the Entertainment cast members too! It's so fun to talk to these people who are 2-10 years older than me who are traveling the world and performing for Disney! I'm hoping to do a contract after I graduate from college.

Anyway... yeah! That's the short version... If you have any questions, I can answer them as best I can.

 

[lovefromkatie]

I was on the Dream in August and some of the best memories I made on vacation was at Vibe! Lucky for me, I was on a cruise with my best friends, so I was always with someone I was comfortable with. Going to Vibe is a blast, though. One thing for sure, going the first night definitely helps with being comfortable with the amount of kids at Vibe. Icebreaker activities (first night is icebreakers and then they don't have anything planned, its kind of just like a "getting to know you" time) and anything else they have scheduled (ghost adventures, gender wars) is tons of fun. On my cruise, there were tons of teenagers that all hung out at night there, and when Vibe closed, we all went to D Lounge together. I 100% recommend going- and if your teen doesn't like it, there's no pressure to go back!

 

[hezzie]

We cruised on the Fantasy in April and both my kids (15 and 14) loved Vibe. They met so many other kids and my DD just went to a sleepover with two of the girls she met on the cruise. They all ended up living within an hour of each other. They chat and FaceTime all the time.

The time at the sun deck was very limited and they are not allowed out at night bc the bridge looks right out over the area and they can't have any lights on.

Both kids really enjoyed the counselors and can't wait to go back again next year.

In addition to Vibe, the teens enjoyed roaming the ship and hitting the counter service or lunch buffets, the ice cream station was a stop multiple times a day I'm told and going to the shows together.

 

[MillauFr]

These teen seem to enjoy there time on the Disney Wonder last summer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBnkn2tQdt0