Common Grounds question?

[mouseclick1]

Other than the structured activities at Common Grounds, what else is there for teens to do there? Are there video games, fooseball table, or things like that? Would there be things for teens to do there if they were not involved in the structured games? We plan on cruising again in summer '04. My boys will be 13 and 14 by then. They never liked the activities that were planned in the Lab, but they might like to hang out in CG and do their own thing. Is this possible? I HAVE read part of the recent mega-post on CG, and I really don't think my boys would even be slightly interested in participating in the games described in that thread. So, would they still want to go?

 

[CruellaDuVille]

There is an arcade (games for purchase).

Common Grounds is a place to meet other kids and they facilitate that there. They organize the teen excursions (snorkeling etc.). They organize things like scavenger hunts, basketball games etc. Kids seem to make their own small group of friends to hang out with them. They go to the movies or other shipboard activities together outside of CG on their own.

My daughter has been on three different cruise lines. Common Grounds was her favorite teen club by far. She said they set the rules from the first day and stood by them, unlike the other cruises she's experienced.

She is uncomfortable around kids that make her feel uncomfortable. She picks her friends well and abides by my curfews.

I'm not saying everyone's kid is an angel but I will say that generally "birds of a feather flock together". The troublemakers hang out with the troublemakers and the good kids seem to hang together too.

These DIS board discussions amuse me. DIS cruisers would die if they saw what went on on different cruiselines (we were stepping over bodies in the hallway on RCCL and drunk kids were running up and down the hallway on Carnival when were were on that). It didn't effect my kids even then though except to give them something to talk about. Shipboard gossip flies fast.

Your relationship with your teen is going to be exactly the same at sea as it is on land. If they say "no" on land they are not going to change at sea. If you have a good abstaining kid you know who you are and if you're kid is a smoker/drinker/drugtaker you know who you are too.

IMO, Disney does the very best job that they can possibly do without having Hook out there making the few bad kids there are walk the plank.

One more thing, my daughter says the caliber of the kids on Disney is higher and she attributes that to the price of the tickets (say compared to Carnival). OK, maybe there's some elitism or snobbism in there...I'm just repeating what she said.

 

[mouseclick1]

Thanks for the post. We have been on DCL twice, but our next cruise will be their first one as teens. I really do trust my kids and I'm not all that concerned about the other post, I was just wondering if there is other stuff for them to do, other than the planned activities? I guess I always thought of CG as a place for kids to sit around, talk, watch TV, and play computer type games. They didn't get into the planned activites at all in the Lab, and preferred to hang out with us for most of the trip. If CG consists of mostly planned out activities, I'm guessing they won't want to hang out there as much either.

 

[macbasset]

hi, during the last dcl cruise we did on the magic eastern in summer 2001, our teenage son and cousin just went in CG to play video games and music, etc. i believe it was sony playstation 2. to answer your question, yes, there are other individual activities to entertain them; that's what our son did; he wasn't interested in the organized activities most of the time. barb

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Our DD said she frequently found it a nice place just to get away to and relax with a good book or chat with a friend or 2. They almost always had some sort of movie going on.

 

[saturday97]

I know the theme is a coffee shop, but do they actually serve coffee (mochas, lattes??), sodas and snacks?

 

[Jhondy(210)]

they don't sell any kind of coffee but they do sell sodas and smoothied. they don't sell snacks but Plutos dog house is only a few steps away and the ice cream place is a few steps the other way so its not like its far to get to food or anything.

 

[saturday97]

Thanks Jhondy-- you are the CG expert!

 

[tecdavidt]

Any previous cruisers help me on this if you had teens with you. On one of our 7 day DCL cruises our teen boys received a plastic coffee mug from DCL. It was light grey with a bright red lid and on the side was the cruise logo. I am thinking it was our cruise from August '01. Any teen out there remember these? Maybe it was from the first 7 day. Since they did get these I thought coffee was served in CG, guess not. Kathy

 

[mouseclick1]

Don't know if they are the same ones you got in CG, but those mugs sound exactly like the ones we won during our Feb '02 cruise! We won them during the "So you think you know Music" game; I still use mine all the time!

 

[AFgirl325]

Common Grounds itself it actually kind of small, but it's a great place to meet people! You could also play video games, play board games, go on the interent, read magazines and other things like that. Outside of Common Grounds, my friends and I (on my last cruise, spring 2001) went to the movies (they usually have a great selection of movies at the Buena Vista Theatere), got food on deck 10, and went to the pools. Also, I showed them around the ship (like where all the souvenior shops were) because I was the veteran DCL cruiser... .

Your family will have a great time on the cruise! Any more questions, feel free to ask!

 

[4nana]

How about sports....are there provisions? If so, would you recommend a 15 yo bring their own soccer/basketball?

 

[Rose_Greenthumb]

I dont know what they provide in the way of equipment, I presume all of it when there are scheduled sports activities. There is a basketball thing on deck 9 but I dont know what they provide.

 

[Jhondy(210)]

they have a sports deck where on the magic they had a basketball game when sailing off of one island. i know at cozumel some of the kids played soccer but do becaredul with that because the kid who brought the ball lost the ball cause some kid kicked it over on accident. on castaway cay they have soccer set up as well but we hung out in the water. oh ans just for a heads up if you kick your ball off the ship don't expect to be able to try to steal the one on castaway cay. one of our cm's was going to and it was funny but we figured it wasn't a good idea.

 

[billylen]

I just wanted to add my .02 about Common Grounds. I am a single dad and my 14 year old son (6 feet tall fairly mature, good kid...but dont we all say that) wanted to explore the ship. Once we settled down I encouraged him to go to CG as soon as it opened so he could establish relationships right away. He resisted at first because he wanted to hang out in the room and watch the various films.

Anyway, he went to CG and that was pretty much the last I saw of him the entire cruise. Well, almost. He really LOVED that place. I bought him a mug so he could drink until it came out of his ears.

As a result I became a solo cruiser and that was fine with me. Sure we had "most" meals together and still had some good quality time, but I actually had plenty of time to be an adult.

One funny story comes to mind. One night maybe the second night of the cruise my son had not made it back to the room. It was about midnight. I was wondering where the heck he could be. (As a parent thoughts of "did I hear loud splash" come to mind) Anyway, I called CG and he was there having the time of his life, so I let him be. When he finally returned to the cabin at (at about 1AM!) I asked him if he was having a good time he said YES! I then asked him if I needed to worry about him. He told me, "No Dad." That was good enough for me. I know each kid is different, but for the "most" part I trust my son (but yes he is still a teeneger)

What I started doing is having a sandwich and juice or milk ready when he got to the room. We would talk, swap jokes (he told me a couple of good ones that had me in stiches) and we'd then hit the sack.

We had a GREAT time!

I agree with one other poster said, kids with similar interests tended to hang together...all in all the kids were great, but water does seek its own level. Thats not a bad thing, just the way of the world...even on DCL.

Oh, the counselors were GREAT, they seemed to have a real way of connecting with the carious personality types that hung out in CG...and even some of the worry wart parents...

 

[MICKEEP]

On the other hand........

We just returned from a 3 day and our two teenage boys, 13 & 14, were very disapointed with CG. They went there the first night expecting great things and left early saying that everything being done in the club was aimed at the older teens, 16 & 17. They ended up spending very little time there and didn't even go to the teen beach at castaway cay.
The only scheduled activity which was restricted to 13 & 14 year olds ( a playstation competition ) wasn't even held. Our 2 boys left dinner early to enter it but we found them back in the room when we returned from dinner. They said that none of the CM's at CG seemed to know anything about it, even though it was in the teen Navigator.
I think that Disney should consider having seperate programs for the younger teens. Its foolish to think that a 13 year old in 8th grade would have a lot in common with a high school senior.

 

[Joze]

Bill,

I'm glad that you had most meals with your teen. Once I let my DD on the ship, she is gone. I generally can get her to eat with me once, and that's it. A true testament to the teen program!

And it is nice to have some alone adult time!