do older teens hang out in common grounds?

[bubblemutant45]

hey!
i was wondering - are the kids in common grounds mostly 16 and younger or are there also "older" teens there? are 18 and 19 year olds alowed in to common grounds and the teen beaches and activities? if not - where do the "older" teens meet each other?
thanx!!!

 

[bubblemutant45]

i'm bumping my thread up cuz i really want to know the answer to my question......someone? anyone?

 

[wovenwonder]

My 18 year old daughter and her 19 year old friend had a blast at Rockin Bar D at night. No, they were not allowed at the 'teen' beach. Feel free to email Shelby to get her point of view of the cruise from a young adults prespective. spoiledspecial@hotmail.com

 

[CarolAnnC]

Common Grounds is for ages 13 thru 17. If your parent accompanies, and makes a request they can sometimes allow an older teen into the program. That is up to the counselors though and of course dependent upon if the program is filled on that cruise. I was able to discuss with the counselors and allowed my 18 year old into the program with her younger sister. Good luck.

 

[bubblemutant45]

thank you so much for replying!
wovenwonder - i might just take you up on your offer
someone else asked this question in a reply to another thread, but i havent seen anyone answer him, so i'll repeat the question:
it seems to me like most of the kids in common grounds are around 15-16 years old. im a high school senior and i really want to hang out with kids my own age, (here comes the question ):
what do kids my age do (cuz we're right on the borderline in terms of the age) - the teen stuff or the adult stuff? are there a lot of kids my age on the ship or are most of them younger than me? (i guess its pretty obvious that this is my first cruise....)
thanks again!

 

[wovenwonder]

I may have been misleading on my previous reply -- as I thought you were going to be 18 when you sail. Since you will not be 18 yet (as per another thread) you will not be able to go in to the 'adult only' areas of the ship --- that is where my DD and her DF hung out last week on our trip -- as they are officially 18 and 19.

Be sure to go to common grounds the first night during the 411 - as that is when most of the early friendships are formed.

 

[mmouse37]

I agree with Wovenwonder....you will not be allowed into the adult clubs or activities if you are not 18.

MJ

 

[bubblemutant45]

thank you, you have just proven my point - i will be screwed for having a late birthday. most high school seniors are 18 already, which means they will not be alowed into common grounds. at the same time i will not yet be 18, so i wont be alowed into the so called "adult" areas. because of the sharp difference in the "rules" between 17 and 18 year olds me and the other (lets say) 3 seniors who were screwed because of their late birthdates will have to hang out with 15 and 16 year olds while our 18 year old classmates will be in the "adult" areas.
forgive me, but there is no logic to this split between classmates.

 

[wovenwonder]

Last week when we cruised -- my DD and her DF were not certain that they wanted to hang out with the 'old fogies' in the adult areas. They visited common grounds and were told that both of them (18 & 19) should visit the getting accquainted meeting in Rockin Bar D the first night for 18-21 year olds. If they did not feel like they fit in there, they would be welcome to join the activities in common grounds. BUT, once they cose cg -- they could not do the 'adult' activities. In CG, they were told that many 18 & 19 year olds do choose to go to CG..... So, you will likely see kids of all ages. My girls decided to be 'adult' for the week though.

My thirteen year old son actually felt out of place in CG -- because it seemed like mostly older kids at the time to him.

Go in with an open mind --- I know alot of very mature 16 and 17 year old girls. Last year when Shelby was 17, she actually decided NOT to go to CG and spent the week with us most of the time ---- she still had a very memorable vacation and was excited to return again this year. She is starting to save money to go again -- hopefully with some friends.

 

[bubblemutant45]

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!
you really helped me out! now i feel much more relaxed about the whole thing.
"worst comes to worst" i can always just spend time with my family......lol
i know that there are mature younger teens, its just that for the past couple of years i've worked as a camp councelor for kids 2 years younger than me, and i've come to realize that no matter how mature they are - i can never relate with them like i do with kids my own age or older.
but according to your reply that doesnt matter, cuz even teens older than me hang out at common grounds.
thanks again! its really nice of you to help me out and i really appreciate it!

 

[lespaul55]

My son was also a young senior and now a young college freshman. He's also shy and quiet, he spent the last cruise hiding to our stateroom. And he also thinks Disney is pretty lame. [So why are we going on a Disney cruise? He has 4 younger siblings who love cruising and Disney.] I'm concerned about him on our upcoming cruise and whether he would enjoy anything??
Wovenwonder, what did your daughter do in the adult areas? I only saw the 70s night on my short cruise and I don't see my son enjoying that.
Bubblemutant45, I'll have to get my young high school junior,almost senior, daughter to answer your question. She loved CG. My daughter is even "younger" than her brother for her high school class, she won't turn 17 until Dec.

Leslie

 

[lespaul55]

My 16 yr. old daughter said that on her Wonder cruise last August there were older teens in CG. She said there was a definite difference between the younger teens and older ones. The 13 and 14 yr olds hung out together and the older teens hung out together. She said the best thing is to check CG that first night and see how it feels.
Leslie

 

[wovenwonder]

The first night of the cruise, they had a gathering for 18-21 year olds in Rock in Bar D -- it was hosted by DJ LA -- who my girls grew to love!!

One guy -- actually 22 -- was the first to show up. DJ LA told him where to sit -- and he would bring girls to him. He said, that WOW, this was easier than he thought! Well, my daughter and her friend (18 and 19) were two of those girls. They then hung out every evening with DJ LA and this guy in Rock in Bar D. They had a blast!!! Really enjoyed the comedy and music -- even though it may not have been there kind of music - they liked the atmosphere. They usually straggled in around 3am or so every evening -- or should I say every morning.

I posted my daughters email address a little further up in this thread. Please feel free to have any young adults email her. She is going thru cruise withdrawal right now -- and would love to talk about her trip from a young adults point of view!

 

[abitjaded]

My nephew, who will be cruising with us in October will turn 22 the day before our cruise starts. Will he be welcome in the Rockin Bar D with the 18-21 group? Would this be his best option to find like-minded souls to hang out with? (He'd probably love having a DJ introduce him to the ladies.)

 

[princess1407]

I am 22 and I was on the 4-day cruise last year so at that time i was 21 i was with a group from 17-21 and we all had a blast in the rockin b bar also. They have a dj and fun contest going on at night. We are all going back this july for the 7 day . Hope this helps.

 

[Grumpy's Crew]

Bubblemutant 45, My son (who is not here at the moment) is 17 also (18 in sept.), and he thinks common grounds is going to be O.K.. We were on the magic fo the four-day cruise in 1999 and he is looking forward to being one of the OLDER kids this time. We are going on the 7-day western this time on June 22. SEE YAA!!!!!!!

 

[MICKEEP]

Now I am beginning to get concerned. My sons will be 13 & 14 when we sail. I am concerned with them socializing with 18 year olds.

HOW WELL ARE THEY SUPERVISED!!!!!!!!!

 

[wovenwonder]

Kids within the Common Grounds range in age from 12 to 18 and sometimes even 19. BUT with that said, you will rarely find where a 17 or 18 year old would even want to hang out with a 12 or 13 year old. The teens seem to do a very good job of seperating in to their own age appropriate groups.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by wovenwonder

One guy -- actually 22 -- was the first to show up. DJ LA told him where to sit -- and he would bring girls to him. He said, that WOW, this was easier than he thought!

LOL! I hope this 22-year-old tipped DJ LA well!

 

[CarolAnnC]

Common Grounds is for ages 13 through 17, with some 18 year olds attending with the counselors' permission.

I will be up front and let everyone know to still set limits as you would for your teens at home. There was a drug problem on one of my cruises and my DD was present and offered some that were purchased on one of the islands. She has the sense to not participate and to leave and tell me right away, however. Not all teens will do that.

BTW, the drug sniffing dog and customs agents boarded the ship during breakfast of disembarkation day and were seen by myself and family rushing down the hall past Lumiere's towards the aft, where the drugs were used the night before. They do not take kindly to drug smuggling back into the U.S....