Experiences w/ 13 year old on cruise??

[disneydreamer1970]

Hi All!

I am wondering if you could tell me about your experiences with cruising with a 13 year old. Are the teen activities appropriate for the 13 year old? How much freedom do you give your young teenager?

I am just wondering what I should expect. My DS is very excited about our upcoming cruise next year.

Thank you for all of your help!!

 

[Irishmom23]

My DD was almost 14 when we cruised. She "met" two girls on these boards and e-mailed them for several months prior to the cruise. I e-mailed the Moms and we even sent pictures of each of the families. By the time we went on the cruise, I really felt as if I knew the girls and their families. My DD had sooo much fun. They hung around in Common Grounds, went swimming together, the movies, etc. Both of the other families expected some "family" time with their children, as did we, so this was not an issue, and we all had the same expectation of proper behavior while on the trip. I still e-mail one of the Moms, comparing stories of what it is like with an almost fifteen year old! Good luck, and I am sure she will have a great time.

 

[house_of_princesses]

Irishmom, How did your DD "meet" others on the DIS? I read here frequently, but very rarely come across young ones. I have 4 DD's. The two older girls (10 & 9) would probably like to hook up with someone here. Thanks!

 

[disneydreamer1970]

House_of_princesses - when are you going on your cruise? It appears that we are going around the same time.

We are going on the 7 night Eastern cruise November 13, 2004, after spending a couple of nights at Disney World. (I haven't decided which resort yet)

Thank you!

 

[Irishmom23]

House of Princesses,
Someone posted a request on this board for anyone with a 14 yo or a 10 yo DD (my ten yo e-mailed the sister of one of the other 14 40 girls) going on our cruise. The Moms then posted a reply, and we privately e-mailed each other. After several e-mails between the Mom's, each of the girls received the e-mail addresses of each other. They also IM each other almost every day just prior to the cruise, making plans where to meet, and just getting excited over the trip!! It was great for each of my DDs to have "friends" already, as the thought of my older DD hanging around with her little sister was not too appealing. It was a very positive experience for us, and the girls really enjoyed the time on the ship with their new friends.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

This is another way to start getting a handle on who is going on your cruise. We've had one going for nearly 7 months on our 6/21 Western.

My DS has had email contact with a couple of the other teens and we've planned a meet with adults and kids during the sailaway party.

Deb

 

[house_of_princesses]

DisneyDreamer, We're on the same cruise! This will be our first, and my DH decided he wanted to be treated "royally", so we're staying in the Roy Disney Suite!!!

Right now we'll be staying at Fort Wilderness in our travel trailer for 7 nights before the cruise. However, if I get my wish, we may become DVC members before then! With 4 DD's, there's not much option. FW or DVC. Will there be any children accompanying you on the cruise?

 

[DVC4US]

We did the same thing as Irishmom23 for our March cruise. My DD was 13 yo and she was concerned that she would not meet any other teens on board. (Although this is not a problem if they go to common grounds, especially the 411 on the first night). On the thread for our cruise I found another cruiser who also had a 13yo DD going on our cruise. I PM the Mom and we emailed a couple of times and then exchanged email addresses for our DD's. They emailed each other several times before the cruise and when they finally met on board it was like they were old friends. They had a blast while on board the ship and they still keep in touch by phone and email. We are even going on the same cruise again next year because my daughter wanted to go with her friend.

The teen activities are appropriate for 13yo. They even have activities where they will split the ages, 13 & 14yo and 15-17yo. You can check out the navigators on Barb & Tony's site www.castawayclub.com and see what some of the activities are. When it comes to how much freedom you will get a lot of different answers. We let our DD pretty much have the run of the ship. She had been on a previous cruise so she knew the layout of the ship. We just set some ground rules and made sure she knew that there were certain times that were considered family time and we also set a curfew for her to be in the room. Generally, her and her friend hung out by the pool most of the day.
LeiLani

 

[house_of_princesses]

DisneyDreamer, I asked if there will be children accompanying you. I meant to say in addition to your 14 yo DS. Sorry.

As our time drawers nearer (maybe a year out) I'll try to remember to start a thread about our specific cruise date, per FantasticDisFamily's suggestion. Thanks!

 

[disneydreamer1970]

House_of_princesses,

I sent you a PM, however, we will have our DD with us (she will be a week away from her 4th birthday when the cruise ends) and our DS will be 13 at the time of the cruise.

 

[house_of_princesses]

DisneyDreamer, I replied to your PM. Yeah! I figured it out!