Teen Junkanoo Jam

[Lynnyl]

Hi! My daughter will be 13 when we cruise, do you think the Teen Junkanoo Jam is something that she would enjoy? Has anyone's teens been on this excursion? More importantly, will she feel left out if she does not participate in this event? Thank-you.
Lynny

 

[NYGiantsRule!]

My DS 14 did the Junkanoo Jam last November. He had a great time. It is a fun trip.

 

[MiaSRN62]

My, then 15 y, ds had a blast in 2002 on the Junkanoo teen cruise. This was on the 4 day Wonder. There were snacks and a DJ. He couldn't eat his dinner fast enough to get out and hang with his new friends. Our server at AP that night was cracking up at how fast he was eating. He took off before dessert and this is not like him ! OTOH, I don't think your daughter would feel left out if she didn't go. There were different activities going on all week and not every kid participates in all of them. My son didn't do the CC teen excursion, but he did hang on the teen beach with the Common Grounds group. This was his choice. There almost always seemed to be something going on to keep everyone busy. I'm sure your dd will have a fun time.

 

[Lynnyl]

Does this excursion fill up? Is it something I can add-on after a day or two to see if she's finding friends in the group, or should I sign up right away when we board? Thanks for all of your help!

 

[bsktbllmagi33]

hi, i am a teen who has been on this before. personally i thought it was awsome. the catamaran that they rent off the island is awsome, you can just sit on the cargo net and watch the scenery, water, or participate in the activities. there is always soo much to do. i was with a group that didnt want to do anything, they main guy ended up having to give up because no one wanted to participate in anything, but being the center of attention i like to be all the time, i got things going a little and it was cool.

as for space, i was able to sign up like 1 day into the cruise, as not many people were on the list. i dont know if i got lucky or what but thats how i got on.

other activities i reccomend are the night dances, they may seem boring on the first night, because no one dances, because no one knows each other, but as the cruise progresses, they get poppin!(lol, j/k) another one i did, was the teen adventure thing on castaway cay, now that was tite, umm....i mean awsome! you get to do soo much, snorkeling before anyone else even gets to step on the island, biking, rafting, hiking, its all cool. just remember to stay in the rope side, and dont go into the submarine while snorkeling, as i got busted, and yelled at. well, now that i talked your head off, go off and enjoy your cruise! tell your teen to get involved all the time, they wont regret it! and also be prepared for early morning arrivals, meaning, if they do participate and like it, they wont be coming home till about 2/3 oclock in the morning. lol have fun, i envy you!

 

[bwbuddy]

Is it just on the Wonder?

 

[bsktbllmagi33]

no its offered on all cruise boats. both Wonder and Magic.

 

[Lynnyl]

Thank-you for your reveiws, especially from a teen's first-hand experience! It sounds like my daughter would enjoy this, but to be honest you are scaring me with the 2am return time!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

if they do participate and like it, they wont be coming home till about 2/3 oclock in the morning. lol have fun, i envy you!

You're not kidding bsktbllmagi33 ! Just about every night my son was rollin' in late (or should I say the early hours of the morning) . He loved it though and it's only because of Common Grounds (The Stack on board the Magic) that he even wants to go on this cruise. My son sounds alot like you----he got things going with the group on our cruise too.

 

[Lynnyl]

Are the teen events planned into the wee hours of the morning? Are the teens supervised until 2 or 3 am? Now I'm concerned I'll be the evil mom because I'm not sure I'm comfortable letting my 13 year old stay out half the night, especially without us!

 

[Hans Solo]

Our 14yo DD had so much fun with the other teens onboard, we're doing it again!! The teen activities are scheduled till 2:00AM and our DD was there. We gave her a few rules like "don't go to anyone else's cabin" and "stay in public areas only" and we didn't have any problems with her. She loved the freedom and we felt good about the security onboard. You are your child's best judge of how much freedom you want them to have while onboard.

 

[bsktbllmagi33]

yes, thats exactly how it works. there are supervised activities till 2 am in the morning. whether it be a movie, or a dance, or activities on board like vollyball, swimming, etc. alot of kids just go to their cabin regardless, as they get tired quickly, and want to save energy for the next day i guess. personally, afterward, i would go out on deck, pull up a few lounge chairs, and talk with some people for a little while, or, i would stay a little longer in the common grounds room after everyone left, and show magic to the guy in charge, as i am a part-time magician when im not in school. he was pretty interested, so i would find myself teaching him stuff and just showing for fun. it was cool. for you moms who may be a little bit hesitant twards your teens come home late/early, there are patroling gaurds that walk the deck at night, soo almost nomatter where they go, there will always be some one near. my advice is to see how it goes the first night, see if they get interested, or would like to/enjoy the activities at night and plan from there. make a 1 oclock curfew, just remember, this vacation for YOU and your kids. dont spend alot of time worrying about the little things, enjoy the time while you have it. as it goes sooo quiclkly! also, talk to your teen about it, see what they think, what types of things would they like to do? maybe bargain with them. before we left, we had bought this disney guide book. and let me tell you it was very helpful, it goes into detail about everything, EVERYTHING!! so not only was i prepared, but my family was also, soo just knowing the little things like coming home late gave my mom time to think, rather that staying up extreemly late waiting for me to step in the front door. just have COMMUNICATION, as that is key for a trip like this. any other questions, feel free to ask, id love to help.

 

[Lynnyl]

I appreciate your replies. I do trust my daughter, she is very mature and level-headed, but I am taken aback by the lateness of events! That's why I like these boards so much, I will not be surprised by the schedule on board, I have time to find out about these things and talk about them with my husband and daughter so that we all know where we stand before we are at sea!
I think it does sound like fun, if she does stay interested in late-night adventures maybe I could bend the curfew to the end of supervised activities + 15 minutes to get back to our room! I am comforted too by the info about the decks being patrolled. Even though I trust her I want her to be safe!
How has any other parents dealt with this? Am I just an extreme worrier? Thank-you again for all the great info, like I said I am grateful to think this through before the cruise!!
Lynn

 

[CB4U]

Hi Lynn,

We're parents, thats what we do best - worry. I have two teens that participated in the programs last year. We are sailing again in April and they can't wait. Yes, the nights were late but I insisted they check in w/us often and they did.

Have you considered using the two way radios? I didn't use them last year but I might invest in some this year. I did see a lot of teens with them last year. It may give you some peace of mind. There are a couple of threads that list some good two way radios if you are interested.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

We used the 2 way radios on our Carnival cruise last year to keep in touch with our 15 yo DS. They worked out great and aleviated a lot of worry! Although, our afternoon a strange girl answered our page while DS was getting some pizza!

 

[ivanova]

Our 13 year old DD did the junkanoo jam last November when we cruised ... she LOVED it

 

[Lynnyl]

Thanks, its great to get first-hand experience reviews! I think I will suggest this as something she would enjoy. I think I would've as a teen!

 

[Lynnyl]

Susan,
I just noticed your PBS quote under your name--I love it!!
Lynn