Who did Europe with Older Teens (18-20)?

[4newtocruise]

How did they like it? Was was their highlight?
We just booked June 2020 and I really want my DD20 and DS18 to enjoy it since I'm spending all this money. I just couldn't find another cruise line with a good Europe Itinerary like DCL.

 

[daedelus]

We did EBTA with all 4 of our kids. My boys were 17 at the time and really enjoyed it. This was the northern itinerary that stopped in the UK, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, etc. They are almost 19 now and we look forward to that itinerary as opposed to the Spain one.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don't have kids but I went to Europe twice while I was 20 and loved it.
I don't know if I'd do a cruise of it though.
I really enjoyed doing an EF educational tour.
We were up at 5am and didn't get back to the hotels until midnight.
We saw sooooo much and it gave me an even better appreciation for what I learned in school and honestly wish I had the opportunity to do it while I was still in school learning about what I was seeing in person.

 

[aggiedog]

We took our 16 yo's to the Baltic. They were 18 for the Med, both of these were cruises. They loved it. We do long port days, and try to mix up history with local culture and fun. We always do at least one food tour. I think the highlights would be based on what they are interested in. We did the Baltic while the girls were in AP World History. They knew more about the region than we did. I'd give your kids a choice of excursions that you like in each port and let them have some input. You could probably get more specific advice if you listed the ports you'll be in, and if you'll be spending time before or after.

FWIW, I think there are plenty of good non-DCL itineraries out there. We saved so much by not going DCL (non-concierge) that we spent an extra week in France, and could afford concierge on our cruise with MSC.

 

[Toulou]

Hi. We just booked a Northern Europe 2020 and are preparing for our first EBTA in May 2019. I have two sons, 19 & 20 yrs old. They are both looking forward to the European cruise! The excitement of visiting all the different countries seems to have peaked their interest. The travels over the EBTA trip is a so-so feeling with my youngest and total excitement from the eldest. We plan on staying in Barcelona for a week and I have us doing back to back tours, including a surprise trip to the ferrari car park for them! They were raised to appreciate eveything that we can afford to do and it's for this reason that I know that we will all enjoy our trip.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We took our 17 yo DD last year to the Med. She absolutely loved it! She had traveled to Europe the year before but hadn't been to any of the ports that we were visiting. She absolutely loved Italy, specifically Naples and Pompeii. Rome and Pisa played a close second. Oh heck, who am I kidding, she loved every single port! Fortunately, your kids are old enough to go to the adult areas. My DD had just graduated high school and wasn't interested in the Teen Club, but was only 3 weeks shy of being 18 and couldn't go into the adult areas. Fortunately, the cruise was so port intensive, she didn't have time to worry too much about it.

 

[FSU Girl]

When I was 17 I went with my family to the Mediterranean, not on Disney on Princess, but I loved it. I loved all the places we visited and loved being on the ship and making friends. We were a cruising family, but mostly the Caribbean living in Florida. It was my first time to Europe and it made me fall in love with it. I’ve gone back many times since then. I think your kids will have a great time

 

[4newtocruise]

When I was 17 I went with my family to the Mediterranean, not on Disney on Princess, but I loved it. I loved all the places we visited and loved being on the ship and making friends. We were a cruising family, but mostly the Caribbean living in Florida. It was my first time to Europe and it made me fall in love with it. I’ve gone back many times since then. I think your kids will have a great time

Was there a lot to do on the Princess cruise like Disney?

 

[lolomarie]

Just out our curiosity, can 18 year olds drink on the ship in Europe? Canadian here where the drinking age is 18.

 

[4newtocruise]

Just out our curiosity, can 18 year olds drink on the ship in Europe? Canadian here where the drinking age is 18.

For DCL, parents can sign a wavier but they can only drink in your presence.

 

[FSU Girl]

Was there a lot to do on the Princess cruise like Disney?

That cruise was a little over 10 years ago so I'm sure the cruises have added things since then lol. I loved the teen club on the ship though, I went to it every cruise and started sailing with them when I was 11. The ship itself didn't have that much going on, pools and clubs. I think making friends on the ship definitely made a difference for me. They also have an 1820 society that your kids would join. I did that when I was 18 in Alaska. When I went it wasn't really well structured, but I did meet a lot of people.

For Europe I think the ship should be secondary in your decision since it is so port intensive, the itinerary should come first. If you're not set on sailing with Disney I've heard great things for Norwegian with kids, their ships have a lot to do. They have a few of their big ships with all the bells and whistles sailing in Europe.

 

[4newtocruise]

That cruise was a little over 10 years ago so I'm sure the cruises have added things since then lol. I loved the teen club on the ship though, I went to it every cruise and started sailing with them when I was 11. The ship itself didn't have that much going on, pools and clubs. I think making friends on the ship definitely made a difference for me. They also have an 1820 society that your kids would join. I did that when I was 18 in Alaska. When I went it wasn't really well structured, but I did meet a lot of people.

For Europe I think the ship should be secondary in your decision since it is so port intensive, the itinerary should come first. If you're not set on sailing with Disney I've heard great things for Norwegian with kids, their ships have a lot to do. They have a few of their big ships with all the bells and whistles sailing in Europe.

I'm so glad you said that. I completely agree that the itinerary is the most important. Now if I can just convince my 19 year old of that, lol

 

[FSU Girl]

I'm so glad you said that. I completely agree that the itinerary is the most important. Now if I can just convince my 19 year old of that, lol

Have your 19 year old in on the planning process. It's fun figuring out where you are going and what you'll be doing at the ports. Makes their opinions matter so they are more invested in the trip. Definitely encourage your kids to meet other kids on the ship the first day, it really makes a difference.

 

[MaineChapmans]

My daughter was 16 when we went on our Mediterranean cruise and she LOVED it! She enjoyed the VIBE club, but mostly the port adventures. We were busy every day. She still talks about it.

For her graduation from college (one year early since she'll be too busy job-hunting to do a graduation summer trip), we are going on the Baltic 8 day cruise. She is beside herself with excitement--going to St. Petersburg is her biggest draw, but we will also be seeing Stockholm with my old high school friend and that's also a big draw.

Sometimes kids aren't excited about something until you go. My youngest wasn't so excited about Europe, but this time around, she just about fell off the couch when we told her!

Now we just have to wait another 429 days...lol!

 

[DCSWO]

We did Northern Europe last year with our 20 year old and he had a great time with the 1820 Society - which is DCL’s group for 18 to 20 year olds onboard. We suggested he at least go to the first meeting which was something like 10pm on the first night. If we weren’t doing “family” stuff, he was with that group. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Is it the Greek isles cruise you booked ?

 

[dvcdisney]

My son is almost 20 and we've been cruising for a long time, so he's used to the Disney Cruises.

We did the DCL British Isles cruise (2017) and Norwegian/Iceland (2018) with him. He enjoyed it as much as my teen daughter, even more so.

He did attend the 18-20 meeting and found some friends to hang out with, but it appears that quite a few his age see each other in a lot of the cruises. We're doing the Alaskan Cruise again this year, and he mentioned that he already knows quite a few who'll be there as well.

He's also looking forward to next year when we go do another Norwegian/Iceland cruise. He's pretty sure, he'll see quite a few of his friends there.

It's actually wonderful how many are from different countries and cultures and they all seem to have something in common when they go on the DCL cruises.

Honestly, for my son, I don't think it matters which European cruise we choose. He's all for it.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have taken our granddaughter who is now almost 23 on several dlc cruises, Norway, the Baltics and several Med cruises including Greece and lots of Caribbean cruises. She liked either the cooking classes or the active adventures, like kayaking, hiking, snorkeling etc. not so much historical stuff. But then I don’t care much for that either, As her grandma I joined her on several excursions including kayaking, ATVing, snorkeling, hiking and lots of shopping in several ports, She did enjoy the 18 20 group when she was the right age. We did allow her to drink both on the ship and off as well.