If you’re planning to take cruise holidays with young children anytime soon, you’ll probably breathe a sigh of relief that many of the big operators provide not just a range of onboard activities like child-safe shallow pools and kids clubs but even baby-sitting services. If, though, you’re taking your teenage children with you, you might be wondering how on earth you’re going to keep them occupied; in many respects, teenagers are more demanding than smaller kids, with ‘boredom’ being a constant complaint of the adolescent separated from his or her amigos at home. But have no fear – there are plenty of cruises ideally suited to teenagers.
For example, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Voyager Class and Freedom Class ships both come brimming with attractions the most bored of teenagers will find hard to resist. These include rock climbing walls, miniature golf courses, full-sized basketball courts and discos. Some facilities like The Living Room, the Back Deck and Fuel are teen dedicated, allowing youngsters to keep in touch with their friends through numerous internet cafes, and dance till the wee hours (2.00am) drinking mocktails as they go.
Carnival Cruises’ ‘Liberty, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Splendour’ ships each have a large ‘Seaside Theatre’ rising above the pool area, replicating a kind of ‘drive-in movie’ experience. Older teens will enjoy the late night teen discos every evening, but there are also earlier parties for 12 – 14 year olds. Teenagers can even go on their special discounted shore excursion programmes, voting on which tour they like the sound of most. With cruise deals which cure the teenage boredom affliction, cruise holidays could well become your holiday of choice from now on. Cruises, it’s plain to see, are not just for the middle aged and above!