so tell me about your cruise experience. Likes, dislikes, unexpected surprises (good or bad)
I went on a mini cruise (5 days) to the Caribbean with my family as a teenager several years ago. It was a ton of fun and a very unique vacation. My family and I agreed that it wasn't the kind of vacation that we'd want to take over and over again, but for a one time experience it was extremely cool, different and fun.
LIKES:
We went on the Norwegian cruise line (Norwegian Dawn, I think). The way our cruise was set up was perfect for a family with teenagers, because a lot of the food on board was set up as a free (well included at least) all you can eat any time of day buffet. There were several "free" restaurants as well (so you got the whole sit down experience without the extra charge, but you could sit with just your family rather than assigned seats with strangers). There were also a handful of restaurants with an extra charge that were a little more upscale. Drinks were an extra charge.
As a newly turned 18 year old at the time, I liked that I was allowed to drink. However, although you only had to be 18 to drink, you couldn't buy drinks at 18, which might be a perk as a parent of an older teen.
There was a ton of stuff to do on board. There was a pool, hot tubs, a game room, a movie theater, lots and lots of food, and entertainment every day.
It was extremely easy to figure out what to do on the days while the ship was docked. Lots of fun options that were well advertised.
Most of the on board entertainment was included. Exceptions were the spa and possibly a few other things.
There was a teen hangout area/(dry) "nightclub". Not sure how old your teens are, as my younger brother and I felt a bit old for it (at 17 and 18), but a younger teen (14 or 15) might think it was pretty cool.
Our off board experiences were a lot of fun, even if they were quite touristy.
Dislikes:
It was very much a tourist trap. While I loved what we did while we were docked (swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, swimming with stingrays, and hanging out on the beach), if you want an even remotely cultural experience, a cruise is not for you.
We were only off ship for two days in two different locations (daylight hours), so the majority of the time was on board. Granted, there was a lot to do on board, but don't plan to spend most of your time on a beach.
Tiny cramped rooms. To be expected (and we paid for what we got), so it didn't bother us at all, but it was tight with my siblings and I all sharing a room and a small bathroom.
It was busy busy busy. There was always something to do which was both a positive and a negative. Fortunately, the cruise did most of the planning. I can't tell you what my parents opinion was, but I thought that it was pretty low stress, however, there really was very little serene "down time." You could hang on the busy pool deck or alone in your tiny room, but don't expect silence and tranquility unless you pay to go to the spa on board.
How bad was your 'running tab' aboard the ship?
I honestly don't know, because like I said, I had this experience as the child of a family, rather than the paying adult.
How fancy did you have to dress for dinners? (2 teen boys ya know, LOL)
depends. Any buffet style cafeteria outings could be taken in a bathing suit if you wanted. The sit down dinners, we dressed presentably, but certainly not black tie formal. Think no jeans and a nice shirt. I'd wear khakis or black pants and a conservative, nice shirt.
What kind of shows/activities did you do? Enjoyable or not so much?
We went to see Second City (comedy improv) - hilarious, but meant for the adult/older teen crowd
A magician - pretty fun
A man presenting on how to improve your memory - really interesting
A dance group of some sort - I don't really remember it, so clearly it didn't make any real impression.
Hope that helped! I had a great time and it was a fun experience. I think it's definitely something that should be done once if you have the means to do it! I would recommend our cruise line/style for teenagers.