OP, I have teens and we have done Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises with them. All enjoyable, all have different pros/cons.

That said, at this point we've done most of the Caribbean so we've eased up on cruises.

You should start looking at itineraries. There's Western Caribbean (Mexico) and Eastern Caribbean that most of the ships go to. As mentioned above, a handful do Southern Caribbean, but you start out of Puerto Rico.

Then look at the activities on the ship. As teens, they will likely find other teens the first night and then roam together the rest of the cruise. So what do your kids like? Water slides? Ice skating? Rock climbing? Surfing? Ropes course? Sports? Trivia?

Personally, my active kids liked the new Carnival ships and NCL ships the best. The ropes course in particular was a big hit.

The newer nicer Carnival ships should not be discounted. We did a week on the Mardi Gras in an Excel Suite and it was really nice. I think the added benefits are similar to NCL Haven. Priority boarding, dining and show seating, concierge services, etc.

Anonymous wrote:NCL is barely a step above Carnival. Maybe the Haven is better, but I doubt it.

I think you should pick a cruise based on the ports. Aim for southern or eastern Caribbean.

Leave from a port in FL or Puerto Rico.

You don’t need to be on the biggest/newest ship. In fact, I think you might not like the big ships…very crowded/long lines when getting on/off, on the lido deck, buffet, etc. and you need tix for shows and activities. Big hassle imho.

When did you go and on what ship? What is your personal experience?

I went a year ago on a newer ship and stayed in the Haven. It was a good deal better than Carnival. And none of the things you said you don't like about big ships applied as a result.
I agree in general that larger ships are not luxe and not the relaxing vibe most adults want. BUT, as I said, the Haven gives adults the feel of an upscale line while the kids get to enjoy all the activity and bustle of a mid-range line. Perfect middle ground.

If you want to focus on the itinerary, have decent food (comparatively), and a less crowded feel on the boat, I recommend Celebrity leaving from Puerto Rico. You can get to some better ports when you begin farther south. Celebrity is not a great teen experience on the ship, but we like the quieter vibe.

NCL is barely a step above Carnival. Maybe the Haven is better, but I doubt it.

I think you should pick a cruise based on the ports. Aim for southern or eastern Caribbean.

Leave from a port in FL or Puerto Rico.

You don’t need to be on the biggest/newest ship. In fact, I think you might not like the big ships…very crowded/long lines when getting on/off, on the lido deck, buffet, etc. and you need tix for shows and activities. Big hassle imho.

Are there much smaller cruise ships for families? I feel like the smaller ones like Viking are adults only.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCL and Royal Caribbean both have good teen programs. And any of the itineraries to the Caribbean are fun. NCL had a nice one I did last year that left from San Juan Puerto Rico and hit Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts.

+1

Don't overthink it. We did NCL with a 12 and 15yo last Spring break to the Caribbean (really didn't matter to us which islands, and it won't to your kids.) If your budget can swing it, STRONGLY recommend "the Haven" on NCL. It gets you the best of both words- a more secluded and upscale "ship within a ship" with a private area including pool/bar/restaurant and priority onboarding and other perks while your teens still have access to all the teen stuff on the ship.

We've also done Disney when they were younger, a Princess cruise in the Mediterranean, and I've also done Celebrity, RCL, and Holland America. If you are looking for an easy semi-affordable getaway pick RC or NCL and choose a newer/bigger ship.

Thanks for this, PP. I've always been hesitant to do a cruise (but our teens want to) because of the crowds. The Haven sounds like it might be the perfect middle ground.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We recently tried Royal Caribbean after being loyal to Disney. We thought RC would be better for teens but found they didn’t have nearly the planned activities that Disney did and the teen life was much more finding friends onboard and wandering the ship (teen club was almost always empty). My teens much preferred Disney teen offerings even though the Royal Caribbean ship looks like it offers more (slides, skating rink, etc.). YMMV.

This is good to know. I'm not OP but we've been loyal to DCL for years. I've contemplated trying RC to see how it was for teens (kids are currently 13, 13, 11, 6), but I've been hesitant. My teens definitely prefer when there are planned activities vs. just roaming/trying to find a clique of friends.

My teen doesn’t do any of those RCCL activities at home, and wouldn’t care about doing them on a ship. He is a DCL fan, even at 17.

Anonymous wrote:We recently tried Royal Caribbean after being loyal to Disney. We thought RC would be better for teens but found they didn’t have nearly the planned activities that Disney did and the teen life was much more finding friends onboard and wandering the ship (teen club was almost always empty). My teens much preferred Disney teen offerings even though the Royal Caribbean ship looks like it offers more (slides, skating rink, etc.). YMMV.

This is good to know. I'm not OP but we've been loyal to DCL for years. I've contemplated trying RC to see how it was for teens (kids are currently 13, 13, 11, 6), but I've been hesitant. My teens definitely prefer when there are planned activities vs. just roaming/trying to find a clique of friends.

Anonymous wrote:NCL and Royal Caribbean both have good teen programs. And any of the itineraries to the Caribbean are fun. NCL had a nice one I did last year that left from San Juan Puerto Rico and hit Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts.

+1

Don't overthink it. We did NCL with a 12 and 15yo last Spring break to the Caribbean (really didn't matter to us which islands, and it won't to your kids.) If your budget can swing it, STRONGLY recommend "the Haven" on NCL. It gets you the best of both words- a more secluded and upscale "ship within a ship" with a private area including pool/bar/restaurant and priority onboarding and other perks while your teens still have access to all the teen stuff on the ship.

We've also done Disney when they were younger, a Princess cruise in the Mediterranean, and I've also done Celebrity, RCL, and Holland America. If you are looking for an easy semi-affordable getaway pick RC or NCL and choose a newer/bigger ship.

NCL and Royal Caribbean both have good teen programs. And any of the itineraries to the Caribbean are fun. NCL had a nice one I did last year that left from San Juan Puerto Rico and hit Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts.

We recently tried Royal Caribbean after being loyal to Disney. We thought RC would be better for teens but found they didn’t have nearly the planned activities that Disney did and the teen life was much more finding friends onboard and wandering the ship (teen club was almost always empty). My teens much preferred Disney teen offerings even though the Royal Caribbean ship looks like it offers more (slides, skating rink, etc.). YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:Hello, my kids have never been on a cruise and I want to take them on a cruise during Tgiving or Xmas (I realize its more expensive
then Could you please send me recommendations on which cruises (excluding Carnival cruises) were the best in terms of activities for teens? Also want to see some new places, so anything with interesting itineraries? Thanks

We recently went on a 5-night Disney cruise, but our oldest DS is 11yo, and I'd say that he had definitely aged out of the Disney character meet and greets and such. He loved the kids club for 11-14yo though because it mostly centered around Nintendo switch tournaments with a group of kids. Bottom line, the Disney cruise was great (albeit expensive) but skews too young for 13+ IMO. I think Royal Carribean would be a better cruise line with teens.

Do at least 7 nights. We’ve enjoyed ncl and celebrity; celebrity is a bit nicer and fewer gimmicks and my teen enjoys it.

Hello, my kids have never been on a cruise and I want to take them on a cruise during Tgiving or Xmas (I realize its more expensive
then Could you please send me recommendations on which cruises (excluding Carnival cruises) were the best in terms of activities for teens? Also want to see some new places, so anything with interesting itineraries? Thanks