10 Reasons Why Your Teen Will Love A Disney Cruise

I must confess we were super excited about our cruise destination: The Bahamas! But I truly did not know what to expect as far as options for my teen son. Still you can’t go wrong with a cruise to the Bahamas, right? Like many of you reading this post, my idea of a Disney Cruise was that it was more suitable for and catering to younger children. But that was about to change and I need to share why!!!!

Our last cruise was when my son was 5, we were on a 7 day cruise and stopped at the Bahamas and two other Islands. My son loved it so much, he has been asking us to go on a cruise ever since!

As soon as we embarked on board the Disney Wonder, we went to check out the options as far as teen clubs. Because he is 13 and 6’4″, I wasn’t sure if he was going to feel more comfortable with the 11-13 Edge Club or the 14-17 Vibe Club. We started visiting the Vibe and they gladly signed him up, even though he didn’t meet age requirements, just to make him more comfortable with his choice, by then I knew I was in a Disney Cruise, where they go above and beyond to please us!!! He received a sticker on his card and off we went to check the Edge Club out!

Edge

We arrived at the Edge youth club on board the Disney Wonder and the counselor, was super happy to also place a sticker on his card and let him know, he can try both and decide on which one he liked the most! The fact that he had a choice, put a smile on my son’s face.

After the first night, my son told us he wanted to stay at the Edge! He loved the counselors and instantly made friends! That was the beginning of a very happy and active cruise experience for him!

He loved it so much, he not only took part in activities in the club, but also used the ship’s options with his new-found friends and only joined us for meals! That was an indication for me of how successful their program is, since my son is an introvert and doesn’t make friends easily!!!

Guests ages 11 to 14 with their own special hangout where they can connect with other tweens from around the world. Equipped with high-tech entertainment including flat-screen TVs, computers and video games and featuring daily guided activities, this interactive play space will definitely become your tween’s favorite on-ship destination!

Though operating hours may vary, Edge is open daily, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM. Check the Personal Navigator newsletter or Disney Cruise Line Navigator mobile app while on board the ship for exact hours.

I believe the Edge changed his cruise experience when it gave him the tools to enjoy the cruise with his own teen eyes! So I will be sharing Cruise Highlights according to him:

Video Games

Video Games in the Edge Club: he loved to be able to play games with other children, one of his favorite things to do as a teen, right? Who doesn’t love video games? Plus, if they want to bring their own video games, they can check out some codes here to help them advance on through and keep their streak going even when they are on a cruise so they don’t lose their momentum.

Food

Teen Friendly food and drinks: Pizza, Hamburger, Smoothies, Ice Cream Stations and, in his own words, unlimited soda, were some of the highlights for the teens, who would grab a bite here and there as they pleased!

Great Atmosphere

He used this word to describe how he felt as he browsed different parts of the cruise and enjoyed activities in a safe and free environment.

Sports

Sports Court offered Basketball and Ping Pong and Fuse-ball. Being 6’4″, my son is a huge fan of basketball, he checked in with us a couple times, covered in sweat!! So happy to see him being active with other kids! Just the fact that they chose to do that instead of playing video games, was a great sign!

Edge Club Activities

They played games like Gender Wars, Wii Tournaments, Dance Parties, Trivia Questions and so much more!

Pool

He spent time at the pool with friends and refused to go in the pool with Mom and Dad: “not cool, Mom!!”

CastaWay Cay, Bahamas- Port of Call

My husband had a bad cold, so we did not try any of the extra activities, but they offered Pelican Plunge, Stingray Interaction, water sports, snorkeling and so much more for the teens!

He actually took my GoPro and took some videos in the water for me! I will be sharing them in another post!!

CastaWay Cay also has a Teens Hideout with age appropriate activities,it’s a place where teens 13 to17 years of age can lounge-carefree-in their very own slice of paradise.

Counselors

Counselors took the teens to the Ship Parties like Pirate Night, giving them a chance to enjoy it with kids their age. They were also very nice and helpful, always doing their best to help the teens in any way needed.

My son lost his card while we were away from him and they let him stay there without the card, while he tried to locate us to get a new one!

Restaurants

My son loved that he was greeted by name and that the servers were super friendly and made him feel at home and didn’t mind when he left us to go back to the edge two nights in a row, before dessert.

He loved the food and that he had more options than the lunch choices, he could try different dishes, beyond burgers, mac-n-cheese and pizza offered at the pool level.

Movie Theater

They had several brand new movies like Moana, Star Wars Rogue One and other movies showing all day! That was also a great option for some downtime for the teens. My son watched Moana with his friends.

Some things I also wanted to point out:

• He would “hang out” with kids all the time and lost his World Card, the card to open the room and that gives access into my spending account. We went to guest services, very concerned. She said, don’t worry, we take your picture when you get the card, so nobody else can use it!! So great to know that they went to the next level as far as making sure kids could have the cards without concerns.
• The Edge closed at 12, but the kids hung out a bit after, the Cruise app allowed me to text and check on him and know his whereabouts.
• Our Stateroom Hostess made sure she knew my family and when my son looked for us in the room without his card, she told him what to do to get a new card, she also opened the door for him so he could wait for us inside! That’s what I call VIP Teen Treatment.
• Because he was so happy at the club, my husband and I were able to enjoy the night clubs and go on dates, something we don’t often do! We were so truly happy to know that he was having fun, while we were having fun, that the club was not a “babysitting” option, far from that, since he was free to come and go, it was a place of choice for him, while we were enjoying adult only activities.
• He watched one of the Shows with us, but musicals are not really something he enjoys, so my husband and I watched the other shows by ourselves.

A few of my friends with teens questioned our choice to go on a Disney Cruise, which had the the little kids cruise in mind, my pictures and shares changed their mind and two of them are already looking into booking one!

If you’re looking into cruise options and you have a teen, I highly recommend you check into a Disney Cruise.

We were so happy to see how much he enjoyed the cruise! He left asking when will we do the next one??

That is always a great sign, especially when your teen doesn’t often show excitement about traveling!!! In fact, this positive response got me so excited, that I immediately started putting ideas together to create a Summer bucket list for teens including many activities like this Disney cruise that my kid would enjoy.

If you are Brazilian, check out my review in Portuguese coming up soon! I had the pleasure to meet a staff member from Brazil and chatting with three other Brazilian families who were on Board.

What do you think? Do you have teens? Have you been on a Disney Cruise? Let us know and as usual, give us a Trendy Shout!

Edge Images Credit: DisneyCruiseLine Blog

Save

Save