When you think about sailing with Disney Cruise Line, the first thing that comes to mind is probably ships full of young children with activities tailored just for that age group. Nothing is better than the truth! The number of teens who sail with Disney Cruise Line is surprising. Because their parents know that cruise lines provide amazing service for kids of all ages!
I have had personal experience sailing on Disney cruises throughout my children's teenage, teenage, and young adult years. I have seen firsthand that Disney is more than just a cruise ship for young children. This is a cruise line designed for families, no matter the age of our guests!
Anyone who has a teenager knows that this age group wants independence and the ability to choose whatever they want on vacation. Let’s face reality… There's nothing worse than having a child who constantly complains about having to participate in family activities, especially while on vacation. (As parents, we've all been there!) Thankfully, Disney Cruise Line provides an environment where each family member can choose what they want to do with or without their family.
Let's say your teen wants to sleep in while on vacation, but that means he won't be able to eat breakfast with the rest of the family. That’s not a problem on a Disney cruise!
If your teen wakes up later than the rest of the family, you can stop by the buffet for a late breakfast or early lunch.
You can also order room service. All of these services are included in your cruise fare!
Maybe the rest of your family wants to hang out at the pool all day, but your teen might prefer participating in other activities.
With a variety of activities suitable for teens, your child will have plenty of options that don't always involve spending bonding time with family.
Still not completely convinced? Check out 7 things teens love to do on a Disney cruise!
1. Youth club with organized activities
I think it's established that teenagers don't want to spend time with their parents 24/7. Sometimes they need a break and want to hang out with their peers.
To facilitate this, Disney Cruise Line offers two types of clubs for this age group.
The first is Edge, a tween club for teenagers aged 11 to 14, and the second is Vibe, a space exclusively for teenagers aged 14 to 17.
Both clubs provide everything a teenager needs. Features include a lounge area with a large screen TV, video games, a smoothie bar, and tabletop games such as foosball and air hockey. Some youth clubs also have private outdoor sundecks with plunge pools and hot tubs. Parents and young children are not permitted to enter!
Organized activities such as trivia games, competitive sports, dance parties, talent shows, jewelery making, karaoke and more take place throughout the day, with engaging staff overseeing the tweens and tweens club.
Teen and Teen Clubs are open all day and young people can come and go as they please. Often tweens and teen clubs stay open well past midnight, which is later than most adult lounges and bars on board!
During our family's Disney cruise vacation, our teenagers returned to our stateroom hours after the adults were fast asleep.
For families with young adults who are too old for the Teen Club and too young for the Adult Lounge, Disney offers an exclusive gathering for the 18-20 age group called the 1820 Society.
Although there are no dedicated areas for these guests, Disney hosts several organized activities for youth at various locations throughout the ship.
Often these young people make friends quickly at 1820 Society events and later meet as a group to enjoy other cruise activities such as quiet DJ parties, bingo and team trivia contests.
2. State-of-the-art movie theater
Every Disney ship has at least one indoor movie theater and a large movie screen called Funnel Vision located on the pool deck that shows movies throughout the day and late into the night.
As you can imagine, this theater only shows Disney movies, but its extensive library includes Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and other live-action movies that teens love.
One of the biggest advantages of a Disney cruise is being able to watch newly released movies on board!
If a new Disney movie (including Marvel and other Disney franchises) is released the day you sail on your Disney cruise, Disney will show it for free in its Signature theaters! You don't have to wait until you get home to watch newly released movies at your local movie theater.
3. Pool and water activities
Like many cruises, Disney has no shortage of swimming pools and thrilling water activities.
From drop slides to water coasters, your teen can enjoy all the thrills on the Disney pool deck.
It is also not uncommon to see groups of teenagers spending time in the pool or hot tub with their new friends from the teen club.
4. Sports activities
For active youth, there are a variety of sports-related activities they can participate in, including basketball, mini golf, shuffleboard, ping pong, dodgeball, and other competitive games.
Many ships also have outdoor running tracks on their upper decks.
Disney Wish also has an inflatable obstacle course in its indoor sports arena, Hero Zone.
5. Spectacular entertainment
Disney is known for world-class entertainment, and its major theater show productions are Broadway-quality.
Many restaurants also offer dinner shows to keep guests entertained throughout their meal.
Other nightly shows include comedians, jugglers and other family-friendly acts.
Plus, Disney is the only cruise line that offers fireworks at sea while sailing to the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands!
6. All-you-can-eat dining
We all know that feeding teenagers, especially teenage boys, can be expensive.
Fortunately, cruise fares include unlimited dining where guests can choose multiple courses from the restaurant menu.
The buffet and pool deck restaurant offers a variety of dishes to satisfy even the pickiest eaters. Don’t forget Disney Cruise Line’s complimentary room service.
Soft serve ice cream is available any time of the day, and you can even have a Mickey ice cream bar delivered to your stateroom!
Additionally, Disney is one of the only cruise lines that offers complimentary soft drinks along with soda fountains throughout the pool decks and teen/teen clubs.
7. Daily onboard activities
Teens will always find activities on board to enjoy with their families or with new friends they meet at the teen/teen club.
From game shows, scavenger hunts, character drawing lessons, trivia contests, karaoke to deck parties, there's no shortage of daily activities on a Disney cruise.
Don’t forget that the ship will also stop at other ports during your cruise!
There is plenty to see and do at this port of call, including snorkeling, sightseeing, water sports, marine life experiences and shopping.
With so many teen-oriented activities, your teen will never get bored on a Disney cruise! This is one of the reasons my family and I continue to sail on Disney Cruise Line.
So the next time someone tells you that Disney Cruise Line is only for young kids, send them this list!
Lissa Ryan is a Senior Travel Advisor at Kingdom Destinations, specializing in luxury family vacations. Lissa helps busy parents who want to create travel memories with her family through luxury travel experiences but are too busy or overwhelmed with all the effort and research required to plan the perfect vacation.