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What can people in the 17-20 age group do on ships?


Joe01

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I'm not 21 yet. I feel that my age group is an age group forgotten by the cruise line. Too old for the teen facilities, but not old enough for the adult activities either. It also doesn't help that I look about 15.

We are sailing the Harmony so there isn't necessarily a shortage of onboard amenities, but I feel as if my age group just aren't accommodated the same way. And as nice as it is to spend time with my group, I would rather meet other people and do my own thing. That doesn't feel possible as I'm still viewed as a minor.

What can I do onboard? 

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I can understand a bit your frustration. Last year I took my son, then 17 on an Alaska cruise. He had a great time with the teen club, met lots of people and had a great time. when we go again he will no longer be able to take part in the teen club.

There is a gap where young adults may still be going with parents an thus don't have any friends or bf/gf with them but little opportunity for mixing and mingling with young adults their age. 

Still lots to do, just not any organised way to get together with others your age.

 

 

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I would say this is a great opportunity to break in to the adult activities.  Really the only activity you cant do is drink alcohol.  Mocktails solve that real quick.  So for things to do for the not quite 21 crowd is....

1.  Shore excursions. You're definitely not left out of those!  

2.  Flowriders and pools.  You may find others in your age range in these areas.  Its not that organized of an activity but its activity

3.  Trivia.  Just think, the pop culture trivia things you'll absolutely crush!  There will be many older groups who will want the pop culture guru on their team!

4.  Athletic activities.  Things like basketball, bumper cars, ice skating.  Might not be your thing, might be right up your alley.

5.  FOOD!  No teen or kids club telling you when to get your grub on!  You want a bagel at 10am?  Its yours for the taking!

 

I think you may mean scheduled activities for just those in your age range.  I think that since the under 21 over 18 crowd is so small, it just may not be feasable to have a meetup or activities just for that particular group.  It may feel a bit like a limbo state, but its really a great opportunity to start doing the adult activities, just they're not going to involve drinking alcohol.  

One of the beautiful things about common age groups is, they find each other.  My first cruise I'll never forget.  I was 15 and there was no teen club to speak of on the Princess cruise I was on.  Within a day I managed to find the other teens and we took over the club one night.  Wasnt organized by the ship, but it was organized by the resourceful teens.  And I'll be frank, I'm a bit of a social butterfly type so for me its very easy to just go up to those in my age range and say hello.  But if you're not the social butterfly type, it might be an opportunity to spread your wings a little bit and start just by saying hello while enjoying a mocktail.  And that goes for any age range.  Cruises are magical in that they really can give introverts a chance to try out extroverting a bit.  If the social interaction leads nowhere, that's fine, nothing lost.  Its not like you'll be faced with the less than successful interaction for years to come.  But if it IS successful, you can make friends for life.  

Your conundrum isnt really exclusive to the 18-21 crowd either.  All age ranges experience this.  And your cruise director does get a list of ages on the cruise.  So if they do see an influx of the 18-21 crowd, then they'll organize activities with that crowd in mind.  Same if the cruise director sees more in the 65+ range.  If they see more in the younger crowd, you may see more activities by the pool and the clubs.  You'll see trivia with younger themes. But be prepared to enjoy less organized activities if there isnt an influx of your age range.

 

 

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So I just took two 18 year olds on a family cruise in December and here are some of the things they did.

Casino slot tournaments.  Only $25 and fun way to meet people. Some ships have free casino tournaments also. 

Lying out poolside and movies pool side.

Mocktails at venues with music.

Coffee shop and people watching.

Booked some paid activities like the sushi class, cupcake class, brunch with galley tour.

 

Things I found in an old cruise compass:

Free gaming lessons in the casino, you will find a lot of 18 to 20 year olds in the casino because some land casinos are 21.

Game shows, karaoke, dance party, comedy shows, there is a whole list of music and dancing where you can hang out and have a mocktail

Some ships have a free talk about the ship called "Get to know the ..........."

fitness classes, bingo, scavenger hunt

 

There are tons of activities in the daily compass for you to pick from.  Go to the Cruise Compass link at the top of the page and look for old compasses from the ship you are sailing on and take a look at what they offer.

 

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