Upscale vacation with young teens

[mamakinrocks]

Hi!

We have been on several cruises with the kids. Our preference is Celebrity, but they have no scheduled cruises to the Caribbean/Mexico in the summer. We do have to plan for June/July based on our crazy sports schedule. We are interested in a cruise (a little leery of the megaships...I know that the kids would probably have a ball though) or resort. The Atlantis seems like a possibilty based on what I have read. Does anyone know about the specifics of their program for kids 12 1/2 and 14? Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[Kyle]

Hi Mamakin,

If you check out the www.familytravelforum.com site, you'll see many reviews of teen programs at resorts, and also what the cruise lines are doing for teens. Just use the link on the lefthand navbar for "My Family Members" and you'll see a Teen category. I think Royal Caribbean is one of the best cruise lines for teens with all it has for them to do...

For resorts, personally, my family loves Atlantis. It's pretty pricey when it comes to meal time, and with conventioneers and day trip visitors from cruise ships it does get crowded, but it's really a great place with all its fish theming.

They've added a new 'lifestyle' mall that is typical of what you see in LA (lots of outdoor shops, cafes, themed in Carib style, not particularly authentic but fun). Their teens lounge is very nice, but it's more a hangout than a really busy kids program. I think if you stay a few days your kids are likely to meet others and then have friends to hang out with, and since the complex is so big they have plenty of room to roam without feeling like their parents are watching over them.

Another good beach resort teens program is at Beaches, they're on Jamaica and Turks n'Caicos. At Beaches, which is an upscale all-inclusive resort, since they have nightly performances, the teens often help out with the shows. If your kids are into karaoke and MTV, this would be a fun place for them. Otherwise, there are some sports and a lounge, but not as much to do in an organized way as at a CLub Med, where it's sports oriented.

Hope that helps. Please let us know what you decide to do. Have fun.