Sad for the teens aging out of the Vibe

[Canadian Girl]

My daughter was in the Vibe at the end of in 2019 at 15 and loved it. It seems now, by the time it is safe to sail again she may have just aged out as of May 2022, and tells me she is no longer interested in cruising after this point. She says the 18-20 group is not the same. First world problem I know. We were able to do three TAs together and I am glad we have those memories. The world has changed forever I think. We will be looking over our shoulders for a long time. I am in Canada and with the border still closed, it’s hard to know when things will get back to normal here.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My daughter was in the Vibe at the end of in 2019 at 15 and loved it. It seems now, by the time it is safe to sail again she may have just aged out as of May 2022, and tells me she is no longer interested in cruising after this point. She says the 18-20 group is not the same. First world problem I know. We were able to do three TAs together and I am glad we have those memories. The world has changed forever I think. We will be looking over our shoulders for a long time. I am in Canada and with the border still closed, it’s hard to know when things will get back to normal here.

I have to wonder how she knows the 18-20 group isn't the same. But, at that age (transitioning from teen to adult) things change. She may be surprised. I will point out, however, the chances of a really active 18-20 group on any given cruise can be a problem. We took our son on his cruise when he had just turned 18 and on that cruise the group was pretty large (about 12-15 people) and really active. We basically only saw our son at dinner, since he was out and about the rest of the time with people from the group.

 

[lanejudy]

I feel for that older teen age group in general. They are missing a lot of “typical” teen activities/events/milestones and will never get a re-do once they enter adulthood and college. I do think most have a great attitude and are making lemonade rather than complaining. I give them a lot of credit.

 

[CaLuCa]

I am very sad about this. I have a learning disabled 17 year old that needs the security of the counselors to be a part of a group. (I also have a great deal of anxiety about people mistreating and taking advantage of her and do everything in my power to keep her safe.) This was one of the few "normal' experiences she could have. I dread taking her on a cruise without the Vibe to send her to. Unfortunately, I don't think the 18-20 would be an option for her.

So if there's any way we can wrap this pandemic up by say early spring and get back out there, that would be awesome! (Pretty sure cruising can't return that quickly, but there's always hope.)

 

[Joe Brig]

DCL should consider creating a Vibe+ for 18-22, no alcohol, with a counselor and a central location and pre planned actives shown on the Personal Navigator. With this in place, current Vibe age kids will see the schedule of actives and may want to cruise again after turning 18. It is too bad that many 17 year olds may miss their last chance of sailing and going to the Vibe. Not to mention the new ships being delayed.

 

[Capt_BJ]

18 was a hard break point for my kids .... when a line like RCCL had WAY more they were interested in .... surf rider, climbing wall, ... the mouse interactions lost their luster

 

[pumpkinqueen93]

Honestly one of the things I wish I did was sail when I was younger. Never got the chance to. I missed out on all the cool stuff at the kids club. Although I'm glad they did offer open house hours so I could get a taste of it. But it just made me wish I could have gone on at an earlier age. Even so, there are still fun activities to do when you're older. I enjoyed all the trivia, especially the Disney themed trivia. Karaoke night is fun. Even as an adult there's lots of things to do and enjoy.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

DCL should consider creating a Vibe+ for 18-22, no alcohol, with a counselor and a central location and pre planned actives shown on the Personal Navigator. With this in place, current Vibe age kids will see the schedule of actives and may want to cruise again after turning 18. It is too bad that many 17 year olds may miss their last chance of sailing and going to the Vibe. Not to mention the new ships being delayed.

Vibe used to go to 18, but legal issues (18 year olds are considered adults) cut that back to 17. Since the 18*20 club is hit or miss on any given cruise, I doubt that DCL wants to set up a dedicated space for them, if it's not for sure it's going to be used every cruise.

The 18*20 club can set up activities IF they meet up that first night with the DCL CM who facilitates the club. If no one shows up, well, it's on the "kids" that nothing got going.

 

[DisneYE]

My daughter was in the Vibe at the end of in 2019 at 15 and loved it. It seems now, by the time it is safe to sail again she may have just aged out as of May 2022, and tells me she is no longer interested in cruising after this point. She says the 18-20 group is not the same. First world problem I know. We were able to do three TAs together and I am glad we have those memories. The world has changed forever I think. We will be looking over our shoulders for a long time. I am in Canada and with the border still closed, it’s hard to know when things will get back to normal here.

DD is almost 15 and if no 2021 cruises sail she will be 16 in 2022 and she's dreading the day she won't be able to hang out at Vibe... It's part of what made the experience special for her.. her favorite cruises were the kids clubs' years and I regret not having sailed a few more times when she was that age.. it was magical for her.
She's seen the 1820 society and already said she's not interested in it... she still loves DCL and said she'd hang around with us instead... but I know it won't be the same for her.... it's sad indeed.
In the words of philosopher Ferris Beuller: "life moves pretty fast...if you don't look around you could miss it"

 

[jane01jp]

Our son loved all of the clubs, and our daughter didn't. Neither of them liked the 1820 groups.

 

[leannak]

What do 18-20 year olds like to do?? I’m curious about how dcl could make their ships more appealing for the age group.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD is in this group. She'll be 18 in September and wanted one more cruise while she could be in the Vibe. We had one planned for last September, rescheduled for this March, and I was just thinking I need to call and see about switching that to just before her birthday in September.

In the meantime, I've been trying to talk up how great it will be to sail when she's 18 because she'll be able to go to Palo with me and hang out at the adult pool. Unfortunately, she's not buying it.

 

[daedelus]

I agree it's hit or miss. I have twin 20yo sons, a 19yo daughter and a 16yo daughter. The boys wanted nothing to do with 1820 and did their own thing. My 19yo hung out with the 1820 crowd for most of the cruise, and they had 2 awesome cast members helping them and having a great time. My 16yo found Vibe to be hit or miss, depending on the kids. One group was engaging and fun, another group was petty and clique-y.

Bottom line, it depends on the group and is (to a great extent) what you make of it!

Cheers,

daedelus

 

[soniam]

I think we will be able to get at least one in before DS ages out, hopefully more. However, I look forward to cruising with him as an adult too, maybe not DCL though.

 

[dvcdisney]

Our last cruise was also in 2019 and my daughter was almost 15. So I am hoping that we would be able to cruise this year or next.

My son went through Vibe and 18-20 club group. He just turned 21. He said he was disappointed when he was no longer in Vibe...but 18-20 group wasn't a big deal. He did find friends to hang out with, but he said that's mostly what happens at the end of Vibe. And he said that there were a few who were over 21 who joined them. Not really a big deal for them at that age.

 

[jetskigrl]

We added our DS to our March 2021 cruise when our June 2020 was cancelled so that he could get one more time in Vibe before he turns 18. But that doesn't look like it will happen either. He loves being on the ship and I know he will enjoy being able to hang out in the 18+ areas when we do get to cruise again. But I really feel for him (and other kids his age) since he is already missing out on the senior year on campus too. He is missing out on a lot.