Tips for Disney Cruises with Tweens & Teens

Cruising with tweens and teens can be a great time! We love taking a Disney Cruise with teens because there is so much for them to do onboard! Here is everything you need to know about what to expect when taking a Disney cruise with tweens and teens. 

Disney cruises are one of our family’s favorite getaways, and the nice thing about going on a Disney cruise is that there are activities for the whole family! 

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Family vacations with tweens and teens can be a little more complicated than those you took when the kids were younger. They aren’t babies anymore, they are getting older and their interests have changed and of course, they are more independent now. 

Planning a Disney Cruise with Tweens

On a cruise aboard the Disney Magic, I went with my daughter who was a few months shy of being 13 at the time and at age 12 could choose between going into the Oceaneer Club (ages 3-12 at the time) or Edge (ages 11 to 14 at the time) during our sailing. She had a great time visiting Edge on that cruise and opted to spend most of her time there!

**Author’s Note: As of the time of this article, those were the correct age ranges for the clubs. They had since been adjusted by Disney Cruise Line. Please see the new age ranges below!

We had a fantastic time exploring both Cozumel and Costa Maya on our cruise. You can read more about that Western Caribbean Cruise on the Disney Magic in this article.

There was plenty to do onboard the ship as well, as we had two days at sea on our five-night cruise. My tween ended up spending a majority of her free time at the Edge Tween Club, and we enjoyed entertainment and meals together.

Edge on the Disney Magic

A Disney cruise is the perfect blend of family time spent together with plenty of opportunities for them to get off on their own and make friends their own age. 

Kid’s Clubs When Sailing with Disney Cruise Line

All of the Disney cruise ships have a clubhouse for tweens and another for teens in addition to loads of activities both on and off the ship. Inside these clubhouses, there are dance floors, arcade games, movies, and activities supervised by Disney cruise employees. 

Since the time this article was originally written, the age for the Oceaneer’s Club has been lowered, to ages 3 to 10 during your sailing! Meaning all kids that are now age 11-14 go to Edge!

Edge on the Disney Treasure

On our recent sailing aboard the Disney Treasure, we had one child that went to Edge and another child that went to Vibe! This worked out fantastic because they could make their own schedules to participate in club programming, and then come together for family time during dinners and the shows.

When your teen is aged 14, they can go to both Edge and Vibe! One daughter was 14 on our recent Disney Treasure cruise and could go to both clubs! We call this a “magic” age when they unlock two clubs on one cruise!

Edge

Edge is the tween club on the Disney cruise ships where tweens, now exclusively for ages 11-14, can have their own special hangout on board and hang out with other tweens from around the world. There are loads of flat-screen TVs, video games, computers, and more. 

Edge on the Disney Treasure

There are daily activities in the club that are led by Disney counselors. Some of the activities your tweens can find here are trivia, Improv comedy, physical challenges, and DJ lessons. There are also photo booths, unique lighting, dance floors, and more for your tween to enjoy.

Edge on the Disney Treasure

Edge is open daily and they even have get togethers on Disney’s islands if you’ll be going to Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay!

Vibe

Vibe is the onboard clubhouse for teens ages 14 to 17, where they can play and relax with other teens onboard the ship. Teens will find lots of TVs, seating spaces, dance floors, video games, and snack areas. Inside Vibe there’s even a coffee bar that offers coffee drinks, smoothies, and other non-alcoholic beverages. 

Vibe on the Disney Treasure

There are daily activities in Vibe and the clubs are monitored by some really cool Disney counselors. As a parent, I especially love that they do icebreaker activities to get kids talking. These can include trivia games, competitions, and more to keep your teens engaged and entertained. 

Vibe on the Disney Treasure

Our most recent sailing on the Disney Treasure was a longer sailing and it really allowed the kids to get to know each other! The Vibe kids formed a text group where they’ve kept in touch even after returning home!

Vibe on the Disney Treasure

Entertainment Aboard Disney Cruise Line Ships

There are plenty of other ways to keep the whole family entertained! These options are great ways to enjoy an activity as a family. These bring everyone together before they head off to programming specific for their age group or interests.

Live Shows

There are Broadway-style shows and musicals that you can enjoy on board your ship. You can watch spectacular shows like Frozen, Beauty of the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.

This is a great way to spend an evening together as a family on board. We usually always come together for dinner on our Disney cruises and then the kids opt to attend the show with us if it is one they are wanting to see!

Movie Theaters

There are Disney movies playing in each of the movie theaters 24/7. The screenings range from Disney classics to new releases that are currently playing in theaters.

Catching a movie is a great way to cool off and get out of the sun for a bit. There are also movies playing on some of the decks if you want to enjoy a movie in the sunshine.  

On our recent cruise, one of my daughter’s even caught a movie on her own when we were at some of the adult programming! So this can be another fun way for teens to be independent and set their own schedule.

Pools

All of the Disney cruise ships have multiple pools, water slides, splash pads, and water misters on the decks. The Disney Fantasy and the Disney Dream both have the AquaDuck, a water coaster at sea on board. The Disney Wish has the very first attraction, the AquaMouse!

These water areas are sure to be a hit with the tweens and teens in your family. 

Pool area at night on the Disney Magic.

Food at their Leisure

If your teens are like most and are always hungry then one of their favorite parts of your Disney cruise vacation may be the constant access to all of the amazing food!! There are buffets, sit down restaurants, take and carry pizza and burgers, all of the soft-serve ice cream that you can eat and so many amazing desserts.

 

Even if you have a picky eater in your party they are sure to find plenty of food that they love. You can even have room service bring you a tray of your favorites. 

We also have a child with food allergies and find that Disney World, along with Disney Cruises, are some of the easiest places for us to travel! As they have a system in place to manage different diets.

Entertaining Meal Times

Our family loves coming together a meal times to enjoy the dining experiences aboard the ships together, and then there is plenty of programming in the kids clubs that last the whole evening! Check out the ship you’re planning to sail on, to see which dining options are available during your sailing!

On our recent Disney Treasure cruise we had a dining rotation that included Plaza de Coco, Worlds of Marvel and 1923! Plaza de Coco has live entertainment and Worlds of Marvel had interactive entertainment that our teens loved!

If you’re traveling with a tween or teen on your own, Disney Cruise Line will also try to seat you with other families of a similar makeup at dinner. We enjoyed getting to know two other mom and tween daughter pairs that we were seated with at dinner each night.

Stay In Touch With the On Board App

Parents can feel more confident giving their tweens and teens some freedom to explore the ship on their own by using the on board app.

The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app allows you to communicate with your family through a private chat. You can also use the app to track restaurant reservations, schedule daily events on board, see activities that you have booked, and destination details.  

Using the chat feature that works with the ship wifi, you can stay in touch throughout your whole cruise. We use this with our tweens and teens heading off to the kid’s clubs. Plan times to be able to meet up with them for meal times and check in throughout the evening.

Sailing with Teens on Disney Cruise Line

You don’t have to worry about your tween or teen not having an amazing time while on your Disney cruise vacation! They will meet so many new friends and there are so many great onboard activities for them to do. It’s a family vacation everyone can enjoy and that you will always remember!

Ready to set sail? Use our guides to help plan what to pack and decide which Disney Cruise Line ship is right for you to get started with your planning!

You may also like these posts on Disney Cruises:

• Disney Cruises with Preschoolers
• Disney Cruise Packing List
• Disney Cruise Line Ships Ranked