How did he do? My 13 yo is on the spectrum. She masks really well but she self isolates and struggles with starting and keeping conversation going. We are going on our 1st cruise in November and I really want her to have a good time with other kids.
Hi! Our son is much the same way - masks well, but really struggles with starting conversations and keeping them going. We try to practice at home, but when he's in a social situation with other kids his anxiety is so high, he just can't focus.😕 He didn't go back after the 3rd try because most of the kids had already formed groups so he would just play video games by himself. The teen club staff on Icon were very nice, but weren't really involved in the group activities and really expected the teens to manage their interactions. On some of the smaller ships (with fewer bells and whistles), we've noticed there's a bit more involvement and interaction from teen club staff and they tend to help more with the social interactions. We think the kids on each ship and sailing also make a difference. On Mariner, Grandeur, and Anthem, there were kids that noticed him hanging back and approached him, Raj blurted out that he has autism, and they just rolled with it and continued to try and engage with him throughout the week. On other ships, he was either ignored or made fun of by other kids because he was different. We loved Adventure Ocean (AO) because they helped facilitate interactions and he made a couple of connections on our earlier sailings. He unfortunately aged out and they will no longer make exceptions (they'll only move kids up or down within 6-12 months of the age limits for the groups) so he spends most of his time with us or reading by himself these days, which he's perfectly content with, but we worry for him. If your daughter is only 13, you may want to speak to staff in both AO and the teen club about your concerns. She can try teen club and if it's not the right fit, they may make an exception for her to move to the older kids group in AO. Hope that helps and if you have any other questions, let us know. He had a great time on the Icon and we hope you all do, too! 😊
We really miss that about Adventure Ocean - the facilitated interactions. It was really wonderful for our son and helped him with socialization. Now he pretty much just hangs out with us and it makes us sad that he really struggles to relate to and talk with kids his own age. We hope your daughter has a great experience! Talk to the staff onboard. They will make exceptions to move kids up or down depending on the situation. They were strict about the 6 month swing for exceptions when we were on in January. Hopefully they can be more flexible now that Icon has been operating for a few months.
Im a teen going next week on the Icon Of The Seas. I have two questions 1 is there a way to get a schedule of the teen club events in the lounge like for example a orientation? 2 Can i just go staight to the teen club after checking in and boarding the ship?
Hi! On the Icon they didn’t have a printed schedule of events available like they have on other Royal ships. They told us what was happening and had a board where they wrote down the different daily group activities and times. You can go to the teen club after boarding the ship, but it is only open for sign ups during the open house. They’ll check you in, mark your seapass card and let you explore the club area. You can play with the games or chill out, but they close when the open house ends. They don’t officially open until 8pm that first night. They’ll explain the rules and then you can come and go after that. I hope you have fun. The Icon is my second favorite ship and it has the best elevators. Sincerely, Raj
@@royalshenanigansusa From what I've read elsewhere, the teen group meets up in Social 020 at specific times and then heads out as a group from there. Was that your experience? Could you please provide some examples of the organized activities they offered for the teens?
Yes. On the first night, they have the teens meet in the club at 8pm for a meet and greet and to go over the rules and explain how it runs. They do have meet up times for group activities like soccer, basketball, and activities like karaoke, different kinds of trivia and games like Name that Tune or Celebrity Heads and scavenger hunts during the week, but you don't have to do the group activities. They'll tell you where to meet for the group activities, like the Sports Court for soccer or basketball or Social 020 for karaoke or games. You can also go in there on your own or with your own friends when it's open to read, play video games, foosball, or just hang out. I tried the group soccer but I'm not very good and didn't feel like I fit in with the other kids so I didn't do any of the other group activities, but the teen club was nice and I did go in there by myself to play video games and the digital game tables. Sincerely, Raj
Hi! Adventure Ocean is located on Deck 6 aft, right before the entrance to walk up to Surfside. Social 020 is also located deck 6 aft, opposite side of Adventure Ocean. You have to walk through Playmakers and through the entrance to Absolute Zero (ice rink) to get there.
On the Icon, Adventure Ocean is located deck 6 aft, right before the doors to exit to the Surfside Neighborhood. Once you’re there, the 8-year olds would register and be in the Hangout space at the back of that area (- 2:26 min into the video shows that area). Hope that helps!
The teen room is always my favorite part of a cruise! So many friends and memories! Thanks for the walkthrough. 😀🤘🏼
For the 6-12 year olds, do you know if they have gaming systems for the kids to play? Like Xbox PlayStation Wii?
They had Nintendo switches available in the 6-12 year old area, hooked up to a couple of the TVs there.
Thanks
My daughter is 13 years old too but 6 to 12 looks like a great place for her😅
How did he do? My 13 yo is on the spectrum. She masks really well but she self isolates and struggles with starting and keeping conversation going. We are going on our 1st cruise in November and I really want her to have a good time with other kids.
Hi! Our son is much the same way - masks well, but really struggles with starting conversations and keeping them going. We try to practice at home, but when he's in a social situation with other kids his anxiety is so high, he just can't focus.😕 He didn't go back after the 3rd try because most of the kids had already formed groups so he would just play video games by himself. The teen club staff on Icon were very nice, but weren't really involved in the group activities and really expected the teens to manage their interactions. On some of the smaller ships (with fewer bells and whistles), we've noticed there's a bit more involvement and interaction from teen club staff and they tend to help more with the social interactions. We think the kids on each ship and sailing also make a difference. On Mariner, Grandeur, and Anthem, there were kids that noticed him hanging back and approached him, Raj blurted out that he has autism, and they just rolled with it and continued to try and engage with him throughout the week. On other ships, he was either ignored or made fun of by other kids because he was different. We loved Adventure Ocean (AO) because they helped facilitate interactions and he made a couple of connections on our earlier sailings. He unfortunately aged out and they will no longer make exceptions (they'll only move kids up or down within 6-12 months of the age limits for the groups) so he spends most of his time with us or reading by himself these days, which he's perfectly content with, but we worry for him. If your daughter is only 13, you may want to speak to staff in both AO and the teen club about your concerns. She can try teen club and if it's not the right fit, they may make an exception for her to move to the older kids group in AO. Hope that helps and if you have any other questions, let us know. He had a great time on the Icon and we hope you all do, too! 😊
I think Royal caribbean should make them more involved in a group so they can meet new friends. A lot of teens have a hard time talking to other kids.
We really miss that about Adventure Ocean - the facilitated interactions. It was really wonderful for our son and helped him with socialization. Now he pretty much just hangs out with us and it makes us sad that he really struggles to relate to and talk with kids his own age. We hope your daughter has a great experience! Talk to the staff onboard. They will make exceptions to move kids up or down depending on the situation. They were strict about the 6 month swing for exceptions when we were on in January. Hopefully they can be more flexible now that Icon has been operating for a few months.
Im a teen going next week on the Icon Of The Seas. I have two questions
1 is there a way to get a schedule of the teen club events in the lounge like for example a orientation?
2 Can i just go staight to the teen club after checking in and boarding the ship?
Hi! On the Icon they didn’t have a printed schedule of events available like they have on other Royal ships. They told us what was happening and had a board where they wrote down the different daily group activities and times. You can go to the teen club after boarding the ship, but it is only open for sign ups during the open house. They’ll check you in, mark your seapass card and let you explore the club area. You can play with the games or chill out, but they close when the open house ends. They don’t officially open until 8pm that first night. They’ll explain the rules and then you can come and go after that. I hope you have fun. The Icon is my second favorite ship and it has the best elevators. Sincerely, Raj
@@royalshenanigansusa From what I've read elsewhere, the teen group meets up in Social 020 at specific times and then heads out as a group from there. Was that your experience? Could you please provide some examples of the organized activities they offered for the teens?
Yes. On the first night, they have the teens meet in the club at 8pm for a meet and greet and to go over the rules and explain how it runs. They do have meet up times for group activities like soccer, basketball, and activities like karaoke, different kinds of trivia and games like Name that Tune or Celebrity Heads and scavenger hunts during the week, but you don't have to do the group activities. They'll tell you where to meet for the group activities, like the Sports Court for soccer or basketball or Social 020 for karaoke or games. You can also go in there on your own or with your own friends when it's open to read, play video games, foosball, or just hang out. I tried the group soccer but I'm not very good and didn't feel like I fit in with the other kids so I didn't do any of the other group activities, but the teen club was nice and I did go in there by myself to play video games and the digital game tables. Sincerely, Raj
Thanks!
Where on the boat is this?
Hi! Adventure Ocean is located on Deck 6 aft, right before the entrance to walk up to Surfside. Social 020 is also located deck 6 aft, opposite side of Adventure Ocean. You have to walk through Playmakers and through the entrance to Absolute Zero (ice rink) to get there.
Where is the kids club for a 8yr old
On the Icon, Adventure Ocean is located deck 6 aft, right before the doors to exit to the Surfside Neighborhood. Once you’re there, the 8-year olds would register and be in the Hangout space at the back of that area (- 2:26 min into the video shows that area). Hope that helps!