How to Make Friends and Have the Best Cruise Ever in the Teen Club

Parents, don’t let your teens read this if you want to see them at all on your cruise once dinner is over! This article is my argument for why any teen should absolutely take advantage of the unique experiences only available away from their parents on a boat in the middle of nowhere. For all the reasons parents should love the kids' clubs on board, I’ve got another post all about that—check it out here!

Silent Disco Party

I know most 13-17 year olds don’t know why they should listen to anybody, but here is why I think you should listen to me. I’ve been cruising since I was 6 months old and have experienced every phase of a kids' club you can imagine. I wasn’t too into the activities for the little kids since I preferred playing my DS over coloring pictures of Winnie the Pooh, but as I got older I fell in love with the teen club for one simple reason. It was one of my first tastes of freedom! Somebody who has never cruised before may think that the teen club is just glorified babysitting, but try to change your mindset for just a moment and imagine this.

Why Making Friends in the Teen Club is so Easy

You are on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, where nobody knows you. You have no reputation to maintain and no secrets to keep. For 3-14 days, you can truly be whoever you want to be! All while making new friends, playing games, dancing, watching movies, and flirting with whoever you feel inclined to. I knew a guy growing up who would make up a new fake name every cruise he went on just because he could! If you are shy or anxious about going to meet new people, you can rest easy knowing that even if you make the biggest fool of yourself you could ever imagine nobody will ever see you again once the cruise is over. If you are worried about being bored, there are a ton of great activities like sports competitions, video games, party games, and exclusive events to do inside the teen only spaces. Trying to make friends in the Teen club who have interests similar to yours can be a lot easier than you think!

Coming out of my Shell on the Oasis of the Seas

Let me give you an example of how the teen club changed my life. When I was 15 I was terrified to dance. I thought I was too fat and awkward so I never would even though I have great rhythm and really love music. That summer, my family went on a cruise on the Oasis of the seas and I decided that I was going to dance at the teen club even if I looked dumb. After a few minutes of hesitation and watching all of the other kids awkwardly standing around the room, I just started dancing by myself. Within two songs, other brave souls joined in, and soon, everyone was having a great time! By stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something I would NEVER have done back in high school, I ended that night with 20 new friends I spent the rest of the cruise hanging out with! Now, I love dancing! Back in college, I went country swing dancing almost every week where I made a ton of great friends who I still talk to today!

Swing dancing with my friends in college!

The whole point of this story is that the teen club gave me the chance to try something new that I never would have done back home. If you’re afraid to try Karaoke, sing your heart out with all the other 15-year-olds who are nervous! If you aren’t used to walking up to someone you don’t know and striking up a conversation, find someone else who looks nervous and tell them your name is Tyler Rexton but most people just call you T-Rex. Walking into a room of people you don’t know can be scary, but it’s also a chance to try something new in a low risk environment where everyone is LITERALLY in the same boat as you are. If you feel awkward or unwelcome, just know that almost everyone feels that way and there is somebody in that room wishing someone just like you will walk in and hang out with them. 

Life Lessons I learned in the Teen Club

The life skills I learned in the teen club have helped me so much in life both socially and professionally. I guarantee you I never would have become the top salesman in my division at 20 years old if I hadn’t gotten comfortable talking with strangers from all over the world in the teen club. So take a chance and shoot your shot in the teen club on your next cruise!

Have I sold you? If so, check out my other post with my top 5 tips and tricks to making friends on board!