Best Cruises for Kids, Tweens and Teens

Maybe your child is too cool to play trivia or bingo. Or maybe he's afraid of the pool. Perhaps he's perpetually bored. After travels, observations and discussions, these are the perfect cruises for your hard-to-please child, tween and teen.

We may have had you at Disney. But if you need more convincing, this ship has Disney characters, fireworks, bathtubs (essential for the little ones) - and it even has the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

Toddlers have their own dedicated staff who will keep them occupied with sensory-based activities and a quiet room for naps. Older kids can hang out in the water park, where they can go tube sliding or race under buckets of water.

Set to sail in 2020, this ship's kids' programming is expected to be next level. They collaborated with Lonely Planet, Fat Brain Toys and others to create a highly interactive Camp at Sea program combining art, food and STEM.

Have a tea party at the Royal Court Royal Tea with Cinderella, meet all your favorite Frozen characters at a party and watch a live production of Tangled: The Musical.

This is all about adventure for the little ones (and big kids, too). There's glow-in-the-dark laser tag, a massive water park and a brand new private island stop that has zip lines and the tallest waterslide in North America.

This boat just did a $50 million renovation, but it may not be the shiny new rugs or the dazzling pool that the tweens will notice: they'll race directly to the Galaxy Pavillion, which is essentially a virtual reality paradise. Check out the race car simulator . . . and if you're brave enough, step off the virtual plank.

It's got so.many.activities. There are 10-story water slides, an ice-rink, a carousel and a zipline.

Set to sail in 2020, this ship plans to offer hundreds of kids' activities which will include one of the biggest Xbox One X sea experience.

Budding screenwriters will adore iTake, a program where tweens can use the ship's GoPro, edit their videos and present their film. They could even win prizes for the best movie during an award ceremony.

In 2020, many of the 7-night Caribbean cruises on this ship will offer a Star Wars Day at Sea. Translation: There will be Star Wars characters, entertainment and activities (trivia, scavenger hunt, movies and speakers) for Star Wars fans.

Tweens can check out the 4D movie theater, the Grand Prix simulator (race your friends) and the Teen Club Junior, where they can take part in a Nutella party.

All Norwegian ships are great for kids because you don't have to plan ahead for meal times - you just show up and eat (AKA no reservations needed). But this ship is extra special because it's got the Free Fall, which is the fastest water slide drop at sea. It also has a three-deck sports complex including a ropes course and a plank, located 8 feet over the side of the ship.

Race up the rock climbing wall, fly within the IFly space (fly in an air machine as long as you're 3 and up) and swing via the trapeze school. There's no way these kids will be bored.

They put a huge emphasis on their Broadway shows, which will dazzle even the most seasoned teens. There's also a club just for 12-14-year-olds, and a second club for 14-to-17-year-olds.

Teens here have their own lounge, along with a Rock the Boat Party filled with mocktails just for them (complete with makeovers pre-party). During the day, teens can compete in air hockey, foosball and ping-pong tournaments.

This ship seems to be made for teens. They have two teen clubs, a parent-free video game room, a difficult ropes course, an I-Max theater and 24-hour pizza.

There's an entire sun deck and pool just for teens. Tired of tanning? They also have their own chill-out room, where they can participate in talent shows, get coached in various activities or simply party it up and make new friends.

If your teen likes to cook, then he or she would love this ship. They partner with America's Test Kitchen to do live cooking shows, workshops and demos.

We know there are few things that will impress teens, but perhaps viewing the American Ballet Theatre and taking ballet classes from these dancers will do it?