Thanks to that hard work, a family vacation at sea can be a win-win proposition. For parents, cruises offer long stretches of time with their kids in a controlled setting. Teens, in turn, get a little independence, some organized adventures and other kids to hang out with. The only problem is when to take a break—there’s action nearly 24-7 onboard.

Each cruise line favors a different approach to these finicky customers. Disney has areas dedicated entirely to teens on both the Magic and Wonder vessels and offers exclusive teen activities—poolside parties, snorkeling excursions and a chance to race homemade rafts on Castaway Cay, Disney’s private Bahamian island. (Participants design and build their own rafts using only bamboo sticks and rope.) Some of Norwegian’s ships reserve a disco for teens, provide a video arcade and even organize sports geared to teens, like basketball and volleyball.

On Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, kids can watch movies or check their email in the Living Room, a teen-only lounge. Once the sun goes down they can head to Fuel, where music and dancing go late into the evening—or early morning.

All of Carnival’s Fun Ships have a Club O2, where kids ages 15 to 17 can play organized games based on Survivor and Fear Factor. The roomy teen centers have dance floors with DJs and large-screen plasma TVs showing the latest movies and music videos.

Not every teen is a joiner, no matter how cool the organized activity. If that sounds familiar, don’t worry. Most ships also have plenty of spaces where kids can gather informally—basketball courts, climbing walls, gyms, yoga and spinning classes, recording studios and of course swimming pools.

When you’re ready for some time together, there’s always the spa. Carnival’s fleetwide Y-Spa offers a variety of body and facial treatments, allowing parents and their older kids to take a relaxed approach to ship life together.

Sometimes even these elaborate attractions fail to persuade a reluctant teen to try a cruise. Enter the parent’s secret vacation weapon: Invite the best friend to come along. The secure environment onboard a ship makes it easier to take responsibility for someone else’s child. Since teens need privacy—as do parents, of course—consider booking a less expensive inside cabin just for them.

If your wary teen needs further enticement, check out the various cruise lines’ shore excursions. Adventure activities like tubing, horseback riding and scuba diving may be the deciding factor for teens.

Even smaller ships can offer big adventure. Windstar, known more for couple-friendly cruises, ramps up activities during the weeks when families are most likely to be on vacation. Windstar’s smaller ships anchor in remote locations to let passengers swim, windsurf and water ski from the sports deck—the favorite haunt of the younger crowd.

Because parents and kids don’t always have similar tastes, some ships offer teen-only shore excursions. Carnival crew members take teens cave tubing in Belize, horseback riding on Cozumel, and swimming with stingrays on Grand Cayman.

Then there’s adventure of a different sort: drinking, an issue bound to arise in families with kids ages 18 to 20, either in countries where the legal age is 18, such as Mexico, or on the ship itself. Most cruise lines enforce the American 21-and-over age limit regardless of local laws. But with parental consent, Norwegian allows passengers 18 and over to consume beer and wine (but not hard liquor) after the ship leaves U.S. waters. On the plus side, this gives parents the opportunity to see firsthand how their kids handle this new freedom, and to start a conversation about drinking responsibly. Keep in mind that it’s important to set the rules and explain the consequences ahead of time so this issue doesn’t become the focus of the vacation.

Finally, if anyone still needs a reason to cruise, one other form of indulgence deserves a mention. Judging by the number of teenagers you’ll see faithfully lining up onboard for their afternoon scoop, you’re never too old—or too cool—for free ice cream.

For more information
Cruise Lines International Association (cruising.org) is a handy consumer resource. Use it to find ships by destination or personal preferences—categories include Sports and Fitness, and Families and Children. It will also help you locate a cruise-savvy travel agent. To learn more about RCI’s cruise options, please visit cruiserci.com or call 877-RCI-BOAT (877-724-2628)