Romelle

My 16-year-old grandson especially loved the late night pizza run possible on a cruise ship. I'd guess he out-ate me 3 or 4 to 1 for every meal.

Then there were the outdoor movies, the pools, the tour of the kitchens, the video games, ...

My 17-year-old granddaughter loved the opportunity to snorkel and do a zip-line ride.

And the afternoon teas. She didn't drink tea, just enjoyed the amazing selection of accompaniments.

Meneer Guggenheimer

Thanks for all the replies. It is good stuff to think about. I update when I have made a decision.

estnet

I'm sort of amazed at the replies that totally ignored what you said your son wanted to do "sit .... and read his books ... and eat". If that is truly his desire, not socializing or being "entertained" than a crossing would be ideal, however
1) crossings can be very rough at certain times of the year - so if anyone is prone to seasickness this is important to take this into account. Also deck chairs vary from very comfortable to too windy and cold to be suitable for comfortable reading (but most ships have places inside where you can read and still view the sea)
2) research the cruise line carefully - food, service, cleanliness, etc. vary quite a bit and do change over time - Seabourn for example was a very different experience before it was purchased by Carnival. Recent reviews (also ?a knowledable travel agent) are your friend
Of course you haven't said how you like to travel so if having him able to read and eat without a lot of other activities and you'd be bored to tears......

Gregory Nelson

Given where you're located, I''d suggest looking at cruises departing from Amsterdam.

First, you don't need to mess with a flight. In fact, you can even just walk from the train station to the cruise terminal in 10-15 minutes.

Second, you'd likely have several Dutch-speaking shipmates at/near your son's age, which wouldn't be the case with departures from any other port.

Common destinations ex-Amsterdam are the Baltics, England/Scotland, and Norway.

Romelle

I came to cruises late in life. I had some odd silly (and wrong) pre-conceptions about them. I dipped my toe in the water cautiously with a 3-day one ... Vancouver, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington. Marvelous discovery.

I've since set a project of taking each grandkid on one just so they understand what cruises are. This being just one of my many projects along this line ... writing in cement, making candles, bashing a wall down, planting lilacs, etc., etc..

Definitely do it, but maybe make it a shorter one as Jaimito Cartero suggested.

prncess674

The only thing to consider on Baltics, England/Scotland, and Norway is that the outdoor temperatures may be quite cool, so not ideal for lazing around pool-side. I think maybe a Greek Islands cruise may be a good idea. Lots of warm weather and many of the stops can just be relaxing beach stops verses go-go history.

TravelingNomads

My kids have been on several and loved it. I actually found they typically have more activities planned for kids 12 and under than for the older teens. Ice cream eating contests, pool games, etc. Expect to eat a lot more than 3 meals! Mine couldn't get enough of pizza and ice cream and since it was just for a few days, we allowed them to splurge a bit.