Teen Scene

How 14-year-old Twin Boys Fared On A River Cruise With The 'rents

- Heidi Sarna

Let’s face it. Most teenagers aren’t dying to go on a river cruise. But this mom of teen sons likes small-ship cruising and I’m still the boss (I think!). So last summer I signed the family up for a Bordeaux river cruise with the French line CroisiEurope.

We boarded the 174-passenger Cyrano de Bergerac, a long white baguette of a riverboat with a thin green stripe, in the heart of beautiful Bordeaux, walking past several folded up wheelchairs and a gaggle of seniors at the gangway. My teenagers had a mild look of alarm on their faces. Where were the other kids?

CroisiEurope doesn’t cater to children on its Bordeaux cruises (though they have some family river itineraries in Croatia, Portugal, and Italy). And that’s fine. I have kids, but I don’t necessarily enjoy a riverboat full of them. I chose CroisiEurope because of its appealing 5-night Bordeaux itinerary and the exposure to France it would give my sons.

There’s no question my boys miss the 20+ megaship cruises we did when they were younger — the activities, gaming, multiple eating options, and all those other kids. But as they’ve gotten older, I’ve migrated our family to smaller ships. Of course, the things that mom and dad appreciate about river cruising — the intimacy, the simplicity, and the cultural focus — don’t particularly resonate for most teenagers. Oh well.

French Flair — and Family Time

I reasoned that a Bordeaux river cruise would be educational for my sons (and us) because of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites and also because of the French feel of the onboard experience. Family-owned CroisiEurope was founded in 1976 as a French river cruise line for French people.