If the ship's curfew sounds late to you, or your teens are youngish, set your own curfew. This is especially important if you're sharing a cabin and don't want to hear rowdy kids crashing into the room after midnight. Which brings us to . . .

• Opt for as much space as you can afford. Face it, your kids aren't little anymore, and they take up a lot of room. They also hog the bathroom. Splurge on a family suite, or two rooms, instead of sharing a stateroom.

A suite works really well if you're earlier risers, like we are, and your kids like to sleep until noon, like ours do. With two connected rooms, early birds and night owls can co-exist happily, and (bonus) you'll still know when they roll in at night. That super-sensitive parental radar will kick in, even if you're 1,000 miles out to sea.

• Pick the right week. Even if you're Posh and Becks, your kids do not think you're fabulous. They'll spend time with you, sure, but 'round-the-clock togetherness won't cut it. They need to be with their own tribe. To make that happen, pick a vacation week sure to be jam-packed with other teens -- summer vacation, spring break, Easter week, and the week between the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The ship will be more crowded, for sure, but what would you rather have: happy teens or a better shot at a poolside lounge chair?

Also, stick with shorter cruises, a week or so in duration. Longer cruises tend to draw an older crowd. And stick with the less-exotic locations. If you cruise the Baltic, say, or the Mediterranean, you'll get an older, sophisticated crowd, and not as many families. Save the exotic destinations for your vacations à deux. The Caribbean routes are always tops with families.

• Pick a big ship. Everybody sings the praises of the posh little ships. For romantic getaways, sure. But if you're cruising with teens, you want lots of teens. Bigger ships mean more passengers, and bigger, more tricked-out teen centers.

• Savor the small stuff. Some things you just can't plan. We all wandered out to the deck one night and realized the lounge chairs had been covered with blankets, and an almost-first-run film was playing on the ship's giant movie screen. We found four chairs, pulled them together, and watched a movie under the stars, complete with goodies. We had a wonderful, cozy time -- as a family. It doesn't get better than that!

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