Thanksgiving vs Spring Break

Not really sure if anyone will be able to help, but I was wondering which is the “better” time? I know both times are busy times but is one busier than the other? Also, which time of year is usually better cruising weather?

Not really sure if anyone will be able to help, but I was wondering which is the “better” time? I know both times are busy times but is one busier than the other? Also, which time of year is usually better cruising weather?

Hi

Not sure what you mean. Busier? the ships sail full. Depends what you are looking for? How long a cruise? Maybe some more children during spring break.

Weather? The obvious would be, it depends where you are cruising. If you are in the Caribbean (south of Cuba) the weather is warm no matter what time of year. Of course in the Caribbean, it is still hurricane season during Thanksgiving.

hope this helps

Hi

 

Not sure what you mean. Busier? the ships sail full. Depends what you are looking for? How long a cruise? Maybe some more children during spring break.

 

Weather? The obvious would be, it depends where you are cruising. If you are in the Caribbean (south of Cuba) the weather is warm no matter what time of year. Of course in the Caribbean, it is still hurricane season during Thanksgiving.

 

hope this helps

It’s an 8 day to the Eastern Caribbean (Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts, St. Maarten). I’ve never been to that area so I wasn’t sure if the water would be warmer during one time or another.

It’s an 8 day to the Eastern Caribbean (Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts, St. Maarten). I’ve never been to that area so I wasn’t sure if the water would be warmer during one time or another.

Hi

That's a nice itinerary. If it really doesn't matter to you in regards to time of year, I would lean towards March break. Partly to get away from winter for a bit, but a storm during hurricane season, while remote is a possibility.

I personally have never shied away from travelling at that time of year (the fall), but if it was only one or the other, that would be my thought.

have a great cruise

Not really sure if anyone will be able to help, but I was wondering which is the “better” time? I know both times are busy times but is one busier than the other? Also, which time of year is usually better cruising weather?

Spring break is worst.

Once we took a 7 Day Thanksgiving on a Carnival out of Charleston. Lots of big family groups (grandparents through great children) just getting away and enjoying a family trip. Nothing wild & crazy.

Since when is the end of November still hurricane season???

Not saying they can't occur(since weather seems to be changing) but it is not the time we usually worry about them.

I just took a cruise over spring break and it was a mix of college spring break, and families on spring break.

I’ve never done Thanksgiving but have heard it’s more families.

If I were able to I’d choose Thanksgiving, but it depends on the vibe you want.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We’ve sailed over Thanksgiving and Spring Break, and Thanksgiving would be our choice.

The ship does sail completely full, but it’s a different vibe. First, the ship will already be decorated for Christmas, and several onboard activities will be themed for the season. While there are many families onboard on both time frames, Thanksgiving attracts less of the rowdy party crowd which in turn provides a bit more relaxed experience. As far as weather goes, it’s warm at all of those destinations year round so it won’t make a big difference.

About hurricanes: Yes, Thanksgiving is outside of the hurricane season, but as we learned last year, there’s a possibility that your itinerary will be changed if one or more of your ports of call was affected by a hurricane a few weeks or months earlier.

We sailed over Thanksgiving last year and we were scheduled to sail to Tortola and St Thomas in the Eastern Caribbean, but because of the hurricanes that hit these islands in September, our entire itinerary was switched to the Western Caribbean going to same ol’ Cozumel and Costa Maya.

If a hurricane happens to affect some of your ports of call, November may not provide enough time for those destinations to recover, while March/April will. Most if not all of the islands that were severely battered last fall are now back in business and eastern Caribbean itineraries have been reestablished.

It’s hard to predict what the next hurricane seasons will do, but how they could potentially affect your itinerary is something to keep in mind.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanksgiving would be quieter on board the ship.

Just consider flights. If you fly home Sunday after Thanksgiving airports will be a zoo and airfare prices high.

Keith

First, hurricane season ends on November 30th, so whole Thanksgiving is technically in season, it’s rare to have a storm that late.

The water will be nice either time, but the big difference should be price. Fares are typically less in November (even for thanksgiving cruises) than you’ll find for the Spring Break time period.

You guys were so helpful, thank you!

It sounds like I’d prefer the “vibe” more during Thanksgiving. Tapi, the port changes due to earlier hurricanes wasn’t something I thought about, but since the ship would be the Magic, my kids would be thrilled no matter where we stop. Kids happy = parents happy. I didn’t think about how crazy flying home that Sunday after Thanksgiving would be, so we may look at a hotel for that night (if we go with Thanksgiving).

You guys were so helpful, thank you!

 

It sounds like I’d prefer the “vibe” more during Thanksgiving. Tapi, the port changes due to earlier hurricanes wasn’t something I thought about, but since the ship would be the Magic, my kids would be thrilled no matter where we stop. Kids happy = parents happy. I didn’t think about how crazy flying home that Sunday after Thanksgiving would be, so we may look at a hotel for that night (if we go with Thanksgiving).

Yes try to look at staying over.

Hotel rate should be good.

Airport less hectic the following day and you should get a better rate on the flight.

Keith

First, hurricane season ends on November 30th, so whole Thanksgiving is technically in season, it’s rare to have a storm that late.

 

The water will be nice either time, but the big difference should be price. Fares are typically less in November (even for thanksgiving cruises) than you’ll find for the Spring Break time period.

This...mostly. It depends on when the spring break is - my kids are first full week of March and that is MUCH lower cost wise than Thanksgiving. If you are talking around Easter, probably not.

Have sailed at T'giving, and it was a lot of fun. No wild crowds, but there were children. We brought two of them, and they loved Camp Ocean. The Dream never felt crowded. You need to take into consideration, though, that your first and last cruise days may be a bit cool. We sailed out of NOLA, and even that was too chilly for the pool on those days. This year, who knows? -- it may be 90 degrees the whole time.

It’s an 8 day to the Eastern Caribbean (Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts, St. Maarten). I’ve never been to that area so I wasn’t sure if the water would be warmer during one time or another.

The water should be fine anytime this far south. The Bahamas gets cooler water since it is Atlantic vs Caribbean, but we were there at the beginning of March and while the water was cool we had no problem being in the water.

A few thoughts:

Thanksgiving will be the same dates for all of America (Canadian Thanksgiving I think is October but I assumed American) while Spring Break dates vary from school to school.

When do you need a break more - leading into winter and holiday planning or coming out of winter and possibly busy work/school seasons (not sure if this applies, but tax season and spring school activities come to mind).

Hope that helps:) Have a great cruise whatever you decide!

This...mostly. It depends on when the spring break is - my kids are first full week of March and that is MUCH lower cost wise than Thanksgiving. If you are talking around Easter, probably not.

I WISH we had spring break the same time as you guys! It is wayyyyy cheaper! We are right in the middle of March which seems to be the most expensive week of March. :rolleyes:

Tapi, the port changes due to earlier hurricanes wasn’t something I thought about, but since the ship would be the Magic, my kids would be thrilled no matter where we stop. Kids happy = parents happy

Yes! As long as you go with that positive attitude, any potential change in itinerary should hopefully be a small negative blip in an otherwise wonderful vacation. A lot of people get completely bent out of shape if their itinerary is altered, but we’ve learned that it’s part of cruising. For us, although going back to Cozumel and Costa Maya was a bit of a bummer, we had an absolutely fantastic time.

Last Thanksgiving’s cruise was not the first time that we’ve had an itinerary change. A few years ago, on the Carnival Liberty, we stoped in Costa Maya instead of Cozumel because the piers in Cozumel had been destroyed by a hurricane a few weeks prior. But we’ve also had itinerary changes at other times of the year, not just hurricane season, due to civil unrest, closed ports, mechanical problems, and medical emergencies. So an itinerary change can happen at any point in time for a countless list of reasons. We’ve just learned to roll with the punches. Just don’t shy away from the Thanksgiving time frame because of “what ifs” due to the hurricane season.

About flights: Yes, they can definitely be more expensive that Sunday coming back. For our last Thanksgiving cruise we just bit the bullet and drove. I know it’s not an option for everybody, but we made the most of it in exchange for saving a couple thousand dollars.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums