Avoiding College Springbreakers

[sofaman61]

Just wondering if a cruise to caribbean the first week of April would be peak college spring break time or not. I kind of feel that most colleges in SE that their spring breaks are generally in March. Not sure with rest of country when college spring breaks are.

Any Advice?

[cb at sea]

All colleges break at different times....and since most cruiselines have age limits to cruise alone, you won't find as many "college kids" as you might think, especially on week long cruises....3-4 days are about all a college kid can swing.

 

What you will have are tons of younger kids and families....all thru March and April will be massive amounts of kids of all ages...from elementary on!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

!0 day cruises are safe

[paul929207]

To avoid kids (young and old) go on longer cruises, that start and end far from the US, on smaller ships.

[cherylandtk]

Numbers of college students on break by week:

 

February 21-25, 2011 (Mon-Fri), 334,196

February 28 - March 4, 2011 (Mon-Fri), 156,026

March 7-11, 2011 (Mon-Fri), 1,714,927

March 14-18, 2011 (Mon-Fri), 2,112,478

March 21-25, 2011 (Mon-Fri), 886,403

March 28-April 1, 2011 (Mon-Fri), 295,922

 

That's just college dates and enrollments. Local schools are another thing entirely.

[gingerboo]

Just an FYI...Easter 2012 falls on Sunday, April 8. Many Public Schools base their Spring/Easter break around the Easter date....usually including Good Friday and the week after Easter. Some Universities and Colleges do this as well. Our local Univ. and my former school district (where I worked for many years and retired) still have "Spring Break" the last week of March. (Different states, and waaaaaay different lifestyles!) But, same week!

 

A million years ago, when the legal drinking age was 18, my 18th birthday fell on Easter Sunday....! No bars or liquor stores were open. So, I cried for like...5 seconds...and then got over it! :D

[sofaman61]

Thanks for all the info!!!

I have no problem with elementary & high school, it's just the college age that I did not want to go on a cruise with my family of 4. Our 2 boys are 15 & 12. I just did not want the 24/7 fraternity party going on.

We were on the Carnival Dream last month & there were 800+ kids 12 yrs to 17 on the cruise. July there will be plenty of families on just about all ships. We were really shocked for you could not tell that there was that many kids on board! Good work Carnival!

[klfrodo]

Why must you think that just because there are college kids on board that it's a 24/7 frat party?

Do you always stereotype? I sure hope you don't teach your kids to stereotype.

I've actually been on 9 cruises. 2 of them during the spring break timeframe. The college age kids on those cruises were some of the best people I've ever met.

Did they have a great time? you bettcha

Did they get drunk and obnoxious? Maybe a couple but no more than the so called mature adults.

99% of these young adults were fun to cruise with. Whereas only about 90% of the so called mature families are fun to sail with.

[sofaman61]

Why must you think that just because there are college kids on board that it's a 24/7 frat party?

Do you always stereotype? I sure hope you don't teach your kids to stereotype.

I've actually been on 9 cruises. 2 of them during the spring break timeframe. The college age kids on those cruises were some of the best people I've ever met.

Did they have a great time? you bettcha

Did they get drunk and obnoxious? Maybe a couple but no more than the so called mature adults.

99% of these young adults were fun to cruise with. Whereas only about 90% of the so called mature families are fun to sail with.

 

*****????

All I wanted is some good information without some school teacher coming on & telling me what's right or wrong.

This post was just a way to seek some information about a concern that I have. Yes I travel everywhere with my family and what's wrong with seeking an answer to a question about a concern that I have that would effect my family? Do you have children? I doubt it from your stupid response. I sure don't need you swooping in with your cape on telling us all what is right & what is wrong.

If you don't have anything that would help to answer the question that is this thread.......please butt out.

[Underwatr]

I'd assume that any cruise that spans a weekend (e.g., Wednesday-Wednesday) would be safe, for the same reason that a 2-week cruise would be.

[kitty9]

Why must you think that just because there are college kids on board that it's a 24/7 frat party?

Do you always stereotype? I sure hope you don't teach your kids to stereotype.

I've actually been on 9 cruises. 2 of them during the spring break timeframe. The college age kids on those cruises were some of the best people I've ever met.

Did they have a great time? you bettcha

Did they get drunk and obnoxious? Maybe a couple but no more than the so called mature adults.

99% of these young adults were fun to cruise with. Whereas only about 90% of the so called mature families are fun to sail with.

 

 

No need to lecture the OP. Everyone has their reasons for wanting to avoid the spring breakers mostly because of either personal experience or because of the many TV shows, news reports and media stories on how terribly many of the vacationing spring breakers behave. I used to live in Arizona, and know for a fact how awful these kids behave at places like Lake Havasu. Ever see the stories from Mexico? South Padre Island and other locales? There are a lot of very out of control kids out there. You say you've been on 9 cruises, 2 during spring break. Well, I've been on 65 cruises, most during spring break season, and there have been a lot of college age kids who used the cruise as a drunken party with trashed cabins and all the rest. Why do you think cruise lines started their age 21 rule? Because these kids are wonderful, respectful and well behaved? Hardly. If they were angelic, there wouldn't be a need for the minimum age rule.

 

OP, avoid the 3-4-5 day cruises. Those tend to be the ones with the younger set and their party hearty ways. Stick with lines that won't appeal to spring breakers, like Princess or Celebrity. And if you can, take a 10 day cruise. Good Luck.

[gerryl12]

In general the longer the cruise the less kids. Are we talking kids (2-18) or young adults. Most young adults are great but few college people can afford to cruise. Cruise ships are not like Miami beaches.

[B and C Blake]

2012 College Spring Breaks start late Feb and run through mid April

 

http://www.studentcity.com/blog/when-is-my-spring-break/

 

 

I have a niece who recently studied abroad in Australia for a full semester. Yes she was brought up with manners and like most good church going kids when those apron strings were cut she cut it loose.

 

How do I know... I have her on my FB .. she knows that what I see unless murder... stays with me ... I'm the cool FB mom as my own daughters friends refer to me.

 

That 20 yo niece of mine lived high on the hog while away from her parents. Of course when she got back home 1 month before her 21st she had to calm it back down.

It is not presumptuous to think frat party .. typically that IS what happens and people that think it doesn't need to open their eyes.

[klfrodo]

*****????

All I wanted is some good information without some school teacher coming on & telling me what's right or wrong.

This post was just a way to seek some information about a concern that I have. Yes I travel everywhere with my family and what's wrong with seeking an answer to a question about a concern that I have that would effect my family? Do you have children? I doubt it from your stupid response. I sure don't need you swooping in with your cape on telling us all what is right & what is wrong.

If you don't have anything that would help to answer the question that is this thread.......please butt out.

 

Your original question in your original post was valid and completely understandable.

 

Then you got accusatory and indicated that all cruises with college spring breakers are nothing but "frat parties". Your words, not mine. That was offensive in my opinion.

[sofaman61]

Your original question in your original post was valid and completely understandable.

 

Then you got accusatory and indicated that all cruises with college spring breakers are nothing but "frat parties". Your words, not mine. That was offensive in my opinion.

 

Like I said before...if you do not have anything to offer on answering a thread's question...please butt out.

fyi...I was not asking your opinion on what is offensive or not.

Too many trolls!