Will we be over run with spring breakers?

[LiseD]

You won't have any problems on a longer cruise in April! Not many families or school kids can take a 10 day cruise.

[RocketMan275]

Considering a mid March, 5 day cruise out of Ft. Laud on Ruby Princess. I did a RC cruise out of Port Canaveral last March and it was full of college students. The paramedics arrived and this was before we left port!! So a bit worried about even thinking of another March cruise!! :) But was wondering if the kids go more for Carnival or RC? Plus Port Canaveral is also a shorter drive for the GA schools that are on break?? Love your thoughts.

 

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this list which claims to list the 2014 spring break dates for the top 150 colleges in the US. Perhaps it will be useful.

 

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

[Antonintassie]

Bring it on I would say it would make a change from the Princess cruise we suffered through

[Coral]

On Princess - I have never had problems with college students. It is K-12 students that have caused problems. K-12 schools can take break anytime from the end of February to the end of April.

 

I don't know with the shorter 3-5 day cruises Princess has, if they will attract the college age students or not.

[Coral]

I am not worried about younger kids as they are usually with parents or in kids programs....it was the drinking college kids that overtook the RC we went on last March. We were able to find places to hang out but never went to the pool! Good point about the 7 day cruises...might be better than the 5 day ones.

 

This has not been my experience. I have had more problems with kids than I have college students and the kids are not always in the kids programs. It is when they are not, that there are problems. Their parents really need to have them with them or in the kids program. There is no reason why kids should be roaming the ship in packs at the age they are.

 

Ironically - the college students I have seen on Princess have not caused a problem.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Coral

[Coral]

 

The first week in March is University of Florida break.

The second week is Florida State with many other FL schools on break the first 3 weeks... Florida resident cruise discounts also makes the 4 and 5 day cruises very popular for college age kids. I assume this age group is the wild bunch you want to avoid??!!

Knowing what I do, the first 3 weeks in March is the only time period I do not ever plan to cruise.

 

I just looked at the colleges in my state and most are the last week in March. I am in the mid-west.

[dorisis]

So that blows my theory that they might not go on Princess! ha ha

 

There will probably be fewer on Princess than on Carnival or RC. The shorter cruises will have more kids. Luxury cruises will have few if any.

[LiseD]

I notice the GA colleges are off the 15th and this is the group we had on our ship last year. We went out of Port Canaveral on RC, so it was a much closer drive than Miami so that was my thinking...that maybe they wouldn't want to drive so far?? :) Also Princess tends to be more expensive than RC or Carnival......Looks like the big FL schools will have already had their breaks.

 

Here is a list arranged by week and by numbers of enrollment for that week.....hey...the week I am looking at only has 1,485,000 on break! ha ha :) Looks like maybe I need to think of a different vacation time!!

 

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panama-city-beach/events/spring-break-college-university-dates

Edited January 17, 2014 by LiseD

[dasi11]

I just looked at the colleges in my state and most are the last week in March. I am in the mid-west.

 

Here is a good list of Spring break that RocketMan275 put a link to. Most of the list are the first 3 weeks of March.

 

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

 

We have about 9 large Universities and many colleges in FL that are driving distance to the ports. It is very popular for FL and GA students to drive to ports and hop on cruise ships. In fact many southern schools will attract a drive to the port to hop a ship. Daytona has cracked down and now the wild parties are on the shorter cruises. I think the main concern is spring break madness, not lots of kids younger kids.

 

If someone was choosing to cruise on a 3-5 day cruise the first 3 weeks in March, there is a very good chance that spring breakers are going to be on that cruise in force. Any price under a grand for the cruise is going to attract them. Especially around the $500-750 price point. If it is a deal to you it is also a deal to them. Carnival, RCCL, Norwegian, and Princess are the most affordable and will be have a spring break contingency on them.

[dasi11]

I notice the GA colleges are off the 15th and this is the group we had on our ship last year. We went out of Port Canaveral on RC, so it was a much closer drive than Miami so that was my thinking...that maybe they wouldn't want to drive so far?? :) Also Princess tends to be more expensive than RC or Carnival......Looks like the big FL schools will have already had their breaks.

 

Here is a list arranged by week and by numbers of enrollment for that week.....hey...the week I am looking at only has 1,485,000 on break! ha ha :) Looks like maybe I need to think of a different vacation time!!

 

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panama-city-beach/events/spring-break-college-university-dates

 

WOW!!! great link!!!!!

[Coral]

Here is a good list of Spring break that RocketMan275 put a link to. Most of the list are the first 3 weeks of March.

 

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

 

We have about 9 large Universities and many colleges in FL that are driving distance to the ports. It is very popular for FL and GA students to drive to ports and hop on cruise ships. In fact many southern schools will attract a drive to the port to hop a ship. Daytona has cracked down and now the wild parties are on the shorter cruises. I think the main concern is spring break madness, not lots of kids younger kids.

 

Though - living in the midwest - we have to fly everywhere for spring break. There are some midwest schools that are later. As stated earlier, Princess has not been a big college student attraction for spring breakers - now with shorter cruises they may be. It generally gets K-12 students whose parents like Princess and K-12 breaks can happen anytime from February - April. I have had more problems on cruises with "tweens" than college students on Princess. It is the tweens that parents will let run amuck with no supervision and who think they are too cool for the kids program.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Coral

[beg3yrs]

When they are on board we enjoy vicariously reliving our younger days.

 

All that enthusiasm, optimism, health and energy, just where did it go? I suppose it got replaced by wisdom, experience and an increasing mid-section.

[iancal]

Danger Will Rogers. Pick another date.

 

I think price motivates as much as the cruise line. You might want to look at something that leaves mid week and is at least 7 days, preferable 10.

 

Or simply change your dates entirely. There could be a benefit in terms of a lower fare.

[LiseD]

I have twins in college and really LOVE this age group.......but was just heart broken last year watching these young adults on the cruise.

 

It is a great time for us to get away before our season gets busy but just would like to avoid what we experienced last year. I think I will focus on a 7 day cruise and that might help a bit.

[dasi11]

I think if you are looking for a quiet relaxing cruise, March is not the month to take a SHORT cruise. If you like fun and don't mind extra noise, go for it... I for one would go and get a kick out of the silly stuff these kids do.

[ronl]

What do you CC think of the week of Easter starting Easter Subday April 20 of this year

Thank You with kids on the ship

[Colo Cruiser]

What do you CC think of the week of Easter starting Easter Subday April 20 of this year

Thank You with kids on the ship

 

 

I think being so late in April kids will be back in school.

[Mom33]

What do you CC think of the week of Easter starting Easter Subday April 20 of this year

Thank You with kids on the ship

 

A lot of schools here in Florida are having spring break in March, with a 3 day weekend for Easter this year. Easter is very late and conflicts with prime testing time.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Mom33

[Casey12]

I think being so late in April kids will be back in school.

 

A lot of schools break when Easter breaks, regardless. Massachusetts schools are generally off this week anyway. Rhode Island is another state with schools off this week. All of March and all of April are prime spring break weeks.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Casey12

[Colo Cruiser]

A lot of schools break when Easter breaks, regardless. Massachusetts schools are generally off this week anyway. Rhode Island is another state with schools off this week. All of March and all of April are prime spring break weeks.

 

 

Interesting...

I would of thought many would be in the testing phase as mentioned above.

Anyway there are those that will also take the kiddos out of school too for the cruise.

[msmoger]

Interesting...

I would of thought many would be in the testing phase as mentioned above.

Anyway there are those that will also take the kiddos out of school too for the cruise.

 

Schools in the Northeast, in general, don't close until the second or third week of June (NYC sometimes even later). Most testing is going to be in May and June.

[LiseD]

most of our schools including my daughters 2 colleges don't take a full week at Easter....just a long weekend.

[KenNMB]

Seems that we should miss out on all the fun and excitement. We are on HA's 25-day TA, FLL to Rome, in late March. Darn!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Kmkub]

Our kids have spring break March 20-28. We are in S Florida. We are taking a 4-day on the Ruby and are hoping for lots and lots of kids.

 

I expect to be on my lovely Caribe balcony, catching up on some reading.:)