Serenade the week before Easter

[PAcruiser19372]

We're looking at a 10 Southern Caribbean on Serenade in April of 2017. Doing an 11 day next year on Serenade. While i love my 7 grandkids i also love giving them back to their parents after a weekend. This cruise leaves on Friday, a week before Easter, and returns Monday, the day after Easter. I'm hoping the ship will not be full of Spring Breakers or other little ones during a week off from school. My hope is a 10 day cruise is too long for families with little ones and/or the ship itself is not a draw for families. Your thoughts are appreciated!

[Clarea]

I agree that since the cruise is longer than 7 days, you will have less of a chance of having school children on board.

[Langley Cruisers]

Well, I absolutely think some will be taking advantage of the statutory holiday (Good Friday) and the long holiday weekend and extend it to make the most of their vacation time. We've had families with kids on 14 night repositioning cruises. So yes, you will have kids on your cruise, no way around that.

[riclop]

There will be lots of kids.

[John&LaLa]

Well, I absolutely think some will be taking advantage of the statutory holiday (Good Friday) and the long holiday weekend and extend it to make the most of their vacation time. We've had families with kids on 14 night repositioning cruises. So yes, you will have kids on your cruise, no way around that.

 

Why are you calling Good Friday a statutory holiday? Is that a Canadian observance? Not so much in the states

[John&LaLa]

We're looking at a 10 Southern Caribbean on Serenade in April of 2017. Doing an 11 day next year on Serenade. While i love my 7 grandkids i also love giving them back to their parents after a weekend. This cruise leaves on Friday, a week before Easter, and returns Monday, the day after Easter. I'm hoping the ship will not be full of Spring Breakers or other little ones during a week off from school. My hope is a 10 day cruise is too long for families with little ones and/or the ship itself is not a draw for families. Your thoughts are appreciated!

 

We have that voyage booked as the second leg of a B2B. I was thinking way less kids than a typical 7 day

[cb at sea]

There are always many families at Easter....no "spring breakers", but lots of kids and families!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We sailed on the Serenade this year the week before Easter. there were more children than on many cruises we have taken, but not the numbers I hear of on spring break cruises. Also, most of them must have been in the AO. We had a few instances of them pushing all the elevator buttons, etc--but, not that many.

[PAcruiser19372]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, still up in the air on this one!

[USAF1Sgtret48205]

I see you are booking the 11 night Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Serenade in sailing 04/09/18. We are from PA and have also booked this cruise. You mentioned grandchildren in 1 of your posts. We have 5 and as much as we love them it will be nice to "get away". In 2018 my wife and I are celebrating our 50th. wedding anniversary. Actual date isn't until September of 2018 but prices and weather are better in April. Have sent a "friend" request. In what part of PA do you live ? We live in South Central, PA.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Sailed on the Serenade this year in April. There were just a few kids on board. However, the cruise was not Easter time. Agree that an Easter cruise may have more kids; but longer cruises don't normally attract as many kids. Also, I don't think the Serenade attracts as many kids as Voyageur class and above ships.

[PAcruiser19372]

I see you are booking the 11 night Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Serenade in sailing 04/09/18. We are from PA and have also booked this cruise. You mentioned grandchildren in 1 of your posts. We have 5 and as much as we love them it will be nice to "get away". In 2018 my wife and I are celebrating our 50th. wedding anniversary. Actual date isn't until September of 2018 but prices and weather are better in April. Have sent a "friend" request. In what part of PA do you live ? We live in South Central, PA.

 

We are in Chester County. We did Serenade this past April and have to say it was probably our best cruise to date. We will be on next April for a 10 day as well as the following April for an 11 day. Not much chatter going on on either of the roll calls yet.

[USAF1Sgtret48205]

Good to hear back from you. Chester County is not all that far from us. We live almost on the Maryland & Pennsylvania border in PA.

Sounds like you really enjoy the April cruises to the Southern Caribbean. Looking forward to more chats with you and possibly meeting you and yours and hearing more about your last and upcoming April cruise.:)

[Gabrielle R.]

Being a High School teacher, I try to avoid the kids... unfortunately My DH is also in the school system- so we take our Christmas vacation on board ships- LOTS of kids....

 

With that said, yes, parents will pull their kids before/after a school break. Because you are looking at a 'smaller' ship and it is 10 days you may have less kids. I thought the 'security' that I've seen on holiday cruises are generally active. and they do a good job of keeping tabs on kids.

 

Generally you can find a quiet spot- right next to the main pool... there will be kids......

 

I can tell you how it goes for Christmas/New Years... we are booked on the Serenade then.;) I will report back here on CC.

[msmayor]

We sailed Serenade this year on the 10-night Southern that included Easter Sunday; it was the last full sea day, and we docked at Port Canaveral the day after Easter.

 

There were children on board but I felt that it was less than what we've ever seen on a 7-day cruise. They were well entertained in the Adventure Ocean program and I never felt that there was an abundance of kids on board. We didn't use the main pool so can't comment on how that area was (we spent more time in either the Solarium or on upper decks, away from the pool).