Caribbean cruise during spring break- what's it like?

[micmacmissy]

We usually cruise in off-season, mid-January or early February. For 2017 we're looking at taking the kids on a Caribbean cruise...but I'm wondering how different the experience will be during spring break week.

 

Kids will be 16/14 at the time of sailing. They aren't likely to do the teen clubs; on our last cruise they hung around with us a lot.

 

Two options, I would love peoples' opinions!

 

1) Looking at either the Adventure or Jewel out of San Juan - wondering how crowded the ship will be (I know they usually sail full, but I'm guessing during spring break there will be lots of 3rd/4th passengers). Also, will we likely lots of locals onboard? I have heard a few horror stories about quinceanara (sp?) groups overrunning the ship and wondering if spring break is the season for that.

 

Love the idea of the port-intensive itinerary on these two ships. Only other RCCL cruise has been on Indy and kids really enjoyed that.

 

2) Other option is one of the Oasis class ships out of Fort Lauderdale. Lots of passengers/crowds to begin with...but will it be even worse over spring break? Do the pools get super crowded on sea days?

 

We've already done the western Labadee-Falmouth-Grand Cayman itinerary, so we'd be looking at Eastern...but wow, that's a lot of time at sea. I really wish RCCL would shake up their itineraries a little. Once you've done eastern and western they're all the same...

 

I know, I know, this itinerary is more about the ship! Which I think the kids would enjoy. So...I'm clearly all over the place...any advice?

[h20skibum]

Sailing out of San Jaun should not have as many spring breakers. There are other cheaper sailings for them out of the US ports.

 

It probably will not be more crowded than this.:)

 

[goldgirl2]

We took my DD and her friend on a cruise during spring break two years ago. My thoughts.......never never never again. There were not a lot of college kids. It was just the most crowded cruise I have ever been on! And there were so many kids running around without parents at all hours. I remember a group of about 20 10-13 year olds sitting on the steps blocking everyone from using it. My husband politely asked them to move and they were so rude and did not move. I did not like the crowds. Never again.

[Moltar]

Last February we were on Liberty with over 500 U of FLA students for Spring Break. Nightmare doesn't even begin to describe the experience. That cruise was the first in all I wrote a letter to RCI and they gave me 200 OBC for my next cruise. That's how bad it was.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Moltar

[Guest]

Horrible.Don't do it.

[Canadian Cruiser98]

What week is your spring break? In Quebec where I live, it's the last weekend of February going into the first week of March. We've done quite a few cruises during this week, and the only time we had issues was when we did a Carnival ship.

[sjb317]

We took our son on a spring break cruise for his senior year of high school, this was back in 2001 on Explorer and we said after that cruise, never again!:D

 

There were long lines at the airport and long lines at check in at Miami, after almost two hours in line I was ready to throw both husband & son overboard at the first opportunity!:D

 

WJ was always crowded as was pool area and bars. People seemed pretty well behaved but getting off the ship at each port meant long lines again. And debarkation took forever, we almost missed our 1pm flight.

 

Said never again and meant it, we have not gone over spring break since!

 

Sherri:)

[h20skibum]

Spring break dates vary by college, but March appears to be the peak dates.

 

It looks like the Indy sailings of March 7 and March 12 are specifically marketing to the college crowd.

 

Just do a search on spring break cruises. Pull up those web sites and see their pictures from past cruises to see if those are the types of cruises you want to be on.

 

NCL has four sailings catering to the college crowd, and of course Carnival alway attracts them.

[Moltar]

We took our son on a spring break cruise for his senior year of high school, this was back in 2001 on Explorer and we said after that cruise, never again!:D

 

There were long lines at the airport and long lines at check in at Miami, after almost two hours in line I was ready to throw both husband & son overboard at the first opportunity!:D

 

WJ was always crowded as was pool area and bars. People seemed pretty well behaved but getting off the ship at each port meant long lines again. And debarkation took forever, we almost missed our 1pm flight.

 

Said never again and meant it, we have not gone over spring break since!

 

Sherri:)

 

Yep, I forgot about that. The lines were horrendous. Debarkation line went all the way into the back of Studio B. Bars, pools, hot tubs were always packed. Never again... Seriously, NEVER AGAIN.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Yep, I forgot about that. The lines were horrendous. Debarkation line went all the way into the back of Studio B. Bars, pools, hot tubs were always packed. Never again... Seriously, NEVER AGAIN.

Agree that Spring Break time is NOT a fun time to cruise, unless you're one of the spring breakers.

 

It's not just the lines to popular locations...it's the loud and crazy behavior...fun is fine of course..but crazy loud obnoxious fun with no consideration for your fellow passengers is another thing.

 

We've done it once - and once more more than enough experience to say "never again".

[Retired LEO]

Enchantment of the Seas Spring Break 2015

Just a sample of what to expect

 

[bigboffs]

As others have said, unless you have no choice or enjoy a "party" cruise, avoid spring break. Also, having worked in Puerto Rico off and on for several years and cruised from there, while it may be a little better than other US ports, we believe not by much. Also keep in mind that altho RCCL has rules for passengers, enforcement on our two cruises during spring break was at best lax during those party cruises. We will not do it again.

[bouhunter]

We sailed Jan/Feb for years. Switched to spring break when our daughter entered high school. Sailed 3 of the last 4 years spring break our of San Juan. The cruises, crowds etc seemed no different than our other San Juan cruises in Jan/Feb. We had no issues whatsoever. Last year we went on Celebrity Reflection (MIA) on spring break. No issues with that either. I suspect our departures from SJU and being on Celebrity had something to do with our seeing no difference on spring break cruises vs winter. I'm sure there will be Florida based cruises that are more like the "nightmares" that others have reported.

[cruisegal40]

Yikes on that video. We leave at the end of Feb. Hoping to beat them

[micmacmissy]

OP here. Yikes...that's exactly what I was afraid of.

 

So, spring break for our school in 2017 is really late: Easter falls on April 16, so the cruise would be the week of April 8th.

 

Looking at Adventure out of San Juan.

 

Also looking at Celebrity Summit out of San Juan (oddly, that cruise is $1,000 cheaper for the four of us).

 

I wonder if college breaks occur in Feb/Mar or if they precede or follow Easter sunday?

Edited January 17, 2016 by micmacmissy

[Big_G]

We sailed Jan/Feb for years. Switched to spring break when our daughter entered high school. Sailed 3 of the last 4 years spring break our of San Juan. The cruises, crowds etc seemed no different than our other San Juan cruises in Jan/Feb. We had no issues whatsoever. Last year we went on Celebrity Reflection (MIA) on spring break. No issues with that either. I suspect our departures from SJU and being on Celebrity had something to do with our seeing no difference on spring break cruises vs winter. I'm sure there will be Florida based cruises that are more like the "nightmares" that others have reported.

 

We've also sailed many times during Spring break and had no issues but we've always done at least a seven or more day itinerary. That video is very deceiving for that reason. With the OP's kids being that age, I'd pick the Oasis and then in descending order by their choices, Adventure and then Jewel. OP should also look at whatever ship is doing the eight day itinerary out Port Everglades. It's sure to cut down on Spring breakers. This year it's Navigator.

[cb at sea]

I've never had a "frat house" experience...we always cruise during the spring break months...same as any other cruise! Short 3-4 day cruises will always have more partiers than a week long trip.

 

You have to realize that the video is NOT what a normal cruise is like...that is a CHARTER of college aged kids.....not a regular cruise during spring break!

Edited January 17, 2016 by cb at sea

[Cruising-Snowbird]

We took my DD and her friend on a cruise during spring break two years ago. My thoughts.......never never never again. There were not a lot of college kids. It was just the most crowded cruise I have ever been on! And there were so many kids running around without parents at all hours. I remember a group of about 20 10-13 year olds sitting on the steps blocking everyone from using it. My husband politely asked them to move and they were so rude and did not move. I did not like the crowds. Never again.

 

We were on one of the Spring Break cruises a year or two back. Generally agree with your assessment. One of our experiences was when the evening show ended and the big mob was waiting for elevators. There were about 5-6 teenagers who apparently thought that sitting in an elevator and riding up and down was just the greatest fun. When the door of the elevator opened up on the crowd waiting, we were closest to the door. They did not move, I told them that they had better move out of the way. They didn't, and as we and several other couples moved into the elevator some of them got their hands stepped on..... Then they moved.... :)

 

Basically, teenagers get stupid when in groups. If one does not want the hassle, avoid Spring Break cruises. I would classify Spring Break cruises as any near Easter or March, early April that is 7 days in length or shorter. The longer duration cruises do not seem to suffer from Spring Break problems.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Cruising-Snowbird

[Guest]

Early April is okay.

[h20skibum]

 

You have to realize that the video is NOT what a normal cruise is like...that is a CHARTER of college aged kids.....not a regular cruise during spring break!

 

Don't count on it. Almost every cruise has some type of group booked on it. Royal is still marketing these two sailings on their website, with no mention of other sites specifically marketing it to the spring break crowd.

 

 

You should always do your homework before booking to see what groups may be onboard. Royal will not let you know. If someone just relied on Royal's site, they may be in for a surprise when they get there.

[Russ Lomas]

We usually cruise in off-season, mid-January or early February. For 2017 we're looking at taking the kids on a Caribbean cruise...but I'm wondering how different the experience will be during spring break week.

 

Kids will be 16/14 at the time of sailing. They aren't likely to do the teen clubs; on our last cruise they hung around with us a lot.

 

Two options, I would love peoples' opinions!

 

1) Looking at either the Adventure or Jewel out of San Juan - wondering how crowded the ship will be (I know they usually sail full, but I'm guessing during spring break there will be lots of 3rd/4th passengers). Also, will we likely lots of locals onboard? I have heard a few horror stories about quinceanara (sp?) groups overrunning the ship and wondering if spring break is the season for that.

 

Love the idea of the port-intensive itinerary on these two ships. Only other RCCL cruise has been on Indy and kids really enjoyed that.

 

2) Other option is one of the Oasis class ships out of Fort Lauderdale. Lots of passengers/crowds to begin with...but will it be even worse over spring break? Do the pools get super crowded on sea days?

 

We've already done the western Labadee-Falmouth-Grand Cayman itinerary, so we'd be looking at Eastern...but wow, that's a lot of time at sea. I really wish RCCL would shake up their itineraries a little. Once you've done eastern and western they're all the same...

 

I know, I know, this itinerary is more about the ship! Which I think the kids would enjoy. So...I'm clearly all over the place...any advice?

My opinion differs a lot from most of the posters above. As you can see from my cruises listed below, we always cruise every year in peek Break season. This is the only week my DW and myself can get off working in the school system, and it is the week our kids are off for March break.

 

My thoughts...will it be busy?...Yes. Will it be like a frat house?...No. The cheaper cruise you go on the more likely you will get the college crowd. I assume most will board in Florida since they do not have to pay for flights where they would have to fly to San Juan. (Just check to see when universities in San Juan are off for the week first to see that it is not your week - very doubtful that late).

 

We took the Summit out of San Juan over New Year's 2 years ago and it was not a party atmosphere at all. Not sure if your kids would like that ship as much as the Adventure. The Adventure goes into drydock in November and is supposed to get a flowrider added. That they would love.

 

As for the quinceanara (sp?) you mentioned. I have read that is usually in late January/early February, so you should be fine in April if that is true.

 

I would have booked the Adventure for March for our family for 2017 but have the Freedom already booked. The Adventure for March 2018 is what I plan to book however if pricing is reasonable.

 

Worst cruise we ever had in March was out of Miami on the NCL Spirit for the college crowd (very cheap cruise). Carnival actually had less partying on it when we took it on a 7 day cruise over the March break. Liberty of the Seas was pretty crazy however, but that was only 5 days and out of Florida. Like I said, I think most college age kids will be looking for the cheaper 3-5 day booze cruises.

[The Fun Researcher]

So our 8 night Navigator, Apr. 2nd out of Ft. Lauderdale should be ok? We'll have our kids with us.

 

Dan

[cruisecraze96]

I have taken 2 spring break cruises and going to be doing a third in March. I love it, but we go only 7 or 8 night cruises hat are more expensive and so have not had the extreme college party crowd. Was it busy, yes, but not once did it feel out if control. I love a good night life and so it was tons of fun in the bars and clubs since more people would show up. If you go in the shorter less expensive cruises then be prepared for more college kids and more of a party crowd because those are the ones they tend to book.

[Cindy]

A bit of a different opinion here...I think if you choose carefully you'll be fine.

 

I was an elementary school principal, and I cruised out of Galveston at Spring Break 8 years in a row. The only year we had any issues at all was the year Holy Week coincided with my Spring Break. That's a huge vacation week for Mexico, and we did have issues on that sailing with large packs of unsupervised teens from several big Mexican tour groups that were on our sailing. Other than that, I found that although our Spring Break cruises (on RCI, Princess, & Carnival) were more crowded than at other times and had MANY children, everyone enjoyed themselves and there wasn't any typical "Spring Break" behavior.

 

 

[luv2travel06]

We usually cruise in off-season, mid-January or early February. For 2017 we're looking at taking the kids on a Caribbean cruise...but I'm wondering how different the experience will be during spring break week.

 

 

 

Kids will be 16/14 at the time of sailing. They aren't likely to do the teen clubs; on our last cruise they hung around with us a lot.

 

 

 

Two options, I would love peoples' opinions!

 

 

 

1) Looking at either the Adventure or Jewel out of San Juan - wondering how crowded the ship will be (I know they usually sail full, but I'm guessing during spring break there will be lots of 3rd/4th passengers). Also, will we likely lots of locals onboard? I have heard a few horror stories about quinceanara (sp?) groups overrunning the ship and wondering if spring break is the season for that.

 

 

 

Love the idea of the port-intensive itinerary on these two ships. Only other RCCL cruise has been on Indy and kids really enjoyed that.

 

 

 

2) Other option is one of the Oasis class ships out of Fort Lauderdale. Lots of passengers/crowds to begin with...but will it be even worse over spring break? Do the pools get super crowded on sea days?

 

 

 

We've already done the western Labadee-Falmouth-Grand Cayman itinerary, so we'd be looking at Eastern...but wow, that's a lot of time at sea. I really wish RCCL would shake up their itineraries a little. Once you've done eastern and western they're all the same...

 

 

 

I know, I know, this itinerary is more about the ship! Which I think the kids would enjoy. So...I'm clearly all over the place...any advice?

 

 

We kind of did a RCCL cruise out of Galveston that would have been nice if we had hit all the ports. But if your kids don't need all the RCCL activities consider Celebrity or HAL. Certainly fewer kids on HAL.