Thinking of a Caribbean cruise March 8 to 15, 2020

[SantaFeFan]

We're a late 60s couple and thinking of a Caribbean cruise the week between March 7 to 15th next year, possibly on Oasis of the Seas, to celebrate my 70th birthday on the 13th. Is Spring Break something that we need to be concerned with? 

 

Thanks!

 

[Aplmac]

Typical (wild behaviour!) Spring Break cruises tend to be shorter duration

3-4 day cruises. Your dates indicate a one-week cruise

so you may be okay, but keep asking questions!!

[ShipsandDipper]

Yes. There are likely to be a lot of families and kids. We were on Harmony OTS in January (so not even a school break time) and were astonished at how many kids there were. I think to get away from spring break crowds, you’d want a 10-day or 2-week cruise. 

[LynnTTT]

Yeah, we did a one week on the Holland America New Amsterdam in February and there were quite a few kids. Not a problem exactly, but there were a few groups moving around, jumping up in the shows, etc.  I agree with previous poster, try a 10 day or two week.  It's a big birthday!!!

[mom says]

Any time  from mid March till the week after Easter you're looking at kids (families) on their Spring break. Especially on family friendly and popular lines like RCCL and their Oasis class ships. Rowdier groups of college age kids, probably not so much on a one week cruise.

[capriccio]

Given that Easter is in April next year (April 12th to be precise) and most elementary and secondary schools in the US have off the week before (and a few the week after), your dates should avoid the families with kids for the most part.  You are also past the winter vacation week for many elementary and secondary schools in New England (President's Day week in February).  What you may conflict with are college spring breaks which begin in early March and run through the month.  To give you an idea of when US colleges have spring break check out https://www.inertiatours.com/when-is-spring-break-2020/.

 

In general the longer and more expensive the cruise, the fewer the college students.  Since you are considering the Oasis, you might ask this question on the Royal Caribbean forum:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

[gymbomb]

I have sailed that week many times because it is usually the week I have off work in the spring. It is a common college spring break week, but it has not affected my (or my 60 something Mom and other 50's-60's relatives who have sometimes joined us) enjoyment of the trip at all. We are low key, hang out and relax kind of people and have had very nice and enjoyable cruises on NCL a couple of times and Princess a couple of times. A 7 day cruise will have fewer spring break'ers than a 3-5 day cruise (the one time I did a 5 day that week it had a lot more college aged passengers, but still not super crazy). But lines like Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean will probably have more spring break'ers than Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, etc.

[WisconsinFan]

15 hours ago, capriccio said:

Given that Easter is in April next year (April 12th to be precise) and most elementary and secondary schools in the US have off the week before (and a few the week after), your dates should avoid the families with kids for the most part.  You are also past the winter vacation week for many elementary and secondary schools in New England (President's Day week in February).  What you may conflict with are college spring breaks which begin in early March and run through the month.  To give you an idea of when US colleges have spring break check out https://www.inertiatours.com/when-is-spring-break-2020/.

 

In general the longer and more expensive the cruise, the fewer the college students.  Since you are considering the Oasis, you might ask this question on the Royal Caribbean forum:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

Not true or school district breaks in districts that have long ago moved away from Easter to schedule spring breaks. Spring Break in our school district this year was March18-22, and most districts in our state (a cold weather state) were this week, the week prior or the week after. Our state doesn't do a middle of the winter break (Pesident's Day).

[Zach1213]

Is there a reason you need to do it then? Move it a couple weeks earlier, or after mid-April, and you'll avoid any kid issues. I've done mid-February and early/mid-May and barely had any kids...just the way we like it. I would personally never go on a cruise like that (one week or less) between March and mid-April.

[Cruiser_1977]

Senior year of college 4 of my best girl friends and I took a cruise for Spring Break. We weren't rowdy but yes we were there. If you're talking elementary - high school aged kiddos, that depends. The two largest schools systems around me are out the 6th - 10th of April 2020. 

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

Is there a reason you need to do it then? Move it a couple weeks earlier, or after mid-April, and you'll avoid any kid issues. I've done mid-February and early/mid-May and barely had any kids...just the way we like it. I would personally never go on a cruise like that (one week or less) between March and mid-April.

 

Yes, I know that moving the cruise would help avoid the spring break time frame, but unfortunately the actual birth day we want to celebrate is on March 13th and is not movable. I put the blame entirely on my parents for that scheduling problem. 😉 

[Zach1213]

Just now, SantaFeFan said:

 

Yes, I know that moving the cruise would help avoid the spring break time frame, but unfortunately the actual birth day we want to celebrate is on March 13th and is not movable. I put the blame entirely on my parents for that scheduling problem. 😉 

 

Ha! Well, perhaps it's my mindset but...I celebrate an event, not a date. If I can't be with my family on Thanksgiving, the next time we get together becomes Thanksgiving. My birthday is in December, but if it's better and easier to celebrate it in November or January, so be it...it's still a celebration of my birthday, just not on my birthday. Again, maybe just me, but I would definitely shift my birthday celebration a month to avoid a ship full of spring break families.

[George C]

I think Oasis will have lots of children year round, we did it week after thanksgiving, which we do most years on other ships and never saw many children but oasis had lots of children. Great ship but lots of children.

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Yes, I know that moving the cruise would help avoid the spring break time frame, but unfortunately the actual birth day we want to celebrate is on March 13th and is not movable. I put the blame entirely on my parents for that scheduling problem. 😉 

 

Why does it have to be exactly ON your birthday.

 

DON