"College Party Cruise" on Silhouette March 2025

[RollWave]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:50 PM, Kirsten T said:

On Celebrity? Seriously? Either a lot of customary X passengers are in for a horrible surprise, or a lot of college kids are in for the most boring spring break of their lives; I'm not sure which. But I wouldn't want to be onboard to find out.

 

This happened to us a few years ago. We took our then college aged son who was under age on a March cruise during his spring break b/c we thought he should not go on a fraternity trip.

Our thought was exactly as you mention...

Its Celebrity - Spring Breakers will NOT go on Celebrity...they will be on Carnival or at a beach location.

WRONG!!!

It was actually ok -- college kids seemed to have a great time. Our son had a great time. 

Would I do it again....NO! 

To be fair I also try to avoid holiday cruises so I now just add spring break to the list of times to avoid cruising.

 

[jwlane]

On 10/12/2024 at 5:30 PM, hcat said:

Will they stop binging  afrer college?

I dare say, most of us did.

[RickT]

Did a 5 day cruise during Spring Break a year or two before Covid.   Was worried it was going to be a booze cruise with drunk college kids everywhere. 
The ship had over a hundred college students and IMHO they were better behaved than many of the others.  They drank, danced and had a good time.  Did not impact my cruise at all. 
Hopefully you experience the same thing. 

[Stem to Stern]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:50 PM, Kirsten T said:

 

We are sailing on the following 3 weeks:
Week 1: March 3-7, 2025
Week 2: March 10-14, 2025
Week 3: March 17-21, 2025

Exercising my civic duty here to provide the following public service announcement:

An excellent opportunity to fill that gap between March 7 and March 10 to create the ultimate Back-4-Back sailing….

😂🤣😂🤣😂

 

[Lena11033]

3 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Exercising my civic duty here to provide the following public service announcement:

An excellent opportunity to fill that gap between March 7 and March 10 to create the ultimate Back-4-Back sailing….

😂🤣😂🤣😂

 

 

 

Ugh I was unfortunate enough to be on one before, never again. Anyone worried about college kids behaviour definitely should avoid this

[hcat]

Looks like Silhouette is booking party type events out of  Port Ev..

 

Is she moving to Port Canveral afterwards?

 

Hope our short mid Dec cruise is calm and relaxing just before Xmas!

[Georgia_Peaches]

Glad to see you back @Stem to Stern!  Hope all is well in your area and that your home didn’t sustain any damage!

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Hope all is well in your area and that your home didn’t sustain any damage!

Thank you!  We were fortunate enough to dodge another bullet here.  But the whole hurricane thing was still stressful enough to earn me a weekend getaway cruise on Silhouette.  Oh, wait.  I better Google the date first in case there is a partial charter.  J/k.🤣

 

Last Bucs cruise Laura HB was on board, but she did not seem to have received the memo that she would be on board with a partial charter.  So, even the top brass get blindsided by these.  

Maybe we need a charter list on a sticky thread at the top of this board?  Googling your future embarkation dates usually works just the same I suppose.
 

Agree some “mature” adults beyond their college years can be more boisterous than these twenty something's.  I guess when eyeing a short cruise, one must ask themselves to weigh their tolerance for party atmosphere versus serenity.  It’s all about balance.  

We have 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 night sailings on our future cruises roster.  The 6 and 7 nighters were website pricing glitches.  I was not even considered these, but I’m a sucker for a deal.🤪

Edited October 15 by Stem to Stern

[Lena11033]

18 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Maybe we need a charter list on a sticky thread at the top of this board?  Googling your future embarkation dates usually works just the same I suppose.

 

New cruisers wouldn't know about charters (or what they are in for) or searching for them, that's how I ended up with the Tampa bay one before. By the time I found out it was too late - thankfully I had already done one cruise before but if it had been my first I may not have cruised again.

 

I just find it hilarious that Laura HB was blind sided 

[RMac713]

We booked a week on Ascent March 9.  Hoping the younger kids aren't too bad as Easter is pretty late this year (April 20).  Found out it is a craft beer cruise which we don't care about but there is plenty of room, right?

[mrgabriel]

15 minutes ago, RMac713 said:

We booked a week on Ascent March 9.  Hoping the younger kids aren't too bad as Easter is pretty late this year (April 20).  Found out it is a craft beer cruise which we don't care about but there is plenty of room, right?

 

Spring Break isn't related to Easter dates - it's the academic calendar.

 

Some big schools are on Spring Break the week of March 8 (Penn State, Ohio State). Your cruise is likely 7-nights so it may be less appealing (or affordable). 

 

When is Spring Break 2025?

[RMac713]

7 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

 

Spring Break isn't related to Easter dates - it's the academic calendar.

 

Some big schools are on Spring Break the week of March 8 (Penn State, Ohio State). Your cruise is likely 7-nights so it may be less appealing (or affordable). 

 

When is Spring Break 2025?

When I think of spring break I think of K-12 too, since I was a teacher for years.  At least around here it tends to be around Easter, or maybe last week of March if it is really late. 

I can handle college kids more than littles.  

[markeb]

15 minutes ago, RMac713 said:

When I think of spring break I think of K-12 too, since I was a teacher for years.  At least around here it tends to be around Easter, or maybe last week of March if it is really late. 

I can handle college kids more than littles.  

 

Exactly. DW is a (now) retired public school teacher. Most of the Mid-Atlantic K-12 schools have spring break the week before Easter. Drove the cost of cruising on the week she had off through the roof, and you could guarantee a ship full of families with children.

 

College breaks are different. They tend to be at the midpoint of the semester.

[Oville]

On 10/12/2024 at 5:28 PM, phoenix_dream said:

Hmm.  Let me tell you about a 5 day Spring Break cruise on Connie a number of years ago.  700 college students from 2 Florida schools.  Older kids with drink packages were getting shots and pouring them into containers to give to their younger friends.  Young "ladies" in skimpy bikinis were standing on top of lounge chairs by the pool twerking their rear ends and doing all kinds of vulgar dancing.  College kids were running down the hallways in the early morning hours yelling and banging on doors.  Young cruisers so drunk they were literally wheeled back onto the ship in wheelchairs in port.  Two kids actually disembarked in Cozumel due to drunken behavior onboard breaking furniture.  Tables of kids holding shouting contests between tables in the MDR.  The officers ultimately held a "take back the ship" meeting to try to crack down on this behavior.  It helped to an extent.

Unfortunately, this kind of stuff can and does happen even on Celebrity.  Get 700 college age kids together, add alcohol, and what do you expect?  I'm fine with letting the "young be young".  But not like that.  And yes, any reasonable person would have found that offense, without setting out thinking that way!

I too was on that cruise.  Celebrity did a pretty good job of getting it under control including having young people show their passport to get a drink and limiting the number of drinks those of age could get.  Oddly as the cruise went on the complaining by older passengers became more annoying than the kids.

[Travel-and-See]

It seems very strange Celebrity would want this associated with their brand.  

[miched]

10 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Exercising my civic duty here to provide the following public service announcement:

An excellent opportunity to fill that gap between March 7 and March 10 to create the ultimate Back-4-Back sailing….

😂🤣😂🤣😂

 

They are offering 3 and 4 guests per cabin.  At a reduced rate.  I am sure that the ship will be at full capacity because of that.  Spring break has many in one room at hotels will be the same on board.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[markeb]

2 hours ago, Travel-and-See said:

It seems very strange Celebrity would want this associated with their brand.  

 

Looks like it's an RCG thing, not specific to Celebrity. 

 

The company has been doing these charters since 2015 (according to their web page). The 2024 cruise was on Freedom of the Seas. They don't make it easy to look for previous cruises, so that's as far back as I looked.

 

Methinks it's time for people to reconsider all the complaints about LLP. The worst she did was  Kelly Hoppen interiors. At least as a CEO she probably could deflect some of this. Laura does not appear to have that type of authority...

[Travel-and-See]

2 minutes ago, markeb said:

Looks like it's an RCG thing, not specific to Celebrity. 

 

The company has been doing these charters since 2015 (according to their web page). The 2024 cruise was on Freedom of the Seas.

I don't think it's necessarily bad for the Royal Carribean brand, that's very different than Celebrity. At least it should be.  (yes, of course I know they are owned by the same company).

 

I'm not knocking Royal Caribbean, I've sailed that brand and would sail with them again - but it's supposed to be a different experience vs. Celebrity. 

[SRQbeachgirl]

On 10/12/2024 at 5:39 PM, NMTraveller said:

I feel fortunate to have not been on this cruise 🤣

 

My introduction to booze cruises was at a park and cruise stop where they were also providing rides to Carnival cruisers.  The Carnival cruisers were highly intoxicated even before getting on the cruise.  I have never sailed on Carnival as a result.

 

We've been on many Carnival cruises but, interestingly, the only time I've ever seen anyone falling-down drunk on a cruise was on Royal Caribbean. 🤔

[FBrew]

On 10/15/2024 at 5:20 AM, Lena11033 said:

 

 

Ugh I was unfortunate enough to be on one before, never again. Anyone worried about college kids behaviour definitely should avoid this

I am booked on that cruise and then I am going on a back to back in  the MSC Yacht Club for 14 days. I am doing that cruise instead of staying in a hotel. Can you please tell me what  was bad about it? Thanks

[Lena11033]

2 minutes ago, FBrew said:

I am booked on that cruise and then I am going on a back to back in  the MSC Yacht Club for 14 days. I am doing that cruise instead of staying in a hotel. Can you please tell me what  was bad about it? Thanks

 

Basically with the partial charter everyone else was a after thought.

 

But the experience I had was there were quite a few of them were loud (to the point were me and the couple i was talking to had to leave because we couldn't hear each other). There were people who could not handle their alcohol, other than being loud and obnoxious I had a group of men scream at me while I was sitting outside, as a solo female traveler it doesn't make you feel comfortable. Also expect not to have access to public spaces, I went to walk up stairs to where the TV screen was outside (just above my room) and had someone be nasty to me of how they had that space - there was no notice that the public space wasn't public.

 

I actually felt for the team members, literally one was asking where I got the fried chicken in the buffet so I direct him (had no idea who he was) turned around to see a group of women chasing after him in the buffet. Like leave the guy to eat.

 

I think the funniest was when one of the charter cruise members couldn't understand how I knew nothing on the team. I'm British and live in Canada, I know nothing of American Football.

[Stem to Stern]

3 hours ago, FBrew said:

I am booked on that cruise and then I am going on a back to back in  the MSC Yacht Club for 14 days. I am doing that cruise instead of staying in a hotel. Can you please tell me what  was bad about it? Thanks

Our Bucs cruise also had three wedding parties on board.  Short cruise itineraries may tend to attract this sort of thing.  I’m curious if any of the happy couples knew they were getting married on a Bucs fan cruise.

 

One of the happy couples had 100+ passengers in their wedding party.  They literally took over about half of the martini bar each evening, so generally oblivious to the Bucs party.

Their loud volume made it impossible for me to speak with my husband who was sitting right next to me without me shouting.  The crowd was a fun bunch including the nightly themed costumes, but we left the martini bar to look for a less lively venue.  

 

By the way we loved our experience in MSC Yacht Club.  Enjoy your cruises!

[EatonDoolittle]

On 10/15/2024 at 8:42 AM, Stem to Stern said:

Maybe we need a charter list on a sticky thread at the top of this board?  

 

 

Someone on the HAL board keeps one. As you will read, bit#hing about groups on board is not limited to Celebrity.  However, I wouldn't imagine there is a lot of binge drinking and rowdy behavior from  those knitting groups. 

 

 

[mcatmcat]

On 10/12/2024 at 9:28 AM, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

I would expect nothing less on a 4/5 day Caribbean cruise in March whether it was a charter or not. Would NEVER book one of these cruises. 

Why, they are fun.
I'm glad x is attracting a younger and more enthusiastic generation. 
Ever since they started going to Coco Cay I knew x is thirsty for millennial.

 

[mcatmcat]

On 10/12/2024 at 4:22 PM, MCC retired said:

 

Your cruise experience will be affected by special functions for them.

😁😁 I cant wait for the experience onboard X