thinking of giving cruising a second chance...

[cee.lynn]

Hello everyone. A few years ago, I went on the Carnival Victory from NY to Eastern Canada, and was a little dissapointed in my experience. I think the main reason was because I am a 20 something and, as I should have known, the crowd on that voyage was quite a bit older, which I think changed the way the staff interact, the activities offered and therefore the amount of good ol' fun that we had.

In clear contrast, the following year, a friend and I went to Cancun. We were sure not to go during Spring Break, but still were annoyed by the amount of 18-20 year olds who were everywhere you looked! I know these people go to Cancun b/c they can drink, but I think I am beyond that phase and dont want to deal with them.

So... my question is... I am thinking about bringing the idea up to my friend of us trying cruising again, but this time going to the Carribean. Do you think I will have the same problem as we did in Cancun? Are the crowds the same, or might I run into a more mature, but still fun group?

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

C

[bluehorizonlover123]

Have been on 14 cruises and they are all different. There is no way to guess what the age group will be on any of the cruises. Some cruises are loads of fun and some are just so so. You might want to find cruisesmates dot com and see if they have a group cruise going with people of your age group. That way you will meet online people beforehand and have a better chance of meeting people in your own age group while onboard. Early 20s is often an age group that doesnt have tons of stuff planned for onboard. You have to make your own fun. They have stuff for little kids and older adults but for some reason this age group seems to be overlooked alot.

[agabbymama]

You might consider a land-based all-inclusive resort somewhere.:p

[cee.lynn]

Thats what we did in Cancun... AI resort. I guess that might have just been a poor choice as far as the destination was concerned.

[missyal]

To answer your original question, I do think you would have a better time going by cruise to the Carib. than you did going north. As the other poster said, in the long run you do make your own fun, but the islands are a great palce to do it! JMHO

 

Missyal

[wrp96]

Look for a 7-day cruise, to the Caribbean, on a line like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Avoid going during spring break times (middle of February to middle of April) or summer. Avoid shorter cruises (3, 4, or 5 day) on any line as those will attract the booze cruise type. Longer cruises (10 days or longer) will have a much older crowd (and I mean MUCH older), no matter where the cruise is to so avoid those as well. Look for a larger ship over a smaller ship as they will have more activities onboard.

[travellady]

My 27 year old twin sons cruised with us this past Xmas, 7 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary, and had a wonderful time. They met many people their own age, some single, some couples, and never wanted for anything to do.

 

We were on the Caribbean Princess, a great ship with people of all ages. Good entertainment and decent food.

 

Both of my sons are cruise addicts at this point and when I told them I'd booked Explorer of the Seas the week before this coming Christmas they held out about a week and finally decided they'd book as well.

 

Also, one of them cruised with us last summer to Alaska, the Sapphire Princess, and had a great time. He "nannied" my 11 year old son and his best friend, at my expense ;) , and had a fantastic time. Though not as many his age onboard, he met quite a few people and by the time he left the ship, a single 35 year old girl, mom of 4 kids, had her eye on him :eek:

[sunlover5]

Give it a try--maybe the Western Caribbean. I did that with my 25 yr. old daughter. Did Cozumel, Belize, Key West. We had a blast!!! Enjoy!

[GORDONCHICK]

Try a Princess or RCI ship, a newer one if possible. Also, as someone else suggested, stick to 7-day or longer cruises. Personally, I liked Celebrity, but my 20-something days are far behind me......

[Trevoli]

I would suggest a 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise. Very port intensive. Don't know who's doing what down there these days, but I'm sure you'll have lots to choose from.

 

T

[Hapinowagain]

The crowd on Carnival was older? Wow, hard to believe.

[ZoeyZoo]

Typically if schools are on break, you will find more kids, families, and college students. Also the wamer the weather, usually the younger and roudier the passengers. Forexample, my Hawaii and Alask cruises has less party types than the carribbean and mexico cruises I've been on. As someone else mentioned, also avoid the shorter cruises and do at least a 7 day cruise. The short cruises also attract more party types.

[wrp96]

The crowd on Carnival was older? Wow, hard to believe.

 

The OP said it was a New England cruise - how many families with kids or college students do you see on these boards clamoring to go on a New England cruise?

[Nevertoolate]

Royal Caribbean - Adventure of the Seas - S.Carib - Aruba, Curacao, etc., 7-days. Avoid spring break. There were supposedly 700 kids on board on our trip - they must have been kept very busy because we hardly saw any of them. Plus, at this time, they had the best cruise director - Richard Spacy. If you know who John Cleese is, then you have a younger version in Richard He was a riot.

Lots of activities - very mixed age group. Would go again but DH says has seen enough of the Caribbean.

[seamama1]

Some cruise itineraries attract an older, more mature crowed. Canada, St. Lawrence Seaway, Alaska, European cruises, etc. If you are looking for a younger, more lively crowd, pick just about any Caribbean cruise. As the one poster says, the younger folks just aren't jonesin to go to Canada on a ship!

 

As for the drunks? Well, you will find the "barf and puke" crowd on just about any ship. They are few and usually are out of the picture by midnight. You can see them passed out on a chair in the cigar lounge or something like that. There are just not enough of them to ruin your cruise.....

 

And, if their behavior gets totally out-of-control, the ship will handle them, fer sure!

 

I always say "the only good drunk is a passed-out drunk".

[Chele60]

I would suggest before you put any money down that you investigate exactly what type of vacation you are looking to have, first. It's your time, your money, your vacation. Put a little effort into some research, because, truthfully, only you can determine what you are going to like, right?

 

You've cruised before, so you already know how cruising works. Regardless of the age of the passengers cruising, consider these things:

 

• Dining options (set times and tablemates)
  
• Entertainment options (lounges and nightclubs)
  
• Cabins
  
• Activities on board

How did you feel about the make up of these? Did it generally fit in with your personal vacation style? These are the most common things that bug people who do not like cruising. And also the general feeling of being "cooped" up and unable to leave the ship when they want to. Also you might want to take into consideration that, by and large, cruise ships attract more single ladies than single men. Not sure if this is an important factor to you or not. (It was to me when I was a single 20-something looking to go on vacation!)

 

It sounds as if AI are not your thing, either, and I can certainly understand that! I'm not into them either. But there are other vacation options out there - don't limit yourself! Just investigate all of them to find the one that you will enjoy the most!

[Timmys_mom]

I would tend to agree with the other posters that recommend:

 

1. Caribbean itinerary (Canada just ain't where it's at for the 25-35 y/o crowd)

2. 7-day itinerary

3. Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Princess would be fine (whatever works with your budget)

4. Avoid Spring Break like the plague.

 

Be sure to factor in airfare from your departure port in your budget.

 

Happy sailing!