When is Spring Break Season Over???

[truecruiser]

not to date myself too much, but when i was in college, ft. lauderdale was the most exclusive place a college kid cld go, and not every college kid, either. only those that cld manage to scrape the $ together.

 

there were no elaborate caribbean cruise vacations or trips to aruba (like holloway, who wasn't even in college, but High School!), to hang out and unwind w/ your friends.

 

i love to have fun just as much as the next guy, but i do NOT want to be on a cruise when its packed w/ college kids -- been there, done that scene (albeit not on a ship), but i know what it's like, and don't want to deal with it now. if i remember correctly, mine was in march. are all college breaks in march or do they sometimes coincide w/ easter?

 

P.S. not talking about elementary schools w/ kids vacationing w/ parents, only about college breaks.

[Knights on the Beach]

The majority of colleges have their spring break in March, but not all of them. They should all be done by mid-April.

 

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panamacity/springbreak/sbcalendar.htm

[truecruiser]

The majority of colleges have their spring break in March, but not all of them. They should all be done by mid-April.

 

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panamacity/springbreak/sbcalendar.htm

 

 

that'a a great link! do they provide that info annually? it's like a "when not to book your cruise link" LOL! :p :D

 

the recent man overboard thread has me reflecting on some of the things i witnessed people do during my college years on spring break. many of them are lucky they didn't die, no joke, that's how incredibly dangerous and stupid some of the behavior was.

 

if cruising will continue to be the popular thing to do for spring break, i'd just as soon avoid it during those times, especially w/ my 3 children.

[Wennfred]

I think Spring Break ends when they are completely out of booze :D

[truecruiser]

I think Spring Break ends when they are completely out of booze :D

 

yeah, and dang! why didn't my parents spoil me w/ endless funds to take a caribbean cruise????:confused: they evcen made me take out student loans!@!!-- the nerve of them!:D

[sgriff17]

ahh....2 or 3 more weeks :) I'm only a few years out and already miss spring break :(

[VentureMan_2000]

Yeppers... in general you can expect Spring break from Mid Feb until Mid April.

[truecruiser]

Yeppers... in general you can expect Spring break from Mid Feb until Mid April.

 

so basically, the school district and college breaks will overlap to some extent?

 

i always thought college breaks were over b/4 easter (which is when our public schools time the "spring recess" break) so that there was no overlap?

[CruzVinnieCruz]

that'a a great link! do they provide that info annually? it's like a "when not to book your cruise link" LOL! :p :D

 

 

They do provide the information annually but the 2007 schedule was not completed until November last year but the 2006 calendar was still posted. So if you are trying to plan early it may not be updated but usually a colleges spring break dates do not vary that much year to year.

[Payd]

Just to be on the safe side its best to wait till mid-April after the Easter Break.

 

Payd:)

[honeywell]

or take an 8 day cruise when you will see fewer children and young students

[sharecruises]

I still can not figure out how these "spring breakers" are on the cruise...I thought under 21 had to sail with over 25 year olds..who are all the over 25's taking them on the cruise??

 

who is letting them drink?? Carnival should hire more security...

 

and how many college students are over 21?? Someone said most of the spring break party kids on board were over 21?? This makes no sense

 

There were reports of the "sorority girls">> are they grads?? 21 would be mostly college grads??

 

*of course I am still trying to figure out how parents would let their 16 year old son sail with a 300 lb 35 year old "neighbor"?>> are we really to think that at the age of 19 he was the "godfather" to this boy??? Ouch

[zqvol]

The real truth of the matter is that there are very few college students on cruises over four days in length. Your bigger worry and a more troublesome crowd are the high schoolers, traveling with their parents.

[Guest CRUZIN' SUZIN]

The real truth of the matter is that there are very few college students on cruises over four days in length. Your bigger worry and a more troublesome crowd are the high schoolers, traveling with their parents.

 

Many times high schoolers overwhelm their parents who just surrender all control of the pea-brained teenager to the ship and pretend not to be aware of what jr and little amy are up to while mom/dad are asleep at the wheel. Most of the worst I have witnessed has been by the "14-18" set on these ships.

 

Take non-participating parents add rebelious teenager, sprinkle with a healthy dose of alcohol and you have the next cruiseline disappearance/ death/drowning/sexual assault mystery. (Young men can be sexually assaulted!):eek:

 

However, I think I will avoid spring break like the plague. Many land resorts now prohibit or severely restrict the movements of spring breakers as does Ft Lauderdale, Atlanta and many other cities.

[MikeyP]

I still can not figure out how these "spring breakers" are on the cruise...I thought under 21 had to sail with over 25 year olds..who are all the over 25's taking them on the cruise??

 

who is letting them drink?? Carnival should hire more security...

 

and how many college students are over 21?? Someone said most of the spring break party kids on board were over 21?? This makes no sense

 

There were reports of the "sorority girls">> are they grads?? 21 would be mostly college grads??

 

21+ can sometimes be college sophomores and later, though they are more likely to be juniors or seniors (that's approximately half the student population). Not to mention students on the 5, 6, or 7 year "plan".

 

Also, not every college student goes away to college right away (as me and about 15 of my similarly-aged college buddies could have attested to, back in college).

[winewanderer]

We cruise most often between our anniversary at the end of April and hubby's birthday at the end of May. We find very few children, teenagers and college age young people. Great time to go.

 

Weather in the carribean is also great at that time.

[mkk]

I'd worry just as much about high school and even middle school kids.

Kids can get alcohol if they really want it and that's only part of the problem.

We were on a 13 day repo cruise a few years back over Easter and the behavior of the 12-15 yr olds was atrocious! They destroyed the ping pong table, paddles and balls..threw life jackets overboard..(which triggered the light which made the ship staff think "man-overboard'), changed or removed all the breakfast orders for room service..and countless other less harmful activities. How that many kids were able to miss what would amount to over two weeks of school, and how the parents and the ship staff (not Carnival BTW)were able to turn a blind-eye to all of this was amazing to us!

That being said we ARE cruising next week and are hoping that we can avoid the inevitable rowdy behavior.

[sharecruises]

I agree...I love May, early May :) It is after spring break...and before school lets out for the summer. Not to mention that there are a LOT less ships in the ports, our cruise has only 2 in Cozumel....yet in March they have days with 8 in Port..and we are the only ship in Belize and Costa Maya...and share Nassau with 3 others

 

While it does not bother some, just reading recent reviews shows that the sping break DOES impact some aspects of cruises....ie, the recent Glory reviews, other reviews....and also it seems like the port reviews are also showing more crowds, more problems....:(

 

Maybe try to find excursions and beaches etc that are less crowded? A lot of the ports seem to be really overloaded, all the regular ships PLUS the seasonal ships are out in full force this time of year.