Just got off Inspiration, want to go again...just not during Spring Break!

[AshleyShimp]

We just got off the Inspiration this morning and already thinking of our next trip. We had a great time and have no complaints against Carnival. However, a sold out Spring Break cruise was a bit too much for our family. :eek: We knew what we were getting into, but now we are wondering what is the ideal time of the year to go on a cruise? We live in Florida, so fortunately we are flexible and can go just about any month. What month do you find ideal? Not too crowded, good deals, ect. Thanks!

Ashley

[jhale]

September-November (up until Thanksgiving) rates are low, and it always seems less crowded. However, this is also hurricane season so you run the risk of missing ports, etc. We go to be on the ship, so if we miss a port or there's a port change it doesn't bother us.

[KenMo]

I find the best deals usually in Sept/Oct.

 

The school year is basically just getting started, so you don't see too many kids on the ship.

 

Most people are worried about hurricanes during that time of year, but you live in FL so I don't think that would bother you.

[firefly333]

I cruise half a dozen times a year so its always time to cruise, though I dont think I want spring break.

 

You are the third thread today where people were on spring break cruises and came back complaining.

 

May is kinda hot, but thats good and I even find deals then, right before school lets out, early May. I try and avoid summers.

[woodey]

We Like December through Febuary....It works out well for me at work and the Prices are decent if you can stay away from Christmas and New Years....Plus the Kids are in School then...with exception of Christmas time..

[2Zornot2Z]

we like december through febuary....it works out well for me at work and the prices are decent if you can stay away from christmas and new years....plus the kids are in school then...with exception of christmas time..

perfect!

[Gr101997]

Just got off the 4 day Destiny cruise. Huge spring break party. Wasnt expecting that. Was a good time but never going to do that again

[navybaby1113]

We were on the Inspiration at the end of February and it was definitely an older, quieter crowd.

[love2bonboard]

I will be on the Inspiration this December....anything not to miss?

[MrFunInTheSun]

We just got off the Inspiration this morning and already thinking of our next trip. We had a great time and have no complaints against Carnival. However, a sold out Spring Break cruise was a bit too much for our family. :eek: We knew what we were getting into, but now we are wondering what is the ideal time of the year to go on a cruise? We live in Florida, so fortunately we are flexible and can go just about any month. What month do you find ideal? Not too crowded, good deals, ect. Thanks!

Ashley

 

Toward the end of hurricane season... October-November I've always got some great pricing. I was on this same sailing as you and for spring break time, I thought this sailing was very tame. I actually expected it to be more lively then it really was.

[Ykgorbie]

We found that September was a good month. I suspect there aren't a lot of people who would remove their kids from the beginning of a school year...there were a few younger kids on the ship, but very very few.

[BamaCruiser20]

Generally speaking, I've found that the weeks that preceed or follow a school holiday are the best. The prices are lower and there are less kids b/c most families will go during the school holiday rather than the week before or after. Also, the length of the cruise is a HUGE factor. There will always be more kids and college age kids on the 4 day cruises. These tend to be lower priced and less time out of school. A 7 or 8 day cruise is your best bet if trying to avoid large groups of young people.

[gadan1]

I like early May...Spring break is over, hurricane season hasn't started, and school hasn't gotten out yet. I won't do winter cruises because I live in the midwest and getting out becomes more iffy. I've done September-October and those are good too (less kids, cheaper fares) but there is an increased risk of hurricanes.

[room010]

I can understand non-Americans being caught out by spring break and the problems that can go with it on all cruise ships (not just Carnival) but it seems that many people from the US seem unaware of it too? Are the spring break holiday dates significantly different from state to state?

[chersolo]

If your children are older (teens), why not try a Halloween cruise? The prices are lower in October as previously stated and it would be fun for the kids. We are going to book one this year because our kids finally have reached that "too cool to trick-or-treat" stage. Last year they went to a few houses and just wanted to come home. They are 12 and 14 so you know how that goes.

I think our college-age kids will enjoy the freedom of dressing up without seeing anyone they'll know from home. Just a thought.

[tak81288]

I can understand non-Americans being caught out by spring break and the problems that can go with it on all cruise ships (not just Carnival) but it seems that many people from the US seem unaware of it too? Are the spring break holiday dates significantly different from state to state?

 

Yes. Spring breaks vary from state to state. They also vary from school districts within a state. You can have some kids out of school one week and go a few blocks down to the next school district and those kids have spring break a different week. In general spring break can be anywhere in March until about mid- april...some places even have the last week of feb out of school (president's day week) and a break around Easter...so it really does depends...

[itchin2cruz]

Our Halloween cruise was by far the cheapest and most fun cruise ever!

[ricew001]

We took a cruise immediately following the Christmas/New Year's holiday this year and found that was an excellent time - we got a great price and there weren't many kids.

We are hoping to do this every year!

[Lovelylady226]

My school break is not until the last week of April. I live in Florida and it is a late spring break this year. Good for me, cause real spring break is over :)

[mom23guys]

I'm thinking that the OP was talking about college spring breaks. We've been on cruises on Easter week(usual Spring break for many K-12 districts. Carnival does a great job handling tons of kids in all those ages. This year we were on a Celebrity cruise in early March when a lot of college kids were sailing. There were just too many people who had overindulged in ports. can't imagine the problems that might have occurred on board.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

We sailed the Legend over Halloween and in addition to warm weather we also had the bonus of the Ship Halloween Festivities, a great cruise rate and to top it all off it wasn't overly crowded.

[hankandteri]

May is my favorite month to cruise. No spring break madness, great weather and very good discounts.

[seashell36]

We've cruised mid to late October and January, including twice on the Inspiration. The Halloween activities are a lot of fun for everyone. The kids clubs have scavenger hunts for the families that end at a party. The older kids have parties of their own. On our last Halloween cruise there was costume contests, martini party and several other things goin on for the grown ups. You do run the risk of a hurricane that time of year, but the ships will steer well clear of the bad weather area.

Our winter cruises have been quieter than the October ones. There were still children on board, but not as many. The weather was cooler when we cruised on the Inspiration last year. But, it wasn't cool enough to not go swimming. (it was nice because we left home in the middle of a nasty snow storm)

[chersolo]

I'm thinking that the OP was talking about college spring breaks. We've been on cruises on Easter week(usual Spring break for many K-12 districts. Carnival does a great job handling tons of kids in all those ages. This year we were on a Celebrity cruise in early March when a lot of college kids were sailing. There were just too many people who had overindulged in ports. can't imagine the problems that might have occurred on board.

I think you are right! There were sooooo many college kids on our cruise this past weekend. The thing that seemed funny to me.... most of the extremely drunk people were years out of college! They were much older.

It didn't really bother me, it just made me thankful that I didn't have their bar tabs to pay on the last day! :p

[AshleyShimp]

Thanks for the advice. The only other cruise we have been on was in February and not nearly as crowded as this last sold out/Spring Break cruise. We have two school-age children, so we didn't mind the noise, and tons of kids. In fact, it was nice to see everyone having such a great time. But, the Lido and Promenade decks were just so crowded. The elevators took a long time and would stop on every floor. Just the usual things you would expect from a sold out cruise. Given a choice, I think we might pull our kids out of school for a few days and try for October. Just a little less crowded would be nice!

 

Ashley