Potential first time cruiser and...

[Alex13541]

I was wondering if any of you know of the best cruise line and/or cruise ship for a spring break senior trip. I know some cruise lines/ships cater mainly to families and adults and would like to know which generally have more young people than others. Any help would be much appreciated.

[LuAnn]

My vote would be Carnival..

[Alex13541]

My vote would be Carnival..

Thanks a lot...do you know anything else about the subject or do you know of any websites where I could research this a bit better?

[Mr_Cruise]

To date I've been on ships in the following fleets:

 

Carnival

Norwegian

Princess

Royal Caribbean

Celebrity

Radisson

Holland America

 

My vote would be Royal Caribbean. ...I recommend you obtain some brochures which will provide you with an overview of what each lines product is like.

 

Ultimately it is in your best interest to educate yourself on the various cruise lines in order to make an informed decision.

 

Regardless of what you select, any cruise is a good cruise!

 

Enjoy!

[Alex13541]

Just another bit of information...

 

My friends and I would like to go on a cruise through the Caribbean. We are 18 and would like to be on a boat where 18 is the drinking age.

[johnql]

Just another bit of information...

 

My friends and I would like to go on a cruise through the Caribbean. We are 18 and would like to be on a boat where 18 is the drinking age.

That's going to present a couple problems. Most of the cruise lines do not allow 18-yr-olds to book a cabin, unless you're married. Depending on the line, at least one person in the cabin has to be a minimum age, ranging from 21 to 25. Your second problem is that on many ships, you won't be able to drink either. On some lines, you may be allowed to drink beer and wine, but no hard liquor. On other lines, you won't be allowed to drink at all. Sometimes, there's a way to get around the age minimum by having your parents sign a waiver, but it doesn't sound like your parents will be accompanying you.

[Mr_Cruise]

Check with these cruise lines to confirm, but...

 

I do believe that both Norwegian and Princess allow 18 years olds to book cabins by themselves.

 

To the best of my knowledge, that is the case. Call both of these cruise lines to verify.

 

Drinking age is almost always 21, but is at the discretion of the ship's crew. If you are on your own, it will be a lot tougher to get them to serve you alcohol than it would be with a responsible mature adult escorting you.

 

(BTW I'm not advocating under age drinking or breaking laws etc, just stating facts).

[Cotton]

Carnival's policy:

 

"Guests under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or guardian 25 years or older in the same stateroom.

Alcoholic beverages will not be sold or served to anyone under the age of 21."

[johnql]

I do believe that both Norwegian and Princess allow 18 years olds to book cabins by themselves.

From NCL's web site:

Company policy dictates that a passenger under 21 years of age must be accompanied in the same or connecting stateroom by a passenger 21 years or older who expressly agrees to be responsible for the under 21 passenger throughout the cruise.

 

I couldn't find the age requirement on Princess's web site, but I'm fairly certain that 18-yr-olds cannot book a cabin alone.

[Chucksta63]

Carnival come on with us in April!!!!

here is a count of the kids and ages..

 

69 - 18 year olds

25 - guests between the ages of 19-20

and

127 - guests between the ages of 21-25

This was our last sailing in April!!! It doesn't get much better than this!!

Come on over we have group rates and a free $100 Cabin Credit for what ever you want!!! $100 buys alot of drinks!!!;)

[wrp96]

Royal Caribbean's drinking age for beer and wine is 18 with parental permission. But for anyone under the age of 21, there must be somebody over the age of 25 booked in the cabin.

[kitty9]

ALEX, you're going to run into problems with your age and going on a cruise without parents/guardians. The only lines that allow 18 year olds to cruise without parents are Disney (not fun for guys your age), Princess (no drinking alcohol of any kind or gambling because they have an age of 21 for those things--and you will have your sign and sail card stamped to show you're underage) and Princess caters to older cruisers and they're not a fun teen cruise line, or Windjammer. Every other cruise line has a minimum age of 21 to cruise without parents. If you want to book those lines, each room you book must have an adult age 25 or older booked in the rooms with you plus you will all need notorized letter from both parents giving that adult permission to make emergency decisions for you. If you don't have that letter, you will be denied boarding, and you won't get a refund.

 

You will all have to have a passport with you as birth certificates aren't allowed anymore after December 31.

 

Cruise lines stopped allowing unaccompanied teens on cruise ships because they had so many problems with high school seniors trashing room and causing many problems.

[Alex13541]

hmm...it seems like Aruba or Puerta Vallarta or some place like that may end up being the way to go but maybe with a little more research I can find an adequate cruise

[caviargal]

hmm...it seems like Aruba or Puerta Vallarta or some place like that may end up being the way to go but maybe with a little more research I can find an adequate cruise

 

I don't think you understand what these posters are telling you.

 

At your age, you will NOT find a line that will allow to you sail without adults. I do not understand your use of the term "adequate". The cruise lines have tightened up their restrictions because of the number of problems they experienced in the past with teens. I can tell you that Carnival makes the responsible adult sign a 7 page document that spells out the rules for teens and makes them responsible financially for damages, etc. It also gives CCL the right to put them off the ship at their expenses and details a "Code of Conduct".

 

I have an 18YO nephew and I am taking he and his best friend on a cruise with my next spring. I have taken him before and he is well behaved and responsible. He does not drink and I do not have to worry about his being rowdy and disorderly. I have documents to sign accepting responsibility for both of them and their parents give me notarized permission to accept this responsibility.

 

This is not some vague policy that you will find a way to get around.