Crowds: Spring Break vs Summer

[Badfinger]

Our previous cruise with our two teenage boys have been during their summer vacation from school. Thinking of booking a cruise for Spring Break 2016. Any notable differences in the demographics?

[AdGuyMG]

I would say pretty much the same.

[Waterloomarc]

Same. Probably a little more younger kids on the summer cruises we've been on.

[Shipbound]

Same. Probably a little more younger kids on the summer cruises we've been on.

 

I agree there are younger kids during the summer then regular spring break in March or April. Personally I rather the college age kids than other ages.

 

Gary

[BamaLady#13]

Spring break kids are all about the pool and lido deck. The rest of the ship is deserted. They don't eat in the MDR and rarely go to the shows. They don't gamble, so aren't in the casino. They usually come back on board a little drunk, go right to the pool area and continue the party. My husband and I are in our seventies and are highly entertained by them. I don't mind taking a cruise during spring break .. But don't go near the pool.

[KPfromCT]

College spring break is different from young school-aged kids school break.

College is usually in March. That's when you get the drunks.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Kids, USUALLY April, but I guess that could depend on where in the US you live.

Would just be LOTS of kids, if you can deal with that.:D:D

 

I'd rather deal with the younger kids than the drunken college crowd.

 

Fortunately, we cannot cruise in March, as DH is a CPA.

Has to be after April 15th.:D

[Drazil65]

Been during both times, prefer the college kids cuz as someone else pointed out, all they want is the pool and deck chairs. Whereas the younger kids are left mostly unattended to run the ship. The parents kind of use the ship as a babysitter in a way and do not monitor their actions. You see a lot of rude things like food on plates left on stairs, ice cream dripping everywhere and running through the halls etc. Can easily stay away from the college crowd but the other ones are just plain annoying (and yes we have kids :rolleyes:).

 

We actually do not cruise at any spring break time truthfully just to avoid both situations.

Edited September 11, 2015 by Drazil65

[BamaLady#13]

Been during both times, prefer the college kids cuz as someone else pointed out, all they want is the pool and deck chairs. Whereas the younger kids are left mostly unattended to run the ship. The parents kind of use the ship as a babysitter in a way and do not monitor their actions. You see a lot of rude things like food on plates left on stairs, ice cream dripping everywhere and running through the halls etc. Can easily stay away from the college crowd but the other ones are just plain annoying (and yes we have kids :rolleyes:).

 

We actually do not cruise at any spring break time truthfully just to avoid both situations.

 

Well said. I'll take a slightly intoxicated college kid any day over a spoiled 6-15 year old that likes to run in the halls and pushes every button on the elevator just because it's fun.

[Jeepenfun]

I live in Colorado and Elementary through High School and College all take their Spring break in March. Wife and I have our cruise planned April 17th and hope most of the spring break is done and over so were not over run by kids.

[rdevine10]

I live in Colorado and Elementary through High School and College all take their Spring break in March. Wife and I have our cruise planned April 17th and hope most of the spring break is done and over so were not over run by kids.

 

FYI- that week is spring break for most of new england (CT, MA & NH at least). We are currently getting ready to book (likely the Splendor for that week).

 

But, I promise my kids dont go running wild and I dont use the ship as a babysitter!

Edited September 11, 2015 by rdevine10

[ridgerunner51]

We are planning to take our granddaughter on the Valor in July 2016, to celebrate high school graduation. Is this a mistake? Will there be too many smaller children running around to enjoy the cruise?

[bonnie&clydecruzers]

I would rather go during college spring break versus during the summer. Can't deal with parents who take their kids on a cruise and then decide to give up their parental duties during that cruise.

Edited September 12, 2015 by bonnie&clydecruzers

[thomarvin]

We are planning to take our granddaughter on the Valor in July 2016, to celebrate high school graduation. Is this a mistake? Will there be too many smaller children running around to enjoy the cruise?

 

I have gone the past 2 years in early June/late May. Right after graduation. Not too many little ones on board. Have really enjoyed it both times. The more into the summer you go the more kids there are. And its even hotter in July than May/June

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I also prefer college spring breakers over school kids. Even when drunk, for the most part, they just want to let loose and hang out, or simply get from point A to point B. Like from the lido to the nightclub, or from the nightclub to their cabin. Plus, spring breakers can be pretty fun to be around. I myself hung out a little bit with a group of college people, and had fun (I was 29 at the time of my first cruise.) They did engage in drunken behavior, but it was just general silliness.

 

High schoolers, in my experience, tend to be fairly well-behaved. It's the younger kids that I've seen causing trouble. (No offense to parents of that age group.) Kids often don't know what to do with the sudden lack of supervision; that's where trouble starts.

[Cruise life]

Besides the issue of college vs younger kids is the timing and the huge shift seen in numbers on board. Last April during our spring break we were told there were 900 more people on board from the week before. That's a huge strain on the crew and a lot of people on our roll call complained about slower service, especially in the MDR. In the summer, the numbers are likely more consistent and crew is better acclimated to the large volume of cruisers, especially the kids in camp and teens in the clubs. The college students under 21 but over 18 are at a huge disadvantage in terms of activities and feeling welcomed IMHO.

We have kids in the younger age group as well as a senior college student now over 21). The descriptions are pretty spot-on, LOL. We do our best to steer both age groups in the right direction. Most people learn best from experience, so there is often only so much one can do with safety being the priority.

[luvtheships]

Btw in 2016 younger kid spring break will be the weeks of march 20 and march 27 due to Easter. Of course Connecticut does their own thing in April as usual

 

However being the week of march 20 is quite early it will Overlap with those colleges that do the spring break on the later side as some colleges are known to do

 

Thus any cruise embarking on or about march 20 to march 31 2016 could be very interesting...college...high school and elementary kids...plus newbies who booked that week without a clue!! Lol

 

 

 

 

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Edited September 12, 2015 by luvtheships

[Guest]

I refuse to go on a cruise the month of March.It's more expensive,crowded and don't like children.

[Jeepenfun]

Wife and I chose to go towards the end of April while most school kids are still in school. most states have have already had their spring break except new England area. Also our same cruise were taking in April is $100 per person less then it is in March. PLUS airfare is cheaper towards the end of April then anytime in March.

[cruisinpips]

We have cruised many times during spring break, and never had a big issue with kids or drunks. This year we cruised in June for the first time ever, and I can say it will be the last!! Breeze sailed with over 4000 pax, and boy could you tell it!! Crowds and lines everywhere. Teens running the ship all hours of the night, and security was nowhere to be found. I certainly wish Carnival would implement a curfew like RCI. But like a lot of other rules, they would never enforce it.

We will cruise in winter months, and avoid the floating daycare centers in Summer from now on. :D:D

[mcatmcat]

I prefer spring break over summer, for me is cheaper and I see more college, university crow onboard, well I'm sailing during spring break lol. I mostly sail with royal and for some reason carnival's passages are drunk most of the time compared to royal

Edited September 13, 2015 by mcatmcat

[Shipbound]

Btw in 2016 younger kid spring break will be the weeks of march 20 and march 27 due to Easter. Of course Connecticut does their own thing in April as usual

 

However being the week of march 20 is quite early it will Overlap with those colleges that do the spring break on the later side as some colleges are known to do

 

Thus any cruise embarking on or about march 20 to march 31 2016 could be very interesting...college...high school and elementary kids...plus newbies who booked that week without a clue!! Lol

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I am from Connecticut and I will be on the Breeze April 9,2016 which is an Eight day cruise,

so hopefully that will kept the families away because of the price.

 

Gary

[BigB0882]

We noticed a ton more young kids on our Spring Break cruise than the one we took this summer. Neither had a ton of college aged kids but we took 7 day cruises, I think that crowd was probably on the shorter cruise. We spend most of our time gambling, eating or watching shows so we hardly had issues either way. The elevators would sometimes have all the buttons pushed but kids will be kids. We don't use the pools so that helped, if we did it would have been rather annoying unless your ship has a Serenity pool.