Best Cruise Line for Early 20's

[MaybeMaybeline]

Hello!

 

My best girlfriend and I are considering a cruise to celebrate our college graduation. I was looking for some tips on the best lines for the early 20's crowd and the best destinations to consider in May. I've been on one cruise before with my family on Royal Carribbean and enjoyed it, however, it was a little more family oriented. Anyway have any suggestions for me?

 

Caitlin

 

P.S. We're also on a bit of a budget.

[kitty9]

I think RCCI is the best for younger cruisers, but realize that most cruise lines that are great for younger cruisers are also family oriented. You can try Carnival, but they are also known as a family cruise line. Going in May might reduce the number of kids on a cruise, but cruises are very popular for families. Stay away from HAL, Princess and Celebrity as they tend to attract an older crowd.

[Shnichol]

I think I would go on Carnival for a cost conscience cruiser in their 20's. I think Eastern or Western Caribbean would be good. If you go before schools get out for summer break there should not be too many kids on the ship. Shop around and you should be able to find a good deal.

 

Shelly:)

[melika091900]

i agree, carnival all the way , weve been on celebrity, NCL and carnival ,

carnival was our favorite, we are in our mid to late 20's and enjoyed carnival conquest very much ,,

its RT from galveston, tx to montego bay jamaica, cozumel mexico and cayman islands,,,

 

they have late night adult comedy and cool nightclub,, and other activities,, like the other poster, celebrity is older crowd, we just got off NCL star to mexico from LA and it was also nice.. i would recommend it 2nd.. depending on where you want to sail from,,

have a great trip

 

melissa

[cuccicruisers]

Carnival. Ports to consider .... Coz, Key West and Jamaica.

 

Have a great time !

[Browneyedhunni85]

We are traveling Carnival. There will be 4 of us ranging from 18-22 years of age. Plus my other and her best friend.

[UCFKnight85]

I'm 21. Here's my list:

 

1. Carnival- though they do lack big in some areas, for a young crowd it's really fun. They have alot of activities geared towards early 20 people. Although I will say that their entertainment is a little "overhyped"......many nights it was DEAD after 12.

 

2. NCL- I'm going on my first NCL cruise during spring break, but all my 22 year old friends who have been said it was really fun, lots of 20 year old people.

 

3. RCL- I just say this because when I went there were TOO MANY little kids and 10 year olds...maybe it was just my cruise. I also actually found there to be more older people on my cruise. I didn't care much for their nightlife either.

 

4. Princess- When I went it was alright, nothing great. The extent of the nightlife was a piano singer.

 

20. Holland America. Unfortunately my parents took me on one before......the average age is 70 and people go to bed by 10. Avoid this line like the plague.....atleast until you're old.

[breenw]

I totally believe it has to do with when and where you are traveling - not the cruise line. I am a travel agent and always try and get feedback from my clients about their shipboard experiences. I also have 2 sons ages 21 and 26 who have cruised with us several times. If you go during any school breaks, you are going to have more people your age on board than if you cruise off-season. We've been on Carnival during early May and there were no single girls between the ages of 19-26 (much to the dismay of my boys!). Then, we have traveled during the summer and there are all kinds of young adults that age. We've traveled on Princess, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney and it has totally varied more by the school schedules than anything else (college schedules are a little more flexible than high school or grade school).

[kmtjones803]

Hello!

 

My best girlfriend and I are considering a cruise to celebrate our college graduation. I was looking for some tips on the best lines for the early 20's crowd and the best destinations to consider in May. I've been on one cruise before with my family on Royal Carribbean and enjoyed it, however, it was a little more family oriented. Anyway have any suggestions for me?

 

Caitlin

 

P.S. We're also on a bit of a budget.

 

Hi! My husband and I are both 22, and we LOVE Carnival. We love the price and the itenerary. We went on our honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas, 2 vacations to Mexico each Spring Break, and we are going on the Conquest this month to celebrate his college graduation!

 

HTH~

Miranda

[1bigballer]

Carnival, hands down!!

[McDebbie]

20. Holland America. Unfortunately my parents took me on one before......the average age is 70 and people go to bed by 10. Avoid this line like the plague.....atleast until you're old.

 

You know what is great about this though? Nobody is ever hogging the pool or the hot tub or the pool chairs. ;) Although on our HAL cruise in September there were quite a few younger people.

[viva01]

We had an awesome time on Carnival Miracle - definately geared towards the younger crowd.

 

Great Ports - Cozumel and Costa Maya!

 

Happy cruising!

[sillylizzie]

A large group (10) of us in our mid 20's went on a Western Caribbean cruise in April of 2004 and loved it. The crowd seemed to be fairly young, and we all had a wonderful time. The ports were fun, and we spent the evening checking out the various bars/clubs on board.

[theluckiest]

i'm 21, going on my first cruise on carnival over spring break. ive heard a lot of good things from all ages about carnival, and i'm really excited! its also mid-march, a big spring break time, and i'm hoping there will be younger people on board.

[maren91]

I'm 23, I'll put in my vote for RCCL Navigator of the Seas Western Caribbean. Had the greatest time on this ship! Went rock climbing, mini-golf played basketball, tournaments of all kinds! Then in the port cities, went swimming with stingrays, climbed Dunn's Falls, floated down a river and toured the Mayan Ruins. Doesn't get much better than that!

[lijj]

The only thing with Carnival is that you need someone over 25 if anybody in your party is under 21. I'm 21 and I'm going on a cruise with 2 friends, one is 21 and the other is 20 so we're going with RCCI instead - you only need to have a 21 year old in the same cabin with someone under 21.

[BallFour4]

Hello!

 

My best girlfriend and I are considering a cruise to celebrate our college graduation. I was looking for some tips on the best lines for the early 20's crowd and the best destinations to consider in May. I've been on one cruise before with my family on Royal Carribbean and enjoyed it, however, it was a little more family oriented. Anyway have any suggestions for me?

 

Caitlin

 

P.S. We're also on a bit of a budget.

 

The budget line got you on my response, so I would suggest considering a drive-up port if you can. For example, I'd drive to Galveston to take the Conquest versus fly somewhere else for a smaller ship. The size of the ship dictates the attractions and variety while aboard, and you'll spend the majority of your time on the ship at sea or asleep. Even with three ports of call you are only off the ship about 20 hours in a 7 day cruise.

 

The newer and larger vessels are what I suggest, and you'd do well to shop some prices versus the first one you see. We've done well with Galveston departures, and the drive for us is about 45 minutes from driveway to dock.

 

I agree with some of the ports, but we didn't enjoy Jamaica, and if the locals tried to sell drugs to my 16 year old then you can bet you and your girlfriend are a prime target.

 

Enjoy the trip, and then envision yourself in about 20 years headed to the ports in a minivan with kids... Quick, get me some rum!

[JoshGrrrr]

Me and my friends are all in our early/mid 20's. There are usually 10 or so of us. I've found that the cheaper cruises, on the older ships usually have more college aged people. I've went on one RCI cruise on the Monarch. It was actually more of a party boat than any of the Carnival ships I've been on. There weren't near as many children on the RCI cruise I went on. There weren't near as many older poeple either. In all honesty though, the older poeple will usually party just as hard as anyone else.

 

Kids are the real problem. I can't help but feel guilty when I'm in a bar trying to get a good drunk on, and a group of kids comes in. It just feels wrong to me to be drunk in front of children. I really wish the cruise lines would find a way to keep the kids out of the bars.

 

EDIT: If you don't mind going on a short cruise on an older ship, you can sometimes find cruises for less than $300pp if you put 4 people per room. The 3 & 4th person are usually a good bit cheaper than the first two. Just take the total amount of the room and divide it by 4. It has worked out great for us in the past. We actually went on a 5 day cruise for $275 each on the Monarch a few years ago.

 

If you want to go on a long cruise on a newer ship try Costa. I just booked a 7 day cruise on a new ship for $519 per person.

[MaybeMaybeline]

Thanks for all the info! It really helped! I'm glad to know there are so many other young cruisers out there. I'll definatly post some more details once we decide where we're going. Thanks again

 

Caitlin

[reh250]

Carnival Liberty is a new ship, and I think geared toward the younger crowd. More themed clubs, alternative dining, more music. The Western Caribbean itinerary would probably draw a younger crowd as well.

 

Congratulations on your graduation!:)