Is March a really bad month to cruise due to spring break?

[Laughing Gull]

Hello,

 

We have cruised before as a family but this time I am thinking of a cruise for just the two of us. Work wise March might be the best month for us to go but after reading some posts here I am concerned that we will be over run with kids. I'm considering a Princess cruise based on the ports we'd like to visit.

 

Thanks for your help :o

[Lisa&Neb]

we are only really capable of traveling during spring break as we are both teachers, different schools have different times that they have spring break, I am on a roll call for our cruise in March, and it doesn't seem too bad with spring breakers. Also I think that the port which you start in makes a huge difference, when we left from Miami on 5 day cruise on NCL, it was crazy with spring breakers, when we left from Houston, not so bad. This time we are leaving from Puerto Rico, so I think there will be even fewer (have to fly to the port, not just drive)

[cherylandtk]

Busy? Yes. More families/spring breakers? Yes. Overrun? Not usually. If that is the time you can go, then go. Otherwise, move towards the end of April or February.

[nomars_girl]

Busy? Yes. More families/spring breakers? Yes. Overrun? Not usually. If that is the time you can go, then go. Otherwise, move towards the end of April or February.

 

Schools in my area have breaks in February and April but not March. March is college spring break time. So i guess spring break can be anywhere from February to April. Seven-day cruises will have the most families. Longer cruises will have fewer and will have an older crowd. Go when you can get away.

[Laughing Gull]

Thanks for your replies. I am also considering early December but that's not as good work wise or for planning this cruise.

 

Lisa&Neb, I think we are considering the same cruise you're on!

[CanuckCurlers]

You may want to check with Princess if any large college group has booked a block of tickets. If you can not do it yourself a TA could maybe do it for you. We hit this problem on our first Princess cruise and it took us a while to give Princess another try but we have now gotten over it.

[sun~]

we are only really capable of traveling during spring break as we are both teachers, different schools have different times that they have spring break, I am on a roll call for our cruise in March, and it doesn't seem too bad with spring breakers. Also I think that the port which you start in makes a huge difference, when we left from Miami on 5 day cruise on NCL, it was crazy with spring breakers, when we left from Houston, not so bad. This time we are leaving from Puerto Rico, so I think there will be even fewer (have to fly to the port, not just drive)

 

As an FYI, we were on the CB this past March break. The cruise had about 350 under 18's on board. Most of the kids were from Ontario.

We got a great deal on airfare out of Vermont, and the cruise was dirt cheap.

[mr green]

If you have a choice stay clear of the spring break, or any other 'long weekend' that crops up.

 

john

[Minoushka]

I started cruising during March break with my 2 boys 5 and 8 in 2001.We still go during their March Break.Yes there are kids on board WHO CARES .They are allowed a vacation too !!!

We ALWAYS had a blast

Go enjoy yourself

[Laughing Gull]

Oh, we like kids and teens, don't get me wrong :) It's just that we'd prefer a cruise that is not geared towards a young party crowd. Other wise we might feel guilty for leaving our kids behind. Not.

[imsulin]

YES!! March is not so good. After my last March Spring Break cruise in 2002, I wouldn't touch it again! Back in the late 80's to mid 90's, when I was a teacher, a large group of us went on a cruise every Spring Break (last week of March). Cruising cost more back then, as there were fewer ships. (BTW, we put money monthly into our Credit Union for a year to save for these cruises). Very few kids back then! We left our kids at home! It used to be a wonderful time to cruise..weather was warm, low humidity, little rain. Around 2000, group cruising, lower prices, more ships, and affordability emerged. RCI used to allow 18-year olds to drink wine/beer onboard. Never again will I cruise in March! (Unless on an elite line...after the 99-year old multimillionaire with no living family who thinks I'm wonderful, pays for it!)

[Wishing on a star]

Okay, Laughing Gull, do not let anyone make you feel 'wrong' in your desire for a more adult-oriented cruise vacation. ;)

Do not even feel that you have to 'explain yourself' to anyone.

 

I believe that our Spring Break (in the South) is the first week of April.

When is Easter.... I think that many Spring Breaks may coincide with Easter this year? So, look to avoid Easter by a full 7 day margin before/after, and this might make a significant difference.

 

Consider a ten day, or longer, cruise.... usually fewer children

 

Consider a cruise other than Caribbean or Mexico... a further or more adult or exotic destination.... might mean fewer children.

 

Happy planning, and enjoy your cruise!!!

[jkeller527]

Go with HAL or Celebrity that is not geared to kids as much and you will avoid it. Choose and itin that is more educational than kid loving and stay away from the rock climbing walls and things that attract kids. Real short cruises on Carnival will really draw the spring breakers/

[cherylandtk]

So i guess spring break can be anywhere from February to April.

Yep, according to this calendar from Feb. 15 (142,000 on break) to April 9 (89,000 on break), the most popular week in 2010 is Mar 8-12 with 1.2 million on break, and that is just colleges and universities.

[frankathy]

We go the first week in March for the past 4+ years. Sure there are more kids.

You don't want kids you can go on Holland America.

 

We just came off a 10 day Oct cruise and there were lots of kids.

 

New policy on the cruise ships. Anyone under 21 must have one person in the cabin that is 21. So you are tolking college seniors. They also have staff watching to make sure no one under 21 is getting a drink from an older person. Sign on the bar said it is a big fine and jail time.

[TwinCruiserMom]

We went the first week of March this year and I just did not care for the time of year. The weather was rainy and it was the first time we ever missed Princess Cays because of high wind/surf conditions. Also, you just never know in March how many kids or spring breakers you will get onboard.

 

December is the time to go if you want a more adult oriented experience. There are very few kids on the ships, lots of couples and the weather has been fabulous the past two years on our cruises. We are going again this year and I am hoping we have the same good luck with the weather :)

[wizard-of-roz]

I promise, even if there are kids on your cruise, the ships are so big and there's so many things to do that don't involve the kids [they're more focused on the outdoor activities] unless, you just have to go down the slide or climb the wall, you'll be fine.

There's lots of room for everybody and sometimes watching the kids can be fun.....especially when you don't have to babysit or pay for them! You won't feel guilty, at all.

No matter what you choose have fun!

[Cruisin' Chick]

We go the first week in March for the past 4+ years. Sure there are more kids.

You don't want kids you can go on Holland America.

 

We just came off a 10 day Oct cruise and there were lots of kids.

 

New policy on the cruise ships. Anyone under 21 must have one person in the cabin that is 21. So you are tolking college seniors. They also have staff watching to make sure no one under 21 is getting a drink from an older person. Sign on the bar said it is a big fine and jail time.

 

Actually many of the cruiselines have had a policy like this for years. The exception may be a married couple.

 

As someone stated above, college spring break is staggered over a couple of months.

 

The Los Angeles unified school district (the second largest public district in the country) always takes off the week leading up to Easter. I've figured out that the Catholic schools in this area take off the week after Easter.

 

I would rather be on a ship with the under 21 crowd as long as they are supervised. I have been on a ship on a three-day Easter weekend cruise that was packed with college students. Lots of drinking. It was quiet the morning after the port day in Ensenada (local college students all know about Husseins). Probably lots of praying to the porcelain gods that day.:rolleyes:

[morgiemoo]

In Chicago, schools have different breaks. Public schools have the week before Easter, and Catholic schools have 1/2 week before and the week after Easter. College kids have 3 weeks before Easter. If you wait and go a different time it makes a huge difference in price. Everytime we cruise we take our daughter out of school for the week or if she has a long weekend we just pull her out for a few days. For us it is worth it because of the savings. This year we decided to take our cruise the week of Thanksgiving ( My big 4-0) and the price has almost doubled for the cruise and airfair, because we are going for a holiday.

[imsulin]

Spring Break Nationwide: Mid-Feb through about the third week of April. Doesn't matter about the hundreds of nationwide school districts, as they each have their own designated week. I no longer cruise during any of these weeks. That's just me.

[ChrissieB]

Our first ever cruise was a 7 day during Spring Break - mistake!! There were A LOT of teenagers and we have avoided March and 7 day cruises ever since. They dominated the hot tubs and pool and were very loud. Wasn't too unhappy when 4 of them didn't make the ship before sailing in St Thomas!

:eek:

Chris

 

[momphoto]

We were on the Ruby this past march from the 14th-21st which was Ontario's spring break and many other states and provinces. Not a problem at all. I heard there were about 300 teens on board yet we did not have any problems with them hanging in groups and being loud and the really young kids were hardly to be seen?? Everyone was very well behaved and I would cruise this week again!!

[Laughing Gull]

Wishing on a star, thank you :D BIG thanks to everyone else too. Ihave just about set my mind on early December, but need to check my work calendar first. :rolleyes:

 

Okay, Laughing Gull, do not let anyone make you feel 'wrong' in your desire for a more adult-oriented cruise vacation. ;)

Do not even feel that you have to 'explain yourself' to anyone.

 

I believe that our Spring Break (in the South) is the first week of April.

When is Easter.... I think that many Spring Breaks may coincide with Easter this year? So, look to avoid Easter by a full 7 day margin before/after, and this might make a significant difference.

 

Consider a ten day, or longer, cruise.... usually fewer children

 

Consider a cruise other than Caribbean or Mexico... a further or more adult or exotic destination.... might mean fewer children.

 

Happy planning, and enjoy your cruise!!!

[Kirsten T]

We've done March twice due to DH being a college professor, so we're locked into before the semester starts, or March. Did 10 day Panama round trip itinerary and there were only a handful of college-age "kids" - very courteous and not a problem at all. I'd be more suspicious of the standard 7 day east or west Caribbean from FLL. But hey, it's still Princess, not Carnival. ;)

[boating girl]

Never will cruise anytime close to spring breaks. We may have experienced the exception but were kept awake most nights by younger teens running up and down the hallways til late. We did not mind the large number of kids on the cruise otherwise.