Need help deciding on Cruise for young drinkers

[KSinSTL]

Looking for ship recommendations

 

I'm a mom looking to book a cruise for 4 doing the Western Caribbean in Jan/Feb '22. I will be traveling with 22 and 24 year olds. Three of us have cruised before, but we are taking a first timer. I know the kids will be drinking quite a bit so a good drink package and activities for that age group would be great.

 

 

[mom says]

Well if you want a cruise where your kids can drink themselves sloppy amongst like minded individuals,  look no farther than Carnival.

[cruisingguy007]

See the Carnival website, pick a ship that fits itinerary, you can't go wrong with any fun ship. You're welcome. 😁

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-to/western-caribbean-cruises.aspx

[Essiesmom]

NCL and Royal also come to mind.  EM

[Zach1213]

3 hours ago, mom says said:

Well if you want a cruise where your kids can drink themselves sloppy amongst like minded individuals,  look no farther than Carnival.

 

Big difference between "drinking quite a bit" and "drink themselves sloppy". Easy to drink a lot over the day and never be remotely sloppy, even for younger drinkers. 

[mom says]

11 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Big difference between "drinking quite a bit" and "drink themselves sloppy". Easy to drink a lot over the day and never be remotely sloppy, even for younger drinkers. 

Possible, of course. But when the first priority listed is drink packages for young adults who want to "drink quite a bit", you'll pardon me if I doubt they will be concerned with drinking in moderation.

Edited May 14, 2021 by mom says

[neverbeenhere]

I'm of the belief that the Carnival Package is limited to 15 Alcoholic drinks per day, so make sure everyone gets plenty of drinking done in port. 😉

 

[DirtyDawg]

I agree Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean would be your best bets. 

The other lines are too filled with old farts like me, and your kids would be bored to death. 

 

But frankly, if they really want to party, an AI would be way better than any cruise. My mid 20ish son's would all attest to that. 🍻🥂

[George C]

21 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

I'm of the belief that the Carnival Package is limited to 15 Alcoholic drinks per day, so make sure everyone gets plenty of drinking done in port. 😉

 

You might want carnival to limit there drinks to 15 , rccl and celebrity there unlimited and they rarely cut people off .

[navybankerteacher]

15 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

I agree Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean would be your best bets. 

The other lines are too filled with old farts like me, and your kids would be bored to death. 

 

But frankly, if they really want to party, an AI would be way better than any cruise. My mid 20ish son's would all attest to that. 🍻🥂

Agreed — let them contribute to the “atmosphere” on lines like Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean.  
 

But, do warn them about falling overboard;  a risk less likely at an AI.

[cruisingguy007]

2 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

I agree Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean would be your best bets. 

The other lines are too filled with old farts like me, and your kids would be bored to death. 

 

But frankly, if they really want to party, an AI would be way better than any cruise. My mid 20ish son's would all attest to that. 🍻🥂

 

Plenty of old farts cruise Carnival that know how to have a good time and get down on it. Age is nothing but a number, it's the spirit that counts. Plenty of vivacious old heads representing on Carnival. It's the curmudgeons "you kids get off my lawn" types everyone wishes would stay on the sleepy lines...lol. 

[getting older slowly]

Cruising  does not equal drinking...

as suggested go to land based AI.. at lease they can't fall over board...

 

If a drinking holiday is required go to the local bar... a lot cheaper..

Edited May 15, 2021 by getting older slowly

[cruisingguy007]

9 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Cruising  does not equal drinking...

as suggested go to land based AI.. at lease they can't fall over board...

 

If a drinking holiday is required go to the local bar... a lot cheaper..

 

You're simply mistaken. Drinking doesn't equal cruising but for many, cruising does, in fact, equal drinking. The majority of imbibers onboard probably drink much more than they do on land. It's a vacation, you don't have to drive or get up early in the morning, and there is a lot of down time to relax. The OP also asked specifically about finding a fun line, not advice on where to vacation or anyone's permission to have fun.   

[Hlitner]

Drink packages are available on almost all the cruise lines so that may not be a deciding factor (except for the cost of the cruise/drink package).  But folks in their early 20s fall into a demographic whose fun quotient is usually based on how many friends they can make in their approximate age group.  So the OP should focus on cruises that tend to attract young adults.  Carnival is certainly an option as is RCI (especially their larger ships), NCL, and even MSC (this line tends to get a very international clientele).  Princess is also a good option, but one would want to stick with their shorter cruises (no more then 10 days).  In fact the latter issue can usually be a good predictor of the age demographic.  While a 7 day cruise will often attract many younger adults, a 21 day cruise will generally have and older crowd.

 

Hank 

[LynnTTT]

Friends took two yound adults and friends on a cruise.  Said "Never again". They paid for special excursions which the young people missed because they stayed up late the night before. Etc.

I agree; just go to the DR and stay at a nice all inclusive

[Breezie68]

I've had the best times drinking on 4 day Carnival cruises. My family and I joke that they are "booze cruises". 

[cruisingguy007]

1 hour ago, Breezie68 said:

I've had the best times drinking on 4 day Carnival cruises. My family and I joke that they are "booze cruises". 

 

Out west it's the 3 day cruises. The 4 days are definitely party atmosphere but not like the Friday, Sat, Sun cruises are. Those are true drinking cruises. Makes for a cheap getaway for the weekend.  

[pc_load_letter]

We enjoy the NCL implementation best. We primarily take Carnival or NCL.

 

We enjoy NCL because....

 

Unlimited

You can order as many drinks as you like per order so each person in your party does not need to go to the bar. This is nice if you want a drink and shot chaser.

 

That being said, I've gotten plenty hammered on Carnival as well and I've found their waiters, when on the pool\lido deck, always do a great job of coming around when and if you need another.

[lobsternight]

I do not feel its a matter of age, as long as you are a happy drunk, not sloppy or obnoxious.  Have fun and enjoy your vacation, just dont ruin it for others. Yes as a generalization the younger will tend to drink more, but not always the case.  My eldest son is almost 21, look forward to having some drinks with him on our next cruise.  Our drinking age is 19, and frequently we will sit down with his friends and enjoy a good scotch or more.  Always fun, never any problems.

 

On the flip side a few cruises come to mind.  A obviously underage kid on our beach day in Cozumel, sat at the bar the whole day.  Last saw him crawling on all 4s through the town plaza.  He did make it back to the last tender via wheelchair, staggered up the ramp and barfed.  Second was a man probably late 70s.  Got an itch to fight some young buck for no apparent reason on the pool deck.  Young guy was desperate not to engage older drunk guy.  It finally defused when another passenger got up and threw said old guy in pool.  Finally last cruise, pretty 40 something lady, who was a heavy drinker, obviously started drinking for breakfast.  By lunch saw her stagger into the buffet and blow chunks everywhere. Gross.

 

So going back to the OP question, look at the itinerary and see where everyone wants to go.  If the kids like their poison then look for AI package.  If they like to party late and hard, then look for a boozy cruise line with lots of clubs.  Don't forget its your vacation too so think about what you want.  I will assume you are paying.

[navybankerteacher]

If you are sponsoring this expedition, perhaps instead of looking at it as a “Cruise for young drinkers” you might also try the “Drinks for young cruisers” angle. 
 

What is the point of the exercise?  If it is drinking, that can be done anywhere - and possibly more economically (perhaps even more safely) at an AI;  if it is cruising, perhaps you should focus on what makes a cruise special:  itinerary, for example.

[SelectSys]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

 If it is drinking, that can be done anywhere - and possibly more economically (perhaps even more safely) at an AI;  if it is cruising, perhaps you should focus on what makes a cruise special:  itinerary, for example.

 

A data point for the OP.  My daughter (27) is currently at an all inclusive in Cancun for the first time.  It one of the "Dreams" properties and allegedly is a 4 star resort.  She is an experienced cruiser with a variety of itineraries under her belt.  Got a message from her saying that the food and drinks are really marginal and thinks the cruise experience is much nicer - even just cruising around in the Caribbean for relaxing.  

 

RCL and Carnival seem like a good option.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by SelectSys

[Hlitner]

27 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

 

A data point for the OP.  My daughter (27) is currently at an all inclusive in Cancun for the first time.  It one of the "Dreams" properties and allegedly is a 4 star resort.  She is an experienced cruiser with a variety of itineraries under her belt.  Got a message from her saying that the food and drinks are really marginal and thinks the cruise experience is much nicer - even just cruising around in the Caribbean for relaxing.  

 

RCL and Carnival seem like a good option.

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, if your daughter insisted on a cruise she would likely still be sitting home wondering if the CDC will ever let cruises commence.  But I do have some empathy for you daughter having been to one of the Dreams (a few years ago) not far from Cancun.  We were underwhelmed by Dreams and have never returned to any of their locations.  There are better options then Dreams (especially for couples without children in tow).

 

Hank

[skrufy]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

On the other hand, if your daughter insisted on a cruise she would likely still be sitting home wondering if the CDC will ever let cruises commence.  But I do have some empathy for you daughter having been to one of the Dreams (a few years ago) not far from Cancun.  We were underwhelmed by Dreams and have never returned to any of their locations.  There are better options then Dreams (especially for couples without children in tow).

 

Hank

If you want the “ grown up party animals” I say jokingly, to have a good time with people mostly their age look into the 3, 4, and maybe a 5 day cruise on Carnival or RCI. Took our first cruise on Carnival back in 2004 for 4 days to Nassau. To say the least, it was a party for 4 days.

[PORT ROYAL]

On 5/14/2021 at 4:05 PM, KSinSTL said:

Looking for ship recommendations

 

I'm a mom looking to book a cruise for 4 doing the Western Caribbean in Jan/Feb '22. I will be traveling with 22 and 24 year olds. Three of us have cruised before, but we are taking a first timer. I know the kids will be drinking quite a bit so a good drink package and activities for that age group would be great.

 

 

If it’s “Technicolour Yawns” in the Public Areas you’re seeking, then there’s only one Line in the running, or should one say “throwing”, it’s Carnival.

[ColeThornton]

2 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

If it’s “Technicolour Yawns” in the Public Areas you’re seeking, then there’s only one Line in the running, or should one say “throwing”, it’s Carnival.

 

 

I had to look that up to see what the heck you were talking about.   🙂