Travel ideas needed

[bbodb1]

We have a spring break coming next year that (for us) will be the first one in quite a few years that will not revolve around our kids. I'm trying to think of some travel possibilities for this trip and I thought I would turn to the collective knowledge of this group for some ideas.

Edit: I should mention I still work at a public school so I am tied in that regard to the school schedule....

In our case, spring break occurs in late March and lasts for only one week. Beaches within reach really don't matter because March really isn't much a beach month for the places within our travel reach. We do NOT want to be where the spring breakers go en masse.

We have never cruised - and I hasn't been all that high on my list - but it is higher on the wife's. Of course, cruising in March likely means spring breakers does it not? If cruising should be considered, where should one look to cruise in March?

Ideally, any cruise would need to be in the Gulf of Mexico area or Caribbean areas.

Does anyone have any ideas they would like to share? Thanks in advance!

 

[Glynda]

We have a spring break coming next year that (for us) will be the first one in quite a few years that will not revolve around our kids. I'm trying to think of some travel possibilities for this trip and I thought I would turn to the collective knowledge of this group for some ideas.

In our case, spring break occurs in late March and lasts for only one week. Beaches within reach really don't matter because March really isn't much a beach month for the places within our travel reach. We do NOT want to be where the spring breakers go en masse.

We have never cruised - and I hasn't been all that high on my list - but it is higher on the wife's. Of course, cruising in March likely means spring breakers does it not? If cruising should be considered, where should one look to cruise in March?

Ideally, any cruise would need to be in the Gulf of Mexico area or Caribbean areas.

Does anyone have any ideas they would like to share? Thanks in advance!

I have taken my daughter and teenaged granddaughter on two cruises out of Cape Canaveral over Spring Break. We can drive from SC there in about seven hours, spend one night and board the next morning. The first, on Royal Caribbean, was a mixture of kids and adults. Not too bad but the food was awful. This year we wanted an itinerary to somewhere we'd never been and only Carnival offered it from a drivable distance. We went. There seemed to be a lot of young adults onboard. College and maybe even older doing a good bit of drinking and dancing around the pool. It was a little wild. Not too bad. Enjoyed the ports. Granddaughter made friends. Don't like Carnival any better than I did before this last cruise. Food was better than RCCL!

If you want a more adult vacation, go Celebrity, Norwegian, or Holland America. They are not a price point or age group for the Spring Breakers.

 

[dioxide45]

If you aren't tied to a school or kids scheduled, why do you want to even travel during spring break? Try a different month (late April or May), save a bundle and avoid the masses.

 

[bbodb1]

If you aren't tied to a school or kids scheduled, why do you want to even travel during spring break? Try a different month (late April or May), save a bundle and avoid the masses.

I forgot to mention that I still work in (at) a public school.......my bad!

 

[VacationForever]

...also pick a longer one, like 7 to 9 nights as opposed the 3-5 nights one. The latter during spring breaks are often also called booze cruises.

 

[Paumavista]

You might want to try cruising.....but choose the ship line that suits your tastes (perhaps something appealing to an older crowd.....Holland is definitely for an older crowd; but you could try Celebrity or even Princess for a bit more mature group); and I agree...choose 7-10 days rather than 3-4 day cruises. Look at Cruisecritic.com to get a good idea of ships/lines and itineraries. If you choose a "land" vacation.....choose a somewhat pricier destination (no high rises.....Myrtle Beach/Miami/Panama City destinations where the Spring Break crowd can afford)….some suggestions Kiawah, SC; Cape San Blas FL; Boca Grande FL or Captiva FL OR resorts like Hammock Beach near St Augustine or Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort or a Four Seasons resort in Scottsdale or San Diego. LOL....maybe I ought to start planning; given myself a couple good ideas!

 

[bbodb1]

I do think we will end up taking our first cruise - but wow - even more than timeshare ownership, cruising requires a LOT of reading!
I've been wearing out CruiseCritic a good bit over the past few days. The one take away I have at this point is how many add on fees and charges there are in cruising. Yuck.
I am looking at the lines for us more experienced vacationers..... looks like Norwegian may be my best choice geographically speaking. Wish me luck!

 

[VacationForever]

Er... Norwegian is not one of the lines that offer a good experience for a first time cruiser...

 

[VacationForever]

Try Celebrity and Holland America.

 

[bbodb1]

Er... Norwegian is not one of the lines that offer a good experience for a first time cruiser...

I may not have much of a choice as my nearest port is New Orleans. I'll definitely look again at the other lines again to double check...

 

[mdurette]

our 12 yo DD has 2 weeks off mid March from school, we also try to avoid college spring break areas. Last year we did RCCL anthem of the seas out of NJ. Worked out well with no spring breakers at all!

There was a price to pay. Which was colder weather for 1/2 the trip.