Celebrity Cruises passenger warns of spring break 'nightmare'
For one passenger, cruising in mid-March turned out to be a bad idea.
Royal Caribbean’s premium sister cruise line Celebrity Cruises isn’t a cruise line most people would expect to have a spring break party vibe.
Although you can find a diverse mix of travelers on board Celebrity Cruises’ upscale ships, the cruise line typically attracts a refined, older audience rather than young adults.
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You might expect a few small groups of college students on board shorter sailings during peak spring break season, but most travelers would be surprised to learn that Celebrity Cruises hosts large groups of college spring breakers, at least during a few sailings on one of its ships.
For one passenger cruising on board Celebrity Silhouette recently, this was a shocking revelation.
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Celebrity Cruises passenger shares surprising spring break cruise experience
“My best friend and I are currently on the Silhouette for our 45th birthdays. We had no idea this was a spring break destination. More than half the boat are spring breakers,” Reddit user L_Blitzer wrote in the Celebrity Cruises community on the social network.
Having so many spring breakers on board made the cruise ship cabin decks feel like a college dorm, at least to these travelers.
“The party vibes by the bars and pool are fine. But slamming doors, running up and down the halls, and room parties until 4 a.m. are not. We upgraded to a veranda room. I’ve gotten better sleep at rundown motels," L_Blitzer explained. “We complained but [they] have offered no assistance.”
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The fact that spring breakers were on the ship didn’t come as a complete surprise to the passenger, but having so many on board had a big impact on their cruise experience.
“Reddit posts warned of some spring breakers but had no idea we were reliving MTV spring break 2001. Double check your dates and run. This has been a total waste of $2,000,” L_Blitzer said.
It turns out that this passenger unknowingly booked a cruise that just so happened to be hosting the College Party Cruise, an annual large group spring break cruise for college students. This year’s events were scheduled on board Celebrity Silhouette over multiple sailings from Fort Lauderdale from March 3 – 21.
A travel agent, at least a good one, would have been able to help their customer avoid this cruise.
College Party Cruise takes over Celebrity cruise ship
“Every year, we find the best cruise itinerary and host the largest group of Spring Breakers at sea,” the travel company hosting the College Party Cruise, Ignite Cruises, says on its website. “We enhance a regular cruise by adding unique events and entertainment that cater specifically to Spring Breakers, both on-board the ship and ashore.”
Ignite Cruises doesn’t charter the full cruise ship, but books a large portion of the ship’s cabins and reserves some of the ship’s venues for their private events. Depending on the sailing, the group size can exceed 1,000 spring breakers, about a third of Celebrity Silhouette’s passenger capacity.
“No other cruise will offer this kind of Spring Break experience with such a large number of college students and young professionals alike,” Ignite Cruises says.
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The travel company says it doesn’t charter the entire ship in order to keep the cruise prices college friendly. If they chartered the ship, they would need to double the cost for their spring breakers.
Although the College Party Cruise will wrap up with its final 2025 sailing on Celebrity Silhouette from March 17 – 21, cruisers should be aware that most college spring breaks happen annually in March.
Some cruise lines and sailings may attract more college spring breakers than others, but if you’re hoping to avoid the spring break crowd, you may want to plan your cruise vacation for another time of year, or choose a longer sailing. As some cruisers pointed out in the Reddit thread, three- to four-day cruises tend to attract the party crowd.
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