Im 18 and six other friends will be 18 when we graduate high school. We are...

[Car]

...planning on going on a cruise? for our senior trip and we dont know which cruise line to choose from. We are expecting to drink and party as much as possible so keep that in mind. We also have two friends that are 21 that will be coming with us so we can get on the ships... THANKS for any info.....

 

[ROXYM2]

I've only done Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Carnival, in my opinion, is more of a budget cruise and it's also more for your age group. Royal Caribbean is more of a luxury cruise (depending on which ship you go on). They both are nice (I think Royal Caribbean is much nicer than Carnival), but if I was going with a group of friends to party, I would probably go with Carnival...but if I was going with family, I would go with Royal Caribbean. They both are fun to party on!

Have fun!

 

[timetravler1]

When you go on a cruise each person gets a cruise card which then goes into a computer where they have facts on you such as your birthday. There is no getting around this. If you are under 21, then the only way you can drink on the ship is if someone over 21 buys it for you and you do it in your cabin. Of course if you are going to Mexico, you can also drink in port. Just be very very careful that you don't get so drunk that you miss the ship. Go with Carnival cruise lines as they love to party and they are the cheapest cruise line around..

 

[phantom_of_valkyrie]

Well it sounds like you understand the age restrictions. At 18, you can cruise Disney I believe.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_age_requirements.cfm

Do some reading up on which cruise line will allow you to cruise. As you have some 21 yos, you can also go NCL or Royal. Those are your only chioces. As you are putting 3 in each room I'd call a travel agent and book through them. They will also know if any line will be changing their policy prior to your departure. You can also make sure you get connecting rooms that way.

So you have 3 cruise lines to pick from and I'd look up their itinerary and prices. You could also go Celebrity but I knocked that off due to the expense and the clientele. Personally I hated NCL--however they do have the most lax policy. While the other cruiser mentioned "one line"--that line is NCL. Their drinking policy is: With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii itineraries, (Where you must be 21 years of age to consume or purchase alcohol of any kind) NCL permits guests between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty (20) to purchase and personally consume wine and beer while on NCL ships with the consent of an accompanying parent or legal guardian on the same sailing once the vessel is outside the US state territorial waters (3 miles out).

I was with my cousin and we were allowed to drink. The bar actually didn't care about liquor either in international waters but that may have changed. It's been about 6 years. But you will be allowed beer and wine.

You can also drink at all the ports of call so when you get off the ship, you can hang out at the bars. Senor Frogs and Carlos and Charlies are popular Caribbean bars. Margaritaville is also great. Just don't go on a cruise that goes to Key West as that will still be in the US.

So you've researched if you'd rather do Disney, NCL or Royal based on price and itinerary. You've contacted a travel agent (either vacations to go or AAA if you are members will both do) and booked connecting rooms. You want to party as much as possible.

On the last night you get any liquor you have bought back. So let's say your 21 yo friend bought a couple bottles of rum. That night about 8 it comes back and you can spend the whole night on deck drinking. My favorite memory of my first cruise was seeing the lights of Miami at 5 am that last morning. You go to the bar before closing and buy about 8 cokes at $3 each--or you can bring a case on with you. Most lines will allow personal cokes (about one 12 pk per cabin) to be brought on with you. There are also lots of suggestions on the board for how to smuggle alcohol onboard. You can put it in mouthwash or shampoo bottles. However I've just put a 5th in my luggage and never had it searched. Then you'd have some for the week. Though to be honest I found it too difficult. When I was 20, I carried it and we didn't even open it b/c the lido deck was so far and who wants to carry a water bottle around with them all day? Plus there isn't very much you can "mix" with. Lemonade, some lines have fruit punch, and you can buy soda. But you can't get tons of juices and hte little fridge in your room isn't big enough for much. I usually clean it out first morning and leave the steward a note to take it all back. But it's smaller than a dorm fridge.

Personally I'd just go to the beach instead. Rent a place at the beach and send your 21 yo friends out for liquor purchases. It's a lot easier (and cheaper) than drinking on a cruise ship. That's what we did for grad week (back in the day obviously since I'm having a 10 yr reunion).

Read the Cruise Critic boards (www.cruisecritic.com and read Member Reviews off to the far right). That will give you reviews on each ship and will also give you any ideas on shore excursions you might be interested in.