<p>My older D is presently living in South Florida. She is only going to be there another 7 months. She would like to try taking a short weekend or 3 day cruise with her BF.They have most weekends free and have the ability to go last minute. She feels by being able to go last minute they can find something that is cheap.A cruise is something that she would never do with our family. My H is a sailor and would never set foot on a cruise.
She has seen advertisements for under $200 for a weekend. We have no experience with cruise lines to give her. They are looking to relax, eat and dance and hopefully see a comedy act. They are not interested in spending anything extra.
They are young to mid 20’s. Both of them do not drink.
Any suggestions-</p>
<p>If you don’t mind I’ll PM you.</p>
<p>I’m partial to Royal Caribbean - you can’t go wrong on any of their ships. If she can get a good price on one of those, I can almost guarantee she’ll have a great time. </p>
<p>Carnival caters to a younger crowd, in general. That might be my second choice if I were in my twenties again.</p>
<p>They need to check the minimum age requirements of any line they’re considering. The cruiselines have gotten a lot stricter about letting young adults cruise without their parents – there are a few exceptions (married couples, for example, on some lines) but I think that a number of them have 21 or 25 as the minimum age. (And, they’re not flexible – even if you’ll turn that age during the cruise, it doesn’t count.)</p>
<p>Cruisecritic.com is a good website for checking out reviews of cruises and getting a sense for the typical populations served. Royal Caribbean is generally good for active folks and folks who enjoy lots of entertainment and cruises with lots and lots of people. Carnival attracts probably the youngest crowd – heavy duty partying, lots of dancing, many group activities. But, timing also makes a difference. Spring break and holidays bring out lots of families; lots of singles and younger people on short (3-4 day cruises) and to a lesser degree on 7 day cruises, very few younger people on anything longer than 7 days.</p>
<p>Both over 21. They want to avoid going during spring break to try to avoid a big party scene.</p>
<p>Another vote for Royal Caribbean. If they get an inside room to save money, make sure it has a window to the Prominade.</p>
<p>Carnival is fair but likely fine for a young couple.</p>
<p>I’ve just completed my 23rd cruise a few weeks ago and given your criteria I would without a doubt suggest taking a look at Royal Caribbean’s 3- or 4-day cruises. If you are wanting to avoid the crowds, look at cruises during the first 3 weeks of May. You can find some great deals plus will avoid the spring break crowds and the summer family crowds. </p>
<p>At a quick glance I’m seeing a few 3-day cruises starting at about $220pp. You could possibly get a better deal last minute but it’s a risky bet with no guarantees. It would depend on how much inventory is left in the weeks leading up to departure.</p>
<p>A quick note that though Royal tends to normally draw an older crowd than say Carnival, on 3 and 4-day cruises you will find a primarily younger crowd regardless of cruise line.</p>
<p>Scott, having completed 23 cruises you sound like you’d be an expert! Wow,I’d love to learn all of cruise/travel tips. I have never been on a cruise, so 23 sounds just amazing to me!</p>