Hi,
I was wondering if any of you veteran cruisers could tell me what cruise life is like for college kids. I'm 18: I can drink alcohol with my parents permission, correct? And how is the nightlife, is it mostly older folks? Or is there some place that younger adults like myself hang out?
I'm traveling on the Pearl, by the way, to the west Caribbean.
Depending on the time of the year you're cruising, you may find an older adult crowd. If traveling during a spring break or summer, I think you will have a great time. We sailed the Pearl 3 times in 2007, and it is a great ship. Lots of things to do. The Bliss lounge is really something different, and there is plenty of entertainment to choose from. After a day or two, I am sure you will find the younger groups to interact with, especially late night in the Bliss lounge. There is no doubt, that by choosing the NCL Pearl you will have a "smashing time".
It's a great ship for a first time cruiser. Great choice.
Yes, you can purchase and drink wine and beer with your parents' written permission, so long as they are on the same cruise as you. Click here on the NCL site and select "What are NCL's Age Requirements?"
What time of year will you be traveling? As Richard & Mary said, you'll find more people your age during college breaks. In any case, N. Pearl (and her sister ships) offers a lot for passengers of all ages.
As mentioned we did the NCL Pearl in Feb 2007 to the Southern Caribbean.
I have attached our photoshow of cruise and the NCL Pearl. You may want to spend a few minutes to look at the photoshow so you may get an idea of the NCL Pearl. Link attached.
Enjoy the cruise. It will be a great experience.
And as LisaP stated, be sure to check the NCL rules link that she provided so that you can really enjoy the cruise. It's always good to know the rules and policies ahead of time.
We just returned from a Western Caribbean Cruise on the Pearl a couple weeks ago. We definitely noticed the crowd being younger on NCL compared to Princess. As Richard & Mary commented, the Bliss lounge was a lot of fun during the late night hours (and some nights were very late!!!) and where all of the younger crowd hung out. Spinnakers also had a decent amount of younger people during some of there shows, but Bliss was definitely where it was happening for the younger crowd.
As for the alcohol, as Lisa stated: Beer and wine...you cannot purchase hard liquor even with your parents permission (or so we were told while onboard...tho we are WELL over 18....unfortunately ).
IMO, you're going to have a great time and I think you'll find a pretty decent amount of people your age to interact with. We even found ourselves interacting with many in your age group rather than in my age group (40)!! Come to think of it, thats exactly who we ended up hanging out with......interesting.
Spent 9 days on the Pearl last year and going again in 13 days.....We did see many 19 to early 20's last year, but we did go later towards the Spring Break crowd...but I'm sure you will find fun and relaxation onboard...Happy First time Cruising....
You may also want to hang out at the pool or the bowling alley. There is also a climbing wall. That seems to be a hot spot for your age group. Have a great time.
lizjayne - As a good rule of thumb, I suggest you bear in mind that the shorter cruises (7 days or less) draw a younger group of cruisers whereas the longer cruises tend to carry an older crowd. Some of the upscale cruiselines are populated with more of the senior crowd.
However, all cruises carry a large segment of the younger,more active population. You will never lack for a companionable crowd on any cruiseship!!
And remember...there are better things to do on the cruise than just drinking....:-) Have a great first time cruise....I'm sure you will be back for many more.....Happy Sailing...
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