Avoiding (or finding) the booze cruise ....

Cruising is a vacation options that carries several different stigmas. One of those is that idea of the "Booze Cruise" ... or perhaps something described as "Perpetual Spring Break." A fear of many virgin cruisers is that once they board the ship, they will be bombarded with alcohol, drunks, and lewd behavior. On the flip side, some cruisers hope that they will be bombarded with alcohol, drunks, and lewd behavior. Interesting, huh?

Here are some rules for identifying possible booze cruises:

1. Short itinerary (3 or 4 nights)
2. Time when colleges might be on break (end Feb - mid April)
3. A large group is booked on board (use Google for ship and dates to find out)
   
4. Non-luxury cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc)
5. Most or all stops are in Mexico or the Bahamas

Now, it has been my experience that, while on a cruise, there is going to be a lot of drinking. End of story. Granted, I've never gone on a Disney Cruise Lines vacation, but I doubt even they are immune (seeing as 14 hours of having my ankles attacked by strollers at Disney World makes me long for a drink like nothing else). The nice thing is that cruise lines have really cracked down on the more destructive/alarming types of drinking, such as underage drinking. The "Fun Ships" of Carnival are also trying to be the "Family Ships," and Royal Caribbean has just revoked a rule that allowed 18-20 year olds drink beer and wine with parental permission.

Most cruise ships (especially in the Caribbean) are havens for such vices as drinking, smoking, and gambling. That is not likely to change at any point soon. However, careful planning can increase the odds of finding cruise that fits your needs.