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Vacation time for college aged kids.

Hubbard

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I figured this would probably be the best place to ask for advice about planning trips, yes, yes I know there have been several posts similar to this but I need specific imput. My buddies and I are thinking about a trip, somewhere warm. We have tossed around ideas; Mexico, cruises, caribean, etc. It seems that a cruise is the top choice right now, but I have some concerns, namely drinks. Believe it or not my friends and I do like to enjoy a few alcoholic beverages now and then and this isn't included on many (is there any where it is?) cruises. I unfortunately am no light weight when it comes to this so I was worried about having my bill be up there with the cost of the cruise. Anyone have any problems similar to this? Or ways to get around it? Also should I be looking out for a specific boat (and company?) or are all modern boats about the same (clubs, casinos, etc.)?

Second part to the question, location for the cruise. Any places that you would recommend a lot? We have no specific place in mind, warm with girls and night life is probably the only criteria.

Third part, non-cruises, including (but not-limited to) all-inclusive places. Any suggestions on this? Locations, specific places to stay, etc. The pros to this way is most times drinks will be included and usually with meals.

Now keep in mind most of us aren't loaded so we want to keep costs down, trying to spend around $1000 a piece.

Lots of info wanted here, but if you can contribute anything from experience, please let me know.
 
Hubs, we did Panama City a few times...the wristband deal they sell you when you arrive is excellent. There are free drinks somewhere everydaywith the wristband and itinerary...

That was 7-8 years ago so no telling if it is still available :(
 
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IMO, for your money, you can't beat Cancun and their all-inclusive packages. I've stayed at the Cancun Palace three times. The last time I was there, 2003, it ran around $1,500/person for round-trip air, transfers to and from hotel, two tours, and of course unlimited food and drinks. Our hotel had four or five places to eat as well as drink throughout the day. Your all-inclusive package also gives you full access to the other Palace Resorts. The service you receive is amazing and it's a very clean city. The only downside of all-inclusive, IMO, would be if you're the type that likes to go out to eat and drink a lot where you're going to be spending more money. The hotel has plenty of activities and nightly entertainment where there really isn't much need to leave.
 
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My wife and I are going to Ixtapa, Mexico Friday.

We would rather go soemwhere that isn't" Spring Breaker Central."

Cruises are good, if you are planning on playing shuffle board and taking your mini van to the shop. Sorry, just too boring and predictable for me.

Definitely get something that is all-inclusive so you don't have to worry about tipping and carrying a bunch of cash around with you.
 
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If you are going on the cruise, you can buy liqour on the boat at the duty free shop. If you do not want to buy it there just bring some liquor with you to get you to the first port of call. Put a bottle in your carry on. Once you get to your first port of call go to a duty free and load up on whatever you want and make your own drinks.

Obviously the downside to this method is you have to go back to your room every time you need to make a drink. I know of people who just buy one of those large water bottles with the straw sticking out, and carry those around with them, although you cannot take them into the bars, and clubs with you. You can have them all around the boat.

I agree with Thump, if you are going with buddies, stay away from the cruise, unless it is a theme cruise for singles.

I would suggest a place like Hedonism in Jamaica. Lots of single people and very adult based activities. There are no children at all. They have all kinds of activities in the day and evening that are basically ways to get you laid. It is all inclusive, and you can pretty much bet every girl there is there for the same reason you are. It has been over 10 years since I have been there, but it was a trip I will never forget. Not sure if you can do it for a grand any more though, check their website.
 
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The cruises that include all you can drink are going to be well over $1k for the week (usually they are "premium" boats/service and will cost double... sometime more than double... for the same type of room on a "normal" cruise).

If you plan on doing a lot of drinking the cruise might not be for you (it's not uncommon to rack up $500 per person on the beer tab). They will not let you bring hard liquor bottles into your room. They make you store it. You can bring a couple bottles of wine into your room (and bring a couple bottles of wine from each port :wink2: ). If you don't mind drinking wine all week that could help with the cost.

The night life on a cruise tends to be good (many bars, shows, stand up, clubs, etc.), the food is good (and free), if you hit a few nice ports that can be fun as well, there is also a casino on most ships.

The only downside to a cruise is the liquor situation, and the fact there really isn't much to do in the afternoon (they usually have a couple of small pools, that are packed). cheak out travelstogo.com it has a good price comparison of almost all the cruise lines... should give you an idea of which ships are on sale (offers info on each ship and carrier as well... good for doing cruise research).


Vegas can be fun and cheap (unless you lose your shirt at the tables). Always good looking girls, free drinks, cheap rooms, cheap airfare, good weather, good golf courses... etc.

Mexico is always fun (airfare could limit you if you only have $1k to work with). The food and liquor tend to be cheap, and if you shop around you should be able to find a cheap hotel. There are pacage deals that include airfare that could help with the price. (google "student vacation cheap", and you should be able to find a ton of sites).

The Caribbean islands are fun... getting there is the big expense. Depending on the island some are cheaper than others

The all inclusive resorts are nice, however I doubt you could do it for a grand (airfare, hotel, food, liquor... it will prob. be $1.5k on up).

A road trip to Florida, New Orleans, South Padre (sp) Island (in Texas) would all be fun and reasonable. A trip up to Windsor is always fun and cheap...

If you ski, you might consider a trip to Reno. The night life isn't too bad (nothing like Vegas, but there are bars, Casinos, Clubs, etc.), hotels are cheap, and there is a shuttle that runs from Reno to Lake Tahoe (about 45 min.), the shuttle is basically free (you buy your lift ticket from the casino and the lift ticket comes with the shuttle free of charge). Getting out there is the expensive part... you can usually get a good price if you name a price on priceline.com (granted you will not know what time your plane leaves).

If you wait till after spring break, you could prob. get a cheaper room at hilton head and golf for the week.

Hope somthing in this post was helpful... really a shotgun approach...
 
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gbearbuck said:
Hope somthing in this post was helpful... really a shotgun approach...
That is actually what I was looking for, a shotgun approach.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. We went to Vegas last summer and we were thinking about going back but I think a change of scenery is due. The $500+ bar tabs is something I am definitely concerned about on a cruise and I didhear you had to stow any liquor you picked up on the islands, thanks for confirming that.

Nasty you were able to bring liquor onto the boat? B/c I wouldn't have a problem making my own drinks and carrying them around. We were thinking about a singles cruise, but nothing for sure.

Thump I had a buddy go on a cruise for his Honeymoon and he said he had a blast. This is one reason we are considering this.

We won't be going till July so we will miss the Spring Break crowd fortunately.

Road trips are out, I for one hate driving that long. I would love to go to a place like Reno, but I am the only one who shis so that is out as well.


Coxew, $1500 for everything would be great. I would take that in a second so I didn't have worry about everything. I do like to eat out, but if they offer a few choices I wouldn't be too concerned.
 
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Hub's

I did not personally do it recently. Our friends, lets just call them the Cheapstiens said that they bought liquor in those little airplane bottles. I think you buy them by the box. She would just keep some on her all the time, get a soda and dump some in. When I did it it was about 6 years ago on Royal Carribbean and yes we bought liqour at the duty free in Ocho Rios and brought it back to our room. I am not sure if we were allowed to or not, but our housekeeper never said anything about it.
 
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osugrad21 said:
Hubs, we did Panama City a few times...the wristband deal they sell you when you arrive is excellent. There are free drinks somewhere everydaywith the wristband and itinerary...

That was 7-8 years ago so no telling if it is still available :(
Im heading down there next week, leaving friday.
The paperwork we recieved from out hotel talked about the wristband, seems like one helluva deal.
Its like 40 bucks for a week, free cover at some bars if you go early enough,
and free drinks/food somewhere almost all day every day.
 
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Thump said:
Did they pack their yarmulke's as well?
You would not believe the stories of cheapness that they tell. We sit around at parties, and his wife goes on about how he did this and that to avoid paying for stuff. It is truly remarkable how he is affected by having to pay full price for anything.
 
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