A cruise passenger posted a warning on Reddit after booking a college spring break cruise without realizing it.  What was supposed to be a relaxing getaway at sea turned into a “total waste of $2,000”, according to the social media post.

Group cruises can be tricky. These sailings are often focused on a music style or theme, but they don’t usually rent the whole ship.  That’s because a full ship charter costs a lot more money.

Instead, group cruises book a bunch of cabins on a regular cruise. This means you might be on a “normal” cruise with a big, themed group. The problem is that cruise lines often don’t tell you about these groups when you book. So, you could end up on a cruise with a big party you didn’t expect.

This is exactly what happened to a pair of friends who booked a cruise on Celebrity Silhouette for a 45 ^th birthday celebration.

“ My best friend and I are currently on the silhouette for our 45th birthdays. We had no idea this was a spring break destination. More than half the boat are spring breakers. The party vibes by the bars and pool are fine. But slamming doors, running up and down the halls, and room parties until 4am are not ,” the frustrated passenger stated.

The post went on to say that even with an upgraded stateroom, the noise was just too much to get a good night’s sleep on this voyage.

“ We complained but have offered no assistance. Reddit posts warned of some spring breakers but had no idea we were reliving MTv spring break 2001 .”

With a final warning to future cruisers, the passenger concluded by saying the trip was a waste of $2,000.

The surprised birthday cruiser’s experience triggered a big online conversation in the comments. Many people shared their own cruise stories and gave advice.

One person said, “ Not to point out the obvious, but a 4 day cruise in March is going to be spring break. All 3-4 day cruises are party central .” Others agreed, with someone adding, “ The Nightmare Warning was there at your first thought of booking a 4N cruise in mid-March .”

Even a crew member talked about how tough short cruises are. “As a crew member, I can also confirm that short cruises 5 days or less are the worst,” one said, explaining the “lot of work” for staff.

Many people felt sorry for the crew, with some saying they were sending “thoughts and prayers” to the room stewards.

While some passengers said their cruise was okay away from the pool, others had issues. One person was upset that “major venues” were closed for private parties while on a group cruise, saying, “ We paid to access those too and there was no indication those amenities would not be available .”

Many people also suggested avoiding Caribbean cruises during spring break. “ I avoid booking Caribbean cruises from late February through early April for this reason ,” someone wrote.

Another person was surprised to see college students on Celebrity, saying, “ I’m a little surprised that it’s happening on Celebrity of all cruise lines .”

The truth of the matter is that any shorter cruise that is somewhat affordable this time of year can involve an experience like this.

I’ve found myself on a few unplanned group cruises before, and after an unpleasant experience decided to do a lot more research on my cruise dates before clicking the book button.

Here are a few tips to avoid booking a large group cruise along with some other things you should know if this happens to you:

• Research Online: Search the cruise dates and ship name on search engines. Group cruises often have a website or Facebook group or some kind of online advertising.
• Check Theme Cruise Finders: Use websites like themecruisefinder.com to identify themed cruises that might coincide with your trip. Use specialized google searches to help narrow your search.
• Ask Your Travel Agent: They might have insider knowledge about large groups on your cruise.
• Be Aware of Potential Disruptions: Large groups may reserve areas of the ship, cancel shows, or create excessive noise.
• Understand Cruise Line Secrecy: Cruise lines rarely disclose group cruise information to avoid deterring potential bookings.
• Short Cruises are more likely to have large groups: Especially during peak times.