My friends and I (probably 5-8 of us) are looking for a 3-5 day cruise leaving from the Southern California area and probably following the Mexico pattern. I see Carnival and Royal Caribbean as the two with the most options. Is one line better than the other for a group of mid-twenties guys?

I'd like to get something all-inclusive (or at least as close to that as possible)

If you are looking for a party atmosphere, not formal, plenty of "bucket of beers" by the pool, I'd go with Carnival over RCCL. RCCL is going to be a little more sedate and more family oriented, though in general the shorter 4/5 day cruises are less formal. For 20's guys, go with Carnival. However, do be aware that the cruiselines have age limits when booking so you need to check that. I believe there may be limits of 21 or 25 yrs of age. Their websites should tell you.

Thanks. We're all 24-25 so hopefully that won't be a problem. We're looking for a nice cap to the summer with the "bucket of beers" type atmosphere. Any advice on where to book?

Carnival would probably be a younger crowd which you would enjoy more, and age isn't an issue with them, 21+ is fine.

there are only 4 all-inclusive... >

seadream
regent
silversea
seabourn

I was under the impression that most cruises, such as Carnival, included pretty much everything except the booze. Is it possible to pre-pay for an open bar?

no... only those 4 cruiselines are all-inclusive, including most alcohol, all tipping, etc.

an example of premium alcohol pricing on seabourn is $75 for 2 oz of louis XIII. unfortunately i didnt know how good of a deal that was at the time.

bar bills can be ridiculous on other cruiselines, and there can be all sorts of charges on top of tipping, like premium restaurants etc.

The cruise is "all-inclusive" except for booze. On Carnival, the only way to get an open bar is if you have a group of 30 or more people and everyone in the group pays for the open bar. It's not that economical either, IMHO.

I would definitely go with Carnival over RCCL for the trip you're looking at. It's significantly less expensive and will have better nightlife.

carnival is where you want to be---they have more of the atmosphere you are looking for---the other all inclusive lines is most likley not what you are looking for---they are more consitant of higher more well traveled clients and not looking for party---no nightlife and no party by the pool...

You will pay for the buckets of beer on Carnival and the bar tab will run up quickly as others have mentioned, but 4 or 5 day on them can be as cheap as 600 where as silversea, seabourne will run you 5,000 or so.

You definitely don't want a high-end all-inclusive line like Regent. The average passenger age is dead.

QL

ensenada.com to get you in the mood. Take Carnival and an extra $500 each.

Thanks all for the insight!

Are you allowed to bring any booze on the boat?

Only one bottle of wine at the start of the trip (though of course many people bringing waterbottles on are full of vodka, not sure if you can still sneal those on or not)

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages onboard. However, guests 21 years of age and older only may bring one bottle (750ml) of wine or champagne, per person, on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the main dining room; $14 corkage fee per bottle in the Supper Club. Guests may bring a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages. All prohibited alcohol, additional quantities of wine/champagne or excessive quantities of non-alcoholic beverages will be confiscated and discarded without compensation.

You can bring wine on Carnival, but no liquor or beer. That said, I have heard () that if you put bottles of liquor in your checked bags they will make it aboard unmolested. They will likely be found and confiscated if you put them in your carry-on luggage though.

If a nice ship is important to you then look carefully at these short haul trips - that's where cruiselines usually dump their oldest ship. If you aren't sure how old the ship is - go to the cruiseline website or to Cruisecritics.com. Any ship with a few hundred balconies, generally built in the last ten years (even if you don't get a balcony) is new enough for you - but the newer the better. Also - instead of squeezing 3 or 4 guys into tiny (180 square feet ) cabins look at only putting two in a room, you generally don't save much by squeezing people in.

As far as all-inclusives, I don't think cruising is all inclusive. You will need to pay about $10 a day a person in tips to waiters and cabin attendants, and some cruie lines charge for specialty restaurants, soda, ice cream outside of meal times, specialty coffees, gym classes like spinning, tours in port, etc. Have a great time!