<p>Ok I admit I am a mom of a freshman and feeling a bit clueless with this whole Spring Break thing. I never did it while in college - we went skiing…and the thought of Spring Break brings to mind ‘Girls Gone Wild’ tapes. LOL</p>
<p>My D wants to go to Panama City Beach for Spring Break with a bunch of her sorority sisters. Gave me the speech that this was the highlight of the older sisters who went last year, and big regret for those who did not go. Trust me this will not sway us.</p>
<p>I have no clue if PCB is a good place, a bad place or something we should even consider.</p>
<p>They want to get a condo, and have one picked out. Has anyone done this? Gone there?
Is it as bad as I am visualizing in my imagination?
D is pretty level headed, but it worries me about her being without any constraints in a strange place with lots of other hormonal college kids.</p>
<p>I’d love some feedback…My initial inclination is to just say no…but that is my kneejerk reaction and I feel like I need more information.
Thanks All!</p>
<p>“it is up to you, but they can do the same things there that they can do at school”</p>
<p>Except, people, including adults, tend to lose their inhibitions when away from home. Sometimes common sense takes a vacation as well. </p>
<p>Our friends son went to PCB last year for Spring Break while we were all on our annual family SB trip together. Yes, there was plenty of alcohol, parties, etc. My husband grew up going to PCB for SB. </p>
<p>I’m not so sure I’d let my freshman girl go just yet. If they were going home w/ their roommate or something along those lines, possibly. Our friends sons’ roommates have joined us for many SB trips. That door will be open for my D when she starts college. She and her close friend/roommate are more than welcome to join us on our SB trip (and we foot most of that bill).</p>
<p>This is the “official” website…and that looks like party central. I bet there are some YouTube videos you could look at that might help you decide.</p>
<p>I know lots of students that just want to head home and relax, catch up on sleep, eat home cooked meals and recharge. That’s a good thing. Spring break is late this year, and if you check the academic calendar, exams come real quick after the students return to campus. In my opinion; a freshman is better off going home or on a family vacation where you they will get pampered and refreshed. It is also a good time to reconnect with the family.</p>
<p>becuase we live in Georgia we have gone down to panama city beach a number of times including when spring break is going on. It really depends on your daughter. Most of the kids hang out on the beach and honestly a lot of them are really really drunk. They stay around the holiday inn in large crowds.Drive up and down the strip in thier cars. There have been years when we are down there that some one ends up being killed in a car crash. Now I’m not aying that it’s all bad but the kids tend to do things I don’t think they would do back at school or home. I know the drinking age is 21 but they somehow all have access to alchol. No one is checking them when they are on the beach drinking so it’s pretty much anything goes. </p>
<p>Ok that’s the bad part. However the beach really is nice if you stay away from the crowds. so if she is just going down with her friends that is not one of the college party spots she could have a nice safe time. Note though alot of the places down there require you to be a certain age to check in so she will need to make sure of the rules. I have been behind kids checking in before who have had problems because they were too young.</p>
<p>YES it is girls gone wild and boys too! I am a average middle age woman and the guys are sooo drunk that even I have been hit on a number of times. That’s would not happen ANYWHERE else even with men my own age. Not to be blunt but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there were a number of pregnancy’s because of spring break.</p>
<p>Yes, our friends son that went to PNC last year was not 21 and there was PLENTY of alcohol and parties. And girls. During spring break most accomodations raise the min age to rent to 25 instead of 21. If a parent rents a condo and signs that there will be a guest that is 25 that is up to the parent and they face risk of getting kicked out. Or, a parent of one of the girls could own the condo or a timeshare and exchanges for one in PNC for spring break. I would want to know more details on the rental situation and location. I’m sure some kids have a fake ID for the min age to rent hotels. And some dive hotels just don’t care. </p>
<p>The 2013-2014 calendar is up. I’m bummed, UA spring break and our ISD are not the same That means one of 3 options: 1) trip w/ only younger D 2) trip w/ only older D 3) 2 different trips, one for each girl. Not sure dad will go for option 3.</p>
<p>ok well i guess i weigh in on the opposite of this forum… first of all busymom…you know my DD and she went to Panama City last spring. She had a great time and while there was alcohol involved there was a learning curve and she figured out in the first few days:). She had a great time, was not inebriated and remembered the trip, Unfortunately this year she will be doing an internship thru ua and so a Spring break trip is out of the question. So my suggestion is let her…trust in the sweet girl you have raised and also trust the she will be smart an sensible ( if she isn’t it will come back to bite her in the sororirty sense…)…Good luck!! This is very common!
Warmly,
adpimom</p>
<p>I think you should let her go! While obviously things will probably go on that you wouldn’t approve of, she is only going to be young once, and since you said she’s a level-headed girl, I’m pretty sure no lasting damage will be done. Only funny stories to tell when she’s older. Plus, if you drill it into her head to be smart while she’s there & that you’re “testing the waters” to see if you’ll let her go on any more vacations like this, I think she’ll really be more cautious with the choice she makes</p>
<p>Picture teenagers, weed, drugs, fighting, and orgies. Now you have the highlights of PC, from what my friends have told me. I don’t see myself in that scene. I would prefer to have good times with my close friends elsewhere</p>
<p>I grew up in south Georgia and went to PCB many times (during spring break). I would not let my freshman daughter or son go. I’d wait until they were a few years older, and wiser.</p>
<p>She’s a freshman?
No!
Not this year!
You’ll have to be the mean old mom on this one.</p>
<p>Next year, you can enthusiastically agree, saying, “It’ll be great! I’ll get some of my friends and we can all rent a condo together, girls only! Or the other girls’ moms can come, too! Just think of the pedicures and manicures and hairstyles we can try on each other!”</p>
<p>The PCB Holiday Inn Resort bought a full-page advertisement in Tuesday’s Crimson White advertising Spring Break in PCB. The pictures show a lot of people partying in swimsuits and bikinis. </p>
<p>Even as a current student, I would have a hard time recommending a college freshman to attend spring break in the continental or frankly anyone under 21 in case the cops decide to stop people for drinking. They may not be as popular with college kids as PCB or Cancun, but there are still tropical places to have fun and legally drink before one is 21. Both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are part of the United States and as such don’t require a passport, but have a legal drinking age of 18.</p>
<p>I too would have a hard time letting a freshman go to PCB for spring break. My DD and her sorority sisters went to Orlando as freshmen and had a blast.</p>
<p>That being said, my husband and I recently purchased a house on 30A outside of PCB in Seacrest. DD and sorority sisters will have full run of it this year for Spring break. They are Juniors. The house is available to rent, and our management company will NOT rent to students under the age of 25. I expect it is too calm for most college students on the 30A anyway.</p>
<p>One thing to consider though, Alabama’s spring break is several weeks after most other schools this year. So the area may not be nearly as crowded and crazy as usual. This might be a good year for Freshman to visit PCB.</p>
<p>Several news articles in PCB have mentioned police trying to crackdown on crowds and drinking this year during spring break. I would be sure to look at Florida law relating to underage drinking if you consider letting her go. In Alabama, if a person is underage and is in the company of others who are underage and drinking they can be punished for delinquency even if they are not drinking and pass a breathalizer. I have a friend whose child experienced this at a party while he was in high school. Other kids were drinking, he was not. Those who were drinking were put on probation, he had to do community service.</p>
<p>I have to cast my vote with the majority here.</p>
<p>No matter how level-headed she may be, she will be surrounded by those who are not. There is something to be said for having a bit more ‘life-experience’ under her belt, and better prepared to identify and extricate herself from potentially harmful situations. </p>
<p>I would say no until she’s older. (And when she is, she may be so level-headed that she decides that kind of mayhem is no longer appealing.)</p>
<p>Panama City Beach has a party central rep for a reason. Obviously she is your daughter and you know her best…but proceed with caution if you allow her to go. She does seem young, but I suppose it won’t be the first time she has been around partying and excess.</p>
<p>Don’t have delusions though about what she’s going to be immersed in. Partying on steroids.</p>
<p>I am 18 years old and a senior in highschool a group of my girls and I went last year as Juniors. It’s not as everyone’s making it out to be, obviously shes your daughter and you know her the best as someone else has stated when i told my dad we were going last year i thought he was about to have a heart attack, you have to be real careful. i made alot of new friends i still keep intouch with. As long as she doesn’t go and get completely wasted i think she will be fine she wants to experiment, and have fun with her girls. Being a mom you’re going to worry, but you should trust her enough to make the right choice’s, make sure if you let her go that they always travel in groups especially at night, i brought pepper spray and me being a 5’0 100 pound girl sure the boys thought of me as an easy target i had to warn one boy that was messing with me that i had pepper spay and to back off. I think you should let her go, but make sure she reads over the do’s and dont’s of spring break in PCB. She’ll have ton’s of fun if she does it right, im happy so say we will be going again. (:</p>
<p>If her friends are responsible, then let her go. My friends and I were thinking of going there, and while we all like to party pretty hard, we all know the importance of safety and would always have one girl who’s pretty sober each day to make sure everybody’s okay. My friends have always helped me out from bad situations and we’ve never had anything bad happen to any of us while we’re out because we make a pact to look out for each other and actually keep. So, in short, if you trust her friends, then let her go!</p>
<p>we all like to party pretty hard, we all know the importance of safety and would always have one girl who’s pretty sober each day to make sure everybody’s okay. My friends have always helped me out from bad situations</p>
</p>
That means one of 3 options: 1) trip w/ only younger D 2) trip w/ only older D 3) 2 different trips, one for each girl. Not sure dad will go for option 3.</p>