CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- His hand  gripped a Corona longneck, and his  wrist was bedecked with fluorescent  plastic bar passes, including one that  said "Extreme Party Package." On  one side, the turquoise waters of the  Caribbean. On the other, a beachfront  bikini contest.  Chris Viveiros, a 22-year-old senior  at the less-than-tropical Roger  Williams University in Bristol, Rhode  Island, opened up in a broad grin.

                   "This is unreal, dude," he said.

                   Not really. It was just another day of spring break in Cancun, a resort has
                   steadily grown into a world capital of the mid-March binge of sea, sand,
                   and spirits that is a rite of passage for American college students.

                   Leaving behind traditional spring break spots like Daytona Beach, Florida.,
                   and South Padre Island, Texas, a record number of U.S. college students
                   have descended on Cancun this year, turning the resort into the hottest party
                   spot there is.

                   MTV films kids wriggling in their bikinis. E! Entertainment Television scours
                   the beach for lurid footage. Jose Cuervo and Corona sponsor events at
                   discos that compete for the word-of-mouth title of the least-inhibited party.

                   "There's no place to party like this, in America or anywhere else," said Kate
                   Roberts, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

                   Cancun has been building 1,000 new hotel rooms a year for years, but still
                   hit a record 100 percent occupancy a week ago. That means many students
                   showing up with confirmed reservations had to be bused off to nearby
                   resorts.

                   As spring break begins to wind down, Cancun is at 85 percent capacity --
                   extraordinary for late March, tourism officials say. And by any estimates,
                   next year will only be busier.

                   "We've had 70,000 spring breakers in the last four weeks," said Laura
                   Fernandez de Gordoa, Cancun's municipal tourism director. "We have
                   26,000 rooms, but we need at least 33,000."

                   Florida is still the top spring break destination in terms of sheer numbers,
                   travel agents say. But that's because it's easy to pile into a car and hit the
                   beach. In terms of spring breaks that require planning and a little more
                   money, Cancun is now king.

                   The routine is pretty standard: Wake up by 1 p.m., hang out on the beach,
                   shower, eat, and hit the discos until 5 a.m. After that there's the obligatory
                   after-hours party at the hotel, sunrise on the beach, and bedtime at 7 or 8
                   a.m.

                   "I've been to many spring breaks -- Florida, Jamaica -- and they ain't
                   nothing compared to Cancun," said Victor Garcia, a 21-year-old junior at
                   the University of Illinois. "Without a doubt."

                   Most of the students enjoy meeting people from colleges across the United
                   States -- even if they have to come to Mexico to do it.

                   "A lot of the people in Florida are locals," said Dawn Hylen, a 22-year-old
                   recent graduate of the University of Tennessee. "A lot of Harley Davidson
                   types."

                   The mix of people also means there aren't many acquaintances to tell friends
                   back home exactly what spring break entailed.

                   "Anything goes in Cancun, and whatever happens in Cancun stays in
                   Cancun," said Viveiros, repeating a slogan used at almost any spring break
                   destination. He pulled a disposable camera out of his pocket. "My girlfriend
                   isn't getting her hands on these."

                   Some of the revels can get out of hand, but Cancun officials said more
                   police, education campaigns and an agreement by discos to make last call at
                   4 a.m. have reduced the number of problems this year.

                   "We've made about 60 arrests this spring break. That's less than last year,"
                   said Angel Lopez, spokesman for the state police office in Cancun. "Even
                   so, the kids drink alcohol in industrial quantities and they go crazy." Most of
                   those arrested are fined and let go.

                   But the great majority of students don't get into trouble. With a drinking age
                   of 18 and an anything-goes attitude, it's pretty hard to. Besides, most of the
                   students are just here to have fun.

                   "Ninety-nine out of 100 students don't pee in public places or dance in front
                   of MTV cameras with a string bikini on," said Kirk Riley, president of
                   hotspringbreaks.com. "Most hang out by the beach, buy little brother a
                   T-shirt and buy mom a hammock. They're here to dance and lie out in the
                   sun."

                   The best part of it all, said Nick Doerr, a 19-year-old from Chicago saving
                   up for college, is that "no one's in a bad mood here."

                   No one, that is, except him. As he lay on the beach, he checked his watch to
                   make sure he didn't miss his bus to the airport after a week of revelry.

                   "I'm going to go home," he said, "and cry."

                    Copyright 2000 The Associated Press.