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Over 55s Which cruiseline is your favourite


Priya2
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We have sailed on Royal Caribbean x4, Celebrity twice and Princess once. As quiet, relaxed people who don't party or gamble, we like Royal best for the food, the pools, the availability of quiet areas. However, would cheerfully sail any of the three, and now that we are experienced cruisers, we would like to try Princess again, as it was our first cruise and had no idea what to expect! You can shuffle board or party hearty on any of these.

 

Sail when school is in session, the cruise is more than 6 days long and you will have the fewest children. I love kids but would not want the mayhem of a spring break cruise.

 

Good thoughts, but you also point out something else to take into account. You note you're "quiet, relaxed people who don't party or gamble." That's great, but although we're in our late 50's, we're somewhat the opposite because on vacation and on a cruise we're more of the "party hearty" type and enjoy the nightlife and dancing. We also enjoy formal nights and the chance to get dressed up for the evening - that's a key part of the cruise experience for us as opposed to other vacations. We've cruised and enjoyed RCCL mostly, and probably need to consider Celebrity and Princess too as we read these threads! (Although the "way too quiet" review from one in this thread regarding Celebrity gives us pause!

Edited by LetsGetWet!
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We like the bigger ships with more activities. Love DCL and have done 2 sans kids- still great; RCCL comes in next because of activities, service. Celebrity is WAY to quiet for us but had great service; Carnival has been ok and we are booked on another. HATED NCL for a variety of reasons- chaos with freestyle dining, poor service, terrible shows.

 

 

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Thanks, that's interesting info. You sound much like us, we're in our late 50s, but love the nightlife, dancing and partying in the evenings - wouldn't want a real quiet atmosphere.

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Good thoughts, but you also point out something else to take into account. You note you're "quiet, relaxed people who don't party or gamble." That's great, but although we're in our late 50's, we're somewhat the opposite because on vacation and on a cruise we're more of the "party hearty" type and enjoy the nightlife and dancing. We also enjoy formal nights and the chance to get dressed up for the evening - that's a key part of the cruise experience for us as opposed to other vacations. We've cruised and enjoyed RCCL mostly, and probably need to consider Celebrity and Princess too as we read these threads! (Although the "way too quiet" review from one in this thread regarding Celebrity gives us pause!

 

There are lots of late night activities advertised on RCCL ships and a couple at our table on the Adventure of the Seas was delighted with all the music and dancing venues. I keep trying to get DH to stay up late enough to party at least once, but so far no luck! We enjoy the formal nights too and hope they continue.

 

One of the things I like best about cruising is that everyone can have the vacation they want!

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There are lots of late night activities advertised on RCCL ships and a couple at our table on the Adventure of the Seas was delighted with all the music and dancing venues. I keep trying to get DH to stay up late enough to party at least once, but so far no luck! We enjoy the formal nights too and hope they continue.

 

One of the things I like best about cruising is that everyone can have the vacation they want!

 

Good point, MommaBear! Definitely to each their own - and cruising is good for that. Luckily for us, we're both inclined to stay up late dancing and partying and then sleep in late the next morning! We do love formal nights, and tend to get cleaned up and dress nicely even on the other evenings. Of course, that didn't stop us from joining a few others in spontaneously jumping in the pool during the evening poolside dance night! :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am 63 and have been on two cruises; both RCCL. 2013 was San Diego to Fort Lauderdale on Vision of the Seas. 2012 was Singapore to Sydney on Rhapsody of the Seas. 2012 was many nationalities with lots of Australians and New Zealanders. 2012 was mostly Americans with about 70 Australians. Very different cruising experiences. In 2012 I travelled as a solo male (one of the very few) and in 2013 as a couple with my lady friend. I consider myself a middle of the road person and felt that RCCL was catering for similar people.

Edited by pn1
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We are value cruisers (cheap):D so here are our rules to avoid large groups of family cruisers.

 

Time of year (best for us is late Nov early Dec - less families and better prices)

 

Length of cruise (Families usually go on shorter cruises so we go on longer ones - repos are especially good plus they tend to attract veteran cruisers)

 

Ports of departure - We go to ports that have a large senior population close. (Example -we were on a Carnival Western Cruise from Tampa in early Dec - mostly older folks - stopped at Cozumel and the bars were hopping until the other Carnival ship from New Orleans left - It was mainly full of families and young 20 somethings.) BTW this shows that even the "Fun ships" can have older crowds if you follow these rules.

 

For the record - we have nothing against kids - families - 20 somethings -we just don't always want to vacation with a large groups of them.(But the bar at Cozumel was a lot more fun with the New Orleans Crowd :D)

 

From there on we pick lines that serve our needs best - in our case we prefer to find less expensive options as we like cruise cheap - cruise twice.:rolleyes: YMMV

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NCL is by far my favorite. I have done RCCL, Carnival, Disney and of course NCL. I always go when school is in session, but have done NCL when it was not is session and didn't even realize their were over 600 kids on board. I like doing things when I want to and not when I mandated - so freestyle is for me.

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To tell the truth, we have never been on a bad cruise, but some were better than others. Princess for us was dead. I was not impressed.

 

Carnival has cut back on so much that we only go because I am cheap.

 

Norwegian had the best entertainment, and the food was good. Just didn't like Anytime Dining because it isn't anytime. Sorry people, but I like Formal Dining at an assigned table with other people. I have had freestyle or anytime dining twice and it was just the dear wife and myself. I eat with her everyday, have talked about every conceivable subject and I don't like to repeat myself.

 

That brings us to my favorite. Royal Caribbean. They still have decent entertainment. I mean live music instead of DJ's and Crappioke. The shows were good and we could always find something to do. Don't get me wrong, we will still sail other lines because, like I said, I am cheap, but RCCL gets my vote.

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  • 2 weeks later...

RCCL in the states. Someday I hope they ban smoking anywhere on any cruise line. Not too bad on RCCL but there are spots you have to hold your breath. I like cruises with a variety of ages. Fun to see young adults dealing with the kinder and older folks that still have a zest for life. Variety is always good.

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We've cruised several times with P and O which was okay but the food is not great, once with Cunard which was really boring whilst the food was fantastic in the grills the segregation was a bit old fashioned, once with RCI on the IOS whish we both hated it was too brash too impersonal and the food was dreadful. We are going with Azamara for the first time in August and we are both looking forward to experiencing a small ship for a change!!

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We are value cruisers (cheap):D so here are our rules to avoid large groups of family cruisers.

 

Time of year (best for us is late Nov early Dec - less families and better prices)

 

Length of cruise (Families usually go on shorter cruises so we go on longer ones - repos are especially good plus they tend to attract veteran cruisers)

 

Ports of departure - We go to ports that have a large senior population close. (Example -we were on a Carnival Western Cruise from Tampa in early Dec - mostly older folks - stopped at Cozumel and the bars were hopping until the other Carnival ship from New Orleans left - It was mainly full of families and young 20 somethings.) BTW this shows that even the "Fun ships" can have older crowds if you follow these rules.

 

For the record - we have nothing against kids - families - 20 somethings -we just don't always want to vacation with a large groups of them.(But the bar at Cozumel was a lot more fun with the New Orleans Crowd :D)

 

From there on we pick lines that serve our needs best - in our case we prefer to find less expensive options as we like cruise cheap - cruise twice.:rolleyes: YMMV

Good tips, thank you. I need to ask though, what are repos (perhaps an US term? I'm from UK)?

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Good tips, thank you. I need to ask though, what are repos (perhaps an US term? I'm from UK)?

 

Repos = repositioning cruises. Example - a ship may be doing summer Mediterranean cruises, but in the winter will shift to a Caribbean itinerary. There will be a one-way cruise available from the Mediterranean base port to the new Caribbean base port - may or may not have additional ports in-between. That is a "repo" cruise.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 via Tapatalk

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Repos = repositioning cruises. Example - a ship may be doing summer Mediterranean cruises, but in the winter will shift to a Caribbean itinerary. There will be a one-way cruise available from the Mediterranean base port to the new Caribbean base port - may or may not have additional ports in-between. That is a "repo" cruise.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 via Tapatalk

interesting, thanks!
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Good tips, thank you. I need to ask though, what are repos (perhaps an US term? I'm from UK)?

 

I've been on two repos so far, the second sailing out of Southampton. Next year I'll be on another sailing out of Harwich.

 

Ships come back to the UK in the spring, and leave in the autumn.

 

They are good value for money, and I've always found plenty to occupy me on the sea days.

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I've been on two repos so far, the second sailing out of Southampton. Next year I'll be on another sailing out of Harwich.

 

Ships come back to the UK in the spring, and leave in the autumn.

 

They are good value for money, and I've always found plenty to occupy me on the sea days.

The snag for me is that I have heard the transatlantic crossing can be very rough in parts (on route to NY anyway). I suffer with sea sickness so, if that were the case, it would be far from a pleasant trip for me.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest maddycat

We've sailed on Costa, Princess, NCL, Celebrity and RCI over the years. We sail when the schools are in session (late October and late April) so that there aren't many children onboard. What children are onboard are usually in the children's program anyway.

 

These days we only sail on Celebrity and RCI. RCI is our favorite. We are Diamond Crown and Anchor members in RCI's loyalty program and really enjoy the perks (balcony discounts, free evening drinks from 5-8:30). Even though we are seniors we find Celebrity a bit quiet for our taste. There is more to see and do on RCI. We find the service to be very friendly and accommodating on RCI. For the most part we enjoy both the food and the entertainment. We always meet interesting people on our RCI cruises.

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Our favorite is the one that offers us the best value given our preferences and their pricing.

 

Last three cruises in the Med have been Celebrity...their balcony pricing won hands down. But it could have just as easily been HAL or Princess if their pricing was not so high at the time we booked (inside the cancel window).

 

We plan to go to Southern Europe this fall-Sept/Oct for a cruise and independent travel to Malta, Sicily, and Turkey. We will select a cruise in the July/Aug timeframe based on value. Probably inside the non cancellation window. We then book everything else around it. We keep our dates very flexible in order to take advantage of good offers.

Edited by iancal
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Our favorite is the one that offers us the best value given our preferences and their pricing.

 

Last three cruises in the Med have been Celebrity...their balcony pricing won hands down. But it could have just as easily been HAL or Princess if their pricing was not so high at the time we booked (inside the cancel window).

 

We plan to go to Southern Europe this fall-Sept/Oct for a cruise and independent travel to Malta, Sicily, and Turkey. We will select a cruise in the July/Aug timeframe based on value. Probably inside the non cancellation window. We then book everything else around it. We keep our dates very flexible in order to take advantage of good offers.

I'm very aware that when I retire (this Summer, Yay!), we can book 'last minute'. May I ask, where do you search for the bargains?
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Recommend NCL for solo travellers. Lovely studio cabins at great prices.

Single passengers catered for by a caring cruise line. Google the studio cabins and studio lounge and see how.

 

Based on one cruise on Norwegian Jade, I am reluctant to travel with NCL again. The arrangements made for solos on that trip wasn't great, and the food was the worst that I've had on board ship.

 

I sometimes think that it's a matter of luck!

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Based on one cruise on Norwegian Jade, I am reluctant to travel with NCL again. The arrangements made for solos on that trip wasn't great, and the food was the worst that I've had on board ship.

 

I sometimes think that it's a matter of luck!

 

I agree it may be a matter of luck but Epic, Breakaway and Getaway have studio cabins for singles with a studio lounge just for singles. Access to these corridors is by a special keycard. The studio lounge has tea/coffee, wine and snacks all day. There is a whiteboard so people can seek dinner/trip companions . The lounge is staffed every evening from 5pm for a couple of hours.

The price is better than paying almost double for an inside cabin too.

The new ship next October will continue the NCL studio cabin idea.

 

As for food I have just cruised on the Spirit and could not fault the food so as you say it could be bad luck you had a bad experience.

I feel for a single retired lady I enjoyed the camaraderie of the singles group so I never felt alone. The group met every evening.

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We have only cruised Norwegian, RCCL and Carnival so our experience is limited. That said, I'd rate them in exactly that order.

 

I'd like to try Celebrity sometime too.

 

Our experience with Carnival was unpleasant. The cruise was to the Bahamas out of Baltimore. However, this was in the summer so there were way too many kids on board. It was the Pride which has a party reputation and we are not partiers. Our room steward was pleasant and did a good job and we absolutely loved our wait staff in the MDR and the food was good. The "dress code" was extremely lax in the buffet area and I saw way more skin than I ever need to see again all over the ship. It was also hard to find a clean table in the buffet area. There just weren't enough staff to keep up with the mess. We came off that cruise with the mantra of "Just because you can get it on, doesn't mean it fits".

 

Norwegian was 11 years ago and I understand it has changed but our experience was amazing. We went to Alaska out of Seattle and enjoyed everything about this cruise.

 

Our last 2 cruises were RCCL and one was even during hurricane Sandy, but we still had a really good time. Until DH retires we sail out of NJ and Baltimore as they're within driving distance. RCCL's passengers are a little more conservative behavior wise. Everyone's having a good time, but not stumbling drunk and loud (for the most part).

Edited by Johnsblonde
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