Over 55s Which cruiseline is your favourite

[NMLady]

Oceania would be our first choice but we can rarely afford it. So, ....

 

Since we do not like dressing up we prefer NCL since it has no formal nights.

 

There is no assigned dining at all on NCL so that means that no part of a dining room has to be reserved for that. That means more seats for the "anytime" seating since freestyle is all 'anytime'. We can walk up to either dining room at any time during dining hours to be seated. We can ask for a table for two or can ask for a sharing table and be seated with others who also want to share.

 

We do not cruise on the huge ships, preferring those with fewer than 2500 passengers.

Edited June 1, 2015 by NMLady

[Koolcue]

I'm with you on Carnival....baring the obvious times to avoid an over abundance of underage, obnoxious teens & small children, I love the energy I get from Carnival...I started cruising with them back in the days when my children were young & much better behaved than some I see these days....but you know, a cruise is just what someone chooses to make of it...I choose not to sweat the small stuff & just enjoy every day I get to spend out on the open ocean, with or without children running amuck...lol....personally no one can make you have a bad time on a cruise but yourself....So I vote Carnival...I always have fun wherever I cruise......well there was this one time, but I can blame my choice in roommates on Carnival....lol

Edited June 4, 2015 by Koolcue

[boopsahoy]

Oceania would be our first choice but we can rarely afford it. So, ....

 

Since we do not like dressing up we prefer NCL since it has no formal nights.

 

There is no assigned dining at all on NCL so that means that no part of a dining room has to be reserved for that. That means more seats for the "anytime" seating since freestyle is all 'anytime'. We can walk up to either dining room at any time during dining hours to be seated. We can ask for a table for two or can ask for a sharing table and be seated with others who also want to share.

 

We do not cruise on the huge ships, preferring those with fewer than 2500 passengers.

 

NCL for the same reasons as you, and only smaller ships like the Gem with Carnival a close second.

[stevec999]

For us it is Carnival, number of children are very dependent on time of year. Lots of energy and activities but plenty of quiet places to relax. We have a HAL cruise booked for February 2016. We picked based on the itinerary (11 day Panama canal ). A little worried it may be a little quiet for us.

 

For reference I am 58 and wife is 46. From what I read we will be among the youngest on the ship.

[Chelly]

For us it is Carnival, number of children are very dependent on time of year. Lots of energy and activities but plenty of quiet places to relax. We have a HAL cruise booked for February 2016. We picked based on the itinerary (11 day Panama canal ). A little worried it may be a little quiet for us.

 

For reference I am 58 and wife is 46. From what I read we will be among the youngest on the ship.

 

Stevec999, I am a huge fan of HAL and have done the 10/11 day Panama Canal. You will LOVE it. No worries, you won't be the youngest.

[West Coast Gal]

I have tried many of the main stream, always come back to Princess! Yes they have lost some of their crispness, classiness and their extras, but they still seem to have the best itineraries and more activities onboard . . love sea days . . Celebrity was a very close second and could overtake Princess . . . if Princess keeps letting things slip.

[Truluv]

Have cruised with RCL, Carnival, Celebrity and NCL (and am taking my first solo as a widow on RCL (Freedom) in 2 weeks - wish me luck please, since I'm a little nervous about whether it's going to be too lonely after previous cruises with family). All of our family cruises were 7-9 day cruises.

 

I loved Carnival (Celebration, Inspiration, Sensation, Pride (2x), Legend, Triumph (2X), Victory) for the high energy and non-pretentious fun. It's been a few years since I cruised on Carnival, and our kids were younger. I'm interesting in hearing whether Carnival is 55+ friendly.

 

We switched to RCL (Enchantment, Mariner, Explorer 2X, Navigator, Oasis) when we discovered we knew all of the Carnival Cruise Directors "spontaneous" jokes by heart. RCL is fine, but Oasis was too big for me.

 

Our Celebrity cruise (Mercury) in Alaska was very quiet and formal. Our family has also cruised with NCL twice: once in Alaska (NCL Sun), and most recently last year on Breakaway. NCL felt too crowded to me. I hated that they used Breakaway's atrium for everything from Bingo to Zumba....always very, very busy and noisy.

 

My TA has recommended Holland, and I want to try Celebrity again. I also want to try Princess, especially after reading the comments here. I booked a Princess cruise a few years ago, but my company cancelled my vacation the day before we were scheduled to cruise.

 

I'll be retiring in 2-3 years, and plan to give myself a Mediterranean cruise as a retirement present. That one will be selected based on the itinerary and whether it goes to my bucket list destinations more than the cruise line. My kids are newly launched in professional careers, and hopefully they'll have some vacation time by then to join me!

[waitress22]

we just got back from a cruise from new York to Bermuda on the Norwegian breakaway. Do not recommend this cruise ship for those that like peace and quiet sometimes. a very large kids play area and water slides and activities for the kids.

food was actually below par and a lot of premium activities and restaurants with extra charges.. actually more restaurants you would have to pay extra for than the free ones included with the cruise.

Not impressed with Norwegian.

[Truluv]

Waitress - I agree with you! Breakaway was one of my least-favorite cruises. I ordered the "steak" one night and it was the most bizarre looking piece of meat I've ever seen...grey, oddly shaped and a strange taste & texture. (My waiter had suggested I avoid it and I didn't listen...shame on me). First time in any cruise I actually sent something back as inedible. The specialty dining rooms were ok. Hated the noise and crowds. With so many events occurring in the Atrium, the sound traveled up & through the entire center of the ship. Still, a cruise is better than work, the cabins were comfortable, we like visiting Bermuda and the price was definitely lower than other options for our family at the time.

[Folk Singer]

RCCL right now with HAL as a close 2nd.

[mrobstad]

NCL....caters to solo travelers. Love the amenities of newer ships, speciality restaurants, Vibe....love my PCC!

[FireStation46]

My cruises were all RCL. Out 1st cruise we were amazed at the size of the ship. For some reason, i just can't think about going on their biggest ships Quantum class etc.

 

Funny in a way as the RCL's i have taken were likely the biggest of their era.

 

My Grandmother returned to Ireland for good in 1968 on. Cunard ship and i thought that was big! Not compared to tiday's ships! I love that photo where someone superimposed the Titanic against a modern cruise ship. What a difference time makes!

 

Something how we can get adjusted to things. Eventually, we will take RCL's biggest ships but that may be a few years off. Also funny by the time we get to those ships, they may have newer and even bigger ships!:eek:

Edited January 23, 2016 by FireStation46

[crystalspin]

We're going on our fifth HAL cruise in June. Hal has definitely grown on me, and I'm not driven to try other lines just to try them. Had booked a Panama transit on Princess for this February, but when HAL's itineraries came out for 2017, Westerdam's was both at a good time and much more interesting with more and different ports than our previous PC trip (for the same price, averaged over two cabins).

 

That was on NCL, and I was not at all impressed with our pre-Xmas cruise on the N.Star. Shabby and when the seasonal decorations started going up, it was actually humorous how tacky they were -- cartoon-y printed pages you might see in a nursery or grade school, although even there they would be hung with a little care, not stuck up randomly around the ship!

 

I would try a mid-sized to Pana-max Princess ship, though, for the right price and on the right itinerary! I'm not eager to try ANYONE's mega-ships, although dr'spin did enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam more than the Zaandam.

 

 

 

previous cruises: 2xStatendam, Zaandam, Nieuw Amsterdam

also Norwegian Star&Orient Lines Marco Polo...

[lenquixote66]

We have cruised on Carnival,Celebrity,Cunard,Holland America ,Norwegian and RCI.

 

Our favorites are Cunard and Celebrity

[uspsclerk]

We just started cruising in April of 2015. We both wish we would have done this years ago when we were a bit younger. We are taking our second cruise in Jan of 2017 on RCCL and can't wait. We absolutely loved our 1st on on RCCL.

[Tatka]

My parents started around 60. They are very active and refused cruising as long as they could. :)

Cruised on Princess, NCL, RCCL. Loved all cruises, but Princess more than others.

[NIATPAC29]

If you are young at heart and enjoy nightlife-----carnival all the way

[mrobstad]

whichever has the lowest single supplement and best itinerary.

[iancal]

At the moment it is Celebrity first and Princess second. HAL was third but it has slipped for us to the point that it seldom makes it to our final pick.

 

We are not married to any cruise line.

 

Price, ship, and itinerary all play a much larger part in our decision making process. So far we have experienced Carnival, NCL, Crystal, Celebrity, Princess, RCI, and HAL.

Edited February 10, 2016 by iancal

[DocF]

If the main dining room food was better, I would say Holland America. Of course our small sample size makes this a very unreliable conclusion.:rolleyes:

 

Doc

[JimAOk1945]

This is an interesting thread. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments.

 

We have been on Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. So far our favorite is Royal Caribbean. In August, we will be on our first HAL cruise. We are really looking forward to it and the nice things I keep reading just stokes my excitement!

[CruisinHarvey]

We cruise mostly NCL and HAL. HAL if we want slow, relaxed, with little activity and excellent service. NCL if we want to party a bit with good entertainment.

 

Here's an example of a young couple aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. Pretty funny, but from my experience, fairly typical.

 

[gigivic]

Hi, my husband and I are seniors and are ready for kid free, low key cruising. We went on Holland America to Alaska years ago and was upscale with an environmentalist on board which we enjoyed. You may want to try Holland.

[haikou]

Very favorable fares for solos, all inclusive, 5 star service, excellent food, paddle tennis, complete wraparound promenade decks on its 2 ships, happy service oriented crew, no long lines fortender boats etc...

[ansoninc]

Very favorable fares for solos, all inclusive, 5 star service, excellent food, paddle tennis, complete wraparound promenade decks on its 2 ships, happy service oriented crew, no long lines fortender boats etc...

 

 

I missed which line you are referring to.

 

 

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