Holiday cruise for adults? 12/24-1/1ish?

[In2ishn2]

Hi all! 
 

Joined here as we want to learn what would be best for us. We are childfree, 50’s, active and want to find a good cruise over holidays. Looking for some niceties like a balcony and a couple interesting ports. We are far from wealthy but will spend a bit more for the right product. Prefer casual vibe.

 

Thanks!

[mom says]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. By cruise for adults, do you mean you want an adults only cruise? Because that will take your choices down to a handful of possibilities. What ports do you consider interesting? What part of the world? If you havent cruised before, I'd   recommend  finding a travel that specializes in cruises. They can help determine the type of ship and itinerary that will best fit your needs.

[CruiserBruce]

Are you asking about this coming 12/24? Little late to the process...going to make things difficult. Holiday cruises are popular...most are probably sold out, or have very little room left.

[Underwatr]

Queen Mary 2 cruises to the Caribbean from New York each December, departing on December 22 and returning on January 3.

 

The casual vibe might be missing but you can learn to be comfortable on a properly fitted tux. 🙂

 

Plenty of availability for 2020 the last time I checked (but since she won't be making her normal November trip in 2020 I expect that it might sell very briskly).

Edited January 9, 2020 by Underwatr

[In2ishn2]

Thank you all for answering. I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear. I was sort of thinking this year but it is clear we need to plan further ahead.

 

My husband has realized his dream of becoming a teacher as a second career after 30 years in academia and tech r&d so we are constrained to a typical school year calendar.

 

In short we value these things: not being run over by screaming children or other screamers, a more casual vibe, a good beverage program, good food, ports. 

 

I don’t know if we should look to higher categories on larger ships or search for “luxury cruises” We tend to prefer fewer experiences but each experience being a very good experience, e.g., we would prefer to go all out on attending one athletic event rather than getting season tickets offering a lesser experience.

 

Thank you again for your interest in sharing with us.

[cb at sea]

Pretty much any Christmas cruise will have a bunch of families aboard....but since they aren't YOUR kids, you can safely ignore them.  That's what we do.  You will want a cruise line that isn't considered "family friendly"....so RCI, NCL and Carnival shouldn't be on your list.  But...there will be kids on ALL the lines....can't get around that.

 

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

We never cruise when kids are out of school. Perhaps a longer cruise, 10 day or longer on a more luxury line would probably reduce the number of kids. 
 

Doesn’t Virgin do adults only cruises? Maybe look into them...I keep meaning to! 😬

[geonurse]

I bet you would be happiest on Holland America, or Celebrity- to help decrease lots of kids and have a bit more quality experience.....read lots of reviews from these lines and see what you think.....- of course taking things with a grain of salt- maybe consider which departure port would be easiest/ most cost effective for you to get to, and find out which lines and ships depart from there. Then research every little thing about them here on CC! Have a wonderful time- the planning is half the fun! 

[mom says]

If you don't want to be tripping over kids, but want to cruise over the December holidays, then you have few choices. Viking Ocean is adults only. I think there are a couple of UK line ships that are adult only. And then there are the luxury lines. They aren't explicitly adult only, but their price point and lack of family friendly amenities means there are usually few children aboard. As I said in my previous post - search out a cruise specialist TA. They can help you find what suits you best. 

[spookwife]

those holiday cruises are ramp[ant with large family groups.   on all the mainstream lines.  you are going o have to  bump up to an Adult one;y line like Virgin , or a more upscale line like Azamara.  I hear good things about Windstar for a casual vibe.  

[jocap]

If you're interested in the adult only cruises- apart from Viking and Virgin, the others leave from the UK, and nearly all go to Madeira for New Year's Eve. They leave the port in the evening, then anchor in a long line off shore to see one of the most fabulous fire work displays... I believe there were 8 ships anchored this year.

One year the ships performed a musical using their horns, which is somewhere on You Tube.. 😄. I know this is very popular with people from this side of the pond.

These adult only ships are main line, not luxury, but are very popular over Christmas and the New Year. They are also slightly more formal than other main line ships, so a jacket and tie is necessary on formal nights.

[George C]

I would skip the cruise and do a adult only resort like sandals , all inclusive better food, swim up bars,

[pacruise804]

On 2/4/2020 at 8:04 PM, In2ishn2 said:

Thank you all for answering. I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear. I was sort of thinking this year but it is clear we need to plan further ahead.

 

My husband has realized his dream of becoming a teacher as a second career after 30 years in academia and tech r&d so we are constrained to a typical school year calendar.

 

In short we value these things: not being run over by screaming children or other screamers, a more casual vibe, a good beverage program, good food, ports. 

 

I don’t know if we should look to higher categories on larger ships or search for “luxury cruises” We tend to prefer fewer experiences but each experience being a very good experience, e.g., we would prefer to go all out on attending one athletic event rather than getting season tickets offering a lesser experience.

 

Thank you again for your interest in sharing with us.

 

Everyone has a different opinion of "casual vibe" but it sounds like you are looking at Viking Ocean/Oceania/Azamara level ship, maybe Celebrity/HAL/Princess.

 

Viking Ocean is the only one I am familiar with since we booked a sailing for this November to celebrate our anniversary.  They are adult only and have a reputation as a "thinking man's cruise, not drinking man's cruise."  There is no formal dress, but evenings require pants (no shorts or jeans) outside the cabin or pool deck.  They are smaller ships at 900+ passengers, and appear to have good food.  One of the drawbacks to smaller ships is a lack of large production shows, but the ocean is our entertainment and ship entertainment is just a bonus.  There is still entertainment on these ships, just different.  There is also no casino or karaoke.

 

I cannot envision "other screamers" on Viking and have seen my share of loud, adult pax on mainstream lines.