Kids sail free promo? Please Princess say it isn't true.

[Guest ldtr]

12 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

One of the reasons we started sailing with Princess many years ago was they limited the number of kids onboard.  I can recall many threads here on CC where people tried to book a family cruise on Princess and were told they had already met the number allowed for that specific sailing and could not book with kids.  We're not 'anti-kid' by any means, but did appreciate the limited number of kids.  I am going to research Virgin Cruises options due to the adults-only atmosphere -- it might be something we'd enjoy down the road.  

You might want to. Mainstream cruise lines which include Celebrity, Princes and HAL are all in the process of trying to appeal to younger cruisers, including families.  It is either that or fade away as their current demographic ages.

 

If you do not like children than you may not like Virgin since it is kind of aimed at the 20-30 something passenger. 

[Guest ldtr]

3 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

There was a comic on my last Holland America cruise who opened with. 
 

“There Isn’t One Kid On This Cruise  Who Deserves To Be On Here” he got a big laugh

 

When kids go they get their rooms cleaned , food placed in front of them (,just like home)

 What’s different for them?

 

If you don’t want kids book Holland America. 
 

P.S. I have brought kids on cruises before

HAL has changed.  It is now appealing to younger cruisers.  Have seen similar numbers on HAL as on Princess during summer months, especially on newer ships such as Eurodam.  HAL average age demographics now similar to Princess at 57.

[Wakepatrol]

1 minute ago, ldtr said:

HAL has changed.  It is now appealing to younger cruisers.  Have seen similar numbers on HAL as on Princess during summer months, especially on newer ships such as Eurodam.  HAL average age demographics now similar to Princess at 57.

I know HAL is trying to attract a younger crowd with younger faces on the glossy brochures etc but it isn’t working. I went on a spring break cruise this year and kids were minimal.

 

I then went on a Caribbean Princess cruise in June. The first thing I noticed was live music all over the Princess ship, in the atrium, piano guy near front desk, 2 or 3 lounges with different singers. On my HAL cruise they had a BB King Club that is the bomb, but that was it.

I’ve been on 15 HAL cruises and 

3 Princess cruises

 

[Guest ldtr]

1 minute ago, Wakepatrol said:

I know HAL is trying to attract a younger crowd with younger faces on the glossy brochures etc but it isn’t working. I went on a spring break cruise this year and kids were minimal.

 

I then went on a Caribbean Princess cruise in June. The first thing I noticed was live music all over the Princess ship, in the atrium, piano guy near front desk, 2 or 3 lounges with different singers. On my HAL cruise they had a BB King Club that is the bomb, but that was it.

I’ve been on 15 HAL cruises and 

3 Princess cruises

 

We tried HAL about 12 years ago and did not like the product.  Then tried them again about 6 years ago and like the changes (used them for a Sydney to Honolulu cruise).  We like the changes and been booking them regularly along with Princess ever since.  Have done both cruise lines to Alaska this year during the summer months and the number of children on both lines pretty similar.

Due to the changes HAL demographics which used to average around 65 has dropped to be in line with Princess at 57.  Have done 8 HAL cruises during last 6 years.  This year we will do two HAL, along with 6 Princess cruises.

 

You did not say which HAL ship you were on, but the older smaller HAL ships tend to run older demographics, than the newer larger HAL ships like the Eurodam. 

[Wakepatrol]

6 minutes ago, ldtr said:

We tried HAL about 12 years ago and did not like the product.  Then tried them again about 6 years ago and like the changes (used them for a Sydney to Honolulu cruise).  We like the changes and been booking them regularly along with Princess ever since.  Have done both cruise lines to Alaska this year during the summer months and the number of children on both lines pretty similar.

Due to the changes HAL demographics which used to average around 65 has dropped to be in line with Princess at 57.  Have done 8 HAL cruises during last 6 years.  This year we will do two HAL, along with 6 Princess cruises.

 

You did not say which HAL ship you were on, but the older smaller HAL ships tend to run older demographics, than the newer larger HAL ships like the Eurodam. 

I was on Nieuw Amsterdam in March. 
The old 1200 passenger ships we used to sail Veendam,Maasdam, Statendam,and Amsterdam are now gone from the fleet

[Guest ldtr]

41 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I was on Nieuw Amsterdam in March. 
The old 1200 passenger ships we used to sail Veendam,Maasdam, Statendam,and Amsterdam are now gone from the fleet

Was on a couple of cruises during Spring break period to Mexico on Princess.  Did not really see many under 18 children on board,  did see a larger than normal number of college age and above (18 to 30) on board for one of the 2, but not the other. 

 

When I say older, smaller ships that would include anything below the new ships that include the Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam.  Such as the Nordam, the Volendam, etc.

[disneyochem]

My only complaint with kids on cruises is the total take-over of the hot tubs.  I like ships/cruise lines that offer adult only areas which generally include a pool and hot tubs.   There’s nothing worse in going down to the pool area and seeing 8-10 preteens in the hot tub!  Oh, and slamming of cabin doors!

We cruised when our children were young but primarily on Disney cruise line.  We liked the no smoking on ship, the lack of a casino and that all the bars were separate from the main ship.  On a Disney cruise, having a lot of kids is part of the fun!  We did love the adult only areas on Disney ships.   Nice to have some peace and quiet while doing my crossword in the morning.

 

Most kids that we encounter on a cruise are well behaved (and my children were respectful of others during cruising) but as a personal preference we like fewer kids on board.  Maybe when we have grandkids that will change but right now we’re enjoying life as empty nesters!

 

 

[ceilidh1]

6 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

 

If you don’t want kids book Holland America. 
 

Well, you could....but this is right there on the HAL site...

[Ombud]

10 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

The first thing I noticed was live music all over the Princess ship, in the atrium, piano guy near front desk, 2 or 3 lounges with different singers. On my HAL cruise they had a BB King Club that is the bomb, but that was it.

I’ve been on 15 HAL cruises and 

3 Princess cruises

And that's why I go on Princess not HAL. You can keep the trivia, games, spa tryouts .... just keep the wide variety of music going.  Jazz to blue grass to rock to soul to alternative to classical. Not a fan of big band or hip hop