The (not my) call for Celeb to go Adults only - is it even practical?

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

 

Yeah, as a dad I understand trying to get away for a relaxing vacation and not wanting crying/screaming kids .  However I've actually been on more than one cruise where the 100-200 kids were far better behaved  than the scores of adults trying to drink their money's worth. 

 

😁

 

When there were 600 kids on a sailing it was not pleasant. The kids sort of formed gangs and were out of control. There were young kids having tantrums. After that I avoided summer Caribbean sailings on Celebrity.  It was the wrong time anyway to cruise in the Caribbean. As for adults drinking their money’s worth never saw that on Celebrity.

 

I don’t think that Celebrity’s customers are clamoring for adults only cruises. I don’t think Celebrity would gain any business. It does not make any sense for a generalist mass market cruise line. 

[Jeremiah1212]

They have said before that their typical <18yr old population is something like 8% at most. We also rarely cruise during summer months and never during spring break or winter holidays and sometimes see maybe 10 kids onboard.

 

I think the current approach that keeps kid friendly and family friendly attractions at a minimum works well to keep the product adult oriented without having to go officially kid free.

[jgmorgan]

We did the Summit/Bermuda cruise one summer and that was the only one of our 15 or so cruises that had a large number of children.  While they were certainly having fun, it was more common for the adults to be behaving poorly than the children on board.  Nevertheless, it was a great cruise.  It was enjoyable to see the little ones walking across the pool deck in a line (more or less😀).

 

It seems doubtful to me that Celebrity's bottom line could ever benefit from going adults only.  It's hard for me to see a large enough new demand from those seeking "adults only' cruises to offset the loss of families with children and older adults bringing along grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc.

[George C]

We do a adults only cruise every year on celebrity (for the last few years) it’s a music charter one of many that are on M class ships. You don’t see a large amount of children on most celebrity cruises.

[kearney]

We tend to sail during school year.. although one cruise was over easter. Most of the cruises have had a dozen or so children..up to 18 and the Easter cruise had about 100. Given the size of the ships..even the 100 were hardly noticeable. I see no need for an all adult restriction. The kids on board have been better behaved than the usual Royal crowd. The lack of flow riders, zip lines, etc.. has a limiting factor without having to say no kids. I don't have kids..so take my comments with a grain of salt..but it seems to me that kids who are able to entertain themselves do well on Celebrity. If parents need to constantly find things to make their kids happy, Royal is better for them. But the kids I have seen on Celebrity tend to be more mature...not sure that is the right word. When I was a kid..back in the 50s-60s...my parents took my sister and I all over Europe..there was no focus on kids entertainment... yet we still had fun and it was an adventure... which I am glad I experienced...  

[Charles4515]

25 minutes ago, kearney said:

We tend to sail during school year.. although one cruise was over easter. Most of the cruises have had a dozen or so children..up to 18 and the Easter cruise had about 100. Given the size of the ships..even the 100 were hardly noticeable. I see no need for an all adult restriction. The kids on board have been better behaved than the usual Royal crowd. The lack of flow riders, zip lines, etc.. has a limiting factor without having to say no kids. I don't have kids..so take my comments with a grain of salt..but it seems to me that kids who are able to entertain themselves do well on Celebrity. If parents need to constantly find things to make their kids happy, Royal is better for them. But the kids I have seen on Celebrity tend to be more mature...not sure that is the right word. When I was a kid..back in the 50s-60s...my parents took my sister and I all over Europe..there was no focus on kids entertainment... yet we still had fun and it was an adventure... which I am glad I experienced...  

I have found the kids on Royal not to be a problem. The many activities do engage them. The cruise line I have been on with the worst behavior was Carnival. There were groups of kids at the show without their parents heckling entertainers. I also saw more bad adult behavior. I didn’t  book Carnival after my second try because of the adults and kids on that line. On Royal, never saw anything to that extent. If I had young kids I would take them on Royal or NCL. 

Edited August 1, 2022 by Charles4515

[TeeRick]

12 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

I ran across another conversation in which the author very strongly called for Celebrity to go "Adults Only" on all their ships. I don't think it would be a wise business move. However, from my days studying for my Master's going through some coaching courses I've looked at it from an alternative point of view; even if I don't think it is a good business idea, what would it take to actually make that work? 

 

At first glance it seems like Celebrity just has too many ships and rooms to fill for that to work.  I don't really think it is a viable option unless Celebrity did a few changes. Shed beds.  Meaning too many ships to operate as adults only and double occupancy only. 

 

Longer cruises with more diverse itineraries. People who can afford to sustain the operations of this business model across a fleet are likely to want new and unique ports of call, new experiences. Celebrity could offer longer, segmented "Voyages" as packages, or more land and sea packages perhaps. 

 

Celebrity has dipped their feet in the "all inclusive" waters and receded because customers still wanted lower price points. Were those customers a pair of adults, or did they represent families across several rooms? I honestly don't know. 

 

What, in your estimation, would need to happen for Celebrity to go adults only but not go out of business? 

Your post brings up a hypothetical scenario posted by another.  It has not been considered by Celebrity as far as we know.  I guess responding to it here is a thought exercise.  It is not going to happen IMO.  Also, along these lines, you could ask about a few other previously not-discussed general scenarios.  Any one could be made possible for 1 isolated custom-tailored cruise but not a change in the overall business strategy.

- Adults over 65 only or Adults under 65 only

- Gender-only specific cruises

- Country or nationality specific cruises

- Unvaccinated only 

- Vegans only (Bo would like this)

 

You could go on and on.😄

 

[davekathy]

12 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

I ran across another conversation in which the author very strongly called for Celebrity to go "Adults Only" on all their ships. I don't think it would be a wise business move. However, from my days studying for my Master's going through some coaching courses I've looked at it from an alternative point of view; even if I don't think it is a good business idea, what would it take to actually make that work? 

 

At first glance it seems like Celebrity just has too many ships and rooms to fill for that to work.  I don't really think it is a viable option unless Celebrity did a few changes. Shed beds.  Meaning too many ships to operate as adults only and double occupancy only. 

 

Longer cruises with more diverse itineraries. People who can afford to sustain the operations of this business model across a fleet are likely to want new and unique ports of call, new experiences. Celebrity could offer longer, segmented "Voyages" as packages, or more land and sea packages perhaps. 

 

Celebrity has dipped their feet in the "all inclusive" waters and receded because customers still wanted lower price points. Were those customers a pair of adults, or did they represent families across several rooms? I honestly don't know. 

 

What, in your estimation, would need to happen for Celebrity to go adults only but not go out of business? 

Now that's funny. 

[cdn_tbird]

16 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

 

- Adults over 65 only or Adults under 65 only

 

You could go on and on.😄

 

LOL Isn't that HAL already? My 78 yr old mother booked a HAL cruise and swore she would never book with them again. She said it felt like she being in "heaven's waiting room".

[kearney]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

I have found the kids on Royal not to be a problem. The many activities do engage them. The cruise line I have been on with the worst behavior was Carnival. There were groups of kids at the show without their parents heckling entertainers. I also saw more bad adult behavior. I didn’t  book Carnival after my second try because of the adults and kids on that line. On Royal, never saw anything to that extent. If I had young kids I would take them on Royal or NCL. 

I really didn't mean to suggest that the kids on Royal are a problem..but there are so many more than on the Celebrity cruises I have been on..they seem to congregate more and act like kids... doing kid stuff..running around..nothing bad, necessarily. Our experience on Royal is you see one or two at a time and so less running around on the pool deck. But I have never seen bad behavior on Royal except perhaps for that kid that hit all the stops on the elevator and then left 🙂 

[Virginia100]

I would more interested in Celebrity adding some new or infrequently visited ports. Add St St Vincent  & Grenadines, Rortan, virgin Gorda, Jost van dyke, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Barts. Maybe it’s time for Celebrity to add a smaller ship to visit these islands, for a new experience.

[Jeremiah1212]

25 minutes ago, Virginia100 said:

I would more interested in Celebrity adding some new or infrequently visited ports. Add St St Vincent  & Grenadines, Rortan, virgin Gorda, Jost van dyke, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Barts. Maybe it’s time for Celebrity to add a smaller ship to visit these islands, for a new experience.

 

I think you soon you will start to see more a push towards Silversea for that experience. RGC wants people move up the ladder, so to speak, and the Celebrity > Silversea move seems to be missing the mark. 

[Baron Barracuda]

In 30 years sailing with X have NEVER noticed a large group of children on a sailing.  Took my children on an X cruise back in the 90's when they were pre-teens and they enjoyed it.  Then took them on Royal.  That was it.  For the next 10 years they only wanted Royal.  How can you blame them?  X allows kids but Royal encourages them with water slides, zip lines, surfing, bumper cars, skydiving, etc.  

 

IMO one way to increase the average age onboard is bring back the longer 12-14+ night sailings that are less attractive to families.

[Jeremiah1212]

7 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

In 30 years sailing with X have NEVER noticed a large group of children on a sailing.  Took my children on an X cruise back in the 90's when they were pre-teens and they enjoyed it.  Then took them on Royal.  That was it.  For the next 10 years they only wanted Royal.  How can you blame them?  X allows kids but Royal encourages them with water slides, zip lines, surfing, bumper cars, skydiving, etc.  

 

IMO one way to increase the average age onboard is bring back the longer 12-14+ night sailings that are less attractive to families.

 

They aren't interested in increasing the average age that much. They need repeat clients who have a lot of cruising years left. 

 

 

[kearney]

20 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

In 30 years sailing with X have NEVER noticed a large group of children on a sailing.  Took my children on an X cruise back in the 90's when they were pre-teens and they enjoyed it.  Then took them on Royal.  That was it.  For the next 10 years they only wanted Royal.  How can you blame them?  X allows kids but Royal encourages them with water slides, zip lines, surfing, bumper cars, skydiving, etc.  

 

IMO one way to increase the average age onboard is bring back the longer 12-14+ night sailings that are less attractive to families.

What got us on Celebrity were the longer itineraries... and we stayed for the service and overall experience. Good point about longer cruises and children... another advantage is longer cruises tend to be more expensive than shorter ones are less likely to get the party boat type of young adults. I do wish they would add more stops to islands less traveled..

[Baron Barracuda]

11 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

They aren't interested in increasing the average age that much. They need repeat clients who have a lot of cruising years left. 

 

 

That's standard LLP baloney.  They need anyone who's willing to book a cabin.  A 70 year old still has many years of sailing left in them and more free time to do so than folks still working.

[Shiba_Lover]

Practical?  I think on the older ships, where the kids club is a small room - yes.  They could easily convert the space to something else.  On the newest ships - probably not so much.  In terms of would people sail - I think yes, on the smaller ships.  On the newer ones - I don't think they could fill them up in the summer months.  Now if you are also asking is there a market for adults only - yes, I believe there is, but not for the entire fleet.  Do they NEED to switch to adults only?  Probably not.  I've never seen that many kids on X.  I have no issues with kids being around if they are well behaved.  I also have no issue with adults being around, if they are well behaved.  I would not care to sail on Carnival for many reasons, which do not include the kids onboard.  I think the very few kids I have ever encountered on Celebrity have been well behaved - I think the parents probably realized the facilities for kids were limited and knew their kids would still enjoy the cruise / what was offered and chose that ship anyway.  Some kids are OK to read, play cards, listen to music on their phone/tablet and others need to have a surf pool, zip line, run whatever.  Parents can choose a cruise line to suit their child's activity level.  Most of these lines also have some adult spaces (casino, bars, so they can do "kid" things with their child, drop them at camp, and still have both family and adult time).  Those that want a more "adult" atmosphere - avoid those ships with lots of facilities geared for kids.  Should not be a big issue.  There's something for everyone.

[NutsAboutGolf]

27 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

That's standard LLP baloney.  They need anyone who's willing to book a cabin.  A 70 year old still has many years of sailing left in them and more free time to do so than folks still working.

 

I agree with your overall point but don't specifically blame LLP as she isn't a dictator, there is still a board.  99% bookings are from the customers calling X (often they're on hold for an hour plus), reps aren't "cold calling" past guests and specifically targeting 40-55 year olds.

 

Like we learned on another active thread, when X seems to have difficulty filling ships, like the Infinity and now the Solstice, they send out a comped the room offer to gamblers.

[Pickels]

5 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

 

Yeah, as a dad I understand trying to get away for a relaxing vacation and not wanting crying/screaming kids .  However I've actually been on more than one cruise where the 100-200 kids were far better behaved  than the scores of adults trying to drink their money's worth. 

 

😁

 

Agree!  We've seen that also! 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Baron Barracuda said:

That's standard LLP baloney.  They need anyone who's willing to book a cabin.  A 70 year old still has many years of sailing left in them and more free time to do so than folks still working.

Sure they'll take anyone's money. But targeting a specific consumer group as corporate policy puts everyone on the same page as relates to marketing, design, pricing, etc. Otherwise all cruise lines are the same.

Edited August 1, 2022 by RichYak

[Denny01]

6 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

I always overlook Virgin - I was thinking Celebrity would have to charge Viking prices but Celebrity can't out-Viking Viking 

Agree. Trying to repeat another product is at best, tough. Viking is very different: smaller and very port-intensive in most cases. And plays the “Thinking person’s cruise” type approach. 

 

the OP asked this as a straight business question, and the obvious is, would a 2K+ sized ship company make more money with adult only or staying as is. My completely unknowledgable opinion of such is Nope. 

 

There are other options for the adults-only focused group, and I havent seen many posts about kid complaints about Celebrity. From my view, not an issue for the great majority. most of us who usually dont cruise with kids havent had issues, and many Celebrity-loving cruisers, even without kids at part of all our vacations, have taken grandkids.

 

And probably asking this type question on an adults-only cruise line thread would be of interest. Would they consider a Celebrity adult only cruise? I think the OP, and most of us, can guess the answer. And the few Celebrity cruisers who would like it wouldn’t fill a Celebrity lifeboat if it cost more! hehe.

 

den

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Sure they'll take anyone's money. But targeting a specific consumer group as corporate policy puts everyone on the same page as relates to marketing, design, pricing, etc. Otherwise all cruise lines are the same.

 

I do see that in their TV ads, their clips show Capt Kate then clips of young attractive couples enjoying a completely empty Retreat and spa.  On actual sailings, I see very few couples in their 20s or even 30s on X sailings (never seen more than 25 couples over the past year upon 7 sailings), if you talk to them you'll often hear something like "we would have never have gone on a cruise but our parents paid for us to join them".  Not that there's anything wrong with that dynamic but it still seems the people they highlight in their TV ads aren't the same demographic that's booking on X.

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I do see that in their TV ads, their clips show Capt Kate then clips of young attractive couples enjoying a completely empty Retreat and spa.

Marketing is whole different world. The target age group (40's and 50's) sees themselves as the attractive young people in the ads. They obsess over serene retreat and spa areas and sometimes even over Captain Kate. It's all about selling a fantasy.

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I agree with your overall point but don't specifically blame LLP as she isn't a dictator, there is still a board.  99% bookings are from the customers calling X (often they're on hold for an hour plus), reps aren't "cold calling" past guests and specifically targeting 40-55 year olds.

 

Like we learned on another active thread, when X seems to have difficulty filling ships, like the Infinity and now the Solstice, they send out a comped the room offer to gamblers.

According what I could find on Google, only 25% - 35% book direct. We’ve done 47 cruises and everyone has been through an online travel agent. We’ve never ever talked to a cruise line direct, that’s the travel agent’s job, and every thing has worked with zero work or hassle for us.

[NutsAboutGolf]

5 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

According what I could find on Google, only 25% - 35% book direct. We’ve done 47 cruises and everyone has been through an online travel agent. We’ve never ever talked to a cruise line direct, that’s the travel agent’s job, and every thing has worked with zero work or hassle for us.

 

My overall point remains, folks are calling into Celebrity whether directly or though TAs; X isn't cold calling 40-55 years.