Average age?

[Scuppersisontheboat]

Hello!  So my wife is thinking we should do a river cruise.  I’ve read the ‘River cruise’ pinned info, and searched key words but would like your comments please!  We haven’t done extensive cruising, but I know what I like - our first cruise was the inaugural 14 night cruise of the Carnival Horizon in the Med, awesome!  Then a Costa 7 day, Meh.  Then the Celebrity Equinox Holiday cruise 2021, fabulous except we kept missing ports because too many people on the boat went to sickbay.  Then we just got back from a B2B on the Beyond in Aqua, wonderful.  So, not that I care that much, but the target age does dictate the music and entertainment to some degree.  On Celebrity in our mid to late 50’s we were probably ‘average’, and our 20ish kids felt comfortable as well, without many little kids around.  The river cruise would just be my wife and I, we like the Viking reviews and itineraries, but is this the right choice of river cruise line?  Suggestions of others to look at?  Preferably in about the same price range as a Viking veranda, looking at 15 days. Give or take in June.

Thank you!

[*Miss G*]

You might find the following thread informative.  For what it’s worth, I haven’t been on Viking but it did appear that the average age on that ship was older than ours was on Avalon.  (We met them in port.)

 

If music is a big draw, I would try a Holland America Pinnacle-class ship (Rotterdam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam).  Their Music Walk is pretty awesome.

 

Entertainment is more limited on a river cruise than on an ocean cruise.  I did a LIVE Thread of our first river cruise in October if you’d like an idea of the experience.

 

 

 

[Scuppersisontheboat]

Hello Miss G!  Thank you for that, I read your entire trip report, thanks for the detail and it looked lovely!  I also read the other thread and gained some good insight there as well.  Ok, age is a state of mind, and really is irrelevant for the trip, I should know this from our other trips.

 

You mention music walk; I’ll have to look that up.  The best entertainment by far we’ve encountered on a ship was the grand piano bar on the Horizon, with a player who could play any request people through out to him.

Thanks again!

[Canal archive]

I’ve only river cruised with one company Scenic and only one ocean if can call overnight out of Southampton around the Channel Islands and back on ocean cruise. 
As you rightfully say age is a state of mind and river cruise vessels carry way less than 200 passengers and myself and husband are way past 10 years of marriage add 42 and your nearer the total, I know you get less for murder.

On board there is a music usually man - piano, guitar and maybe other instruments in nearly ten cruises we’ve only had one who was iffy! We’ve had - cow bell ringers (we nearly walked out but they were fantastic) - traditional dancers, dance with them if you dare - the most wonderful violinist - chamber quartet - music of the Camargue, my favourite, Manitas de Plata reborn, and many many more. There is also the odd quiz don’t knock age in that one, the crew show not every cruise but you could see your butler in a completely different light or your room attendant who has the most amazing voice. You of course also get the odd daytime offering, napkin folding or maybe towels dexterity needed for these I remember several making things. Culinary delights, presentations on the local area, river, country etc, these usually happen during a cruising part of the river and you don’t have to take part but remember the adage ‘time is not wasted watching others enjoy themselves. 
Enjoy your cruise whoever you choose to go with but remember it’s your choice you can do your own thing.

[Got2Cruise]

Look at Avalon that is in the same price range as Viking. We had a fun loving bunch of fellow cruisers when we went. 

[trivia addict]

Age has nothing to do with it. Your object for taking the cruise is what counts.

Do you want a lively bar scene? Big Show Productions? Bingo? Duty free Shops?

Pool Days? Game Shows? Beaches? Karaoke? Then do the cruise lines that you know. River Cruises have none of this.

Do you want the culture of European cities?,Do you want to see castles and cathedrals? Eat fresh local food? Enjoy Good Wine and a quiet bar? Have quiet  evenings with local entertainment or a cooking or craft demonstration? Then do a River Cruise.

We have done many cruises on RC, Celebrity, Holland and Norwegian and enjoyed them all. But for a different type of experience, we love Viking. 
We are over 60 and truthfully, river cruises attract an older crowd, but younger adults also have been on the cruises

[pontac]

Some River Cruise companies accept families, some don't. Viking have an 'over-18' policy. I like that because it means there are no screaming babies and young children running about, and meal times are calm. but it does  mean that there aren't youngish adults that have families. It means adults whose children have grown up enough to look after them selves or who can be left with others.

 

But you'll find that passengers are active; after all many have flown halfway across the world to walk around historic cobbled cities.

 

Make your choice, but with three meals a day plus sightseeing trips the age of other passengers is something that has never affected me. And now I am 11 years older than when I first started river cruising.

Edited March 8, 2023 by pontac
correct spelling error

[Host Jazzbeau]

Can't say I ever noticed screaming babies or young children running about – or children at all, for that matter – on AMA or Scenic.  River ships have no programs for children unless you book one of the family-oriented special itineraries [Adventures by Disney on AMA, Tauck Bridges, Uniworld Generations] – and the existence of those special trips should attract all the families and leave the other sailings even more adults-only.

[Canal archive]

Scenic have do have age clauses, under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and under 12s at the companies discretion. 

[tribbs1]

I have been on 4 river cruises with my 5th coming up on June 1st.  The first one we took 10 years ago on Viking when we were 50 and we were indeed the youngest on the ship.  If you have never cruised the rivers before Viking would be okay.  The other river cruises we have taken on AMA Waterways and we find them to be much more enjoyable.  We are active and like the opportunity to do the biking and hiking excursions and to just have a choice of excursions in general.  The food is much better and the ships carry less passengers than Viking.  When you have low water issues Viking really suffers as their ships keel is much lower in the water than the other river cruise lines.  People have been bussed for entire itineraries while their ship was stuck at one port due to low water (and yes I do have a colleague that this happened to on the Danube).  If you are looking for lively entertainment in the evening you will not be happy on a river cruise as the entertainment is often times local and cultural.  That being said, I did take a group on the Rhine and the cruise managers recognizing our age secured a Motown band one night and even paid for them to stay longer and put them up on the ship overnight.  

[reeves35]

River cruises undoubtedly are targetted at Baby Boomers with average ages being between 55 and 70 despite the brochures often showing guests much younger than you would regularly encounter.  As has been said, many river cruiselines actively discourage children though a few are running special family cruises during school holidays but families need to be aware that the ships do not contain dedicated children areas and many of the destinations may not be particularly exciting for children.

 

If you are trying to find a slightly younger crowd, you should probably look at the 4 star lines rather than 5 star.  Some cruiselines have two brands within their stable such as APT (5*) having Travelmarvel (4*) and Scenic (5*) having Emerald (4*).  

 

[RobInMN]

Some other related threads.

 

[CastleCritic]

In due for my 5th cruise on Amawaterways the first of May,  at 46-48 Ive been the youngest on pretty much every cruise save the first one where there was a college age student with her grandmother,

Heck one of the youngest people on that cruise was actually the captain (though I guess if you live in the Netherlands its possible to basically grow up on a river ship) who had more experience than his older 2nd captain.  Id say 55-60 average age.

 

American cruise lines when I did that in 2021 was probably about 10 years older than the AMA cruises who advertise and absolutely (optionally) runs an "active" itinerary,

[Canal archive]

Reminded me of one of the Scenic captains, English and grew up with his English father being a Dutch barge Master. The second time we met he had returned from holiday to captain the vessel through the bridge at Bordeaux he had the extra qualifications. Very young and an absolute star. Made some of the guys on board feel quite inadequate.

[CastleCritic]

that Captain was very hands on and active.

 

One day when were were tieing up on the Rhine one of the ropes snapped after the gangplank was down (and guests were on it) and the ship instantly started back downstream (stern first) fortunately someone was paying attention and put the ship back in gear and stopped it from drifting, but the gangplank rotated enough that it snapped one of its "teeth" off and had to be swapped for the other one.  It was the captain who was down in the hold getting the new one ready and tieing it to the crane while the crew got the other one back up to the top deck.

 

The funny note was that the wheelhouse was full of toy ducks...but they were for the OTHER captain who rotated to the ship and not him. He actually had his twenty-somethingth birthday the last day of the cruise.

Edited March 15, 2023 by CastleCritic

[Scuppersisontheboat]

Thanks all, many many good points!  We will not worry about age and concentrate on the destination, which realistically is what we usually do.

 

We always do stuff last minute, so looking for a late May / early June 2023 trip, with AMA, Scenic, Uniworld, or Viking depending on itinerary and cost.

 

thanks again for all the input.

[Squawkman]

We’re on Viking’s Tulips and Windmills. FWIW, the cruise director told us there are 171 guests, one over 90, one under 25 and the median age is 70.

[Canal archive]

Well there’s a broad spectrum now you’ve all to get together and have a great time as you all have at least one thing in common - you chose a river cruise, enjoy!