Norwegian or Carnival newer ships the best choice for 55+

Reread what I wrote -- families, low-income cruisers, short getaways, noisy & festive.

 

If you fall into any of those categories, Carnival might be a good fit. It doesn't mean ALL of those categories. Carnival tends to be less expensive than some of the other lines and is therefore often more affordable for families or folks who want to cruise, but can't spend a lot of money.

 

I hope that clarifies it for you.

 

 

 

You point out exactly the point I was making! Stuffy people who think they are better than everyone else. All kinds of people go on every different cruise line. That is some of the problem I have with this board. Fortunately, I have met wonderful people at meet and greets who are members of this board. I have been cruising on Carnival since I was 20 years old. I am not 55+ but I see people of all ages. They are having fun. It gets irritating the things people say about Carnival.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We all love Carnival, especially my teenage daughter. Carnival cruises are great fun and always have a fun loving party crowd

We all love Carnival, especially my teenage daughter. Carnival cruises are great fun and always have a fun loving party crowd

 

 

 

Yes, my 20 year old daughter loves them as well. I take her on all my cruises, but have to work around her college. Carnival people are alive no matter the age. You can chill or enjoy the party.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Yes, my 20 year old daughter loves them as well. I take her on all my cruises, but have to work around her college. Carnival people are alive no matter the age. You can chill or enjoy the party.

Thank you for confirming what I said. They're noisy and festive. That works if that's what you're after.

 

Because someone chooses a different sort of cruise, that does not make them stuffy. Each person needs to find the best fit FOR THEM and for the particular cruise. Sometimes you want quiet relaxation; other times you want exhilaration.

 

Are you like this in real life?

Edited April 12, 2018 by WAMarathoner

What rude like you, no!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I like NCL because it is laid back. Do what you want, when you want, or nothing at all!!! I was also a teacher. I do love kids but perfer a quieter atmosphere. I usually cruise when kids are in school.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Forums mobile app

We are in our mid 60's. Have been cruising for a while, 20 plus cruises. We have sailed on HAL, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, RCI, and Crystal.

 

We no longer select by cruise line. We focus on the ship. Lots of variations between ships in the same fleet. Especially on HAL and Princess. The other factor for us is length of itinerary and date. This can make a huge difference to the cruise demographics and mood of the ship. Seven day holiday sailings are very different that 21 day sailings during non holiday time.

 

We have never had a bad cruise. Our preference tends to be Celebrity because we like their Solstice class ships. Having said that the last three have been Princess X 2 and an RCI.

 

We typically avoid the following

 

-holiday period cruises

-older ships

-any pre or post drydock cruise (at least for two months) and any inaugural cruise

-any cruise that has a large group on board

We are in our mid 60's. Have been cruising for a while, 20 plus cruises. We have sailed on HAL, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, RCI, and Crystal.

 

We no longer select by cruise line. We focus on the ship. Lots of variations between ships in the same fleet. Especially on HAL and Princess. The other factor for us is length of itinerary and date. This can make a huge difference to the cruise demographics and mood of the ship. Seven day holiday sailings are very different that 21 day sailings during non holiday time.

 

We have never had a bad cruise. Our preference tends to be Celebrity because we like their Solstice class ships. Having said that the last three have been Princess X 2 and an RCI.

 

We typically avoid the following

 

-holiday period cruises

-older ships

-any pre or post drydock cruise (at least for two months) and any inaugural cruise

-any cruise that has a large group on board

I agree with you. We were on a couple with very large groups and they were loud!!! So we always check now.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Forums mobile app

You point out exactly the point I was making! Stuffy people who think they are better than everyone else. All kinds of people go on every different cruise line. That is some of the problem I have with this board. Fortunately, I have met wonderful people at meet and greets who are members of this board. I have been cruising on Carnival since I was 20 years old. I am not 55+ but I see people of all ages. They are having fun. It gets irritating the things people say about Carnival.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Exactly indeed! I'm sick AND tired of the *Carnival is not as good as anything else, especially not as good as the ship I'M going on* mentality that oftentimes prevails on CC. Lol, hence my disappearing for many months at a time. Although, as a side note, at my advanced age it's led to the forgetting of my login info and having to start anew a few times...

We started as a family on CCL, we stayed into our elder years because we love it! The few forrays into other lines did not seem like a good fit for us. THE most ludicrous statement that got me was the *budget* label. 2 last year. 3 already booked for this year. ALL balconies (because I'm a big baby that has to be able to see the horizon to not get sometimes woozy) as have EVERY single cruisin adventure we've been on.

Whew, I can feel the ole BP rising...

Think I'll go look at our Carnival Cruise Lines Wall of Fun for a bit ;)

 

[emoji924]️ Cruisin Trkrs [emoji597]

Think I'll go look at our Carnival Cruise Lines Wall of Fun for a bit ;)[emoji924]️ Cruisin Trkrs [emoji597]

What is a Wall of fun?

What is a Wall of fun?

We've made a wall in our downstairs den into "Our WOF". No one usually is in there except for us, our kids, grands, & some fun loving friends. So, it's basically covered with silly stuff/photographs that make us chuckle with fond Cruisin remembrances. My Hubs and I always go to character gatherings & breakfasts onboard, whether alone or Cruisin with the kids and/or grands, to get our pics with whichever one(s) it may be. We take advantage of the getting on/off ship photo ops also. At many ports the native(at times) costumes people wear are very interesting and colorful so we add those to our collection. Same with our kids/grands. Although they all seem to prefer the ones of us two oldie-but-goodies playing around.

 

[emoji924]️ Cruisin Trkrs [emoji597]

I am 62 and have only cruised on Carnival. I can afford to go on any cruise line but prefer Carnival. You can find many different demographics on a Carnival cruise depending on the time of year and port of departure. Also, the festive activity varies depend on the time of the year. For example, a 7 day cruise in January or November has different demographics than a cruise in July. November and January is an older group. I went on an 8 day cruise in April (not spring break time) and the cruise had the most Diamond category than the ship had ever had. It was an older group. If you pick your cruise and timing with Carnival, you can have some control over the type of crowd on the ship that fits your style of cruising. Not here to offend,

only to provide insight.

I agree with you. We were on a couple with very large groups and they were loud!!! So we always check now.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Forums mobile app

Debbie' date='

 

Curious how you check to see if there are any large groups on the ship. My brother & I are booked on Celebrity Reflection, 11 day southern Caribbean in February....

 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

To find theme cruises, check:

On 9/20/2018 at 6:10 AM, TourBusGuy said:

Debbie' date='

 

Curious how you check to see if there are any large groups on the ship. My brother & I are booked on Celebrity Reflection, 11 day southern Caribbean in February....

 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

   

 

themecruisefinder.com

 

9 hours ago, baldilocks said:

To find theme cruises, check:

   

 

themecruisefinder.com

 

Your agent should know if there any groups or Celebrity cruiseline. In some cases if they put you into the group there may be some added perks. 

Carnival has a lot going for them. That is why they are the largest cruise line. The largest inside and oceanview cabins at a very reasonable cost. Want a quieter cruise on Carnival. Easy. Do not cruise during spring break or when school is out or during holidays. However, halloween on any Carnival ship is a blast and not really crazy. We are in our 70s and always do a Carnival ship for Halloween. This year the Magic and next year the newly completely redone ship the Mardi Gras. Tried a few others for halloween and do not compare to the our tight fun on Carnival. Everyone and I mean everyone gets in the mood. The outfits are unbelievable even the crew gets dressed up. Royal Caribbean is the same when it comes to children on the ship. Princess and Celebrity cater to the older crows. Not a ship for children. Although they do have things for them to do but not like the other two. However, depending on your energy level and fun anxiety. Carnival and Royal do have the best water platforms of fun. The Royal Oasis class ships are the best for that. Norwegian has go karts and the new Carnival Mardi Gras will have a two seater roller coaster high up. Any ship you might want to know more about. GOOGLE it for youtube. A lot of great videos of just about any ship.