Disclosing Age Demographic Before Booking

[Gonzo70]

Where I live, there is a law called the Privacy Act. Under the terms of that Act, no-one has the right to divulge information about me without first obtaining my consent. Even my husband of 40 years is not allowed to be given information about my health matters unless I am present, or give my written consent.

 

 

Huh? :confused:

 

How does a cruise line providing information about how many people in various age groups are booked on a sailing divulge ANY personal information? There is nothing being linked to any individual person. Nobody could look at that information and draw conclusions about any specific passenger.

 

That said, I agree with the poster that indicated a cruise line would not do this as it could potentially steer a passenger away from making a booking. I also just do not see enough people being interested in these numbers to make it worth while for the cruise lines to exert the time and effort into making this information available. I agree with others that one can draw a reasonable estimate of the demographics based on the cruise line, itinerary, length of the cruise and time of the year.

[SWLinPHX]

The only reason why demographics are not disclosed prior to a cruise departure is that cruise lines look only at the bottom line, and they will do nothing to discourage even one passenger from booking a cruise if they found out that a segment of the cruise line's demographic does not appeal to them. If they told a group of 20 somethings that a majority of a particular cruise would be aged 65 and older, that might cause that young group to look elsewhere for their vacation. If they tell a group from a senior citizen community that there will be 750 kids aged 16 and younger on a cruise, that oldster group will probably not book that ship. It's the same reason why a cruise line will not disclose if there are large groups on board---they do not want to discourage anyone from booking their line. Like I said, it's all about the bottom line, and no other reason.

 

I completely agree with that being the probable reason Darcie. But your statements also give prime examples as to precisely why a potential passenger would want to know in advance. It's definitely better for customers, but maybe not cruise lines.

 

However, is it possible that if more customers could feel assured about the general atmosphere or demographic they would be more confident and satisfied that they picked the right cruise, have the experience they expected, and maybe be more likely to book with a cruise line that offers that information again in the future? I mean, in business we always hear how the goal is to please the customer. I understand what you're saying, but think of this: If you plunked down over $2K for a cruise and there was a large fraternity party or some sort of big children's event is it fair for you to find out at the last minute? After all, people are more picky about things they spend a lot less money on. I am just gun shy from my last experience. It completely changed the tone of the cruise. Like I said, it is about diversity and extremes. I wouldn't spend ten days in a nursing home, frat house or preschool if someone paid me, so why should I pay them for this experience if it can be prevented? It's just a lot of money to pay and plan and anticipate and then get onboard and realize you are completely out of place. But again, my situation was 6 days non-stop at sea, so it had even more of an impact to feel out of place.

 

Maybe a good compromise would be not to automatically disclose the progressive demographic as they book until full, but they should tall the information (I'm sure they do since they have it) and be willing to divulge it if you as a paying customer ask. That would definitely be a very fair compromise in my opinion. If you ask before you invest that kind of money in your cruise where you'll be with the same people at sea for days and your decision to purchase from them depended on that, they should let you know. :)

 

This poster should go back and read the original post.

 

It certainly is the business of a prospective passenger to have an idea of the age mix on a cruise being considered.

 

Additionally, it is absurd to claim that letting a prospective passenger know the numbers of passengers in various age-groups breaches anyone's privacy. An individual's privacy is only breached if information about that individual is divulged.

 

Exactly what I've been saying all along, thanks. If I say "there is a 50-year-old on board" for example then whose "private & privileged information" did I give out??

 

I also just do not see enough people being interested in these numbers to make it worth while for the cruise lines to exert the time and effort into making this information available.

 

I can't say I agree with that. Who wouldn't want as much information as possible and to know if the sailing will be highly stacked with people or children totally opposite of what they're looking for? Many people in this thread have indicated they would like to know, especially for the money they're paying.

 

As far as being "not worth the cruise line's while to exert the time and effort" that really is not the case. Computers today do all that already and far more. They have the stats and it is automatically done. How do you think they figure how many have special needs or prepare for specific groups and situations? The search engines we have today to pick such a specific cruise are much more complex than a simple automated and basic running computer tally of the overall demographic in percentage as the sailing books would be. It's very easy and already done probably on their end, they just don't want us to know.

 

I agree with others that one can draw a reasonable estimate of the demographics based on the cruise line, itinerary, length of the cruise and time of the year.

 

But again, new cruisers may not know all the specifics to check for and many have been in for a complete surprise when they boarded and have reported back as much, even concluding cruising is not for them. When you're new at something you don't know what to expect and it is easy to draw a conclusion for a first experience (bad or good). But even regular cruisers can be completely left in the dark. For instance, no one has yet addressed my question I asked so many times before where it is not that black and white:

 

I am taking a 10-day Caribbean cruise on Celebrity at the end of January. Should I assume it will be all older people because it is longer than 7 days, during school season and on a line like Celebrity ...or... should I imagine there'll still be a good deal of younger ones as well since it is not a real long trans-ocean 12-14 day cruise, it's in the Caribbean which tends to draw a younger crowd (much like the Mexican Riviera) and Celebrity after all does not have quite the same reputation as being for older people as much as Holland America or the luxury cruises do??

 

Could someone more experienced than me answer this or weigh in? I'd appreciate it, thanks!

[spongerob]

See what you started? :)

 

I like your idea, but I think it would be impractical since cruises are open for booking for such a long period of time and the demographics of who is currently booked at any point in time might change.

 

What would be interesting would be statistics concerning who has historically booked a particular cruise, or similar cruises. This wouldn't offend the sensibilities of those who are concerned about personal privacy, but would help those trying to make informed decisions.

[wg6530]

...No one has answered my question from before though. With respect to what Hlitner just said: Although it is often accurate to rely on those general parameters, it's not always that cut & dry. In my case, I am taking a 10-day Caribbean cruise on Celebrity. Should I assume it will be all older people because it is longer than 7 days, during school season and on Celebrity or should I imagine it'll be a good deal of young ones as well since it is not a real long trans-ocean 12-14 day cruise, it's in the Caribbean and Celebrity does not have the same reputation as Holland America or the luxury cruises?? I'd really like feedback on that.

...... tranind:confused:

 

My guess: if you are taking a 10 day Celebrity cruise from FL in late January, I think you should expect an older crowd.

On my first X cruise there were many middle aged people, but that was shortly after 9/11, and cancellations probably alter that demographic. Since then when schools were in session, I have seen lots of seniors, fair number of middle aged, some young adults, few school age children, few pre-school children.

Just a guess because the cruise line will not publish the data.

If you want a younger crowd, select shorter cruises. You would likely see more diverse ages taking 2 back to back 5 day cruises than on a ten day cruise. also think about the cruise line, X tends to draw an older crowd than her sister line Royal Caribbean.

 

Have a great cruise. I'd love to be on that one ( I am perfectly fine with an older crowd).

[SWLinPHX]

My guess: if you are taking a 10 day Celebrity cruise from FL in late January, I think you should expect an older crowd.

On my first X cruise there were many middle aged people, but that was shortly after 9/11, and cancellations probably alter that demographic. Since then when schools were in session, I have seen lots of seniors, fair number of middle aged, some young adults, few school age children, few pre-school children.

Just a guess because the cruise line will not publish the data.

If you want a younger crowd, select shorter cruises. You would likely see more diverse ages taking 2 back to back 5 day cruises than on a ten day cruise. also think about the cruise line, X tends to draw an older crowd than her sister line Royal Caribbean.

 

Have a great cruise. I'd love to be on that one ( I am perfectly fine with an older crowd).

 

Thanks for your input! And to be clear, I'm fine with an older or younger crowd, as long as that is not all there is or if I am not around anyone in my generation or age bracket whatsoever. That to me is understandable for the money spent. This is something we do for enjoyment after all.

 

When you said I should book shorter cruises my thought was, "but I like longer cruises because I enjoy cruising"... but then you went on to suggest I try two short back-to-back's. Good idea. I didn't think about that. If I book a back to back on the same ship I can get 10-14 days by booking two 5 or 7-day cruises. That was very helpful and I'm sort of palming my forehead that I didn't think of that as a great solution to having a longer cruise experience but with a more diverse crowd. Oh well there's next time then. :rolleyes:

 

By the way, I really love RCCL and Celebrity is just that more upscale. All I like about RCCL but everything is just a tad nicer. Also I like the Greek ship captains, they are usually very nice. For those who didn't know, the "X" of Celebrity is the symbol for Christ in Greek, the language the New Testament was written in (spelled Χριστός). I laugh when people say using the term "Xmas" is anti-religion or against Christ.

[sail7seas]

If you can manage to get cruise lines to divulge such information, good going. I wouldn't count on it though. :D

 

 

 

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your input! And to be clear, I'm fine with an older or younger crowd, as long as that is not all there is or if I am not around anyone in my generation or age bracket whatsoever. That to me is understandable for the money spent. This is something we do for enjoyment after all.

 

When you said I should book shorter cruises my thought was, "but I like longer cruises because I enjoy cruising"... but then you went on to suggest I try two short back-to-back's. Good idea. I didn't think about that. If I book a back to back on the same ship I can get 10-14 days by booking two 5 or 7-day cruises. That was very helpful and I'm sort of palming my forehead that I didn't think of that as a great solution to having a longer cruise experience but with a more diverse crowd. Oh well there's next time then. :rolleyes:

 

By the way, I really love RCCL and Celebrity is just that more upscale. All I like about RCCL but everything is just a tad nicer. Also I like the Greek ship captains, they are usually very nice. For those who didn't know, the "X" of Celebrity is the symbol for Christ in Greek, the language the New Testament was written in (spelled Χριστός). I laugh when people say using the term "Xmas" is anti-religion or against Christ.

 

 

 

It has been posted on CC Boards many times in the past the "X" Symbol for Celebrity stands for the Greek Chandris brothers who founded the cruise line and ultimately sold it to RCI.

[SWLinPHX]

If you can manage to get cruise lines to divulge such information, good going. I wouldn't count on it though. :D

 

LOL, I know... "rots of ruck" eh? But I am happy about what the previous poster suggested. I kept thinking I had to decide either to take short cruises only or be around passengers who are all older than me, but his solution seems logical.

[SWLinPHX]

Have a great cruise. I'd love to be on that one ( I am perfectly fine with an older crowd).

 

I guess I should've disclosed that I am single now, and that is one reason I would want some people my own age. How many of you are single and would want to be on a cruise with only people much older? If married or partnered then of course that's a different story. Maybe that is why some people find it hard to understand.

[wg6530]

Thanks for your input! And to be clear, I'm fine with an older or younger crowd, as long as that is not all there is or if I am not around anyone in my generation or age bracket whatsoever...

When you said I should book shorter cruises my thought was, "but I like longer cruises because I enjoy cruising"... but then you went on to suggest I try two short back-to-back's. Good idea. I didn't think about that. If I book a back to back on the same ship I can get 10-14 days by booking two 5 or 7-day cruises. That was very helpful and I'm sort of palming my forehead that I didn't think of that as a great solution to having a longer cruise experience but with a more diverse crowd. Oh well there's next time then. :rolleyes:

 

By the way, I really love RCCL and Celebrity is just that more upscale. All I like about RCCL but everything is just a tad nicer.?...t.

Oh, I do understand. I love long cruises. Celebrity is among my favorite line, but I am still a bit younger than their average cruiser. Whats more, I am attracted to itineraries that also seem to appeal to older cruisers. therefore, I cruise mostly with older passengers. I am fine with that, but a little more age diversity might be nice. I will continue to select the cruises that appeal to me other than avoiding short cruises at peak school vacation times.

 

we took our first back2back this fall on RCI Explorer of the seas out of NJ. The first leg was 5 day Bermuda. second leg was 9 day Canada/ New England. there was a huge difference in the passengers. Age, volume, manners, bedtimes, etc. We had a great time on both legs.

[SWLinPHX]

We took our first back2back this fall on RCI Explorer of the seas out of NJ. The first leg was 5 day Bermuda. second leg was 9 day Canada/ New England. there was a huge difference in the passengers. Age, volume, manners, bedtimes, etc. We had a great time on both legs.

 

When you say "we" does that mean you are not single? I'm curious how many young singles wouldn't agree with me. Maybe cruising really just tends to be more for couples, families and seniors in general (neither of which I am).

 

I thought of doing that Explorer OTS out of Bayonne in Jan/Feb, but I thought it'd be way too cold in NYC. It sure was tempting; they had 12-nights starting at $649!

[Gonzo70]

I am taking a 10-day Caribbean cruise on Celebrity at the end of January. Should I assume it will be all older people because it is longer than 7 days, during school season and on a line like Celebrity ...or... should I imagine there'll still be a good deal of younger ones as well since it is not a real long trans-ocean 12-14 day cruise, it's in the Caribbean which tends to draw a younger crowd (much like the Mexican Riviera) and Celebrity after all does not have quite the same reputation as being for older people as much as Holland America or the luxury cruises do??

 

Could someone more experienced than me answer this or weigh in? I'd appreciate it, thanks![/font][/size][/color]

 

I did a 10 night Celebrity Equinox cruise in early December 2009 - so similar to a late January in terms of it being during school year. There were minimal children. My wife and I were in our 30s (I have since turned 40); there were a handful of other couples in their 30s and several more in their 40s, but the vast majority were 50s and older. I would presume this to be fairly typical of a 10-nighter on Celebrity not during school vacation time.

 

If a younger average demographic is important to you, you should consider Celebrity's sister line, RCI or look at Carnival; both of these are far more likely to have more people in their 20s to 40s. Another option would be to focus on shorter cruises; if you want to be gone 10 nights, back-to-back 5 nighters would get you more young people than a single 10 nighter.

[wg6530]

I guess I should've disclosed that I am single now, and that is one reason I would want some people my own age. How many of you are single and would want to be on a cruise with only people much older? If married or partnered then of course that's a different story. Maybe that is why some people find it hard to understand.

 

Hmm, b2b short cruises may be perfect for you. younger crowd. More singles. Probably better bar or dance scene. fresh faces after a few days.

[SWLinPHX]

I did a 10 night Celebrity Equinox cruise in early December 2009 - so similar to a late January in terms of it being during school year. There were minimal children. My wife and I were in our 30s (I have since turned 40); there were a handful of other couples in their 30s and several more in their 40s, but the vast majority were 50s and older. I would presume this to be fairly typical of a 10-nighter on Celebrity not during school vacation time.

 

If a younger average demographic is important to you, you should consider Celebrity's sister line, RCI or look at Carnival; both of these are far more likely to have more people in their 20s to 40s. Another option would be to focus on shorter cruises; if you want to be gone 10 nights, back-to-back 5 nighters would get you more young people than a single 10 nighter.

 

Ah okay, that is a lot like my situation. Well did you feel like you were the youngest or were there enough in their 30's-40's that you did not feel out of place or could socialize with as singles or as dual couples? That's all I care about really.

[cruisemom42]

For those who didn't know, the "X" of Celebrity is the symbol for Christ in Greek, the language the New Testament was written in (spelled Χριστός).

 

Simply not true, as already stated.

 

When you say "we" does that mean you are not single? I'm curious how many young singles wouldn't agree with me.

I

 

I'm single, a solo cruiser in my mid-40s, and I don't give a damn what the ages of other passengers onboard are. I enjoyed myself much more on my recent HAL Mediterranean cruise (12 days), and my Voyages to Antiquity cruise (on which I was the youngest cruiser, with an average passenger age probably well above 65) than I did on my last Princess cruise, which sailed from NY and was packed with young, pushy, Gen Y passengers and their kids.

 

:rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

Very interesting thread. As most of us know, releasing general demographic information does not violate any privacy issues. Although I agree that cruise lines should divulge whether or not there are large groups on board, I understand that if they do so, people may not book the cruise.

 

Not sure why this thread became so contentous. IMO, there is nothing wrong with wanting to know demographics of a cruise you plan on booking. However, getting the cruise lines to release this information is another issue. It seems as if they don't want us to know anything.

 

In my limited cruise experience, I have noticed a high percentage of young children on cruises during school breaks and summer -- particularly on ships that offer childrens programs. Cruise lines like Holland America do not cater to children and therefore there are less of them. Longer itineraries tend to attract retired people since they have the time to take them. Hopefully your TA can give you the information you need. Or, you can start another thread stating what you are looking for and asking what cruise line would suit your needs the best. Good luck!

[SWLinPHX]

Simply not true, as already stated.

 

Uh, actually it is true. If you are so confident as to deny facts then you might care to elaborate.

 

I'm single, a solo cruiser in my mid-40s, and I don't give a damn what the ages of other passengers onboard are. I enjoyed myself much more on my recent HAL Mediterranean cruise (12 days), and my Voyages to Antiquity cruise (on which I was the youngest cruiser, with an average passenger age probably well above 65) than I did on my last Princess cruise, which sailed from NY and was packed with young, pushy, Gen Y passengers and their kids.

 

Ahhhh, well then that's where my problem is. I didn't realize the only option was everyone senior citizen or else "young, pushy, Gen Y passengers and their kids." Imagine all this time I didn't realize there weren't any other choices besides those. Thanks for enlightening me, you're so very wise! :D

[celle]

OMG, now I know you must be kidding. NO ONE IS RELEASING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION!!! Please read what I wrote and respond in kind or don't hijack this thread. . . .

 

As I see you continue blindly, without understanding or reading what this is about, but instead due to some personal issue I can see you have, with which a nerve was struck. This is not psychotherapy, this is a cruise message board. I suspected the issue was that you were a senior and despite my very clearly prefacing my question, you chose to internalize the issue and start making self-righteous and outraged exclamations toward me . . .

Again as I suspected, you are making personal attacks and internalizing something that has nothing to do with the topic but your own age issues, and what you decide to project upon me who you don't even know. I know about hardship in my life and family history and I'm not interested in you thinking you can air your issues here and take them out on others because you feel you are the only one who has lived a hard or unfair life.

 

That's just it... you don't "disagree" with me. You are rambling about your life and your issues and your personal privacy and pedophiles and children being in public and people "knowing where kids are" being dangerous (let's throw in Al Qaeda, terrorists and danger of falling overboard when on a cruise too why don't we). This is ludicrous and I ask you to please find another thread to rant about it. I started this topic and I don't appreciate this preposterous and tiresome discourse you have steered it toward. I respectfully ask you to stop embarrassing yourself with issues everyone can see has nothing to do with the topic. All we are learning from your posts is about you and your extreme sensitivity and paranoia. You keep demonstrating those qualities but then say it is our fault for pointing it out? We only see what you show us (and we've seen it already, okay? ..enough).

 

Thank you for the unnecessary psychoanalysis and the shouting. You don't perceive that as a personal attack?

 

You may gave started this thread, but you don't own it and you can't order people to post elsewhere.

 

Despite what you say, I have read this topic and understand what you are on about.

 

I don't see the cruise lines doing it, not because of my opinions but simply because paying people to analyse the bookings of all ships in their fleet on a regular basis would cost them, and the resulting analysis (as some people have posted) might put some passengers off taking a particular cruise.

[wg6530]

When you say "we" does that mean you are not single? I'm curious how many young singles wouldn't agree with me. Maybe cruising really just tends to be more for couples, families and seniors in general (neither of which I am).

 

I thought of doing that Explorer OTS out of Bayonne in Jan/Feb, but I thought it'd be way too cold in NYC. It sure was tempting; they had 12-nights starting at $649!

 

Yup. Married in my 40's. though our demographics are different, I think I can understand your point of view.

 

cruising appeals to a variety of people for a variety of reasons. Finding just the right fit might be harder for some single person than for some couples. I think there is a single cruisers forum on cruise critic. I can only speculate about cruises that might appeal to singles, but people on those threads might actually know something;).

we just took a 7 day cruise out of NYC. It was cold all the way to Florida, unusually cold. Living in Wisconsin, we are accustomed to cold. seeing NYC decorated for Christmas was a draw for us as was a great price on a suite. Had a nice relaxing cruise, but probably won't do that itinerary again in the winter since we must fly. Better option for people within driving range.

[SWLinPHX]

I don't see the cruise lines doing it, not because of my opinions but simply because paying people to analyse the bookings of all ships in their fleet on a regular basis would cost them, and the resulting analysis (as some people have posted) might put some passengers off taking a particular cruise.

 

Yeah, well then you didn't read it very well. As I stated before the demographic is already in their system and a child's spreadsheet program could figure it out. Do you think they sit there with an abacus or head count in 2010? I'm assuming since you are on a computer you realize it is no effort and is already known. We've discussed this and (if you've read the last 10 posts or so) no one else could understand what kind of comparison you were trying to make about your personal information vs. what we are discussing. Of course you are welcome to discuss the topic of this thread, but you had taken it into a whole crazy area with pedophiles and your God-given rights, etc. If you're now on the same page with us all then great! :)

[SWLinPHX]

Yup. Married in my 40's. though our demographics are different, I think I can understand your point of view.

 

cruising appeals to a variety of people for a variety of reasons. Finding just the right fit might be harder for some single person than for some couples. I think there is a single cruisers forum on cruise critic. I can only speculate about cruises that might appeal to singles, but people on those threads might actually know something;)

 

Are singles cruises considered chartered and more expensive for that reason though? After all, it is younger people and singles that probably don't have the extra money or disposable income to spend. If not, then maybe I should consider that. However, I like meeting couples and people of all ages too, but if the only choice is all seniors and/or couples only, then maybe I will try that.

[SWLinPHX]

Not sure why this thread became so contentous. IMO, there is nothing wrong with wanting to know demographics of a cruise you plan on booking.

 

Me either, but you may want to take a look at Posts #4 and #6 to see where it started. ;)

 

 

We just took a 7 day cruise out of NYC. It was cold all the way to Florida, unusually cold. Living in Wisconsin, we are accustomed to cold. seeing NYC decorated for Christmas was a draw for us as was a great price on a suite.

 

I'd love seeing NYC in Christmas but as far as cold, I'm in Phoenix and been here and SoCal for many years... right now it is about 70º. :cool:

[sapper1]

I guess I should've disclosed that I am single now, and that is one reason I would want some people my own age. How many of you are single and would want to be on a cruise with only people much older? If married or partnered then of course that's a different story. Maybe that is why some people find it hard to understand.

Now I understand completely. You are on the move and want to know how much young stuff wll be on board. ;)

[Gonzo70]

Ah okay, that is a lot like my situation. Well did you feel like you were the youngest or were there enough in their 30's-40's that you did not feel out of place or could socialize with as singles or as dual couples? That's all I care about really.

 

We were among the youngest, but there were a few people younger than us. It was not a big deal for us; the type of activities we enjoy while cruising such as lively conversations at dinner, having a few drinks at the martini bar or molecular bar, doing some of the activities such as trivia or sports games at the Lawn Club, playing poker, watching the Hot Glass show etc. are not dependent on age.

 

At least for us we are equally capable of having a great time at a dinner table with people 20-30 years older than us as we would with a group of people within a few years of our age. Perhaps if I was traveling solo age may be a larger factor, but for my wife and I it is not really an issue. Most of our recent (and our upcoming) cruise are 10-15 nighters on Celebrity, so we are used to being among the younger people on the ship and so far all of our cruises on Celebrity have been incredible experiences.

[SWLinPHX]

Now I understand completely. You are on the move and want to know how much young stuff wll be on board. ;)

 

I guess... depending on what you mean by that. If you're saying wanting to be around some people of your own generation and mindset is only for sex, then no. I think I've been painfully clear over the past 2 dozen posts though. If there is a part you don't understand I'd be happy to elaborate. Just tell me what you're referring to.