Oceania Age Group

[perrpis]

Hi All,

 

My partner and I have booked our first "O" cruise for Febraury of 2012 on the Marina in a PH Suite. We have always cruised on Celebrity and loved the service but decided to "kick it up a notch" and try out Oceania. This line particularily appealed to us because we are noth self proclaimed food junkies and the style of the new ship look amazing (much more contemporary than other upper premium/luxury line out there).

 

My question- We are thrilled to be going on this 10 day cruise next year no matter what the demographic but was just curious of the average age group. I am thinking we will be the younger lot on the ship (both of us are 24) but we love to socialize with any fellow cruisers. Last time on Celebrity we kicked it back one night with a couple in their 80's who had more steam than some of the teenagers on the ship! ;)

 

We are both so excited for our first cruise with Oceania. Hopefully it will become our line of choice! :D

[wripro]

Most probably you will be among the youngest passengers but Oceania clientele are young thinking and sophisticated so you should have no trouble connecting with others. And depending on the itinerary (if it's a Caribbean e.g.) the demographic could be younger. You'll have a great time no matter.

[mringenoldus]

We are 55+ and upon boarding feared I might have made a mistake. We met absolutely fantastic people...and are looking forward to cruising with some of them next year. We were in the Caribbean during spring break and I didn't find there to be a younger crowd onboard.

 

I think that you may find the entrainment level a little sedate for 20 somethings. I have children in your age group and wouldn't recommend the line for them at this point. I had been concerned about them being bored on the Solstice.....but they had a great time on that ship ( partly due to the "all you can drink" cards. :)

[paintedduck]

we have also booked a february 2012, 10 niter, for our first sailing with oceania, after a dozen sailings with other lines...what is the date of your sailing??

[perrpis]

February 16- Miami to Miami

 

I think their will be better entertainment options on the Marina than on the "R Class" ships, mainly due to its size and passenger capacity. We have always loved the solstice class ships with Celebrity except for their size. Although they never feel over crowded we prefer a smaller more intimate ship. I think Oceania will be perfect as we prefer a more relaxed/enriching experience rather than wave riders, rock climbing etc that are offered on other lines- just not for us.

 

We consider ourselves much older for our age- ie: we prefer drinks with friends and an elaborate dinner rather than the party scene.

[dolphinmar]

I agree with wripro. You likely will be some of the youngest folks on the cruise but we have found Oceania "folk" to be young at heart regardless of physical age. In fact, we liked the people we met on Oceania better than any other cruise line we have been on. Well read, educated, traveled - very interesting and open - regardless of age. If you like Trivia, this is the best bunch to play with, hands down! And the happy hours are excellent.

 

I think you will have a wonderful time.

 

Pam

[Mura]

It's true, you are bound to be among the youngest on board. But that doesn't mean you won't find wonderful new friends and have a great trip.

 

I go back to my first Renaissance cruise on the R2 (now Regatta).

 

We had dinner one night with what I believed to be the youngest couple on board, they were in their late 30s. (This was in October 1999.) I specifically asked them about the age issue. On this particular cruise, when we were in the GDR prior to the boat drill, Howard had looked around and concluded the average age was 70. (We were a lot younger THEN.)

 

This couple said they HAD been taken aback at the sight of four wheelchairs being lifted on board, but they were having a great time. (Our dinner took place perhaps half way through the cruise.)

 

I think you will find that many Oceania passengers are still young at heart. Our knees may be giving out (!) but we're still interesting in traveling and meeting younger folk!

 

Mura

[caribbeansun]

You will be far and away the youngest on the ship. Indeed, it can be tough to find people in their 40's and 50's on board. I have found that the average age on board tends to be lower on European cruises as compared to Caribbean but that's just an observation with a very limited sample size.

 

 

 

My question- We are thrilled to be going on this 10 day cruise next year no matter what the demographic but was just curious of the average age group. I am thinking we will be the younger lot on the ship (both of us are 24) but we love to socialize with any fellow cruisers. Last time on Celebrity we kicked it back one night with a couple in their 80's who had more steam than some of the teenagers on the ship! ;)

[LHT28]

We have seen couple in their 20's to the 80's the majority will be 50's to 70's

 

enjoy

[Bruin Steve]

Let's face it...the "crowd" on Oceania IS a bit "older"...24 year olds will be easily 30 to 60 years younger than most...even though we all like to think of ourselves as young...Of course it doesn't mean they will be the only ones in their age group...and it doesn't mean they won't enjoy the company...and it doesn't mean they won't enjoy the cruise...

 

The reasons for the older demographics are somewhat obvious:

 

1) No Kids or Teens programs (which removes from the equation and entire demographic of people in their child-rearing years)...

 

2) Longer itineraries (which tend to attract people with either more vacation time or no jobs at all--meaning people who have been in their careers a long time or who are retired, for the most part)

 

3) Higher prices...Since the Oceania cruise fares are at somewhat of a premium compared to most of the mass market lines, most O cruisers are a little freer with their budgets...have more excess travel cash...Most younger people haven't yet reached a point in their lives where they are not concerned with "spending too much"...

 

So, all of this means that you will find the largest segment of Oceania cruisers from people who are retired, finacially comfortable and traveling more as a part of their lifestyle rather than as a brief vacation from their jobs...therefore, a lot of people in the 65-80 range...Second largest segment would be those with long term careers and lots of vacation time, kids grown up and independent, expendable cash with cofortable financial picture...generally people in the 50-65 range...and, third, you'll see those in the 80+ range still capable of travelling and enduring the rigors of port tours and full schedules...

 

Of course, you will find some people in that, say, 35-50 range...people with a fair amount of money...great jobs, no kids...or kids elsewhere...who just happen to be attracted by the itineraries or the step up in food and service...

 

And, lastly in size of the group are folks in thge OP's category...since very few people that young are in the position to take a long, fairly expensive cruise...

 

That said, there are also variations, cruise by cruise, for a variety of reasons...ie, time of year, particular itinerary, etc. Cruises on any line during the summer tend to get more people in the education field--not retired but with a nice long summer vacation to work with. Cruises in warmer climates tend to attract a younger crowd.

 

On our 2009 Nautica cruise, we had a good number of passengers in a younger demographic...a Princess ship cruising the same part of the world had some problems and they had to cancel a cruise for the same time range...leaving a lot of those passengers scrambling...Due to the economy, our cruise had a number of vacancies...so, at the last minute, those Princess cruisers came scrambling and filled all of the Oceania vacancies...and a number of those we met in that situation were definitely of a younger demographic than might usually be found on Oceania...

 

Bottom line, though, is that you're not going to hang out with everybody on the ship...You'll find people you enjoy being with and it may not matter what age they are--to you or to them...You'll enjoy the cruise for the cruise's sake...

 

Have fun...

[orchestrapal]

Steve I think you nailed it.

 

Although we have never encountered folks as young as perrpis on our many O cruises you will feel very welcome and find many folks who would be delighted to share their experiences with you.

Enjoy the cruise and remember, age is just a number.:)

[perrpis]

Thanks for the great replies everyone. I am sure we will have a great time. I think Marina will be one of the best ships out there when she launches next week. She will definately have the nicest rooms at sea for any luxury line.

 

Mura- I had a good chuckle at your comment about the wheelchairs!

[Wildblue]

DW and I are in our mid-30's, but decided to book on O for a few different reasons, and our first O cruise will be a TA. We're rather boring people, (and not super social either) and are not really into the nightlife or party scenes. So we're just planning on having this cruise be a nice, relaxing time with a lot of sitting around and reading. It's okay by us that it's not port intensive, since it's a TA, and we may not have a lot of our age peers on the same ship.

[bw333]

I first cruised with Oceania when I was 40. I fell in love with the cruise line! Oceania cruise passangers seem to be very healthy and educated vs other cruise lines. I like the evening entertainment we have had on Oceania. After the shows, the casino is open late and is non smoking and action packed with the night owls. Last summer cruise in Europe we had a large group of 20 year olds on board, we would go to the disco late night and dance with them. Enjoy your cruise, Oceania always has the best cruisers on board.:)