Demographics 2

[Need to Know]

As a person who has never been on a cruise before I decided to visit Cruise Critic to get an honest view of what each cruise line was like so I could make an intelligent choice rather than depend on the advertising of the cruiselines themselves.

 

One thing that became clear from the board was that Holland America cruisers were old, really old. While some posters thought that was good and some thought that was bad it seemed to be a given ie like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Most reviews put the cruisers as well past 80. Now I find that the average age is actually less than Princess and Celebrity. I am shocked!

 

I was impressed that the posters on this board were Holland American Cruisers. That seemed to mean that the cruise line had the most computer savvy nonagenarians for customers or that just about every under ninety cruiser was posting like crazy. (or should I have written Nana generians)

 

I considered the benefit of having an old group of fellow cruisers as a potential positive. It would be quiet on board except for the clip clop of the walkers going up and down the halls. It would make it easier to get into the buffet as a carefully placed leg could cause a trip up which would have a domino effect sending everbody on top of each other as I moved to the front of the line.

 

But enough of the reasons for my going with Holland America. The real issue is what can I trust on the boards if this given is not true.

 

For instance is it really true as I have deduced from reading the posts on this board that 2/3 of the passengers smoke pipes, cigars or chain smoke five or six packs of cigarettes a day while the other 1/3 of the passengers are so allergic to smoke that even a whiff will lead to cardiac arrest or bring back full blown cancers that had been in remission for the past 50 years.

 

If I can not trust this board, who can I trust?

[sargemrs]

Yes, there ARE older folks on Holland, but there were children, babies, teenagers, all on our first, only cruise, which happened to be on Holland!

I too read everything I could, to be an informed cruiser. I learned MANY good hints here. But, as with anything, you have to use your common sense and realize folks are very different in their assessments of things.

 

Holland is great! Perfect, no!! Go on a cruise that interests you and have a great time!:D

[sail7seas]

As a person who has never been on a cruise before I decided to visit Cruise Critic to get an honest view of what each cruise line was like so I could make an intelligent choice rather than depend on the advertising of the cruiselines themselves.

 

One thing that became clear from the board was that Holland America cruisers were old, really old. While some posters thought that was good and some thought that was bad it seemed to be a given ie like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Most reviews put the cruisers as well past 80. Now I find that the average age is actually less than Princess and Celebrity. I am shocked!

 

I was impressed that the posters on this board were Holland American Cruisers. That seemed to mean that the cruise line had the most computer savvy nonagenarians for customers or that just about every under ninety cruiser was posting like crazy. (or should I have written Nana generians)

 

I considered the benefit of having an old group of fellow cruisers as a potential positive. It would be quiet on board except for the clip clop of the walkers going up and down the halls. It would make it easier to get into the buffet as a carefully placed leg could cause a trip up which would have a domino effect sending everbody on top of each other as I moved to the front of the line.

 

But enough of the reasons for my going with Holland America. The real issue is what can I trust on the boards if this given is not true.

 

For instance is it really true as I have deduced from reading the posts on this board that 2/3 of the passengers smoke pipes, cigars or chain smoke five or six packs of cigarettes a day while the other 1/3 of the passengers are so allergic to smoke that even a whiff will lead to cardiac arrest or bring back full blown cancers that had been in remission for the past 50 years.

 

If I can not trust this board, who can I trust?

 

 

Is it critical to your good time for your fellow cruisers to be in a certain age range? My point is you can never be sure on any given cruise just what the demographic will be for your specific ship on your specific date.

 

The only way to be almost sure to have a senior demographic would be World Cruise or a lengthy Grand Voyage. Those cruisers are so long only senior/retired people, for the most part, have the time.

 

 

[billbunger]

It seems a Troll has started this thread.

[IRL_Joanie]

It seems a Troll has started this thread.

I thought so also, originally. But have gone and looked at his profile and he and his wife are booked on Statendam in May.

 

It is my belief that the OP means this in a light hearted tone and just forgot the smilie. At least I hope that is it:)

 

Joanie

[Essiesmom]

Carnival has the reputation as a party line with younger cruisers, but on my TA on the Dream, 16 days, the demographic more closely matched that of HAL. All things are relative. EM

[Lard Greystoke]

I thought so also, originally. But have gone and looked at his profile and he and his wife are booked on Statendam in May.

 

It is my belief that the OP means this in a light hearted tone and just forgot the smilie. At least I hope that is it:)

 

Joanie

 

Agree. OP's post shows a brainwave and a sense of humor. It does raise a valid point, which is that many on these boards post highly charged claims either because they are 1) too emotionally involved to speak objectively, or 2) too lazy to rely on their own experience, and simply repeat tired stereotypes instead.

 

Suspect OP will have a good time on whatever cruise line.

[OVgirl]

As a person who has never been on a cruise before I decided to visit Cruise Critic to get an honest view of what each cruise line was like so I could make an intelligent choice rather than depend on the advertising of the cruiselines themselves.

 

One thing that became clear from the board was that Holland America cruisers were old, really old. While some posters thought that was good and some thought that was bad it seemed to be a given ie like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Most reviews put the cruisers as well past 80. Now I find that the average age is actually less than Princess and Celebrity. I am shocked!

 

I was impressed that the posters on this board were Holland American Cruisers. That seemed to mean that the cruise line had the most computer savvy nonagenarians for customers or that just about every under ninety cruiser was posting like crazy. (or should I have written Nana generians)

 

I considered the benefit of having an old group of fellow cruisers as a potential positive. It would be quiet on board except for the clip clop of the walkers going up and down the halls. It would make it easier to get into the buffet as a carefully placed leg could cause a trip up which would have a domino effect sending everbody on top of each other as I moved to the front of the line.

 

But enough of the reasons for my going with Holland America. The real issue is what can I trust on the boards if this given is not true.

 

For instance is it really true as I have deduced from reading the posts on this board that 2/3 of the passengers smoke pipes, cigars or chain smoke five or six packs of cigarettes a day while the other 1/3 of the passengers are so allergic to smoke that even a whiff will lead to cardiac arrest or bring back full blown cancers that had been in remission for the past 50 years.

 

If I can not trust this board, who can I trust?

You are so right. If one truth is proven false, how many other truths will follow in that domino effect you cited. Oh, sorry, that was another scenario. :eek:

 

I guess you will just have to go check it out and report back to us with your conclusions. ;)

 

Enjoy your cruise.:)

[Himself]

While I cannot deny that there are a good number of senior citizens are on the ships of Holland America, it is by no means the floating nursing homes claim many it is. I have found many younger people on board and sometimes many children. I am a former smoker and have never been bothered by smoking on Holland America.

[Canuck73]

Does the age of the passengers really need to be a big concern? My wife and I have booked our first ever cruise with HAL and we were not worried about age of the other passengers when we did. Maybe I'm looking at it from a different angle then others but it's a holiday to get away from the regular work schedule. We are both in our mid to late 30's.

 

As Forrest Gump said "Life is like a box of chocolate's, you never know what you're gonna get"

 

Yes you will be spending time on the ship with the other passengers while at sea but there is so much more to a cruise then the ship. My cruise is going to 4 differnet ports over 7 days. That to me is more important then worrying about peoples ages. So what if some of them are older than you or me. Do you really want to be exhausted by the time you get home from your cruise that you need a vacation from your vacation?

 

Just a thought from a new cruiser, but it's about you and your holiday. So enjoy it! :)

[OVgirl]

When I read this post, it had me laughing out loud. Am I the only one that seems to see the joke the OP is making?

 

The OP states that if in fact the 'reputation' that HAL ships have regarding the 'old' passengers, then we must all be a bunch of 80-90 year old computer geeks posting away on CC. Do you get the picture yet?

 

The fact that if one assumption is proven incorrect, (I think this was shown in another thread actually listing the ages of cruisers on each line.) the subsequent assumptions might also be incorrect.

 

If I've read this all wrong, please forgive me and maybe the OP can come and set me straight. Enough of my chatter, I have to pack for my cruise in 3 weeks.

 

ps.I'm not even close to 80.:o

[barante]

I am 68, my wife 69. We were "average" agewise according to the Nieuw Amsterdam's passenger profile on a recent TA from Venice to FLL. Since this was a long repositioning cruise in the middle of the school term in Oct/Nov. we only had fewer than half a dozen children on board, including two belonging to entertainers. It was a splendiid cruise, even though we had some stormy weather that necessitated skipping ports. Also, passsengers misbehaved by engaging in criminal -- activity, vandalizing and stealing, again according to official NA data.

So what does this mean? To me it means that a cruise ship is like any other random gathering and includes people of all backgrounds. Since someone stole both my bathrobe and 3G Kindle (not visible in a pocket) at the swimming pool, I hope I have learned my lesson. I only blame my own stupidity. I actually pondered the wisdom of taking the 3G Kindle to the pool but decided that what could possibly go wrong there? Since I was to blame I did not let the incident affect my otherwise outstanding trip.

I judged the trip outstanding for several reasons. I thought the entertainment offering was the weakest. Food was varied and very good overall. And the intellectual content was solid, beginning with travel talks.

On HAL ships and particularly on this TA, the passengers' educational level seemed particularly high. This became evident when the daily program began listing interest group meetings. I attended two by the same passenger, a retired university professor. Both were well atended. One concerned global economic future trends, the other the future of NATO. Half a dozen other interest groups developed that covered thater, music, etc.

As a Mac user, I thought it bizarre that HAL only offered computer tutoring only for Microsoft.

The NA's satellite internet was maddeningly slow because so many passengers were sharing brandwidth. So I just bought the basic 200-minute package for the cruise, getting some extra minutes. But I did all the heavy-duty internetting in port cafes that nowadays pretty mudh seem to offer free wi-fi.

What gives HAL an endge among cruise lines -- and something that truly adds value and content to my cruises -- are free access to the New York Times and the excellent libraries. I like to read on cruises and get some news beyond CNN, which is too repetitive,and Fox, which is bizarre.

A half year before the very successful NA cruise, we had a less successful one on the Volendam, a 28-day repositioning from Rio to FLL. Again, because of the length and time in the middle of the school year, few children. The Veendam trips' problems made me take the NA cruise with some hesitation. But as I told the captain, "Thank you. You have restored my faith in HAL."

We'll have another opportunity to test HAL in March when we take a 36-day cruise from Auckland to Vancouver on the Volendam. Since it caters largely to the New Zealand/Australia market, it will intersting to see whether that lowers the average age any.

[whogo]

I considered the benefit of having an old group of fellow cruisers as a potential positive. It would be quiet on board except for the clip clop of the walkers going up and down the halls. It would make it easier to get into the buffet as a carefully placed leg could cause a trip up which would have a domino effect sending everbody on top of each other as I moved to the front of the line.

 

You might be able to move to the head of line by tripping a few seniors, but they might just as easily trip you up and step over you to get to the stewed prunes. They did not get old by being weak and stupid.

[xjust4fun]

You might be able to move to the head of line by tripping a few seniors, but they might just as easily trip you up and step over you to get to the stewed prunes. They did not get old by being weak and stupid.

 

Now that had me cracking up.............. funny........... loved it.

[kazu]

You might be able to move to the head of line by tripping a few seniors, but they might just as easily trip you up and step over you to get to the stewed prunes. They did not get old by being weak and stupid.

 

Love it:) Good reply to a great post:)

[Viesczy]

Carnival has the reputation as a party line with younger cruisers, but on my TA on the Dream, 16 days, the demographic more closely matched that of HAL. All things are relative. EM

 

^ quoted for truth.

 

Length of & time of cruise determines demographics for the most part and with HAL the class of ship has an impact on demographics as well. From my experience the smaller ships have a slightly older demographic than the Vista class ships.

 

As for the OP, I thought it was a great, silly post poking the board in the ribs! ;):D I hope it keeps things in perspective for the board! :D;):cool:

 

Derek

[jbhcw]

As a person who has never been on a cruise before I decided to visit Cruise Critic to get an honest view of what each cruise line was like so I could make an intelligent choice rather than depend on the advertising of the cruiselines themselves.

 

One thing that became clear from the board was that Holland America cruisers were old, really old. While some posters thought that was good and some thought that was bad it seemed to be a given ie like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Most reviews put the cruisers as well past 80. Now I find that the average age is actually less than Princess and Celebrity. I am shocked!

 

I was impressed that the posters on this board were Holland American Cruisers. That seemed to mean that the cruise line had the most computer savvy nonagenarians for customers or that just about every under ninety cruiser was posting like crazy. (or should I have written Nana generians)

 

I considered the benefit of having an old group of fellow cruisers as a potential positive. It would be quiet on board except for the clip clop of the walkers going up and down the halls. It would make it easier to get into the buffet as a carefully placed leg could cause a trip up which would have a domino effect sending everbody on top of each other as I moved to the front of the line.

 

But enough of the reasons for my going with Holland America. The real issue is what can I trust on the boards if this given is not true.

 

For instance is it really true as I have deduced from reading the posts on this board that 2/3 of the passengers smoke pipes, cigars or chain smoke five or six packs of cigarettes a day while the other 1/3 of the passengers are so allergic to smoke that even a whiff will lead to cardiac arrest or bring back full blown cancers that had been in remission for the past 50 years.

 

If I can not trust this board, who can I trust?

 

Love your post:D and to answer your question...you can trust no one:D Please let us know how you like your Hal cruise!!

 

DH is in his seventies, young seventies...and is not crazy about hal...too many old people..while me being in my sixties...loves it because a hal cruise makes me feel young:D

[George C]

I do not think age is a big deal , all ships have all ages, we do try to figure out cruises with the least amount of children on board, so we pick longer cruises when school is not out. 1st cruise on HAL was when I was in my 20's last a couple of months ago at 62. WE also cruise RCCL/Celeberity/Costa/MSC and Princess.

[Amolin]

My Husband and I and DD, 16 have been on 2 HAL cruises and have a third booked for this February. The first was on the Eurodam - Eastern Caribbean during Washington's Birthday week in February. We had heard about the older demographic but this cruise seemed the same as any other cruise we had taken (Celebrity and Cunard) and there were plenty of kids, although not as many as I expected. Also I didn't particularly notice any smoking. Our second cruise was on the Westerdam - same week in February, also caribbean - and on this cruise I was surprised at the age difference. Much, much older group, very few children. (This cruise had 3 sea days - we thought this might have something to do with it) and the smoking was unbelievable. At the aft pool the smoke was like a cloud no matter where you sat. Smokers were everywhere and no one said anything to them. We noticed this all over the ship on this cruise. So who knows what this Feb. will bring? It's a vacation and we will enjoy ourselves.

[Need to Know]

For the record the post was not meant to be a troll post but rather a satirical comment on the way presumptions become fact even when they are not fact. Or perhaps the immediately preceding poster really does have the truth and statistics be ******.

 

In any case for those who took the post seriously. I have no intention of tripping any senior citizens or dashing to the head of the Buffet line. And if any of the nonagenarians are like my mother in law, I would be a fool for even trying.

 

I will say that when I first visited the Cruise Critic I read the official review of the Statendam and it prominently points out that the cruisers are for the most part over sixty. Most reviews I have read subsequently have also made a big point of reflecting on the age of the fellow HA Cruisers. Such as "we are in our early seventies and the average age of the people on our cruise was well past 80. It seemed to me, a short time vistor to the Board, to be a constant. Finally we have hard facts, not opinion, and it refutes the essence of most of these posts.

 

Rather than challenge the presumption that HA has an older demographic, many posters treated the presumption as fact and used it to justify this as one reason why they liked sailing on HAL or as one reason they disliked sailing on HAL. We now find it is a nonreason.

 

The age of my fellow cruise ship passengers has nothing to do with cruise I chose. Frankly I found the posts about the old age of the HA to be too absurd to be believed as is now attested to by actual fact.

[hpf]

Everyone is only as old or young as they feel. When I cruise with my DD I myself feel much younger. And the most fun of all when we also took my GD with us (@^ at the time) and we all had a blast.

Go on your cruise and have a lovely time.

Helen

[TheCalicoCat]

If I can not trust this board, who can I trust?

 

Don't you know by now that you can't trust anything that you read on an internet chat site...