possible first timers..need some persuasion

[needtogetoutofthecold]

I am trying to talk my husband into going on a cruise via Celebrity (constellation). I've been on one before (NCL) and really enjoyed it, but he's never and he's very hesitant. He thinks it will be filled with a bunch of boring old people :)

 

We are parents who are looking to get away from our kids for a few days. So we don't want to be on a ship that is full of other kids, running and screaming. However, we're not 50+, so we're not looking to be hanging with people our parents age, either.

 

Advice, tips, etc?

[sail7seas]

You don't have to hang out with anyone you don't care to spend time with.

If the people are old and boring, hang out with each other. :)

Some older people are actually quite interesting..... Oh the places they have been, the things they have seen, the people they have met..... A lifetime of wonderful stories they can share if someone cares to hear them. :)

 

Book Carnival or RCI.... you have a better chance of fellow cruisers being more active though RCI is apt to have children. :D

 

Edited December 27, 2014 by sail7seas

[SuiteTraveler]

Celebrity Constellaton is an older ship - debuted in 2002, refurbished 2010. What was your reason for choosing this particular ship? Was it the ports or what? I will tell you, depending on the itinerary, Celebrity will either have a mixed group of ages or it will lean to older folks - I've experienced both on 3 different Celebrity cruises. One Med cruise we did the folks were so much older than us that at ages 50 and 52 we were among the youngest on the cruise and got special attention from the crew because of this. LOL! But in the Caribbean, the ages were more mixed. It looks like the Constellation is doing 5 days out of Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau, and Key West. Nassau is not the greatest port unless you want to do either a beach day at Blue Lagoon or go to the Waterparrk in Atlantis. Key West should be fun. What do you typically like to do on a land based vacation? That might help us to advise you better.

 

To me, if you want a cruise that is full of entertainment and a fuller range of ages - but the kids are "out of sight" mostly, then I would think either RCCL Allure or Oasis or NCL Epic or Getaway. I just got off Allure last month and although I know there were kids on the ship, we rarely ran across them because they love the kids clubs and also, we didn't go to the children's areas such as the water park and video arcade. The ship is so big, you just rarely see the kids. Same with Epic and Getaway - especially if you buy the dining package and eat in specialty restaurants every night.

[LHT28]

Stick with Carnival or RCCL try a 4-5 day cruise & see if he likes it you will find lots of people that are not old & boring

 

Celebrity will have more old boring people

Edited December 28, 2014 by LHT28

[herbanrenewal]

Longer cruises frequently have an older demographic since retirees tend to have more free time.

Transatlantics, and longer than 10 days have an older population.

 

Kids are most likely during school holidays, spring break, and vacation times

 

I think your best bet is spring or fall and 7 days or less. Unless it's a port-intensive cruise where the ports are more important than the ship experience.

 

As much as I love Celebrity I would look at Royal Caribbean. They attract a younger population with more active activities like zip lines, surf riders, rock walls etc. but what a lot of people don't think of is that entertainment is booked. If seems to me Celebrity has a lot more senior entertainers, and the lounges are emptier by midnight. (But I'm a retired senior who cruises on longer cruises)

[Lionesss]

After reading your first post and planning your cruise (in many years, and your DH first)...........you came to the right area.

 

Cruise Critic has a vast wealth of knowledge.

 

Why now cruise when the kids are in school, and that way you would have the chance to cruise with less kids.

 

Try warm active climates.

 

On board the ships you can find your own areas and new found friends to be with.

 

Go with an open mind and have fun.

 

Sea Ya

[taglovestocruise]

I am trying to talk my husband into going on a cruise via Celebrity (constellation). I've been on one before (NCL) and really enjoyed it, but he's never and he's very hesitant. He thinks it will be filled with a bunch of boring old people :)

 

We are parents who are looking to get away from our kids for a few days. So we don't want to be on a ship that is full of other kids, running and screaming. However, we're not 50+, so we're not looking to be hanging with people our parents age, either.

 

Advice, tips, etc?

 

I think your husband is right, the Constellation is a older and smaller ship that attracts a older more settled group.

 

This is from Celebrity..

 

Celebrity Constellation Fellow Passengers

 

Celebrity attracts an upper middle-class passenger base, the majority of whom are experienced travelers. It was mostly couples or groups on my particular cruise, typically in the 45 to 70 age range. During the summer and over school holidays, the number of kids onboard may balloon to 250 or more.

 

When Constellation is in Europe, the passenger mix is international, with a roughly even blend of North American and European cruisers, most of whom hail from the United Kingdom (the largest Continental contingent), France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Passengers from Japan, Israel and South America were also onboard our sailing. In the Caribbean, expect the breakdown to skew much more North American.

[loubetti]

I'd go on Celebrity / Constellation over RCI or Carnival so fast it would make your head spin!

 

"Smaller"? It's 91,000 tons!! Twice the size of Titanic.

 

Today, many newer cruisers need floating resorts, and really do not want to be on a ship, that's why they need these mega ships of a gazillion tons, and at 91,000 tons, Constellation is huge!

 

Go class, go Celebrity.

 

Oh, okay, I'm 56, but first sailed Celebrity when I was 34.

 

Don't listen to those that say "older, smaller". They are not true cruisers.

 

Also, I am not "old" or "boring".

Edited December 28, 2014 by loubetti

[cb at sea]

When you vacation elsewhere, does the age of the others matter? Same on a ship! You won't be "hanging" with the other passengers, any more than you would at a hotel or resort!

 

You will be on a ship, and do your own thing.

[thinfool]

I may be all wrong here, but your screen name " needtogetoutofthecold" would indicate that you hope to travel/cruise in the winter.

 

Winter is not the time to go to California to get warm. The Pacific will be cold and the wind accordingly so. Ports will be warmer, but winter in Calif. is also the rainy season. Not a particularly warm rain, either. On rare occasions there is light snow on the coastal mountains.

 

The suggestion for something in the Caribbean might be better.

Edited December 28, 2014 by thinfool

[nstructor]

What is Archie's full name? He is the best cruise director I have ever had! He was on the Norwegian Pearl last year.

[Lerin]

How old are you and when and where are you planning to cruise?

 

We've cruised Carnival in winter in California (it was quite warm and not rainy) and had to search out other kids for our children to play with because the demographic was much older than many will have you believe. There were around 150 people under age 18 on board a ship built for 3000. While there was a range of ages, I'd say the average was upper 40s. Great for us, but I guess too old for you?

 

If your goal is to avoid kids: don't cruise March, April, June, July, August, or December

If your goal is to avoid 50+ year olds: don't cruise the other 6 months. :D

 

Curious why you don't go on NCL since that is what you've done and liked?

[luddite]

Doing some research here on Cruise Critic will help you make good decisions.

There is lots of good info available.

[LMaxwell]

Celebrity is more of a mature crowd. Suggest looking at some of the larger ships from Royal Caribbean for a bit more action and livliness. Yes, I have cruised both lines.

[Bonnie J.]

I think of Celebrity as a country club cruise. There will be a LOT of men in tuxedos on formal nights and men who wear a jacket on other nights. On Carnival and RCCL you will not find this. There are men who will wear what they wear every night on formal nights- a polo short and Dockers. Carnival doesn't call it formal night any more. Its 'Cruise Elegant night'.

Both ships have adult only areas.

Carnival has Serenity decks. There are wicker chaises, chairs and sofas with thick cushions on them. Children are not allowed there and there is no smoking of any kind and they mean that. There are hot tubes here and some have a pool. The Serenity deck on the Sunshine is three levels, they have a pool and lots of chaises on deck 11, sofas and chairs on deck 12 and a bar, big hot tub, hammocks, bed size seating, tables with umbrellas, with sun & shade on each deck.

On Carnival's oldest ship, the Fantasy, we were on her in late May, schools out, and there were just under 1,000 kids but we NEVER saw any! They have a great kid's program and have babysitting from 10pm until 3am!

RCCL's Freedom of the Seas has a fantastic kids pool area. I have never seen so much water things for kids but don't know about their kids programs. They have an adult only pool but it is always crowded and hard to find a chaise. And kids can't use the pool but can be there.

You will find all ages on Carnival or RCCL.

[herbanrenewal]

When you vacation elsewhere, does the age of the others matter? Same on a ship! You won't be "hanging" with the other passengers, any more than you would at a hotel or resort!

 

You will be on a ship, and do your own thing.

 

But the entertainment does matter. On a ship with older passengers the music venues have music of the 60's - a lounge may have disco music. Cruise directors select entertainment geared to the demographics of the passengers.

And when a bar is empty it just isn't as much fun.

While Celebrity suits me perfectly it may not be as good a fit for someone looking for a younger crowd.

[HiCSailor]

As a fellow new (and young) cruiser, I can echo the comments above that Royal Caribbean draws a fairly young and active crowd. While they do cater to families, I don't think the kids onboard are very noticeable and they are certainly not going today overwhelm your vacation fun.

[DirtyDawg]

We were on a 5 day cruise on the Connie in March 2013. Since it was spring break season and the 1-2-3 promotion was on there was a good amount of College kids aboard. They were very lively!:D

 

But the rest of the cruisers were mainly 50++. We sat a a table one morning with four other couples who were all from Pittsburgh originally and we had a very good discussion about hockey - so there are things to talk about with the older crowd. Of course we also talked about knee replacements since all four of the guys had had the surgery. :eek:

[Hlitner]

We are one of the "boring old people" that has spent an awful lot of time (nearly 4 years) on cruise ships :). So here is what you can tell your DH. The demographics of any cruise is largely dependent on a few factors including the length of the cruise, time of the year, and even cruise line. As a basic rule, the shorter the cruise the younger the passengers. Take a 30 day cruise and you will likely have a shipload of retired folks (like moi). Take a 7 day (or less) Caribbean cruise during a school holiday and you will likely have a ship full of younger folks and hundreds of teens/kids.

 

So what should you do to increase the likelihood of lots of cruisers in your own age group? Take a shorter cruise (7 days or less) and avoid major school holidays (i.e. Spring Break, Easter, President's Day). You will likely get a broad age group with plenty in your age bracket among older cruisers (always an issue with cruises out of Florida).

 

And by the way, we seniors are not always so boring :). In fact, the most fascinating tablemate that DW and I have had in many years (we are in our mid 60s) was a 92 year old widower (WWII veteran). This man had us roaring with his many jokes and humorous stories and also told us some interesting stories about life during WWII. When we first sat at his table DW and I wondered if we were going to have a boring meal. But quite the contrary it was a memorable evening and we sought this guy out later in the cruise for more conversation.

 

Hank

Edited December 28, 2014 by Hlitner

[FLUFFLULA]

Another option is princess. Less water park type of entertainment that attracts children but lots of interesting activities for adults. There is a kids program so there will be kids, but less of a focus than on royal or carnival. Royal is my favorite line but princess is a close second and might be a better choice given what you want. I agree with others that celebrity is a good line but more sedate than princess or royal. :)

[Roz]

Some day you will be 50+. Will you want people to not associate with you because age automatically makes one boring?

 

Roz

[OCruisers]

I am trying to talk my husband into going on a cruise via Celebrity (constellation). I've been on one before (NCL) and really enjoyed it, but he's never and he's very hesitant. He thinks it will be filled with a bunch of boring old people :)

 

We are parents who are looking to get away from our kids for a few days. So we don't want to be on a ship that is full of other kids, running and screaming. However, we're not 50+, so we're not looking to be hanging with people our parents age, either.

 

Advice, tips, etc?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

 

You'll find many other under 50 on shorter Celebrity cruises!

 

LuLu

[blackpool belle]

I am trying to talk my husband into going on a cruise via Celebrity (constellation). I've been on one before (NCL) and really enjoyed it, but he's never and he's very hesitant. He thinks it will be filled with a bunch of boring old people :)

 

My husband felt the same but from our first cruise he was bitten by the cruise bug and we haven't had a land holiday since ( as our main holiday)

 

Really hope you can talk him into it. :p

[Flatbush Flyer]

I am trying to talk my husband into going on a cruise via Celebrity (constellation). I've been on one before (NCL) and really enjoyed it, but he's never and he's very hesitant. He thinks it will be filled with a bunch of boring old people :)

 

 

 

We are parents who are looking to get away from our kids for a few days. So we don't want to be on a ship that is full of other kids, running and screaming. However, we're not 50+, so we're not looking to be hanging with people our parents age, either.

 

 

 

Advice, tips, etc?

 

 

Boring old people?

I've spent a chunk of my professional life at sea. On one Pacific crossing, a series of circumstances, including outrunning a typhoon, found us on Saipan during a memorial celebration remembering the battle of Tinian and Saipan. At one particular event, I ended up seated next to a bunch of REALLY old geezers. As it turned out, one was a guy named Paul Tibbits (pilot of the Enola Gay) and the other was one of the last living Navajo Code Talkers (forgot his name but it might have been Chester Nez (he was the last one to pass away).

Yeah - those conversations were real yawners....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[LkMichigan beach bum]

Celebrity is more of a mature crowd. Suggest looking at some of the larger ships from Royal Caribbean for a bit more action and livliness. Yes, I have cruised both lines.

 

 

 

I agree with this .... however, IF you want a FUN & very inexpensive cruise try Carnival. I would stay away from Celebrity, that is just me. :)

Bev