Your thoughts on Princess for people in their 30s

[suzyed]

That is a misconception. Carnival Corporation owns Princess Cruise Line And Carnival Cruise Lines and others. Each cruise line operates independently. Carnival, the line, tends to cater to a younger demographic which can sometimes be louder and more rowdy. I think college kids when I see them onboard. Carnival also has flashier ships with lots of neon, sort of like Las Vegas decor. Princess ships are "elegant."

 

I think RCI has some of the more elegant decors, as well.

 

But to your question, I agree that it is itinerary that is a more important criteria. Longer cruises tend to have more retired people on them. I believe on Princess too, the shorter cruises may have more younger folks. (14 days has been our shortest Princess cruise.)

 

In my opinion, RCI has the best shows....the one we saw on the Freedom of the Seas, was Broadway caliber!!

 

Our last Princess cruise of 29 days, I think we enjoyed maybe 2-3 of the shows which are at most 30 minutes. Oh and btw, the average age on that sailing was 76 years old.

Edited August 5, 2015 by suzyed

[suzyed]

Perfectly said. I started cruising Princess in my 30s. Loved it. Then went on a Carnival cruise. Hated it. It just isn't for us. I prefer the elegance to the rowdy. But I'm sure others would feel differently.

 

Honestly, I have seen very little rowdy behavior on cruises...no matter which line. Maybe shorter, 3-4 day Bahamas cruises will have a more "party" type atmosphere. I guess it depends on what you consider "rowdy behavior" to be. Two guys in a rumble in the laundry room?

We had that on our last 29 day Princess cruise!! Now that's rowdy!

[suzyed]

Carnival Cruise Line is also much more likely to have toga parties and belly flop contests. :D

 

The "Crossing the Equator" party we had on the 29 day Crown Princess was, BY FAR, the most over the top party we have seen in over 25 cruises!! Belly flop? Togas? That's small stuff!! LOL!

[suzyed]

Honestly if you have a cruise planned on RCI I advise you to wait until after that before deciding on Princess. Because the vibes are polar opposites. Though RCI attracts the most families outside of Disney, much of their clientele consists of boomers and young retirees who frequently like to behave as if they were still in their 30s (or 20s). If that works for you then Princess probably won't. But if a good dinner and show is what you prefer each evening you will blend in with the acting-their-age Princess crown fine, as opposed to night on RCI ships where the main activities are dancing, karaoke and bawdy game shows (and their loyalty program is totally booze-oriented [even more so than Carnival] which you will discover from observing the repeat cruisers).

 

What do you mean RCI's loyalty program is booze-oriented? We are Diamond on RCI and can't imagine what you are referring to? :confused:

[suzyed]

Thing I heard about HAL from Carnival is that it's people in wheel chairs, you would be asleep by 6pm

 

Well maybe not 6pm, but on our first Princess....on the Ruby, the sidewalks literally rolled up about 10:30! :eek: The ship was deserted after that. Yes, they have a night club and we like to dance, so we went there. The only other people there were some of the entertainment crew and a small group of 20-30 year olds on their first cruise who seemed to be in a state of shock by the sleepy nature of the night club. We made friends with the DJ who was the same age as our son and danced anyway (me, in a big boot/cast)!

We loved the cruise, but don't think we would have enjoyed it nearly as much if we were in our 30's. JMHO.

[suzyed]

[quote name='cocacola86']It's funny HAL is part of Carnival Corp, how is Princess price drop and how does it work? If you book your airfare through Princess do you have to pay it upfront or can you add it to your cruise and pay it down as you pay your cruise[/QUOTE]

You pay for the Princess EZair, when you make final payment on your cruise or 45 days out.

[tetleytea]

I think it's this simple: cruise Princess in your 30's. Join Captain's Circle, and by the time you're in your 40's you'll be Elite.

[lor74]

That's what we did. 40 years old and Elite after 13 years of cruising. For us Princess is the right fit Edited August 5, 2015 by lor74

[philv]

[quote name='cocacola86']We like to go to the shows, go for dinner, were not into dancing, she likes going to the spa, we just want to go somewhere where it's warm after a cold winter, but a cruise that won't break the bank.[/QUOTE]

Princess sounds right for you. We've done 8 Caribbean cruises on Princess and enjoyed them all. We like beach and water excursions but also enjoy the at sea days. I enjoy reading on my balcony, strolls on the Promenade, fitness center and steam room, and casino. Nice ambiance on ship, not too crazy but plenty of things to do. Happy cruising! :D

[cocacola86]

What benefits does elite give you, Carnival has the worst benefits.

[Astro Flyer]

[quote name='cocacola86']What benefits does elite give you, Carnival has the worst benefits.[/QUOTE]

Here's a link to all of the Princess Captain's Circle benefits:

[url]https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/memberShipBenefitsForProspect.jsp[/url]

[cocacola86]

How many cruises does it take to get to elite? We can only afford to take one a year

[Astro Flyer]

[quote name='cocacola86']How many cruises does it take to get to elite? We can only afford to take one a year[/QUOTE]
From the benefits section I posted:

[B]Elite Member Benefits - From your 16th cruise on, or 151+ cruise days[/B] Edited August 6, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[rdsqrl]

[COLOR=Indigo][FONT=Comic Sans MS]It takes 15 cruise credits (or 150 days at sea). You earn one cruise credit for every cruise, two credits if you sail solo or in a suite, three if you sail solo [I]in [/I]a suite.

It's not the destination; it's the journey. I would never look upon attaining Elite as a reason to cruise. On any line.
[/FONT][/COLOR]

[cocacola86]

I look at it as seeing a new place, you only live once.

[cocacola86]

When do the 2017 interenary come out?

[exbiologist]

I'm 35, wife is 28. We just did the Island Princess 12 night Grand Med trip. I too was concerned that it would just be old people and there'd be no night life after 10pm. We drink, we gamble and we like to interact with people. I have not been on another cruise before, this was our first, so take what I say for what it's worth.
We were routinely up past 1am and had other people to drink with, typically ex dining room table mates. The bars were open, but relatively calm. People were typically dancing whether it was the live band or the DJ. We were almost always the youngest couple at our dinner table, but not always. And frequently dined with 40 and 50 somethings, but even got together with some 60 somethings several times for drinks throughout the cruise. Also dined, gambled, drank and hung out at pool with a 40 something couple several times. So, we were not taking shots and licking Tequila off a college girl, nor snorting coke off the bar, but we frequently drank, danced a little, had good conversation with new friends and had a great time. Your mileage may vary.

[caribill]

[quote name='cocacola86']When do the 2017 interenary come out?[/quote]

New itineraries start coming out late March or early April each year.

[cocacola86]

Do you use a TA, or book through Princess? Which ship would you say is the worst and one to avoid?

[Steelers36]

I'm happy to read that Princess is attracting plenty of 30's and 40's on voyages as I want to see a wide demographic on board as it will encourage Princess to continue to appeal to that wide customer base where age is not the factor - it's the experience and ambiance, service, food, etc.

We are just over the 60 hill, but don't look anything like it (lucky genes I guess) and not ready to call ourselves seniors yet. You're as young as you feel and think. I like seeing and interacting with a broad range of passengers if have opportunity.

That said, our sum and total experience is Caribbean sailing and I realize the age demographic moves up the line in other geographic areas and with longer voyages - has to be true with any line.

So, keep on coming and keep us and Princess on our toes!

[Steelers36]

[quote name='cocacola86']Do you use a TA, or book through Princess? Which ship would you say is the worst and one to avoid?[/QUOTE]

I check what Princess pricing is for the cruise(s) we want or are considering. Then I see if I can find a better deal with a TA (I will first check back with a TA I used before to try and swing them the business).

Then I book whichever way gives me the best deal (cabin/price combo plus OBC).

I am not qualified to answer the second question, but it is highly subjective and you will get a lot of answers depending on preferences. I'd like to think Princess doesn't have a "bad" ship, but some seem to be less preferred.

Good luck!

[cocacola86]

My sister in law went on the Caribbean Princess twice once out of PR and out of NY and got Platnium, cause she is a TA

[cocacola86]

How is Princess Cays? We've been to GT and loved it.

[caribill]

[quote name='cocacola86']How is Princess Cays? We've been to GT and loved it.[/quote]

No commercial establishments such as Diamond's International or Margaritaville.

[akeasley]

I'm 34 and have been cruising for almost 10 years. I love both Princess and HAL. I have no desire to cruise on Carnival but am tempted to try RCL.