Cruising with older parents

[MommaBear55]

You are sticking your older parents in an OV and it will be his birthday. You should change yours to an inside and move them to a suite or an OV balcony at the least:D

 

I totally disagree! As a parent I would be upset that my child didn't have the same category of room!

 

I know lots of people in their 60's who are older than their age, who don't walk well or far, who are in ill health or choose not to expand their horizons. Then there are people like my husband and me and many on this board who still ski, snorkel, hike, ride bikes, build houses, seek out adventures. Elderly is a relative term...

 

And we are lucky in our children in that they have taken us to London and Paris one year for Christmas. They generally pay their way for the two family vacations we take each year.

Edited October 23, 2015 by MommaBear55

[conandrob240]

Your question has absolutely nothing to do with traveling with older parents so the thread title is sort of useless and misleading.

 

My take is that anytime you can extend the size and use of your room through a balcony or patio, that's the better choice.

[Fouremco]

As another Ancient Mariner, let me express my preference for oceanview. For an upcoming cruise, we had initially booked a Central Park balcony but switched to an oceanviiew balcony after rethinking it. The price differential was too little to make it worth looking at trees instead of waves.

[conandrob240]

You are sticking your older parents in an OV and it will be his birthday. You should change yours to an inside and move them to a suite or an OV balcony at the least:D

 

Rude. They are paying for a trip for them! And y parents would be mortified if I booked them a higher category than we had. They'd spend the whole week feeling guilty and offering to trade rooms. I say same category for both and its whatever you can afford!

[xxoocruiser]

My wife and I love Royal Caribbean. In fact, we booked our next cruise while we were on our honeymoon, and my wife suggested that we pay for my parents to come with us. I thought it was a great idea. We booked a cruise for next November to celebrate my Dad's 69th birthday and we are going to go on Oasis of the Seas on an 8 day Western Caribbean cruise.

 

 

 

69 old ?

Edited October 23, 2015 by xxoocruiser

[setsail]

I totally disagree! As a parent I would be upset that my child didn't have the same category of room!

 

I know lots of people in their 60's who are older than their age, who don't walk well or far, who are in ill health or choose not to expand their horizons. Then there are people like my husband and me and many on this board who still ski, snorkel, hike, ride bikes, build houses, seek out adventures. Elderly is a relative term...

 

And we are lucky in our children in that they have taken us to London and Paris one year for Christmas. They generally pay their way for the two family vacations we take each year.

 

Rude. They are paying for a trip for them! And y parents would be mortified if I booked them a higher category than we had. They'd spend the whole week feeling guilty and offering to trade rooms. I say same category for both and its whatever you can afford!

 

Sooner or later you will get it, probably later from reading:D

And # 23 also

Edited October 23, 2015 by setsail

[john watson]

Old people usually like to sit on a park bench, feed the squirrels and people watch. :D 69 is OLD???? lol

 

Yes they do; and watching people going up and down the Central Park area is good for "people watchers". It is not long before old people can spot a trend in the passers by and be bemused by one guy's activity.

 

Regards John

[BigEasyCC]

A few years ago we cruised with my then 85 year old FIL. He enjoyed his balcony stateroom, but then again he is retired Navy. So just ask which they would prefer, and go for it. Have fun!

[Susie51]

Wow! 69 doesn't seem old at all. In 1992 my mom was 69. She kept up with my sister and I all day and night long. We were on a road trip for two weeks through New England. In Boston she walked the Freedom trail with us.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[brillohead]

Your question has absolutely nothing to do with traveling with older parents so the thread title is sort of useless and misleading.

 

And your comments add absolutely nothing to this thread, making them just as useless. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

What my wife and I are discussing right now is if we made the right choice for cabin. We booked a Central Park view stateroom...for the same price we can get category F oceanview staterooms. Has anyone had experience with either of these cabin types? Which is the better bang for the buck? From what I have seen it almost looks better to go with the oceanview as opposed to the Central Park view...

 

We would have loved a balcony, but it's just not in the budget for this one.

 

They are not balcony cabins. If we could afford a balcony cabin, we would do it in a heart beat. But we don't have the extra $640 for both cabins to be a balcony.

 

My take is that anytime you can extend the size and use of your room through a balcony or patio, that's the better choice.

 

:rolleyes:

 

[molly361]

I would suggest the ocean view cabin and....... In my opinion, 69 is really not old as indicated in your title. :)

 

 

Enjoy

 

M

 

I agree and I agree:D:)

[john watson]

I simply inferred from the term: "Cruising with older parents" that the poster is referring to parents who do not generally have children that are minors. In this respect I was thinking the OP might be of the age where they might have children themselves and are simply try to convey the point to differentiate that this is the situation to which they refer. At no point does the OP seem to say that his parents are actually "Old".

 

Regards John

[ApoJacks]

I simply inferred from the term: "Cruising with older parents" that the poster is referring to parents who do not generally have children that are minors. In this respect I was thinking the OP might be of the age where they might have children themselves and are simply try to convey the point to differentiate that this is the situation to which they refer. At no point does the OP seem to say that his parents are actually "Old".

 

Regards John

 

Thank you John! My point that I was trying to get across is that my parents are in their 60s, they are set in their ways, they have never done cruising before. In fact to quote my Dad; "This will be our first, last and only cruise." So we want to make it special, but we don't have the money to do something huge like a suite. We would LOVE to do that if we could. So we want to do something that will be memorable for them.

[Eriksgarden]

My parents are in their 80's and we just went on a cruise with them in Hawaii. We had adjoining cabins with a door between us. We booked easy excursions with them. It was wonderful.

[cruisegirl1]

Yes, most of you are right in that 69 is not old, but when you are 31...it feels like a lifetime away! My parents don't have the ocean rolling by their home every day. I am going to switch us out for the ocean view stateroom.

 

Also, my Dad enjoys a nice drink every now and then. He was talking about getting an alcohol package....I don't drink, but my wife and I sure did take advantage of the Royal Replenishment package on our honeymoon. Any thoughts on where to guide him on the drink package? He mostly drinks cheap beer (Natural Light anyone?) but I think he and my mother would have a glass of wine or two at dinner. Is it worth for them to get one of the basic unlimited alcohol packages or should they go with the non-alcohol package and do pay as you go for their booze?

 

 

It is very nce that you are treating your parents to a cruise. At 31, I'm sure 60 something seems a far way off. You will "blink" and your son will be taking you on a cruise one day.

 

 

From your info, it might be better for your parents not to have the drink package. If they decide they want one, I believe they can purchase it a few days into the cruise.

Enjoy

M

[conandrob240]

Thank you John! My point that I was trying to get across is that my parents are in their 60s, they are set in their ways, they have never done cruising before. In fact to quote my Dad; "This will be our first, last and only cruise." So we want to make it special, but we don't have the money to do something huge like a suite. We would LOVE to do that if we could. So we want to do something that will be memorable for them.

 

So, what does this mean exactly? Do they even want to go?

[tinkr2]

"Rude obnoxious post, like yours earlier in the thread...." to use your own words... conanrob240...are why people do not value your opinion

[tinkr2]

Apojacks, we loved Central Park, lots of people watching and activity to see. I can not look out at OV bc of the motion but enjoy the view at a glance. I would keep Central Park, it is unique and you can go sit on deck and enjoy the view.

[john watson]

I am thinking when father said "this will be our first, last and only cruise" he has agreed to go. Travelling on this trip is not compulsory and he seemingly has not said "I am not doing that" or "I don't think I would like that" and one would assume the OP would get the feel of father's enthusiasm or lack thereof when this discussion took place.

 

As people get older they tend to think a bit differently and sometimes worry about things that will not happen. Partly because they do not know what precisely is involved in doing something completely new and also how this will affect in practical terms them given their age.

 

Cruising for some people is very marginal as to whether they can afford it others its thought of as inexpensive and this changes over the years. Some people start to think that they cannot endure the stress and inconveniences of the airport and flight scenario. This may be alleviated with business class by some people others might think we got to start doing cruises that do not require flying. Then there are other considerations like getting travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions. The policy on some insurance quotes is higher than the cruise fare.

 

Luckily in the UK we have special lines for older people SAGA for the over 55's and people like Fred Olsen Cruises include a car pick up from your house and drop off at the port both ways. These lines attract a higher age group. Lots of older people I know "have a man" who they know that does the transits in his car and they trust them like a friend. Big worry sorted out there. I am glad to say I am still on the mainstream cruise lines and booking all types of excursion when we get to the ports not just the easy ones, that is a thing to do, look at the small print in the excursion brochure for levels of fitness, don't book kayaks! The problems change but it is always handy when your younger companions you cruise with become old enough to take on the mantel of responsibility when booking becomes too complicated for you.

 

Regards John

Edited October 24, 2015 by john watson

[Ocean Boy]

Thank you John! My point that I was trying to get across is that my parents are in their 60s, they are set in their ways, they have never done cruising before. In fact to quote my Dad; "This will be our first, last and only cruise." So we want to make it special, but we don't have the money to do something huge like a suite. We would LOVE to do that if we could. So we want to do something that will be memorable for them.

 

After I took my parents on their first cruise the next question was..."Which ship are we doing next".:)

[sjb317]

We took my parents on a cruise to celebrate 60 years of marriage. It was their second cruise with the first one back in 2001. My dad loved every minute. My mom loved their cabin, we put them in an accessible room as my mom uses a walker and needs the accessible bathroom. She loved their cabin attendant as well as the MDR waiters as they all doted on her.:rolleyes: She complained about everything else.

 

I now know how to make a 4 day cruise seem like a 7 day cruise!:D

 

Sherri:)