Adult centered cruising with

[Baron Barracuda]

Royal markets to younger crowd because that's where the $ is. Families more inclined to buy shore excursions, drink packages, wifi for everyone, photo packages, etc.

 

Before anyone goes running to Celebrity though suggest you peruse the X boards here on cc. Lots of unhappiness about changes current management has made to attract more millenials (and their kids)

[katiel53]

I am older and totally enjoy the larger ships with the bells and whistles. I sail twice yearly and out of the two cruises, one includes my son and his family and my grandchild.

 

I don't use the rock climbing wall, surfing, ice skating, pools and hot tubs. I don't care about the shows that include kids etc.

 

I do love the larger ships and, for me, the attraction of these is the entertainment. There are far more choices than on a smaller ship. I am also a kind of foodie and love the various specialty restaurants on the ship as opposed to having only one or two on the smaller ships.

 

I do use the casino and I can find enjoyment with those on the smaller ships, but enjoy the larger casinos on the larger ships.

 

We all cruise for different reasons and if there were an all-adult cruise on an Oasis class ship, I'd consider it. But, then again, my chances of dining in all the specialty restaurants might be more difficult as adults would perhaps go there more often than families. The same would hold true for the casino.

 

So, for me, let's let things stay the way they are. There isn't any one size fits all and I'm happy there are choices for all of us.

[dchurchward]

It seems to me that there are already cruise lines that meet the adult-only demographic or adult-focused demographic. It doesn't make sense in RCL's business model to change what is working so well for them. However, as others have stated, by cruising at times when kids are in school, or on longer itineraries, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of children on board. You could also look at Holland America, Celebrity, or Princess to further reduce the chances of children.

[BillHana]

We have done 9+ night RCL cruises during normal school time and any under 18 people were no problem. Except this past January were on a 9 night cruise on Anthem out of NJ and it was overloaded with misbehaving kids and parents who didn't care. It was horrible.

 

 

Instead of adult only cruises RCL should advise the probability of high number of kids on their Cruise Planner. (They know) That way folks could choose which way they want to go and everyone is happy.

[BillHana]

My loyalty to RCL will earn me D+ level this October. If I try Celebrity to have fewer non-adult folks can I get comparable benefit of RCL D+ status from Celebrity?

[Clarea]

My loyalty to RCL will earn me D+ level this October. If I try Celebrity to have fewer non-adult folks can I get comparable benefit of RCL D+ status from Celebrity?

No, the level reciprocity ends at Diamond/Elite. RC levels of Diamond and above only get you Elite on Celebrity.

[George C]

Really enjoyed last cruise it was a adults only music charter on celebrity summit , liked it so much we booked same charter for next year ours was 70’s music but there are many others for 60’s , disco , country etc

[zooma]

This comes straight from the corporate website: "RCL's largest brand, Royal Caribbean International, is a contemporary brand focused on adventure-seeking families, Celebrity Cruises is a premium brand providing a modern luxury experience to discerning global travelers, and Azamara Club Cruises is a destination immersive brand offering luxury voyages to unique ports." Now they also have invested in Silversea, an ultra-luxury brand.

 

They've got all their bases covered.

 

Did not realize Silversea is now related. Do they match status from RC as they do with Celebrity and Azamara?

[Clarea]

Did not realize Silversea is now related. Do they match status from RC as they do with Celebrity and Azamara?

I don't think they are at that point yet with the acquisition.

[zooma]

OK, thank you.

[smplybcause]

The problem is even if they aren't 100% targeting more kids, the age range of those buying the cruises they are targeting want the better ships. So while I would love an adult only cruise, I don't want it to be a stuffy one on an old ship with nothing fun so so far my friends and I prefer the updated ships.

 

We're waiting to see how virgin shakes out, though so far I don't think things look promising.

 

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[dchurchward]

The problem is even if they aren't 100% targeting more kids, the age range of those buying the cruises they are targeting want the better ships. So while I would love an adult only cruise, I don't want it to be a stuffy one on an old ship with nothing fun so so far my friends and I prefer the updated ships.

 

We're waiting to see how virgin shakes out, though so far I don't think things look promising.

 

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I might even make it more basic than that. People in general want to cruise on the newer ships. There are exceptions of course if there is a particular ship that people fall in love with, but in general, people seem to always want the newest ship. I don't even know if it is just who they are targeting.

[LMaxwell]

i just read an interesting article about adult, 18+, cruises. It stated P &O had converted part of its fleet to adult only. It went on to say other cruise lines, like Viking, are exclusively for adults.

With that in mind, wouldn’t it make good business sense for Royal to take advantage of this current market trend (with some cruisers preferring adult only cruises)? They could save millions of dollars not retrofitting smaller ships with all the newer “bells and whistles” and attract the crowd that prefers to cruise sans kids.

The mega ships would continue to attract families by providing a resort like atmosphere. People who want adults only would stay with Royal instead of exploring options. And when it came time for extended family vacations would join in on the larger ships. Royal was loyal to them by providing what they wanted. Everybody wins (including Royals bottom line). I would nominate a Radiance class ship, like Serenade, as an experimental ship.

I know there is a desire for this. I have seen here, and other sites, where people are trying to figure out when is the best time to cruise with the fewest number of kids.

 

People who want adults only are also generally willing and able to pay for premium experiences; do you really think Royal's product, especially for smaller ships, lives up to that? Without families and kids the price point for Vision and Radiance class would be exorbitant and Royal's product has been carefully scaled to a cost not to a standard.