Which luxury line is the least stuffy? ;)

[CruisySusie]

Looking for a cruise to celebrate our daughter’s 21st this Summer. Travelers will include my husband and myself, our daughter, her boyfriend and my 80 year old mother.  Daughter and bf are not partiers but would like some kind of entertainment other than lectures and touring. Her request is to cruise somewhere warm; preferably with beaches. My husband and I have done Tauck tours and like that level of travel. My mom has been around the world with NatGeo and seen everything; still super active.  We’re thinking Greek islands, Mediterranean, S. America.  For reference, we looked at Viking and the onboard experience just looked too sedate for this trip.  Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[Cruseforme]

I highly recommend Windstar.   Good food, attention to detail, and fun activities make it a great all around cruise.  

[vistaman]

I do recommend Crystal :  silversea too formal , seadream not suitable for a lady in her 80s, seabourn not much entertainment except for music and lectures   and trivia 

 

[CruisySusie]

I wondered about Windstar...let me ask, are any of the other mainstream lines a cut above the rest - without the over crowding and over the top party atmosphere that we want to avoid? 

[Cruseforme]

Since this is a luxury board, you may wish to ask this question on the “ask a question” board for general consumption.   

[wripro]

Windstar is great....stipulated. BUT it is not luxury. And I don't understand why someone would say Sea Dream is not suitable for an 80 year old lady.Sounds exactly like the kind of line that would fit your bill. The other suggestion is Seabourn which si imo the best of the bunch and actually quite casual with more activities and options for the younger set.

[CruisySusie]

Thanks Cruseforme, I took your advice and posted there too. I guess technically I don’t need a “luxury” cruise; just looking for a better experience than on the big ships we’ve been on before.

[Floridiana]

A Neptune suite on a HAL ship provides a better experience than an ordinary cabin. It comes with access to the Neptune lounge and some other privileges. All members of your party should book it, otherwise it makes no sense. Compare the price of a specific itinerary you are interested in with booking the same number of cabins on a luxury ship. 

 

We booked a Regent cruise, supposedly less stuffy than others. You could also look at premium lines like Oceania, Azamara, Viking Ocean. 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Your question started out with which luxury line is less stuffy.  Then you are saying you need to have your 21 year old daughter and boyfriend entertained.  You don’t say how long you would like the cruise to be.  So let’s take a few shots in the dark.

 

HAL, Oceania, Azamara and Viking would probably be boring for your daughter and bf.  Windstar might be a hard sell for your mother.  If you are thinking of 7 days I would suggest the Yacht Club on MSC Seaside in the Caribbean this summer.  That will give you a better level of luxury and offer loads of entertainment options for all concerned.  
 

[orchestrapal]

15 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Your question started out with which luxury line is less stuffy.  Then you are saying you need to have your 21 year old daughter and boyfriend entertained.  You don’t say how long you would like the cruise to be.  So let’s take a few shots in the dark.

 

HAL, Oceania, Azamara and Viking would probably be boring for your daughter and bf.  Windstar might be a hard sell for your mother.  If you are thinking of 7 days I would suggest the Yacht Club on MSC Seaside in the Caribbean this summer.  That will give you a better level of luxury and offer loads of entertainment options for all concerned.  
 

However not one of the aforementioned lines are LUXURY..

 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

3 hours ago, orchestrapal said:

However not one of the aforementioned lines are LUXURY..

 

 

So true.  You will notice that I said MSC Yacht Club would offer a better level of luxury...not exactly luxury.  I don’t believe the OP’s daughter and bf would be any more impressed or entertained on a “luxury” ship.  I think that perhaps the OP is looking for alternatives...not necessarily luxury only?  

Edited February 9, 2020 by CGTNORMANDIE

[wripro]

20 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 

So true.  You will notice that I said MSC Yacht Club would offer a better level of luxury...not exactly luxury.  I don’t believe the OP’s daughter and bf would be any more impressed or entertained on a “luxury” ship.  I think that perhaps the OP is looking for alternatives...not necessarily luxury only?  

Then she shouldn't be posting on the luxury board.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

1 hour ago, wripro said:

Then she shouldn't be posting on the luxury board.

Oh puleeze...are you telling me her only alternatives are Regent, Crystal, Seabourn or Hapag??

Her daughter would be bored to death.  

Edited February 10, 2020 by CGTNORMANDIE

[wripro]

22 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Oh puleeze...are you telling me her only alternatives are Regent, Crystal, Seabourn or Hapag??

Her daughter would be bored to death.  

I'm not telling her anything of the sort. I'm just saying if she wants a different kind of cruise line with more activities then she shouldn't be looking at luxury lines because stye are more sedate. And if she wants that kind of cruise line she shouldn't be on the luxury board. There ar plenty of board on CC where she can find the  kind if ship which would suit her better.

[LHT28]

the  OP has moved on  

well over a week ago

 

[pacruise804]

On 2/10/2020 at 12:09 PM, wripro said:

Then she shouldn't be posting on the luxury board.

 

Perhaps there does need to be a board that is for people who are looking for better than mainstream but not the exclusivity of luxury.  Most recommendations on the "Ask A Cruise Question" board only direct to mainstream lines (sometimes premium) and there seems to be a void for those looking for an experience that is more refined than Carnival and NCL but not quite as high end as Crystal et al.

 

Using cars as an analogy, there are likely a lot of cruisers who want better than a basic Ford/Chevy/Toyota, would be happy with Cadillac/BMW/Mercedes, but can only find a board for Rolls Royce and are missing the place to find what they need.

[CruisySusie]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

 

Perhaps there does need to be a board that is for people who are looking for better than mainstream but not the exclusivity of luxury.  Most recommendations on the "Ask A Cruise Question" board only direct to mainstream lines (sometimes premium) and there seems to be a void for those looking for an experience that is more refined than Carnival and NCL but not quite as high end as Crystal et al.

 

Using cars as an analogy, there are likely a lot of cruisers who want better than a basic Ford/Chevy/Toyota, would be happy with Cadillac/BMW/Mercedes, but can only find a board for Rolls Royce and are missing the place to find what they need.

I agree completely! Thank you so much for putting my thoughts into words :)  I ended up booking the cruise with Crystal on the Barcelona to Rome cruise starting 6/26.  The ports will be interesting to all of us and all of the beachy excursions seem perfect for my daughter and her bf.  Thank you to everyone for all the info!

[pacruise804]

Have a great cruise!

[LHT28]

18 hours ago, CruisySusie said:

I agree completely! Thank you so much for putting my thoughts into words 🙂  I ended up booking the cruise with Crystal on the Barcelona to Rome cruise starting 6/26.  The ports will be interesting to all of us and all of the beachy excursions seem perfect for my daughter and her bf.  Thank you to everyone for all the info!

Hope you enjoy the cruise

It is all about the ports

[ducklite]

I'd also suggest Windstar. They are "Luxury Lite" but are going to have everything you are looking for, including active days.  They will be more casual than the others while still offering a level of elegance.

[CruisySusie]

Yes, we thought Windstar would be good for us! Unfortunately their itineraries didn’t match up with our dates for this summer. We ended up booking a Crystal cruise Barcelona to Rome.  The excursions looked like a good fit. Thanks for the input! 🙂

[saminina]

On 2/8/2020 at 5:59 PM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Your question started out with which luxury line is less stuffy.  Then you are saying you need to have your 21 year old daughter and boyfriend entertained.  You don’t say how long you would like the cruise to be.  So let’s take a few shots in the dark.

 

HAL, Oceania, Azamara and Viking would probably be boring for your daughter and bf.  Windstar might be a hard sell for your mother.  If you are thinking of 7 days I would suggest the Yacht Club on MSC Seaside in the Caribbean this summer.  That will give you a better level of luxury and offer loads of entertainment options for all concerned.  
 

I thought this was best response of the lot to original inquiry.

As it is, I'll be on same Crystal cruise as OP.   Not a bad choice.

[Cruisemonty]

You will love Crystal!  I suspect that  your daughter and bf will enjoy the ports,the sushi at Umi Uma and the Brazilian restaurant, where they can dine under the stars in shorts (horrors!)

[LHT28]

21 hours ago, Cruisemonty said:

You will love Crystal!  I suspect that  your daughter and bf will enjoy the ports,the sushi at Umi Uma and the Brazilian restaurant, where they can dine under the stars in shorts (horrors!)

We never saw anyone in shorts in the evening on Crystal  & no dining outdoors at night either 

we were on 16 days in the Caribbean

The Brazilian place is  a joke   IMO

[zqvol]

On 2/1/2020 at 12:17 PM, wripro said:

Windstar is great....stipulated. BUT it is not luxury. And I don't understand why someone would say Sea Dream is not suitable for an 80 year old lady.Sounds exactly like the kind of line that would fit your bill. The other suggestion is Seabourn which si imo the best of the bunch and actually quite casual with more activities and options for the younger set.

 

If steps are an issue for the 80 year old Sea Dream might not be appropriate, as steps are required to get to the TOY and to board the ship and to tender.