Typical RSS sailor?

[Camillus112]

We took our first Regent cruise this past February to the Caribbean.  We are on our late 60's and early 70's and are fit and trendy.  We want to share that we found the age demographic skewed towards the infirm and over our age group.  The passengers were delightful, however.  But this was a short cruise to the Caribbean which many posters tend to describe as having a younger demographic.  

[Travelcat2]

I believe that people have different experiences in the Caribbean.  We have found that the age skews higher in the Caribbean but we do not cruise during holidays or school breaks.  Many seniors live in Florida so a Caribbean cruise may not include the need to fly to the port (a plus for some seniors).  

 

On the other hand, Caribbean cruises in December (when school is not in session) could have a large number of children and, of course, their younger parents.  Many times there are large family groups onboard.  

 

I personally avoid Regent cruises during thr holidays and summer (particularly in Alaska).  While it is great that children and families are able to cruise on Regent during these months, it obviously creates a different feel or vibe on the ship.  We prefer sailing with other well-traveled adult/senior passengers but others may enjoy sailing with families and children.

 

One does not have to be a senior to enjoy childless (or almost childless) cruises nor do they dislike children.  It is simply a case of  “been there - done that” for many of us.  So, if sailing with mostly adults/seniors is your thing - Regent (Silversea, Crystal and Seabourn) fits the bill.  If you want a younger demographic, sail when school is not in session.

 

This summer definitely brings up questions.  Will cruise lines be cruising?  Will children in states where schools have been shut down for months require summer school for some children?   Guess we’ll learn the answers in a couple of months.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Travelcat2

[UUNetBill]

On 4/6/2020 at 5:52 PM, Travelcat2 said:

I believe that people have different experiences in the Caribbean.  We have found that the age skews higher in the Caribbean but we do not cruise during holidays or school breaks.  Many seniors live in Florida so a Caribbean cruise may not include the need to fly to the port (a plus for some seniors).  

 

On the other hand, Caribbean cruises in December (when school is not in session) could have a large number of children and, of course, their younger parents.  Many times there are large family groups onboard.  

 

I personally avoid Regent cruises during thr holidays and summer (particularly in Alaska).  While it is great that children and families are able to cruise on Regent during these months, it obviously creates a different feel or vibe on the ship.  We prefer sailing with other well-traveled adult/senior passengers but others may enjoy sailing with families and children.

 

One does not have to be a senior to enjoy childless (or almost childless) cruises nor do they dislike children.  It is simply a case of  “been there - done that” for many of us.  So, if sailing with mostly adults/seniors is your thing - Regent (Silversea, Crystal and Seabourn) fits the bill.  If you want a younger demographic, sail when school is not in session.

 

This summer definitely brings up questions.  Will cruise lines be cruising?  Will children in states where schools have been shut down for months require summer school for some children?   Guess we’ll learn the answers in a couple of months.

When we were choosing our first cruise line about a decade ago, my girls spent the summer with their biological father so it was just my wife and I choosing a line.  Her mindset was "Hey, if my girls aren't here, I don't want to be swamped by other peoples kids" so we specifically looked for non-kid friendly lines.  Of course, the Big Four luxury lines kept coming up so we did the whole research thing and ended up on a 7-night Regent cruise to the Med.  The rest, as they say, is history.

 

In our ten years of cruising Regent, we've had mostly kid-free cruises.  But there have been some with kids on board - and even with kids on board, it's really dependent on the parents on whether this is good or bad.  We've sailed with kids who were very polite and well-behaved as well as with kids who made the Warner Brothers Tasmian Devil look comatose.  With kids, as with adults, I don't mind the age as long as the person is good.  It's amazing how one or two unruly kids can make a cruise miserable - and the same goes for obnoxious adults, who I'm sad to say, I've encountered as well.

 

But all things being equal, I'm with Jackie - I will choose itineraries that are less kid-enticing just to be safe.  No sense inviting potential chaos into my vacation time.   🙂

[UUNetBill]

On 4/3/2020 at 11:12 PM, that_caviar_is_a_garnish said:

Going by their website and ship amenities, this seems to aim for an older crowd.  Would a couple in their early thirties feel out of place?  I went on one RSS cruise but it was nearly twenty years ago and I don't remember it that well.  (Probably not a great sign.)

Typical Regent cruiser?  Why, these two, of course.  

[cmalagngl]

Thanks for the laugh.  We have our first Regent cruise booked for October. Hopefully we can sail.

[UUNetBill]

27 minutes ago, cmalagngl said:

Thanks for the laugh.  We have our first Regent cruise booked for October. Hopefully we can sail.

I'd say you have a better chance in October than we do in May.   🙂

 

Be careful, though - they're addictive.  We did a 'once in a lifetime' trip in 2009 and as of today we have 10 or 11 done with 4 more booked through 2022.  Not quite sure how many of those will actually sail, but hey, I'm gonna be positive...

[cmalagngl]

We have worked our way up the ladder over the years.  Started with Carnival when the kids were young, we are way beyond empty nesters now.  Went to Princess, RCCL and Celebrity.  Celebrity has been our go to for the last decade but they have lost a lot of quality especially with cocktails.  Hopefully the stock market comes back and we are in a position to take many Regent cruises if it is a good fit for us.

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, cmalagngl said:

We have worked our way up the ladder over the years.  Started with Carnival when the kids were young, we are way beyond empty nesters now.  Went to Princess, RCCL and Celebrity.  Celebrity has been our go to for the last decade but they have lost a lot of quality especially with cocktails.  Hopefully the stock market comes back and we are in a position to take many Regent cruises if it is a good fit for us.

 

We have sailed Celebrity once (in a Royal Suite) and found it quite nice.  We had one of the perks where you can dine in specialty restaurants at no additional cost.  Although they are no competition to Regent, they are a solid premium cruise line!