Princess South America/Antartica will we fit with that crowd?

[cbowls30]

We really want to do one of the Coral Princess cruises to South America, starting in Peru, Argentina, Falklands and ending up in Brazil. We've previously done RCI, NCL and Carnival, mainly carribbean and europe and never Princess. We've seen many Princess ships in port and it always seems like a much older demographic? We are late 30's early 40's and wondering if the general demographic will be much much older then us and worried that on sea days there won't be much activities, my husband dosn't really do sitting around doing nothing, he loves the trivia on carnival etc and daytime entertainment is really important for sea days.

 

We appreciate it won't be a carribean party crowd, which is fine because it's more about the itinerary then the partying on this cruise but the sea days we will be bored if there is nothing going on! 

 

Can anyone advise what a Princess Cruise to south america is like or even share the activity daily schedule? Thanks!!

[SargassoPirate]

I can't speak for how Princess will be when cruising resumes, but I have been on the Coral and have sailed around South America on the Grand.  As one cruise director on Princess summed it up, you can be as busy as you want or do nothing at all.  I would do that cruise in a hot minute if I hadn't already done it.  I've always found a nice mix of passengers on Princess - but if you are looking for an alcohol-fueled party barge, you'll be disappointed.  Sorry I can't be more specific, but who knows what the future on-board will be like?

 

 

[dog]

Older crowd on Star Princess South America cruise Feb 2019. Loved Falklands with Patrick Watts. Concerns re: safety in Santiago, Chilie & Buenos Aires. Others had purses snatched right in front of hotels. Receptionist warned us about this. Take extra precautions. We enjoyed this trip along t. 

[skynight]

Personally I wouldn't plan a S.A. trip until at least 2022 when port and ship activities probably will return to normal. We have done the South America itinerary twice. There is a mixed crowd which includes large numbers from North America, South America the UK with some Australians and others mixed in. Most are older which makes sense. These are the people with the time for a two week plus trip. But, there is a mix of younger passengers. While we are older we never felt out of place with younger passengers.

Entertainment and Activities comments are based on pre-pandemic experience. If you travel in 2021 then there could and probably will be pandemic related changes. There will be tropical, cool and cold weather. Dress in layers.

Activities change. They are dependent on the Cruise and Entertainment Directors that are on board your voyage. 

Daytime

-Trivia twice/day, morning and late afternoon, on both sea and port days. Might also be a cruise long progressive trivia challenge. Some additional Spanish language trivia sessions might be in the daily programs.

-Both informative educational and port lectures 

- Free Zumba on sea days and some port days

- Line and ballroom dancing sessions. Probably some Latin dance sessions.

-Silly games like putting contests, ring toss, bean bag toss, others and the possibility some pool games

-Both live and DJ music around the outdoor pool in the tropical areas, basically off shore of Brazil, Northern Argentina and Uruguay. 

-Movies Under the Stars. Recent movies in the evening. Older classic movies and concert movies during the day.

-During the daytime on sea days the casino will be open to accept donations. The casino is open each evening while at sea.

-There could be passenger pop choir. Rehearsal is on most sea days with a show at the end of the cruise.

Evening

-Starting in the late afternoon there will be live music in various venues around the ship. There is usually a party band (probably Latin for the S.A. itinerary), smooth ballroom dance group, piano/vocal entertainer in Crooner's, individual entertainers such as guitar/singer, individual or groups from the Princess orchestra, a classical duo or group

-Evening shows and guest entertainers in both the theater and the Universe Lounge.

-Theme parties which will probably include a deck party in tropical waters

-Evening trivia games

-Game shows such as the marriage game

-Some parties such as the Captain's welcome party

-karaoke

-Voice of the Ocean

- The ship normally gets quiet starting around 11pm/midnight. After that the casino remains active and there most likely will be a DJ in one of the lounges.

- There is no comedy club. There will be comics that perform in the theater and most likely the Universe Lounge. All comedy id family suitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[skynight]

35 minutes ago, dog said:

Older crowd on Star Princess South America cruise Feb 2019. Loved Falklands with Patrick Watts. Concerns re: safety in Santiago, Chile & Buenos Aires. Others had purses snatched right in front of hotels. Receptionist warned us about this. Take extra precautions. We enjoyed this trip along t. 

Safety is a concern. Stay with your group. Never wear jewelry, especially necklaces that can be grabbed. Leave purses and wallets on the ship. Don't hang cameras around your neck.  In B.A. we took a private tour with Buenostours. A little expensive but really great. Montevideo had people on motorbikes. They would rush close by and grab any loose hanging items such as purses, cameras, necklaces. This would cause injury to the victim.  

[RLK33853]

We have cruised with Princess since we were in our late 30's.  Definitely a mixed but older crowd.  What you won't find are skating rinks, rock climbing, water slides, or such activities.  What you can expect is great service, activities as described by Skynight above, quiet spaces if you want to find some solitude, and well designed ships.  Food of course is subjective and is comparable to most mid level cruise lines.

 

For South America, Princess does a good job of the ports, and to us that is what you are going for.  As described by Dog above, if you go to the Falklands make sure  you visit the penguins with Patrick Watts and his group - EXCELLENT.  Safety in most of S.A. is definitely a concern but as long as you aren't flashing jewelry and cash we felt fine.  Common sense prevails.

 

Enjoy S.A.  - we certainly did.  We added Machu Picchu via a private tour guide and it was amazing.

[susancruzs]

I'm in my 70's, did the Buenos Aires to LA cruise on the Emerald in 2018.  It was one of my best cruises in terms of passengers gelling together, getting along, many people commented on it.

 

Yes, passengers leaned more to 60+ rather than under but it was fine.  In my opinion, after 35+ cruises with 6 lines, half with Princess, they excel when it comes to certain itineraries, So. Amer. being one.

 

There were excellent talks on the ports (not about shopping), history of exploration in the area, several speakers all very good.  I don't think you can go wrong with Princess.  It isn't a fun in the sun, activity type cruise like the Caribbean but I think you will find enough on the ship to do.

[mtnesterz]

Will you fit in, you ask? On this itinerary, you will find daily activities include more enrichment lectures than a Caribbean cruise. Excursions will be about nature and cultural interests. You can view an example of daily activities online. Princess calls their paper the Princess Patter. The cruise directors try to strike a balance of interests.

Age of passengers on Princess I'll call the newly and active retired, but all ages. One thing that matters is Princess does not market themselves to families with kids, as does Carnival and RCI. If you have them, you can bring them, but they will be bored on a long cruise.

We have sailed South America with Princess. It concerns me that you will be embarking from Peru. Lima has the worst traffic I've ever seen and we live near Los Angeles.

Edited October 25, 2020 by mtnesterz

[cruzsnooze]

Princess will be an older crowd. Night life will be limited compared to Carnival. It is not a party crowd. Since you like Carnival and NCL you will definitely notices difference. Whether that will affect your enjoyment is another topic only you can decide.

[Cruiserkenn]

Princess always has good port lectures on sea days (I don't mean shopping).  Others have mentioned this, too.

 

Evening shows in the Princess theater are always good, and they appeal to all ages.  

 

I would go!

 

PS - I am sorry to hear about the crime concerns in South America.  Thanks to those who have mentioned this, so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

Princess will be an older crowd. Night life will be limited compared to Carnival. It is not a party crowd. Since you like Carnival and NCL you will definitely notices difference. Whether that will affect your enjoyment is another topic only you can decide.

 

On a longer itinerary like this the passengers tend to be older than say a Caribbean cruise. There will likely be almost no nightlife. We did 28 days Hawaii/South Pacific and pretty much every body seemed to go to bed by 10:00 PM.

[suzyed]

6 hours ago, cbowls30 said:

We really want to do one of the Coral Princess cruises to South America, starting in Peru, Argentina, Falklands and ending up in Brazil. We've previously done RCI, NCL and Carnival, mainly carribbean and europe and never Princess. We've seen many Princess ships in port and it always seems like a much older demographic? We are late 30's early 40's and wondering if the general demographic will be much much older then us and worried that on sea days there won't be much activities, my husband dosn't really do sitting around doing nothing, he loves the trivia on carnival etc and daytime entertainment is really important for sea days.

 

We appreciate it won't be a carribean party crowd, which is fine because it's more about the itinerary then the partying on this cruise but the sea days we will be bored if there is nothing going on! 

 

Can anyone advise what a Princess Cruise to south america is like or even share the activity daily schedule? Thanks!!

We just did the South America cruise this past March....or at least we attempted to do so.  Then Corona struck!  We did the first 8 days without incident and we made it to the Falklands and saw the Penguins...so much fun!  We did our excursions in Chile and Argentina.  But then it was all sea days after that....3 weeks worth!!!  
You will be younger than most but the majority are friendly regardless of age!  On longer cruises it is more about the itinerary and less about partying, but if you pass over the Equator there is a huge deck party for that!  
Princess does 3 trivias a day!  There's Bingo and games and movies and music at the pool.  They have various classes and lectures about the ports and places to play cards and board games and of course the Casino is open at Sea!

There's plenty to do!

Edited October 25, 2020 by suzyed

[lovetosew]

Did Star in Feb 2017.  It was wonderful. Our last cruise with Princess.  Worst part was the flights in and out of South America.  Will never forget the wildlife and the Falklands.  One other thing, a bartender that could make a guiness stout with a black rum taste like soda water.  Big mistake.  Big Huge mistake. Glad I did not have to drive back to my cabin.

[capriccio]

We were on the Crown Princess from Los Angeles to Rio de Janeiro in December 2016/January 2017.  It was one of our favorite cruises.  In addition to the comments made by others, I will note that since the South American cruises are held during the northern hemisphere winter it is summer in South America and you will run into plenty of South Americans of all ages - and especially families since it is the schools' summer vacation period.  In and of itself that was no problem to us but you should be prepared for announcements in both English and Spanish and if you chose late traditional dining (very popular and even a little too early for South Americans) it will be filled.  It was the only Princess cruise we've been on where the Maitre'd had to close the dining room doors every evening at 8:45 (late traditional dining started at 8 pm).  I know from talking to our wait staff (we had the same excellent staff for 31 days) the late arrivals did upset the service somewhat but we were in no rush so that wasn't a problem.

Edited October 25, 2020 by capriccio

[generichandle]

Been once, going again. 

 

We will be on the Diamond Princess in Dec, 2021 - Jan, 2022; 34 days LA to BA, including 4 days in Antarctica. We did the reverse about 5 years ago, without Antarctica, and it was awesome. As mentioned, most Princess ships do trivia 2-4 times per day with, on a long voyage, a cruise-long special edition. I mention this because my friend that I travel with is 'Jeopardy level' trivialist and you want him on your team. There are many other possibilities, I have always found Princess has very much opportunity for participatory activities. 

 

The stops going south are really great. South America can be visited many times without running out of things to see and do. Or if, like me, you also like your alone [read & relax] time, I can always find a nook where my love of the sea is more personal. 

 

So yes, for many reasons I think Princess is a good choice for all ages. Try it, you'll like it! And if not, BOY ARE YOU HARD TO PLEASE! *snicker*

[wheezedr]

We did the first of the Coral cruises to Antarctica last December from BA to Santiago.  Fabulous trip with wonderful scenery that exceeded our expectations.  The crowd was actually quite mixed but may have skewed a little older. Maybe a handful of kids. Especially the Antarctica days you want to hit the hay a little early as you may be getting up a little early for certain view sites.  The Coral was a great ship for this cruise with lots of good places to see the sites and easy to maneuver from port to starboard Or back on the upper decks.  Neither side is the better side as things show up on both as do passing animals.  For the Falklands be sure to book a Penguin tour early on as they sell out very early.

[ringers0815]

We did a 33 nights SA on the Crown Princess in 2017. One of the best cruise we have done. From Santiago, Chile, around the horn, 2 nights in Buenos Aires and then Brazil, Caribbean all the way to Fort Lauderdale. Mixed ages on the ship but given the long cruise I would say the age in general tended to be older. We stayed one week in Santiago before the cruise and visited the city on our own and went to the Mountains. It was just beautiful! We had no security issues, we just did not wear any jewelry and I was careful with my phone and camera but really we were never concerned. 

[ebeluga]

You might not be contend with a cruise-by on the Antarctica portion.  At your age group, if you are an active bunch, you want to get on a zodiac to the continent!

[azbirdmom]

We have done South America twice, most recently in January with the Antarctica "drive by".  It was awesome.  While the crowd skews older, there were people of all ages on board.  There were lots of activities daily including lots of talks on Antarctica history and wildlife.  When you're actually cruising around Antarctica, you won't want to be inside doing trivia or any other activity will all of the wondrous sites outside.  I've only done that itinerary on Princess (once while still in my 50's and most recently in my 60's) and quite honestly Princess puts out a product that is good for all ages.

[nocl]

13 hours ago, cbowls30 said:

We really want to do one of the Coral Princess cruises to South America, starting in Peru, Argentina, Falklands and ending up in Brazil. We've previously done RCI, NCL and Carnival, mainly carribbean and europe and never Princess. We've seen many Princess ships in port and it always seems like a much older demographic? We are late 30's early 40's and wondering if the general demographic will be much much older then us and worried that on sea days there won't be much activities, my husband dosn't really do sitting around doing nothing, he loves the trivia on carnival etc and daytime entertainment is really important for sea days.

 

We appreciate it won't be a carribean party crowd, which is fine because it's more about the itinerary then the partying on this cruise but the sea days we will be bored if there is nothing going on! 

 

Can anyone advise what a Princess Cruise to south america is like or even share the activity daily schedule? Thanks!!

Have done many Celebrity and Princess cruises.  The demographics are similar on similar lengths of cruises.  The longer the cruise the older the demographics tend to tilt. A cruise like the South American ones, where you need to do long flights tend to impact passengers to some degree since it eliminates some of those in poor health and limited mobility. It also tends to raise the median income a bit compared to domestic cruises.

 

As far as activities from out experience on recent cruise Celebrity has cut back more on activities than Princess, with Princess still doing more trivia and similar activities.

 

While I have been on RCCL cruises they have mostly been shorter (7 day) cruises with extended family and paid less attention to the on ship activities. 

[xDisconnections]

15 hours ago, cbowls30 said:

We really want to do one of the Coral Princess cruises to South America, starting in Peru, Argentina, Falklands and ending up in Brazil. We've previously done RCI, NCL and Carnival, mainly carribbean and europe and never Princess. We've seen many Princess ships in port and it always seems like a much older demographic? We are late 30's early 40's and wondering if the general demographic will be much much older then us and worried that on sea days there won't be much activities, my husband dosn't really do sitting around doing nothing, he loves the trivia on carnival etc and daytime entertainment is really important for sea days.

 

We appreciate it won't be a carribean party crowd, which is fine because it's more about the itinerary then the partying on this cruise but the sea days we will be bored if there is nothing going on! 

 

Can anyone advise what a Princess Cruise to south america is like or even share the activity daily schedule? Thanks!!

We just did this itinerary on the Coral Princess this past January. While Princess is my preferred cruise line, I do not fit in their normal target demographic being late 20s. Having done several transatlantics, I'm no stranger to sea days. With that being said, I learned the Coral Princess is not the ship for me and I'm not sure I would return on the Coral or Island unless it was a very attractive itinerary and also heavily port intensive. I found the ship to be very boring with limited amenities and not much to do.

 

Also of great importance, the provisions used onboard weren't anywhere near the quality used in other parts of the world. The food tastes for similar menu items had varied greatly and the variety in the Horizon Court was also pretty limited. It was too many sea days for me, at least, on that type of ship and going forward, I'll be much more careful selecting ships. It wasn't my best cruise nor was it my worst -- I'd simply rate it as okay. Antarctica made up for some of the disappointment but we had only spent 2.5 days there instead of the 4 quoted on the booking due to weather delays and other various geographical constraints. 

 

Antarctica is truly spectacular and the itinerary was fantastic -- you'll have a great time regardless being one of the very few people able to visit the region. If you have the chance to go, take it. If the cruise is underwhelming, it doesn't matter because you're going for Antarctica which won't disappoint. Just be prepared for the comments and shock you'll get when you say you are going there or have been there. If I were to go back, I'd opt for an expedition cruise and have an actual landing on the continent.

Edited October 26, 2020 by xDisconnections

[nocl]

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

On a longer itinerary like this the passengers tend to be older than say a Caribbean cruise. There will likely be almost no nightlife. We did 28 days Hawaii/South Pacific and pretty much every body seemed to go to bed by 10:00 PM.

Loop cruises out of the US tend to be older and have more people with health and mobility issues on board, than the South American cruises where the passengers have to fly to and from the cruise.

[caribill]

On this type itinerary daytime activities usually also include lectures with topics that may include true destination information (not sales pitches), wildlife, history and topics nor related to cruising (some past lectures range from life in the Los Angeles Coroner's office to what it is like to pilot Air Force One).

 

We are usually quite active on shore days, but even more busy on sea days, so I doubt you or DH will be bored.

 

Having been on RCI a number of times, I find the on board experience on RCI is quite like that on Princess except, as someone pointed out, no ice rink, climbing walls or flowrider type activities.

 

The Coral Princess is a great ship.

 

If you will be visiting the Falkland Islands, do book your excursions (private or ship) as soon as you are able to as the tourist infrastructure is limited and everyone on the ship will not be able to be on the most popular excursions.

[Coral]

If these are the cruises going this winter - I doubt they are going to go. A lot of major companies that sail this area have already cancelled.

 

BTW - I started sailing Princess in my 20's and had no problems. 

[Cruiserkenn]

10 hours ago, caribill said:

On this type itinerary daytime activities usually also include lectures with topics that may include true destination information (not sales pitches), wildlife, history and topics nor related to cruising (some past lectures range from life in the Los Angeles Coroner's office to what it is like to pilot Air Force One).

 

We are usually quite active on shore days, but even more busy on sea days, so I doubt you or DH will be bored.

 

Having been on RCI a number of times, I find the on board experience on RCI is quite like that on Princess except, as someone pointed out, no ice rink, climbing walls or flowrider type activities.

 

The Coral Princess is a great ship.

 

If you will be visiting the Falkland Islands, do book your excursions (private or ship) as soon as you are able to as the tourist infrastructure is limited and everyone on the ship will not be able to be on the most popular excursions.

 

Wow!  Would have loved to hear the Air Force One program!  Also the L.A. Coroner's Office program.

Thanks for this posting:)