which cruise-line for a couple in mid-30's

[Laurba99]

I am planning a cruise for April 2007 and I was wondering what the best crowd would be for us--We are not big partiers, on the more quiet side (but not too quiet-just not dancing on the table crazy!) We would be happier being with an older crowd--40's and 50's versus tons of 20's and teens---I am thinking Princess and Celebrity would be the best but wondered what others thought? We love fine dining (great wine and great steak)with other options of course so we don't have to dress up lavishly every night

[cherylandtk]

You will no doubt hear from many fans of various lines, but I do think Princess is a good choice for you. Where do you want to cruise to? I think some of the HAL ships to the Caribbean islands are also a great choice for your stated action/child/party level.

[bruce-r]

I agree that Princess would be a good choice, but if you are really looking to avoid most of the families with children, you would do well to cruise when school is in secession (avoid 2 weeks at Christmas and Spring vacation, which varies by state, usually mid-March to mid-April) on Princess or go with Celebrity, IMO.

[Laurba99]

ok good-I'm glad I was on target--I feel like I have not heard the same raves about Hal that I have about Princess and Celebrity? What about Norweigan-I had thought about that too but keep coming back to the fact that the treatment on celebrity was not there on RCCL and I'm thinking that would be similar on NCL?

[melika091900]

hello

weve been on celebrity. carnival and NCL ... we are in our late 20's and i would say for service, and great food... celebrity.. it is an older crowd IMO, and everyone was in bed by 9p... the crowd seemed a lil snotty.. also IMO,, carnival was the party ship !!! fun fun fun.. for everyone .. good service, big rooms.. nice decor ...

 

but we honestly like NCL> weve been on NCL Star to mexico and are going again.. the Freestyle dining is the biggest + for us.... not having to dress up and a lot of choices... and when we want ,,,the service was good and everyone on board was very nice... having a good time...

 

hope this helps , any specific questions let me know.....

 

take care

[cwc]

Depend on how much you want to spend:D

Husband and I (36&32) loved our two cruise with RSSC (Regent seven seas now..). Great food and free wine with dinner

 

We would love to try Windstar someday too;) No or less kid.

 

Did not like RCL at all. We have not try Princess and celebrity.

[cruisinbuddy]

From what I've read, Carnival seems to be the early 40's to mid 50's. Yes you get all age ranges but it sounds like the above is the average.

Now on the Golden Princess while waiting for disembarkation the grandmother(75) of a family we met said to my 42y/o wife, "we're to young for this crowd". So keep this in mind when thinking about Princess.

[crisp1]

I've still like CCL best for it's musical entertainment. Princess had the best lobster ever, X IMHO is a bit overrated- but still good. Can't help with NCL or Hal- haven't cruised them in years. I think you'll be fine on any of the mentioned lines. At this point I first look at itinerary, next price. If you like a port packed cruise go on the Golden Princess explorer- 5 ports in 7 days, and spend an extra day pre/post cruise in San Juan

[LonW]

I am planning a cruise for April 2007 and I was wondering what the best crowd would be for us--We are not big partiers, on the more quiet side (but not too quiet-just not dancing on the table crazy!) We would be happier being with an older crowd--40's and 50's versus tons of 20's and teens---I am thinking Princess and Celebrity would be the best but wondered what others thought? We love fine dining (great wine and great steak)with other options of course so we don't have to dress up lavishly every night

I would recommend you find a TA that you know or someone your family or friends can recommend that has a lot of experience in booking cruises. Tell them what you like then decide. I like RCCL a lot personally, but that is just my opinion.

[cherylandtk]

Laurba, I was thinking of HAL on some Caribbean routes as they just don't have as many children as Princess, or RCI or Carnival. But they are a little more relaxed and laid back and with a more active crowd than their Alaska or Europe itineraries. I think their service and food are top notch, and I don't think you get the snooty passenger attitude that people sometimes report on Celebrity.

 

Truly, any cruise is what you make of it, and I tend to agree with the poster above who searches by price and itinerary as major factors. I throw in ship ambience myself, but it comes in a distant third to the first two factors. And desired ambience can range from 'fun-fun-fun' to quiet relaxation.

[Llav01]

My husband and I are in our late 20s we're not the big partiers either. We were on the Millennium-Celebrity last Mar. We absolutely loved it. We were aiming for a relaxing time.

 

There weren't that many kids on board. At least we didn't notice them. They have thier own activities to keep them busy. I did notice that there were a few teenagers. They kept trying to sneak in "after hours" to the clubs and they kept throwing them out. Not a good choice for families with teenagers! However, the service was excellent! You do feel like a celebrity and the crew really does go out if its way to please you. The rooms were comparable in size to RCI, but more modern than that one I remember on the monarch of the seas.

 

The crowd is older...maybe 40s-50s. The clubs were rather empty after 10pm. We pretty much had the run of the place at night. I can't review the food because we aren't picky eaters...it was great for us.

 

We came back totally relaxed and wanting more. We would definitly cruise Celebrity again. In fact it was our first choice for this Mar (We leave next week), but the only boats available were about 10 years old and right or wrong we were kind of turned off by that :cool: . We thought long and hard and finally decided on RCI. I'll let you know how we like it. The reviews have been great for Brilliance of the Seas. We are definitly excited! Good Luck!:D

[RevSmith]

Which ever on offers you the best price and the best itenary...that's where you will find most people your age...and get a big ship.

[Jimsgirl]

Make a list of what you want from your cruise Entertainment, movies, ports etc. Then READ the Brochure VERY CAREFULLY, it will tell you about dining times, number of dining rooms, dress, tipping etc.

 

This will help you make a choice. (certainlyif youdo not want a large number of children on board, then stay away from school vacation times.

 

NCL is more casual in attitude and dress, anytime dining (but that means mass food production).

RCC, caters to a young crown with rock climbing walls, ice rink et, and more of a party atmosphere.

Celebrity, traditional dining, plus reservation/fee dining room. Some Formal and Semi formal nights as well as casual dress. Entertainment usually good,ages from about 30-65, with odd sprinkle of 75

Crystal, luxury, but expensive, food excellent, tradional dining, plus speciality dining for fee. Dressy, passengers around 50-80

HAL, food good, entertainment can be spotty, losts of Bingo, very little to do after 10pm. Passengers definitely older, on my last cruise they were in the 70-85 age group Lots of wheelchairs,walkers, and canes. Very slow movers.

My next cruise is on Princess, then Celebrity for 2 cruises after that. Could have done the HAL 56 day cruise in 2007 but after my 30 Sth Pacific recently decided I just could not take the age group with disabilities for 56 days.

By the way I am 80 myself .

[JimnKaren]

We have sailed both Celebrity and Princess and enjoyed both experiences. Also have cruised NCL years ago and somewhat recently and several Carnival cruises.

 

All were enjoyable. More children during the holidays and spring breaks of course, but we have noticed on the 7 day cruises that more and more parents are bring their kids with them. You want to avoid them? Chose and 10 day or longer cruise. That will take care of the kids.

 

As to the party stuff, any ship can and will have some party folks on board, simply through the luck of the draw. Who decides to cruise when and where.

 

Your priorities should be where you want to go (which ports, whether the ports are tender ports or dock ports, time in ports, etc), then go with price on the dates you want to go. If you book early, you generally get your choice of cabins. A good travel agent will be able to help you make your selection. As you pick your agent, as questions about how many times that person has cruised and on which lines, then you know whether that person is the one to help you decide.

 

Jim

[Laurba99]

Thanks Jims girl! That was really helpful! My Dad is turning 75 and he is probably more fun that most 40 yr olds so age is definitely a state of mind! :) I think I would do Celebrity again and maybe try Princess and then maybe NCL :)