Average age on Viking Ocean?

[SuiteTraveler]

Hello, I'm just curious as to the average age on Viking Ocean?  Can anyone provide insight, please?

[Paul73]

For the average 2 week cruise it's in the low 60s.  For longer cruises the age goes up because it's harder for working people to take 4 weeks or more off.  On the recent world cruise the average age was about 70

[CDNPolar]

Agree with the above answer from Paul73.

 

However we have only been sailing on Viking since 2015 but we are seeing more younger folks on Viking all the time.  We have been on 7 Viking cruises now, and a cross of River and Ocean.  We only however sail the 14 days or less because we both still work and cannot take more than that time at once.

 

In general, we are seeing more 30's, 40's and 50's on board.

[CCWineLover]

Varies totally by itinerary!

ones out of or to Florida tend to be older age.  We just are finishing Mars - estimate median age of 82.  Same with our Panama Canal cruise.  Iceland was a bit younger - maybe median of 76.  European port intensive were younger still - maybe mid 60s to early 70’s.  
we have some 14 Viking cruise so we have a lot of data points.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

 

In general, we are seeing more 30's, 40's and 50's on board.

We haven't been on a Viking Ocean where we have seen that age range. We have seen maybe a very few in their 40's, more in their 50's, but by far the majority in their 60's and 70's. There are a lot of people in their 80's. We are not retired so we always have an eye out for couples in our age range. 

[CDNPolar]

10 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

We haven't been on a Viking Ocean where we have seen that age range. We have seen maybe a very few in their 40's, more in their 50's, but by far the majority in their 60's and 70's. There are a lot of people in their 80's. We are not retired so we always have an eye out for couples in our age range. 

 

There is no major number in these groups, but our observation from our first cruise 8 years ago where we felt we were the youngest on the ship, we are seeing many more younger cruisers now.

[cmaasfamily]

We went on our first Viking cruise at 56/55 and were definitely below the median. Our most recent was at 63/62 and we felt about average. That said, and with no self-flattery intended (nor deserved), I would add that most folks skewed towards the lively/active (spry, perhaps?) side relative to their age cohort in the general population.

 

(Even accounting for the old dudes who refuse to get hearing aids when they are clearly needed. Seriously, if you need 'em, get 'em. No shame in that.)

[CCWineLover]

6 minutes ago, cmaasfamily said:

We went on our first Viking cruise at 56/55 and were definitely below the median. Our most recent was at 63/62 and we felt about average. That said, and with no self-flattery intended (nor deserved), I would add that most folks skewed towards the lively/active (spry, perhaps?) side relative to their age cohort in the general population.

 

(Even accounting for the old dudes who refuse to get hearing aids when they are clearly needed. Seriously, if you need 'em, get 'em. No shame in that.)

Again - it depends on the itinerary.  After 14 Viking cruises, we’ve had some that had mostly non-fit immobile elderly (bless them for getting out there!) and some (like Norway and I eland, we saw younger and fitter people.

 

so I don’t think anyone can generalize.  Your results will vary.

[Iloveketo]

I don’t know how anyone other than Viking can really state the age of other passengers. The best you can do is make a guess based on how old “you” think the other guests look. We were on a holiday cruise in December of 2021 and that had multigenerational family groups. We have been on 8 Ocean/Expedition cruises. January 2020 to September 2023 with other passengers with a variety of ages and abilities. 

[amtatom]

My husband and I are in our forties and we’re definitely in the minority on our cruise. We saw one other couple that might have our age. Everyone else was definitely older. We’re quiet people who like to read on vacation, so it was perfect. And we knew that going in. Everyone we met was kind and, yes, usually spry. Yes, three separate times our age was commented on as a joke, so that’s a little grating, but we just smiled and rolled with it.

[Breckski]

13 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

However we have only been sailing on Viking since 2015 but we are seeing more younger folks on Viking all the time. 

Are they getting younger or you just getting older🫢

[Jim Avery]

That is it for me from time to time.

[kctwinmommy]

I guess we'll see on our cruise next year. We're doing a longer one for our first one, but my husband is retired and I don't work full-time. I'll be turning 50 in a few months, so I'm sure I'll be on the lower end of it. My husband is almost 10 years old, so closer the median. LOL! But after several years of another line, I know I'm not their demographic really.

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, mwike said:

Are they getting younger or you just getting older🫢

 

I believe that both are true!

[Peregrina651]

It is attitude that counts, not age.  

[MikeyB]

11 hours ago, kctwinmommy said:

I guess we'll see on our cruise next year. We're doing a longer one for our first one, but my husband is retired and I don't work full-time. I'll be turning 50 in a few months, so I'm sure I'll be on the lower end of it. My husband is almost 10 years old, so closer the median. LOL! But after several years of another line, I know I'm not their demographic really.

Viking does not allow anyone under 18.  May I suggest Carnival?

[kctwinmommy]

56 minutes ago, MikeyB said:

Viking does not allow anyone under 18.  May I suggest Carnival?

Thanks for pointing out my typo. He's 10 years OLDER than me. We're all good with Viking's demographic. 😉

[jmfdr]

On 10/10/2023 at 3:28 PM, cmaasfamily said:

We went on our first Viking cruise at 56/55 and were definitely below the median. Our most recent was at 63/62 and we felt about average. That said, and with no self-flattery intended (nor deserved), I would add that most folks skewed towards the lively/active (spry, perhaps?) side relative to their age cohort in the general population.

 

(Even accounting for the old dudes who refuse to get hearing aids when they are clearly needed. Seriously, if you need 'em, get 'em. No shame in that.)

Haha, sometimes hearing aids dont work great when in in a crowd or nousy room!

[rmalbers]

I think part of it is they don't allow scooters right?   I was surprised, the average age was lower than I expected. 

[jmfdr]

3 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

Haha, sometimes hearing aids dont work great when in in a crowd or nousy room!

Noisy, not mousy!

[Iloveketo]

11 minutes ago, rmalbers said:

I think part of it is they don't allow scooters right?   I was surprised, the average age was lower than I expected. 

I saw 3 motorized scooters on one of my cruises this last year. I think it was our Panama Canal cruise. 

[rmalbers]

5 minutes ago, Iloveketo said:

I saw 3 motorized scooters on one of my cruises this last year. I think it was our Panama Canal cruise. 

Interesting, I didn't see a single one a month ago, that's why I thought they were banned.   But it was an NYC- Iceland cruise and it was challenging for mobility issues so seasoned travelers probably avoided that cruise. 

[Colt0708]

Good points here!  It is the state of mind not the age that matters!   I was happy to see that there were some couples in their 40’s and 50’s. Mobility scooters are allowed on board. There were several on the continuation of the NYC-Reykjavik cruise. Many used canes or walkers. I love my trekking sticks on uneven ground. I have a bad ankle that causes unbearable pain, but I find I must be mindful of pressing through or I’ll end up completely disabled. That being said, use the Nordic spa, massage services, healthy food and keep pushing. I know I’ll never have another pain free day in my life. But that pain reminds me I’m fully alive and need to live!!!!

[kctwinmommy]

I will say, we found the estimated median age on our European cruise on Royal Caribbean to be skewed towards the upper range as well. I think it was the itinerary that  was doing it. Our son is one of those "old soul" kids, so even at 14, he really liked it. Yes, there were still teens for him to hang out with when we were onboard, but he loves history too, so he liked all the ports and excursions we did.

 

He's bummed to not be going on this one, and he's 20 now. But I reminded him, he's getting a private college education paid for by us, so it's really a better deal than the cruise. He did agree. LOL!

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Colt0708 said:

Good points here!  It is the state of mind not the age that matters!   I was happy to see that there were some couples in their 40’s and 50’s. Mobility scooters are allowed on board. There were several on the continuation of the NYC-Reykjavik cruise. Many used canes or walkers. I love my trekking sticks on uneven ground. I have a bad ankle that causes unbearable pain, but I find I must be mindful of pressing through or I’ll end up completely disabled. That being said, use the Nordic spa, massage services, healthy food and keep pushing. I know I’ll never have another pain free day in my life. But that pain reminds me I’m fully alive and need to live!!!!

 

What kind of mobility scooters did you see?

 

According to the FAQ, motorized scooters are not allowed on board. If you plan on bringing one without asking Viking, you run the risk that you will be denied boarding (an expensive mistake). Just because people have seen them on previous sailings doesn't mean that they will necessarily be permitted in the future.

 

Note that the FAQ specifically mentions motorized scooters but makes no mention of other wheeled mobility devices other than wheel chairs.

 

Another thing to note if you are bringing a wheeled device is that access to Deck3 cabins that are aft of The Atrium can only be accessed via a ramp. Not so bad going up but going down could be a challenge. Deck 3 forward of the Atrium, the ramp can be avoided.

 

FROM THE FAQs:

What are your wheelchair accommodations? Do the ships have elevators?

 

Guests who have a disability, physical or otherwise, must travel with an able-bodied companion who can assist them as the staff is not permitted to lift guests or push wheelchairs. Guests need to provide their own wheelchairs, except in an emergency. Wheelchairs must not exceed 22" in width. For details regarding bringing a wheelchair on board, guests must complete the Accessibility Form and return to Viking no later than 30 days prior to departure. Motorized scooters are not typically suitable for international cruises and cannot be accommodated. While our ocean vessels have elevators, there may still be thresholds that could make movement difficult.Contact a Viking Expert at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) directly with additional questions and to obtain a copy of our Accessibility Form and policy statement.

 

Guests who have a disability, physical or otherwise, must travel with an able-bodied companion who can assist them as the staff is not permitted to lift guests or push wheelchairs. Guests need to provide their own wheelchairs, except in an emergency. Wheelchairs must not exceed 22" in width. For details regarding bringing a wheelchair on board, guests must complete the Accessibility Form and return to Viking no later than 30 days prior to departure. Motorized scooters are not typically suitable for international cruises and cannot be accommodated. While our ocean vessels have elevators, there may still be thresholds that could make movement difficult.Contact a Viking Expert at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) directly with additional questions and to obtain a copy of our Accessibility Form and policy statement.

Guests who have a disability, physical or otherwise, must travel with an able-bodied companion who can assist them as the staff is not permitted to lift guests or push wheelchairs. Guests need to provide their own wheelchairs, except in an emergency. Wheelchairs must not exceed 22" in width. For details regarding bringing a wheelchair on board, guests must complete the Accessibility Form and return to Viking no later than 30 days prior to departure. Motorized scooters are not typically suitable for international cruises and cannot be accommodated. While our ocean vessels have elevators, there may still be thresholds that could make movement difficult.Contact a Viking Expert at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) directly with additional questions and to obtain a copy of our Accessibility Form and policy statement.