Average age on Viking Ocean?

[CDNPolar]

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

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.

 

I forget what cruise it was, but it may have been Panama, there was a scooter that was always parked in the hallway a few cabins down from us.  It was parked there and plugged in to charge.  I assume that this was right outside of the person's cabin that was the owner of the scooter.

I have no problem with them onboard, but I did find that it blocked the majority - more than half - of the hallway and I felt that in an emergency it would be a hazard to be in the hallway and could end up blocking passage.

 

Please don't hate on me for these statements, as I am an advocate for accessibility for all, but not at the expense of safety.

[Frisky070802]

My wife and I were on the British Isles Explorer in August (2 weeks).  We are in our early-mid 60s and felt like we might have been in the 20th percentile or so, if that -- almost everyone we met seemed older and retired.  But the vast majority were also really active, and more fit than we are :).  For instance I remember a port where we and a number of others were taking a long escalator up, and a handful of people clearly older than us were basically sprinting up the stairs!  

[CCWineLover]

21 hours 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. 

Viking says they don't allow scooters . . .

But we saw 3 on our last cruise and at least 2 on several of the other ones.  I assume they had been cleared with Viking ahead of time.

 

Again - the median (not average) age is quite a bit higher for certain itineraries as i've described.  Those who were surprised at having a younger crowd than expected must not have been on those itineraries (many out of or into Florida). 

On our recent cruise (to FLL) we estimated that perhaps 150-200 passengers had a mobility ailment of some kind (many had no physical assist like canes, wheelchairs, walkers, etc. but clearly had difficulty getting out of a chair or even walking down the corridors).

 

However, I just have to admire though, the number of folks that are out there cruising who do have a mobility impairment.  I hope that we'll still have that attitude to go forth and explore when we are not so mobile!

Edited October 12, 2023 by CCWineLover

[Iloveketo]

19 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

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.

The three I saw looked a bit like this. 

[Peregrina651]

I standby what I said:

 

16 hours ago, Iloveketo said:

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.

 

I am not advocating one way or another.  I am simply pointing out that if you plan to travel with a motorized scooter, it should be cleared with Viking as per the FAQ.

 

I would go on to say that 30 days in advance is cutting it too close; it should be done before cancellation penalties kick in (date given on your Viking invoice). Viking can change its policies and their enforcement at any time and without notice.

 

Also, traveling on airplanes with a motorized scooter may have issues (the batteries are a fire hazard) and this should also be clarified before cancellation penalties kick in. Policies are not uniform from airport to airport nor from airline to airline.

 

Get it all figured out before it is too expensive to cancel your trip.

[Jim Avery]

And they are supposed to be kept in the room, not in the passageways.  Sometimes enforced sometimes not.  I would ask for enforcement as leaving them outside is a potential safety hazard in any emergency.  

[Mitina]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

I am simply pointing out that if you plan to travel with a motorized scooter, it should be cleared with Viking as per the FAQ.

Definitely has to be cleared with Viking ahead of time.  And as already been mentioned, your scooter or wheelchair has to stored in your cabin (not the hallway).  Plan to book an appropriate size cabin to accommodate the storage.

(Jim just beat me to the storage comment)

Edited October 13, 2023 by Mitina

[Cruisin4ABruisen]

For what it’s worth, my wife and I just booked our first Viking Ocean cruise. She’s early 30s and I’m just months away from the mid 30s. 

[formernuke]

Congrats on your cruise! We have seen a handful of thirty-somethings, but the are rare!

[CDR2001]

A note on passenger age on Saturn, Empires of Med now. I see a lot more family groups including some with 3 generations onboard. I also see more middle aged couples, and groups of friends. We’re active seniors and I’m assuming the folks onboard realize that the excursions require lots of walking amid ruins. Third VO and this crowd has a younger vibe in my opinion. 

[Azulann]

16 hours ago, Cruisin4ABruisen said:

For what it’s worth, my wife and I just booked our first Viking Ocean cruise. She’s early 30s and I’m just months away from the mid 30s. 

Congratulation  on your first Viking cruise. I saw more younger couples in their 30' and 40's on my June 2023 cruise "Scenic Scandinavia". There were demanding hiking excursion, kayaking, bike tours  that were sold out. One group even rented 6 bikes on island of Bornholm that were delivered to the pier. Off they went to explore for the day as we just walked into town. 

I wished I had begun cruising when I was younger and could do these more demanding  tours. I keep to the  moderate or easy excursions which are  walking tours in various European ports.

[Jim Avery]

Haha, I wish too.  Most of us couldn't afford cruising back then.  I was lucky to take Cunard liners with my parents back and forth to England when growing up.  In steerage of course.....

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Azulann said:

I wished I had begun cruising when I was younger and could do these more demanding  tours. I keep to the  moderate or easy excursions which are  walking tours in various European ports.

Ah yes . . .

When we finally have the money and the time to cruise, we often don't have the body & bones to really do it well !!  Such an irony.

[longterm]

My guess would be the mid-60s; from what we've seen, the average age definitely isn't getting lower.

[taiwan_girl]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:32 PM, CCWineLover said:

Ah yes . . .

When we finally have the money and the time to cruise, we often don't have the body & bones to really do it well !!  Such an irony.

There is that saying:  people have time, energy, and money

 

When you are young: You have time and energy, but no money

Middle age:  You have energy and money, but no time

Older: You have time and money, but no energy.

 

LOL