Younger Guests on Celebrity

[OvrTheOceanWaves]

Does anyone have any observations about younger affluent guests onboard celebrity cruises? I am considering a carribean sailing on the century in April, but am concerened about the number of guests in the 25-35 age range. I dont want to be the only people on board in our age group. Holland America had my attention for a bit, very beautiful and incredible service, but alas, not many dot commers on board those beautiful black and white vessels. How bout Celebrity?

[Jarronwood]

I think if you trawl most of the Celebrity forum you will find that the age group is over 50. Someone posted a very good detailed difference between RCCL and X saying that most X guests are in bed and tucked up with a good book and brandy by 11 pm and that the ship is very much a "ghost ship" after this time. They also said that most of the guests sleep, read, eat, sleep, read and eat and wherever you go someone is either asleep in a deck chair or reading.

 

I think you really need to decide what YOU want out of your cruise, not concentrate on the age group. I have been around 70 years old who could boogie with the rest of the 30 year olds and I have also been out with the 30 year olds who are tired by the time 10 o clock comes.

 

As I said we chose X because of the older generation. It should suit us, I am a very young 50 and hubby is 58 and whilst we do like to party party and "have fun" we are not looking for that on our cruise. We both work very hard and just want to chill and be in bed tucked up with a nice brandy and a good book by the stroke of mid-night.

 

I also have to say that I find the older generation much more interesting to be with and talk to. They have such a wealth of knowledge and I never ever tire of their antedotes.

 

My advice is to look for what the ship and cruise can do for you and read and read all the different speciality boards for the cruise ships. I spent probably the best part of 2-3 days solid going through the different forums getting a feel for what is available until I narrowed it down to one of the X ships, then I posted on the X boards for advice on what ship and itinerary finally ending up with the SUmmit and the 14 night Panama Canal cruise.

 

Then it didn't stop there did it.... I also spent a long time reading peoples thoughts on which particular cabin, forward, aft, sideways, up, down until I narrowed it down.

 

Good luck with whatever you do decide. Half of the fun of your cruise is the research.

[osiebosie]

It also depends alot on the time of year you cruise. If it's during the fall, during school semesters, there will not be alot of younger people on board. But during the summer, and spring break times, and probably holidays, you should see more.

 

Shay

[Seabee]

I don't think anyone would be particularly impressed with whether someone is young or affluent on Celebrity. Most X cruisers are there for the ambience and not too worried about whether the person next to them owns a Cadillac or a Yugo (do they still make those?).

[Sky Sweet]

Does anyone have any observations about younger affluent guests onboard celebrity cruises? I am considering a carribean sailing on the century in April, but am concerened about the number of guests in the 25-35 age range. I dont want to be the only people on board in our age group. Holland America had my attention for a bit, very beautiful and incredible service, but alas, not many dot commers on board those beautiful black and white vessels. How bout Celebrity?

 

Hi OceanWaves :)

 

I'll address both parts of your question separately. Celebrity passengers are quite diverse from a socio-economic perspective, but if someone is nice and interesting that is all that really matters.

 

Celebrity typically appeals to an older demographic, but I have been on some of their cruises where there were a number of passengers between 29 and 35. Ironically, the demographics on our Alaskan Cruise on Infinity five years ago was much younger than any of of our other cruises, and I was expecting just the opposite.

[the2006Junket]

Hi Ovr,

 

We sailing on the Millie in the Medit in August and there were not many 20-somethings on the sailing...but could that also be because of the high cost of a 12 night European cruise? And the amount of vacation time needed that many American employees do not have? There were lots of passengers in the mid thirties and older. LOTS (including me!) of couples in their early forties traveling with school aged kids.

 

Not unusual for a Medit. cruise, there was not alot of late night partying going on. The ship offered it...disco or bands til at least midnight or 2 am. But we noticed that they were sparsely attended. But this was in large part due to the early port arrivals and excursion departures in the wonderful European cities.

 

We have just booked the April 16 sailing on the Century. I'm hoping that a shorter itinerary, less expensive cruise in the Caribbean (and no need to dash out of bed, IMO, at 6 am to tour Key West!!) will result in a livelier post-dinner nightlife! Not that we'll be partying til the wee hours all cruise, but it's nice to find a place to get my DH out on the dance floor after dinner...and not be the only ones!

 

Enjoy!

 

Lynne

[lookingforward]

We have sailed Celebrity during the spring time and have found many people in their 30 and 40's. The thing that I love about Celebrity is that there is a good mix of age groups, etc. and offers something for everyone. My teenager liked Celebrity better than RCCL, NCL and Disney because he found it to be more quality over quantity.

 

We sailed Crystal and found most of the passengers to be elderly, however they were wonderful to speak with and were very kind to us. It was a great experience, too.

 

Not sure about your income (affluent) question. Remember that Celebrity is a main stream line that is priced relatively the same as the other big lines. (it is my absolute favorite line). Seabourn and Crystal are very upscale lines that are MUCH more expensive. I still prefer Celebrity for us because we like a larger ship with more diverse activities to choose from.

[Arubalisa]

I can compare HAL to Celebrity but only at Christmas. With that being said, even at Christmas, when you typically expect families to be together, the demographics on HAL were MUCH older than what we encountered on X.

 

Not to say HAL has a bad product, but IMHO, food and service was a notch above on X anyway. Again, though it is a holiday, for our sailing 12/22, we have a number of people in our roll call ranging in age from 25 - 45 years old.

[Arubalisa]

I can compare HAL to Celebrity but only at Christmas. With that being said, even at Christmas, when you typically expect families to be together, the demographics on HAL were MUCH older than what we encountered on X.

 

Not to say HAL has a bad product, but IMHO, food and service was a notch above on X anyway. Again, though it is a holiday, for our sailing 12/22, we have a number of people in our roll call ranging in age from 25 - 45 years old.

[Fang]

I am 39 years old have my wife and I have cruised Celebrity 15 times, four times with our two daughters.

 

I would say that most of the times passengers are older (we recently took a cruise with our daughters on AOS, were passengers were much younger than X).

 

We have never had a problem or thought this age differance was a big deal. Infact, due to what we like about X we probably will not cruise RCI again (only if the price is right).

 

Our best cruise we have ever been on was on the Century several years ago. All of our tablemates were at least 60, one couple was in the 80s and we had a blast, with them. We still keep in touch with one couple and have become very good friends with them.

 

In 1998 we were on the Mercury and there again tablemates were much older but it was great.

 

Don't worry about the age on the ship, go and you will have a great time.

 

Now if only X will get a year round seven day cruise out of Florida and we will be back.

[Arubalisa]

Now if only X will get a year round seven day cruise out of Florida and we will be back.

If anyone from X reads these threads, I would like to also second the motion for year 'round sailings out of Florida.

[templed]

I guess you could call me a dot commer.... I'm 35.. wife is 38... we sailed on Constellation last April... and turned around and booked the next one on Constellation for this March... and we sail with a whole group ranging from 35 ... to 50 (who acts like an 18 year old)...

 

so... I wouldn't generalize and say that the majority of X cruisers are "old"... I'd say... that it depends on the people you meet / come with... we burned the midnight oil many many times the last time on Constellation...

[GORDONCHICK]

Age and income do not tell me what you want/expect out of a cruise vacation. I would gear more towards likes and dislikes instead of eliminating because of age or income. Just MHO.

[mobster75]

OvrTheOceanWaves:

 

Like everyone else has mentioned, not sure what you are looking for when you refer to "affluent" (as far as common interests and talking points?), however just to let you know, I am 30 years old and sailed on my first cruise in March '05 on Millenium in the Caribbean and absolutely loved the experience!

 

I imagine Celebrity does try to fit similarly aged folks together because I was seated at a table w/ 5 20-somethings (2 couples) and we ended up hanging out several times together after dinner or for breakfast and had a great time. Yeah, there wasn't a huge amount to do after 10:30pm other than the disco which wasn't very busy, or bar-hop (from the Martini Bar to the Disco Bar, etc.) Although we did get chased out of the Thallos. pool in the Solarium when it was closed (we jumped in around 11:30pm).

 

Now I've scheduled a honeymoon cruise for Nov '07 on Century in the Med and my fiance is 21. If you're looking to party like kids in college, then its not the right boat for that. If you want to just talk about superficial snooty things, you may or may not fit in because there are a huge range of people on board.

 

I for one, choose Celebrity because I like the more formal atmosphere and attention to small details and the fact that most of the passengers actually have some manners and etiquette. But I don't like to sit and talk about shopping at trendy stores or about money - I just like good conversation. Professionally, I'm a conferencing engineer at a major telecomm. company and when possible I do like to afford finer things in life.

[caviargal]

IMO, Celebrity attracts an independent minded traveller, not looking for a plethora of activities and nightlife. As a former, 30 something dot.com er who had cruised with X over a period of 15 years, I would not generalize by saying that X cruisers are older, but they are (in general) more laid back and interested in service, food and a traditional cruising ambiance.

 

X is still a mainstream line so do not expect luxury; it is simply a little bit above many in regards to food and service in the dining room. I find that HAL compares very favorably.

 

If true luxury and personal service are what you seek, IMO you should look elsewhere.

[evert9]

Hi There -

 

Just wanted to say hello to another dot-commer :). I'm 29 and will be on the Century in 2 weeks. While I know the demographic is a bit more mature, I'm excited as it sort of fits "me". I'm a young busy professional constantly high strung with life's journeys and just want a relaxing - do nothing - cruise. I love RCL but this time, want a more laid back cruise where I can read and truly unwind. My life is go-go-go so hopefully this will MAKE me relax :).

[AnthonyF]

To me that was someone in the business (usually younger) who made a nice sum (and sometimes lost it) and usually lives the high life.

 

Anyways we were on the Century the week after US Thanksgiving 2004 with our kids and agree it was dead (even the staff agreed). There were some younger people, very few with children (only 40 vs. 400 Thanksgiving).

 

However we've booked again, at a time we expect a little younger crowds.

 

Food & service has us returning.

[YD66]

Hi There -

 

Just wanted to say hello to another dot-commer :). I'm 29 and will be on the Century in 2 weeks. While I know the demographic is a bit more mature, I'm excited as it sort of fits "me". I'm a young busy professional constantly high strung with life's journeys and just want a relaxing - do nothing - cruise. I love RCL but this time, want a more laid back cruise where I can read and truly unwind. My life is go-go-go so hopefully this will MAKE me relax :).

 

i don't consider myself a dot-commer, but am an analyst (40 y.o) for a wireless comm. company. i've done the backpacking through europe, mexico and central america and have partied like "it's 1999." nowadays since i (like evert9) am always on the go-go-go i prefer a bit more quiet and pampering during my time off. this is why i chose X and chose concierge class.

[templed]

YD66... you took the words right out of my mouth...

 

My TA keeps telling me that I could be saving money if I don't book CC.... but my thoughts are ... it's my vaca... I want to be spoiled. I do the "go-go-go" throughout my life... so... when I vacation... I want to truely relax.