Celebrity Age group poll

We have children, (6 of them, in fact) We just wouldn't cruise Celebrity with them. We take Royal or Carnival when the kids are with us. That's what I interpreted "50s no kids" to mean. Just as I imagine most of the 60's and up have grandchildren but don't take them when they cruise.

That is what I meant, "no, or don't bring them":)

I turn 40 this year and will be cruising X for the first time in 32 days. DH is turning 42 in a month and we are DINKS. We have decided to exclusively cruise for 14+ days as we find shorter day cruises well, too short. We are going on NCL Breakaway for 7 days to Bermuda but that will be our only exception in the foreseeable future.

We are Diamond with RCCL and are very nervous about NCL. We have cruised Carnival several times and we know we DO NOT want to cruise with them again.

We do prefer a higher level of service and paying a higher cost for a more inclusive ship. We also prefer to cruise children free.

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We have children, (6 of them, in fact) We just wouldn't cruise Celebrity with them. We take Royal or Carnival when the kids are with us. That's what I interpreted "50s no kids" to mean. Just as I imagine most of the 60's and up have grandchildren but don't take them when they cruise.

I agree that the poll wording is confusing.

It is further complicated by the fact that many of us who are over 45 or 50 have adult children, and we may cruise with them or without them.

So even though we do cruise with our children, we probably should not admit it for purposes of this poll. ;)

I think whether or not any cruise line appeals to people has more to do with their interests and preferences than age.

Millennials are not a homogeneous group, and neither are baby boomers.

People may develop new interests as they grow older, but they are not likely to change their basic likes and dislikes, or to stop cruising when they hit 65.

I was just reading a NIH report that states:

• America’s 65-and-over population is projected to nearly double over the next three decades, from 48 million to 88 million by 2050.
  

• The global population of the “oldest old” — people aged 80 and older — is expected to more than triple between 2015 and 2050, growing from 126.5 million to 446.6 million. The oldest old population in some Asian and Latin American countries is predicted to quadruple by 2050.
  

So here we are after the first day.

 

205 folks have marked their age group, and 69% are over 50! that post on CC and sail Celebrity.

 

62 had registered a vote on the target market, and 49, or 79% said they were it.

 

So after the first 24 hours it would lead one to think if Celebrity is trying to reach a younger market, thru drink pkg's and loud music, it is not working. Us older empty nesters are still the bulk of the passenger base that is cruising on Celebrity. And from the couple of comments from those under 50, they like the up scale product and hangin with us old fogies'!

 

Very interesting, indeed.

Loud music for some is not an issue.

Think about it....

Those born in the late 40's to early 50's "grew up" on original rock 'n' roll and then had the Beatles and Rolling Stones in high school. These are people in their 60's now.... :eek: :)

It's not the loudness that's a problem, IMO, it's the type of music.

 

I was just reading a NIH report that states:

 

• America’s 65-and-over population is projected to nearly double over the next three decades, from 48 million to 88 million by 2050.
  

 

• The global population of the “oldest old” — people aged 80 and older — is expected to more than triple between 2015 and 2050, growing from 126.5 million to 446.6 million. The oldest old population in some Asian and Latin American countries is predicted to quadruple by 2050.
  

 

A smart demographic marketing approach would heed this rather than trying to structure the appeal to a demographic (Millennials) that is not only the most fickle in history--numerous studies highlight the lack of loyalty--but also have interests that may include cruising but not focus on it.

A smart demographic marketing approach would heed this rather than trying to structure the appeal to a demographic (Millennials) that is not only the most fickle in history--numerous studies highlight the lack of loyalty--but also have interests that may include cruising but not focus on it.

This was what, IMHO, has not happened with Celebrity. The poll is showing that, at least with the Cruise Critic membership, the older passenger still is the highest % of the base.

I think this is a too broad-based question. A lot of the answers skew differently, depending on length of cruise, destination and time of year.

For example, a 2 week Orient cruise is going to get an older demographic than a one week Christmas cruise to the Caribbean.

I don't think this poll will tell you anything of substance

We've done 15 celebrity cruises and the age has differed every time. It depends where you travel and what time of year

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I think this is a too broad-based question. A lot of the answers skew differently, depending on length of cruise, destination and time of year.

For example, a 2 week Orient cruise is going to get an older demographic than a one week Christmas cruise to the Caribbean.

I don't think this poll will tell you anything of substance

We've done 15 celebrity cruises and the age has differed every time. It depends where you travel and what time of year

 

 

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The bottom line is no matter where the cruise is to, what time of year it is, the under 40 group that a lot of people complain that Celebrity is marketing to, makes up less than 15% of the Cruise Critic membership that post on this board. And we all know they cant live without the internet like us over 60'ties can! ( LOL)

Again, I for one do not think that is their target market, membership here bears this out too.

Hmmm.... I was 25 on my first 13 day Alaskan Celebrity cruise. With a 41 year old husband and a mom and stepfather in tow.

My second X cruise was a weeklong Caribbean, for my 26th birthday, hubby in tow.

Our currently booked X cruise will happen over my 30-somethingth birthday with a 50-something husband and 3 and 6 year olds in tow.

We like the food on Celebrity, and the slightly higher end atmosphere (compared to NCL or similar, anyway). Seems a little calmer than some of the other lines and I never cared much for big parties anyway. Let's see what the kids think.

Now, they just seem to want to fill the ships no matter what.....and some of the new cruisers are just not our cup of tea.

Remember at one point we were all new cruisers :)

The most interesting part of this poll so far, to me, is the number of us that do not have children! Maybe that should be X's target market (DINKs and the like). Whether it's affluence or disposable income, I think most of us here seem to fit that demographic.

 

I am in my 30's, FTR, and have been cruising X since my late 20's. :D

When DH and I were yuppie DINKs we would never consider taking a cruise.

Now that we are retired DINKs we spend our time looking forward our next cruise.

Hmmm.... I was 25 on my first 13 day Alaskan Celebrity cruise. With a 41 year old husband and a mom and stepfather in tow.

 

My second X cruise was a weeklong Caribbean, for my 26th birthday, hubby in tow.

 

Our currently booked X cruise will happen over my 30-somethingth birthday with a 50-something husband and 3 and 6 year olds in tow.

 

We like the food on Celebrity, and the slightly higher end atmosphere (compared to NCL or similar, anyway). Seems a little calmer than some of the other lines and I never cared much for big parties anyway. Let's see what the kids think.

Man that's a lot of towing.

From our past experience cruising on Solstice 'down under' the longer the cruise, the older the average age. We are 40s -50s age bracket no kids and fortunate to be able to take longer cruises.

Generally from what we have noticed, the length of the cruise seems to influence the average age... BUT, although Celebrity caters for children, I don't think it targets young families. So, I think Celebrity's key demographic is couples (regardless of age).

I think the demo changes based on the time of year, length of cruise and destination. However, if you watch the ads on TV, I can't imagine many folks who go to Sandals being happy with a cruise. I also can't picture those in our age range wanting to spend a week on the beach snorkeling, surfing and sailing (there are, of course, exceptions).

We did several sailings on HAL but, though we're seniors, thought the crowd was to old even for US! I had the feeling that, when we reached port, we were awaited by the grim reaper rather than customs.:rolleyes: I don't want to spend a week somewhere that, despite our age, we're referred to as "the kids"

I think the demo changes based on the time of year, length of cruise and destination. However, if you watch the ads on TV, I can't imagine many folks who go to Sandals being happy with a cruise. I also can't picture those in our age range wanting to spend a week on the beach snorkeling, surfing and sailing (there are, of course, exceptions).

 

We did several sailings on HAL but, though we're seniors, thought the crowd was to old even for US! I had the feeling that, when we reached port, we were awaited by the grim reaper rather than customs.:rolleyes: I don't want to spend a week somewhere that, despite our age, we're referred to as "the kids"

Lol. I agree, the demographic changes with time of year, length and itinerary. We did a 2 week Panama canal 2 weeks before Christmas. Average age 60ish, no kids. Crew members told us the holiday cruise following ours would have 250 kids! I think the TV commercials features younger, attractive couples for the same reason that fashion mags feature 16 year old models advertising wrinkle creams! Marketing, marketing, marketing!:D.

Here we are at 15 days into the poll and 521 folks have clicked a bracket ;)

For the time I have been on CC that is good participation.

12% are under 40

18% are 40-50

and a whopping 70% are over 50:eek:

I really did think there would have been more in the younger brackets.

And of the 125 that voted on if they felt they fit Celebrity's target or not,

80% said yes they are in the group trying to be reached.

Some really fun numbers, but in the end the tech and internet savvy youngster's don't hang out on the Celebrity page on Cruise Critic.:D

EW

The youngsters aren't hip, hep, far-out and groovy like the rest of us.

The past 3 cruises my wife and I have taken were all Celebrity. We are pretty much hooked. We started with X when we were 25 years old. We are now 29 and 30, and we have a Dec 2017 sailing booked as well. We have a group of couples we travel with, who are also the same age group as us. I think it has less to do with age, and more to do with cruise style and preference. We like the quieter pool atmosphere, the finer dining experiences, etc. We were Loyal to Royal for quite a long time, but we aren't interested in the direction they've taken. Sorry, but I don't need my picture taken with Shrek at the pool.

My only gripe with X is the lack of late-night entertainment. On our most recent sailing, they had late-night dance parties planned, but they never materialized. We like to gamble, but we aren't going to do that every night, so more late-night activities would be very welcome.

Perfectly expressed....we are in the older group but agree with your comments 100 %

Another salient "poll" result seems to say...not a big kiddie cruise line. Many families do enjoy X but not in the "breakfast with shrek" way! When we cruise with our grandson...it will be Royal...his parents can take him on Disney

Some of us lie about our ages, but it doesn't work very well if your looks and actions can't pull it off. Also, there are those of us who really don't care about age and just enjoy the cruise for what it is. We wouldn't feel out of place except maybe on another "C" cruise line. Celebrity does a great job with all ages of passengers, at least IMHO...

Celebrity seems to be pushing for a newer more affluent customer base which is why they changed the loyalty program a few years back making it far more difficult to raise through the various levels. Their goal is to attract those that are able to cruise multiple times a year and prefer staying in a suite, hence the new suite dining. Also, a newer customer base cannot compare the present day cruise experience with the one of 15-20 years ago which was far superior in value to what is offered today. When you look at the current pricing you will find that loyalty gets you very little or nothing at all. In most cases you have to give up the loyalty discount to take advantage of any of the promotions.

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It depends on the length of the cruise. We do mainly 14 day cruises and they are mainly Seniors. Shorter cruises have more young people.

My husband and I are mid-late 50's, empty nesters, and still both work full time. We only cruise together once a year, but over the past couple of years we've started taking longer cruises in the fall (B2B's and recently our first TA). He hasn't cruised with X yet, but I did take our 21 year old daughter on Connie in March because their 5-day itinerary worked best with her college spring break. I was a little worried she might be completely bored, but we both walked off that ship thinking it was probably the best cruise we've ever been on. Booked 2 more for 2017 while on board. :)

Celebrity seems to be pushing for a newer more affluent customer base which is why they changed the loyalty program a few years back making it far more difficult to raise through the various levels. Their goal is to attract those that are able to cruise multiple times a year and prefer staying in a suite, hence the new suite dining. Also, a newer customer base cannot compare the present day cruise experience with the one of 15-20 years ago which was far superior in value to what is offered today. When you look at the current pricing you will find that loyalty gets you very little or nothing at all. In most cases you have to give up the loyalty discount to take advantage of any of the promotions.

 

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Haven't all the cruiselines adjusted their loyalty programs in recent years though? I know that people were kind of cheating things in the past when loyalty was merely based on number of cruises taken and people would rack up lots of 3 to 4 night cruises in inside and oceanview cabins to ascend through the levels quickly while people doing 12 to 14 night cruises once a year but spending big money in suites were at lower levels than these people. The new system evened that out. That being said the loyalty programs don't really mean much for those staying in suites, especially the higher-level ones, as you basically get everything included in the suite perks already, plus with all these Go Best offers they keep doing. The loyalty perks are really only good for people in lower level cabins who don't buy a beverage/internet package.