Is Seabourn right for us?

My husband and I are planning a cruise and are considering the Legand cruise from Nice to Barcelona on 5/30. We are in our early 30s and based on our past cruise experience (HAL to Alaska) are a bit afraid of booking a cruise that is geared for a much older audience. We do not want silly games at the pool and we do enjoy quiet evenings and dressing to the 9s. But we also enjoy dancing and gambling and don't want to be alone when we do it. Our only experience is HAL - which I am now being told cateers to a much older than average crowd. I am just looking for some expert advice from those of you that have been there - what is the age of the majority of cruisers on Seabourn, and what sort of activities do they offer, and do fellow passengers take advantage of? Is there another line you would recommend?

Thanks so much for the help!

Hi Suz,

As a first time passenger on Seabourn I am not really qualified to pass comment as to the demographics of your average seabourn cruiser but my partner and I will be on the Legend out of Nice on 5/30. We are a gay couple in our mid 30s and are looking forward to a bit indulgence, it sounds like a great cruise with a more personal touch than the megacruise liners and we all deserve a bit of pampering every now and again ;-)

If the friendliness shown by the people off this board is any indication we shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Hope to see you on board.

Thanks for your reply Kiwifruit. I already feel better! If 4 of us are in our 30's on this small ship, that already beats the statistics of my HAL cruise - 10 of us under 50 on a ship of 1400.

In my opinion, Seabourn is right for everybody over the age of 20. Small kids and teenagers would not be happy.

My wife and I are 69 and about to embark on our third Seabourn cruise (the Pride from Barcelona to Istanbul starting on April 21). Our first two cruises included a mix of ages from late teens to early nineties. And every body was treated nicely and every body had a ball.

There are no silly games around the very small pool. On sea days, we play Trivia in the lounge which is not silly, but very competitive and a lot of fun. The Casino is small, but the blackjack tables are usually busy.

The food,champagne, and caviar are all fantastic.

Happy Cruising,

Bill

Bill ~~~ I did e-mail Miss Alene as to you and your wife boarding the Pride on April 21st....I know she would love to meet you. She is truly a lovely, fun lady......please give her a big hug from me!

Bon Voyage and have a most fantastic voyage!

MB

Martha B:

Will do. We are packed (almost) and ready to go. Really looking forward to it.

Will report when we get back.

Bill

suzruise,

We have noticed that the age of the passengers tends to be a bit younger on the 7 day med cruises. We did two back-to-back ones last fall and on the first leg( Rome to Athens) the passengers were slightly younger than on the second leg(Athens to Istanbul). we found the people we met very lively and because people knew that we hd been to many of these ports before and had a reputation for hiking up to the highest pont overlooking the port we often had people who would ask to hike with us and a grpup of six or eight of us would set off together to work off some of that great Seabourn cuisine. The only time I ever saw the casino empty at night was on a cruise one week after 9/11 -- some people felt just going on Seabourn at that time to the Med was enough of a gamble( the ship was half empty). If you are looking for a wild party atmosphere it may not be right for you but it certainly was far more lively than what we encountered once on the QE2 crossing to England.

Will active people in their late 20's that will dress up at night but wear shorts and t-shirts during the day fit in? We are collage grads and have been married forever;) and all of our friends are older to much older. We are thinking our first trip to Europe in the Fall of 2006 on Seabourn. The brochure makes it look heavenly :D But we wouldn’t decide till after our first cruise in February on Princess.

Sorry I know this is a loaded question but I’ve been lurking on this board and still am not sure.

since we are two weeks away from our first trip on Seabourn, I will not try to answer your question. There seems to be plenty of folks on here with LOTS of experience to help you.

BUT - I just had to be the first to respond to your comment that you have been married forever which can not be so as you are in your 20's. My bride and I have been together for 28 years.

Gary

I knew i would get that some days just feel like forever while some days it seems like 5 days instead of 5+ years.:D Just didn't want to give the impression that we were crazy single 21 year olds :p

Hello, I think you would be ok on that ship. I would say either Seabourn or Radisson Cruise LIne would be a good one. The you may be one of the younger ones but who cares. I was on Princess to Alaska and I was the youngest by far. Contact me at thirdgrader57@aol.com and I would give you more information. I am in my late 30s and very well traveled.

one thing about a bar on board is that it removes the age phobias!!

we are former Ny-ers, now in AZ, late 40's, (Ok.wife and I are 49.Ok.. I'm 50..well,51--) but we consider ourselves pretty hip and sophisticated and we met people from all ages, from early 30's to 110.well, not really 110 but plenty of people in 30's, 40's, 50's.

remember, at the cost of these cruises, you are likely to run into people who are worldly, and have a sense of adventure.they're not playing shuffleboard or doing simon sez contests. the ones who are 60 can probably stay up later than the 20 year olds so I would say go and enjoy.

I might add that seabourn, silversea and sea dream are pretty cosmopolitan and has also attracted a loyal gay following. it really is right for everyone.

see you at the bar.:D

great info thanks!

As to the original poster - is Seabourn right for us, being in our 30's.

We just returned from a 13 day east cruise run on the Pride. Being in the 30's based on our cruise would put you in the minority. At the same time, those in that age group seemed to do well, more so than they might on a larger ship with older folks. That is because the ship is so friendly, people meeting and getting to know each other. We were able to call many people by name which does not happen on the larger ships. And then with the staff calling you by name and offering to seat you with tables to meet others, you feel like one big happy family. No silly games to pass the time as you mentioned, and yes you get to dress nice. But, the average age is older, no doubt about it. We loved it and will do it again.

Feel free to drop a line to garycruise@ krkms.com

Gary

We have sailed 7 times--we are part of the older group(65-75). We have found that most of our great memories from Seabourn cruises have been from the fun we have had with the younger group! Our last cruise we took our 30+ year old daughter along--she was single, but had her own suite. On this trip there was a good mix of ages, but she was the youngest. She had a ball--insisted we do it again next year. She really enjoyed the "older group" cheering for her as she kayaked around the Legend twice in choppy ares. Age was absoluty no problem for her--one night having dinner at the Captain's table her partner was an elderly gentleman (MD) that was involved in the first heart transplant surgery--what an experience for a young lady. Try it you will love it!!!

My partner and I (35 and 48) are considering the Pride for a 3 night cruise to nowhere out of NYC next Sept.

We have cruised on Cunard, HAL Princess and Carnival.

Should we try Seabourn?

Try it--you will love it--you can't go wrong!!

We will try and book ASAP!