NCL - For us oldies??

[jfurness]

We are about to book a cruise on NCL to the Mexican Riviera. Have only sailded Princess before, never been to Mexico at all. Will this be too much of a "party ship"? Going in the off season, not spring break or holiday. We are 60 and 67 years young.

[Norwaylin]

I prefer NCL over Carnival, but that is because I was on the Carnival ship during Spring Break with family members who had children in school. I have been on NCL three times -- SS Norway, MS Starward and MS Seaward, none of which are still with NCL. I liked NCL because it was a good value, the food was very good and the passengers were mainly in their 30's, 40's, 50's, etc. There were not too many passengers in their 20's. If you pick a week when the schools are in session, you should be ok. I am hoping for another cruise in the next year and am looking at NCL and possibly RCI or Princess.

[uppitycats]

We are about to book a cruise on NCL to the Mexican Riviera. Have only sailded Princess before, never been to Mexico at all. Will this be too much of a "party ship"? Going in the off season, not spring break or holiday. We are 60 and 67 years young.

 

We are ages 62 and 68. We have sailed on both Princess and NCL. We like both lines -- for different reasons. Princess is more "elegant", more formal, with the options for traditional (fixed time) dining, afternoon teas, dressing up for dinner.

 

NCL is way more casual and laid-back. Their freestyle dining suits us just fine -- show up when WE want to eat, and with whom we want to eat, and have dinner, better suits our schedules. And not having to dress up (no suit coat required, for example!), works well for us, particularly with today's airline restrictions.

 

NCL did not appear to us to be a party ship at all...not that people didn't have fun! There are plenty of bars, night time entertainment, but, unlike a couple of Carnival cruises we were on where the parties seemed to go on all night!, things were more sedate, and less frenetic, on NCL.

 

I think NCL offers excellent value for the money. You're doing the right things, to avoid the spring break and holiday crowd. I think you'll enjoy your cruise.

[jocap]

We're well into our 60s, and have had 2 super cruises on NCL Jade in the last year, and had no hesitation in booking on Gem next year.- jocap.

[98Charlie]

We are 62 and just got off the NCL Star Saturday. Seemed like at least 1/2 of the passengers were from our generation so relax and enjoy.

 

Have cruised NCL many times over the past few years and have never felt that NCL was geared toward younger pax.

 

Dianne

[bar_20]

HAL is the geriatric cruise line of the mid price cruise lines. If you are going off season on NCL, you will find fewer children but not necessarily older passengers. There are plenty of young adults that don't have kids that cruise. I think you will have a great cruise as long as you don't go during Spring break, Holiday weeks or Summer vacation. Also the longer the cruise, usually 14 days or longer the older the crowd, as younger people have less vacation time.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We sailed NCL for the first time in April, on the Jewel, both of us were 63. It was a TA, so maybe the crowd was older, though it didn't seem so to me. Quite a few younger people and even some kids.

 

We liked the cruise a lot and plan to cruise NCL again. Loved the ship, the shows were great, the food was comparable to any other lines, our room was fine, liked the ability to eat whenever we wanted.

 

I didn't notice anymore partying than normal or that the passengers were younger than normal; of course, this was a longer (11 day) cruise. It might be different during Spring Break or when school is out.

 

We've also sailed on Carnival, Princess and Celebrity. Honestly, there wasn't enough difference among them to matter to us. We'll go on any of these lines if the itinerary and price are right.

 

Note: We are not very picky people and have never had a cruise we didn't like--or maybe we're just lucky.

[isabellmybell]

We have gone on one NCL cruise and it's a good thing it was not our first! Worse food, worse service, nothing was good! Do yourself a favor and pick another line!

[98Charlie]

We have gone on one NCL cruise and it's a good thing it was not our first! Worse food, worse service, nothing was good! Do yourself a favor and pick another line!

 

Sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your first NCL experience but giving up on a cruise line after your first experience is like giving up on Oreo cookies because the first one you tried didn't have enough creme filling to your liking.

 

I never cruised on the Dream but did cruise on the Wind several years ago and have to say it was my least favorite ship and cruise in the 27 cruises I've taken so far. Was not fond of the layout of the ship due and the crew didn't seem as friendly and outgoing as I am used to on NCL ships.

 

Dream was an older ship, like the Wind.The newer ships don't have the crappy layout of the Dream and the Wind and have much more to offer in services and activities.

 

I have only sailed RCL 2x and wasn't overly impressed with either of those sailings but both were on older ships. Even though those 2 cruises did not meet my expectations I would never say I would not cruise that line again. If the price is right I would sail RCL again on different ships.

 

Dianne

[Gingee]

Now my daughter went on NCL in August with some friends and she said it was a party boat. Granted it was only a four night cruise and it just went to Bahamas and their private island. That could have had something to do with it? By the way, she loved it. Her first cruise without mom and dad.

[momofmeg]

Now my daughter went on NCL in August with some friends and she said it was a party boat. Granted it was only a four night cruise and it just went to Bahamas and their private island. That could have had something to do with it? By the way, she loved it. Her first cruise without mom and dad.

 

I think you hit it on the nail- it being a short "bargain" cruise. I know many were disappointed on HAL Westerdam 2 years ago when they did a 3 day repositioning cruise-because that cruise turned into a "party" cruise. Stay away from short cruises if you are bothered by that-no matter the line.

 

I was on the Pearl last Thanksgiving- the cruise was a mix of people of all ages-no partying I saw-I liked it okay-but I prefer HAL or Celebrity, mainly because they have a little more elegance.

[edselone]

My DH and I (he is 61 and I am 54) went on our first cruise last January on NCL to the Mexican Riveria and had a wonderful time. So much so, we are doing the same cruise again March 2010. Found the ship to be a mix of people, no one particular age group standing out more than another. We truly enjoyed the free style cruising and found the food in both the specialty restaurants and the "for free" restaurants excellent. The crew was friendly and made our trip everything and more than we had expected. I would highly recommend the trip and the cruise line. :D

[jpg1747]

My aversion to NCL has nothing to do with my age (60). As a solo cruiser, I don't care for anytime dining. I would sail NCL if I was with a group, but not alone. When I cruise solo, I want traditional dining.