Honeymoon on Radisson?

[buffcollege]

 



 

My fiancé and I have booked a cruise on the voyager for our Honeymoon. I would like to know if it is common to see honeymooner on Radisson ships. Reason being is that we have had trouble with two TA not wanting to book this honeymoon for us. One went as far as telling us that only rich old people travel on Radisson, its not really like that is it? Has anyone else traveled Radisson for a honeymoon? We both work extremely hard in everyday life and truly enjoy the finer things in life; that is why we chose to go with a Carlson company for our honeymoon. We feel that this ship will let us do that and spend some special time with each other.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I have seen lots of honeymooners, especially on the Paul Gauguin. I think it depends on the route and the time of year of your trip. Yes, there will be plenty of middle-aged people, but there will likely be other honeymooners too, and certainly folks in their 30s, if not their 20s. Which trip are you thinking of booking?

 

Oh, and just my opinion--I would not care a stick about other people if I were on my honeymoon. I am one of those middle-aged people ;) , but my husband and I treat most of these trips are honeymoons, and mostly focus on each other.

[mborchgardt]

My wife and I will be on a Baltics cruise this summer. We are in our early 30's. Not exactly honey-mooners, though -- we'll be celebrating our 10th anniversary on the cruise. I am not too concerned about the age demographic. Like yourselves, we chose RSSC because we both work hard and like to slurge a little on vacations and enjoy a relaxing, but refined environment. We don't necessarily make it a point to meet lots of people on cruises, so having lots of people our own age is not that big of a deal to us. I would imagine that out of 800 of passengers, we will most likely see at least a few other in our age range.

[Jim B]

I don't know why some TAs think that way about RSSC.

I would recommend them for honeymooners.

Oh sure you have some older groups, but normally the passengers are about the same as any other cruise line EXCEPT not as many and normally very few if any children. Things are a little more relaxed and since there are no lines anywhere you can just take your time. Some days you really do feel like you are on a private yacht in the middle of the ocean.

Now doesn't that sound perfect for honeymooners?

 

03/22/80 Commodore MS Caribe

02/15/03 Radisson Paul Gauguin

02/22/04 Norwegian Dream (ick)

11/12/04 Radisson Mariner

02/15/05 Radisson Diamond

12/27/05 Radisson Voyager

[JulieMac]

You should definitely book this cruise for your honeymoon! Your TA obviously has poor preconceived notions of what RSSC cruises are like. Yes, it's true, there won't be that many "young" people on board, but there will be honeymooners. Our friends honeymooned on the PG and loved it so much they convinced us to book our own trip on it 2 years ago. Now we're going back for our second trip in June. My husband and I are much younger than the average age on board and were often mistaken for honeymooners on our first trip. Not that we minded! You will find a more sophisticated crowd on RSSC, of all ages. If you enjoy the finer things of life, you can't go wrong on Radisson.

 

Julie

[Dolebludger]

buff:

 

Your TA's are dead wrong! The folks who are Radisson regulars are instead those with a "nose" to "smell out" value in things, including cruises. They cross all age and other demographic lines. They chose Radisson because they know, after factoring in suite size, level of service and food, inclusions, and lack of nickel and diming, that Radisson is the best buy.

 

As with any line, the age of the fellow guests is pretty much the luck of the draw. My adult daughter cruised Carnival one time and complained that fellow guests "were as old as grandfather!" I've cruised on some Radisson itineraries where I flet like the grandfather compared to the younger fellow guests.

 

Only if you are considering booking the World Cruise (or a segment of it) on Radisson will you consistantly encounter a bit older crowd. Otherwise, your fellow guests on Radisson will be pretty much the same types you'd encounter on any other line --- except they'll be more relaxed and will be having more fun!

 

Thanks,

Richard:) :) :)

[A J Theodore]

I get the sense that there are not TAs you have worked with before. If so, you are right to be wary of them. However, if they are experienced TAs who you know well and who are very well informed about the higher end cruise lines, cruise ships, and the differences among them, then listen carefully to what you are being told. If they are not, ignore them and go find a TA who is knowledgeable about them. A good, very knowledgeable TA who you know and trust is your best friend when it comes to cruising.

 

More to the point, whether this is the right ship and right line for your honeymoon (and congratulations!) is very much a personal matter based on what each cruise line offers and what it is you specifically want from a cruise. A few thoughts based on your post:

 

First, you will be among the youngest passengers on the ship. The Radisson clientele is usually above 50 and I would estimate the average age at about 60 for most of its cruises (above 70 on the world cruise). There are some itineraries, however, that tend to attract slightly younger passengers. Note that the longer the itinerary, the older the average passenger. The passengers are generally well-heeled business people, professionals, and retired persons. While there are a few snobs and you may run into a couple of folks who act like the proverbial "new money," you will almost certainly meet some very nice, interesting people.

 

Second, responding to your immediate question, Radisson does not market itself to younger passengers or to honeymooners and does not provide a cruise experience geared to them. I am not aware of any special honeymoon packages offered by Radisson. Its onboard activities, etc., are aimed at its clientele. This will be reflected in the types of shows and performances put on, the lecturers and the subjects of their lectures, the music played in the lounges and for dancing, etc. To the extent that you want to participate in shipboard activities, make sure that the ship offers the activities you want.

 

Third, from your comment about the "finer things in life" I assume you mean things like food and shopping. Radisson's onboard shops are certainly more high end than the mass market ships. Radisson's food (both the preparation and presentation) is quite acceptable and certainly much better than the mass-market lines. There is a good variety on the menu and usually it is well prepared; however, I have experienced too many lapses in preparation for a luxury line. If you are gourmands or are looking to treat yourselves to a really first-class dining exprience, you should look into Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea. The food on each is definitely superior to Radisson's (this is particularly true as between Radisson's and Crystal's specialty restaurants).

 

While on the subject of other cruise lines, Silversea and Seabourn are small ships. They can get into more secluded and less-touristy harbors but have much more limited onboard activities. Crystal's ships are a little larger than

Voyager and there are often specials that make Crystal's prices comparable to Radisson.

 

Finally, be sure to consider your own personal wants and needs. Several rather obvious examples: (1) Select your cabin on the basis of the amount of time you plan to spend in it and your own personal need for space. Nothing worse than paying for the most expensive cabin on the ship and then using it only to sleep. If you plan to eat in the cabin frequently, consider a penthouse with butler service. On Voyager, by the way, do not get a cabin aft of the laundry rooms - I have not heard that the vibration problem at the aft of the ship has been fixed. (2) If you do not like to get dressed up for dinner or for the evening and if you do not like, at least, "country club casual" for the daytime, then do not even consider Radisson.

 

Hope that this helps.

[trinidad]

Just remember, your honeymoon is for YOU. It should be a time to relax after the chaos of a wedding, a time to devote all your attention to each other. I cannot think of a better place to spend special moments than a RSSC cruise. The understated luxury of Radisson ships cannot be beaten and the service will make you feel like a king and queen. As for older passengers, we have always enjoyed talking with the well-traveled seniors on a cruise. There are a lot of facinating people on a Radisson cruise from all over the world. You can learn an awful lot from listening as my husband says. We still keep in touch with people we've met on-board. If you are looking for a party-like night life, that you will not find.

[Dolebludger]

I'll second A.J.'s suggestion to avoid suites too far to the stern on the Voyager, to avoid vibration. By personal experience, the only way to be 100% sure is to book a suite forward of the laundry rooms. However, the cheapest Category H suites, though back of the laundry rooms, are subject only to fairly small vibration at times.

 

The Voyager will have formal nights, but your husband may wear a dark suit and tie if he wishes and not feel out of place. As for daytime wear, I would disagree that "country club casual" is required during the day. There is a thread on this board on daytime dress on Radisson that you should read. Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea (the other three luxury lines) are also good alternatives to Radisson. I do feel that Radisson is the least formal of this group. Remember also that Crystal has fixed time, fixed seating dinners, while the other three lines mentioned all have open time, open seating dinners. On Crystal, drinks are at extra charge. On Radisson, they are included with dinner and a few other times. Seabourn and Silversea are open bar all the time. All four lines include soft drinks and bottled water at no charge.

 

I'd be amiss not to mention Radisson's classic honeymoon cruise, the Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia. Many honeymooners. Much younger crowd than on any other luxury line ship. And, IMO, the best cruise in the world, period.

 

Thanks,

Richard:) :) :)

[Marylis]

I would also disagree that you must be OK with country club casual even during the day on a Radisson cruise -- I just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Navigator, and the vast majority of people were in shorts, tshirts and tank tops during the day. There were a lot of people in their 30's and 40's, and even a fair amount of kids (more than I was expecting), though this was a Spring Break cruise so that might have been an anomaly.

 

Mary

[buffcollege]

Thanks for all your input. We are sailing on Dec. 5th. One reason we chose this trip is because it’s a spot light on chocolate sailing. We have never used the TA’s that we contacted, in the past we have always booked our trips on-line, but we didn’t want to leave anything to chance withmight beable to do for us?:rolleyes:

[joannapvb]

You will have a wonderful time - we met two couples on their honeymoon on our first Radisson cruise - Greece and Italy - we enjoyed them, although we are MUCH older, and took excursions with them and still communicate today 2 yrs later!!! - Radisson will give you the "alone" time you want on your honeymoon BUT people are there when you want to socialize - Joanna

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I am in my 40's and I have been on 4 RSSC cruises and three more scheduled over the next year.

 

Every sailing I have been on has had at least one honeymoon couple. I specifically remember one young (in their 20's) couple who were very outgoing. Everyone aboard, passengers and crew, made it a point to make them feel special, which is what a honeymoon is about. One night in Signatures, we were all tapping our glasses so they would kiss, like in a wedding!

 

We are married 10 years and our honeymoon was on the RCCL's Splendour of the Seas. We felt lost among the masses. We were sorry we did not do a more upscale cruise and we can't go back to cruising the mass market lines again - we tried.

 

Have a great time, as I know you will.

[Leejnd4]

Second, responding to your immediate question, Radisson does not market itself to younger passengers or to honeymooners and does not provide a cruise experience geared to them. I am not aware of any special honeymoon packages offered by Radisson.

FTR, I just got my docs for my Med cruise on the Voyager in May (doing the doc dance as we speak! :D) and yes they do offer a specific honeymoon package. Here's what it says:

 

Honeymoon Ceremony (group) -- $300

Congratulations letter from RSSC's President

Veuve-Cliquot Champagne w/ Caviar & Condiments (evening of choice)

In Suite Canapes (served every afternoon)

Godiva Chocolates

Travel Journal (for your memories)

Picture coupon for 8 X 10 portrait

Upgraded flower arrangement

Miniature Wedding Cake

(Modified package offered as inclusive on m/s Paul Gauguin)

 

So not only do they cater to honeymooners, they offer a wonderful ceremoney and gift package, which evidently is free on the PG (I guess because they get so MANY honeymooners in FP).

 

Congratulations, and I think you are going to have a WONDERFUL and very special time! :)

 

LeeAnne

[FDV]

My wife and I are both 33 we took our honeymoon in Oct 2003 on Voyager Athens to Barcelona, everything was wonderful, there were about six couples our age, the majority was in the fifty plus range, sailed Royal Carribbean a few years ago, that will never happen again. The big ships are not for me, once you try Radisson you will be hooked.

 

FV

[cruisincarly]

My husband and I (we got married in January, but since Alaska was the goal, we're not honeymooning until August) are also honeymooning on RSSC! We were a little concerned about the average age of cruisers being much above our own (we're in our early 20's), but then realized... (1) people are people regardless of age, and there are sure to be many interesting people onboard , and (2) we're honeymooning to be with each other, not the other passengers anyway. So we decided on RSSC, and the more I read these boards, the more I realize it was the perfect choice!

[HaloV]

Paul Gauguin has a very nice honeymoon/anniversary ceremony. They wrap you up together in a Tahitian Blanket, put a wreath of flowers on your head and take pictures at sunset. We really enjoyed it. Afterwards they had a huge cake for us all and a small one in our cabin. The only cost is, if you want to buy a photo. I think there were about 10 honeymooners. Congrats!! :D Halo