Shifting Population on Princess

[rayandshirl]

Just returned from the 4/28/12 cruise out of San Francisco on the Star to Hawaii and back.

 

There were 8 seasoned cruisers in our group and we have never experienced such an elderly population on a cruise before. There were more walkers, scooters and wheelchairs than you can imagine.

 

More than a few of these people needed assistance and were traveling alone, counting on fellow passengers to help.

 

With the rocky, cold weather on the cruise, most passengers were forced indoors.

 

By the time we left, we felt as if we had been in a nursing home. Not being unkind, just surprised at the sheer total population on the ship.:eek:

[Pam in CA]

This is fairly typical of the HI cruises. I've done this itinerary twice and both were packed with the elderly, many in wheelchairs and walkers.

[pms4104]

Just returned from the 4/28/12 cruise out of San Francisco on the Star to Hawaii and back.

 

There were 8 seasoned cruisers in our group and we have never experienced such an elderly population on a cruise before. There were more walkers, scooters and wheelchairs than you can imagine.

 

More than a few of these people needed assistance and were traveling alone, counting on fellow passengers to help.

 

With the rocky, cold weather on the cruise, most passengers were forced indoors.

 

By the time we left, we felt as if we had been in a nursing home. Not being unkind, just surprised at the sheer total population on the ship.:eek:

Curious ... what type of assistance did these passengers expect?

[Princess Patches]

I have noticed that the roundtrip cruises out of SF and LA tend to skew older. I think it is because those using assistive devices do not want to fly. It is a hassle even for the able-bodied to use the airports nowadays. Heck, if I needed such assistance I would not want to fly either.

[calbabe]

Just returned from the 4/28/12 cruise out of San Francisco on the Star to Hawaii and back.

 

There were 8 seasoned cruisers in our group and we have never experienced such an elderly population on a cruise before. There were more walkers, scooters and wheelchairs than you can imagine.

 

More than a few of these people needed assistance and were traveling alone, counting on fellow passengers to help.

 

With the rocky, cold weather on the cruise, most passengers were forced indoors.

 

By the time we left, we felt as if we had been in a nursing home. Not being unkind, just surprised at the sheer total population on the ship.:eek:

We were on the 4/13 SF-Hawaii cruise and experienced the same demographics. I actually felt like a kid! :D

 

The downside, was that we felt the entertainment and activities and menu were planned for our aging population....not too exciting. (Our Golden San Pedro to Hawaii cruise in 2010 was entirely different....) :confused:

[badger1829]

Just returned from the 4/28/12 cruise out of San Francisco on the Star to Hawaii and back.

 

There were 8 seasoned cruisers in our group and we have never experienced such an elderly population on a cruise before. There were more walkers, scooters and wheelchairs than you can imagine.

 

More than a few of these people needed assistance and were traveling alone, counting on fellow passengers to help.

 

With the rocky, cold weather on the cruise, most passengers were forced indoors.

 

By the time we left, we felt as if we had been in a nursing home. Not being unkind, just surprised at the sheer total population on the ship.:eek:

That may be true for all the HI cruises with the EXCEPTION

of the Christmas and New Years HI cruises! Mostly 40-60 age range, not a walker in sight on the 12/17/11 Sapphire to Hawaii

[Times Prince]

We were on the 4/13 SF-Hawaii cruise and experienced the same demographics. I actually felt like a kid! :D

 

The downside, was that we felt the entertainment and activities and menu were planned for our aging population....not too exciting. (Our Golden San Pedro to Hawaii cruise in 2010 was entirely different....) :confused:

That downside is part of the reason we never went back to HAL and stayed with Princess Cruises.

[bdjam]

14 or 15 day cruises aren't easy for those who aren't retired or have kids - when I do one, I always get raised eyebrows from the boss.

[Pam in CA]

Curious ... what type of assistance did these passengers expect?

Whether you're young or old, if you need assistance carrying a tray or finding a table in the buffet, someone will help you. I'm assuming the OP means canes, walkers, wheelchairs and/or scooters as "needing assistance." On one of my HI cruises, there was a very elderly couple who were on the cruise. She was in a wheelchair, he needed a walker so he pushed the wheelchair instead. They were the cutest couple and did everything. I saw them on the Arizona, at the Pali Lookout, etc. Some people were impatient because they moved slowly on the ship. I can only hope and pray I'm as adventurous and able to cruise at their age.

[pms4104]

Whether you're young or old, if you need assistance carrying a tray or finding a table in the buffet, someone will help you. I'm assuming the OP means canes, walkers, wheelchairs and/or scooters as "needing assistance." On one of my HI cruises, there was a very elderly couple who were on the cruise. She was in a wheelchair, he needed a walker so he pushed the wheelchair instead. They were the cutest couple and did everything. I saw them on the Arizona, at the Pali Lookout, etc. Some people were impatient because they moved slowly on the ship. I can only hope and pray I'm as adventurous and able to cruise at their age.

Yes, I understand that crew and staff are very helpful and accommodating, particularly when they recognize that a passenger may need a helping hand. My comment was because the OP indicated that some people had expected their fellow passengers, in the absence of a traveling companion, to help them. And I wondered about the type of assitance they wanted.

 

We also have encountered many lovely couples challenged by age or physical issues ... and, so often, they are real gems and wonderful models of adapting to life circumstances.

[danaruns]

Whether you're young or old, if you need assistance carrying a tray or finding a table in the buffet, someone will help you. I'm assuming the OP means canes, walkers, wheelchairs and/or scooters as "needing assistance." On one of my HI cruises, there was a very elderly couple who were on the cruise. She was in a wheelchair, he needed a walker so he pushed the wheelchair instead. They were the cutest couple and did everything. I saw them on the Arizona, at the Pali Lookout, etc. Some people were impatient because they moved slowly on the ship. I can only hope and pray I'm as adventurous and able to cruise at their age.

 

Absolutely! I love your attitude, and I too hope that I can be like that wonderful older couple at their age. Life is for living, even if you have to do it slower. And some of the most wonderful people I have ever known were those I had to slow down to get to know.

 

On Sitmar cruises to Alaska many years ago, older people would come for their last hurrah. Sometimes they would even die on the cruise. I remember one such man, who was terminally ill and wanted to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing Alaska. He came on the cruise, was a beautiful person, and it seemed as if he made friends with everyone aboard. He died about 2/3 of the way through the (14 day) cruise. The rest of the passengers took care of his wife the rest of the way, and she insisted that we all celebrate his life instead of wallowing in his death. She said he went the way he wanted to go, and that this was the best possible end. She remained friends with many of the passengers until her own death several years later.

 

There are beautiful people in infirm bodies, and we all do well to understand that.

[lovevacadays]

I have noticed that the roundtrip cruises out of SF and LA tend to skew older. I think it is because those using assistive devices do not want to fly. It is a hassle even for the able-bodied to use the airports nowadays. Heck, if I needed such assistance I would not want to fly either.

 

That makes perfect sense. I do alot of cruises out of San Pedro just because they are easy and I don't have to fly.

 

Whether you're young or old, if you need assistance carrying a tray or finding a table in the buffet, someone will help you. I'm assuming the OP means canes, walkers, wheelchairs and/or scooters as "needing assistance." On one of my HI cruises, there was a very elderly couple who were on the cruise. She was in a wheelchair, he needed a walker so he pushed the wheelchair instead. They were the cutest couple and did everything. I saw them on the Arizona, at the Pali Lookout, etc. Some people were impatient because they moved slowly on the ship. I can only hope and pray I'm as adventurous and able to cruise at their age.

 

Me too. Plus, I love to meet people of all different ages when I cruise. I can only imagine the stories this couple could tell about their adventures.

[Teacher_91]

Whether you're young or old, if you need assistance carrying a tray or finding a table in the buffet, someone will help you. I'm assuming the OP means canes, walkers, wheelchairs and/or scooters as "needing assistance." On one of my HI cruises, there was a very elderly couple who were on the cruise. She was in a wheelchair, he needed a walker so he pushed the wheelchair instead. They were the cutest couple and did everything. I saw them on the Arizona, at the Pali Lookout, etc. Some people were impatient because they moved slowly on the ship. I can only hope and pray I'm as adventurous and able to cruise at their age.

 

 

Me too!! :D

[Sea Fan]

We were on the same cruise as the OP and we had a ball. They are right about the age probably 80 and above, I'm 64 and felt like a kid:D Generally everyone was just so nice, the "elderly" I came in contact with were so happy with just a door being held or a how ya doing. LOL I did see some try to run down a plant or rush ahead, but mostly all was well. They did move the shows up an hour from 8 to 7 or from 10 to 9 and the DJ was feeling pretty lonely up in Sky Walkers. Still I would go again tomorrow!

 

Only negative for me was the usual chaos in SF terminal for disembarkation. The ship was okay but the terminal was chaotic. A poor elderly woman fell and hit her head, lots of blood. Everything stopped (as it should) till they got her taken care of, I hope shes okay. By then people were trying to board, porters were scare and baggage had been moved. Still we were home by 2:00:D

 

Dianne

[bhopal21]

14 or 15 day cruises aren't easy for those who aren't retired or have kids - when I do one, I always get raised eyebrows from the boss.

 

LOL.

 

I haven't had the nerve to try it yet.:D

 

Keyword being YET.

 

Mike:)

[LARGIN]

14 or 15 day cruises aren't easy for those who aren't retired or have kids - when I do one, I always get raised eyebrows from the boss.

 

Agree.. I could not go on longer cruises until I retired and I was the boss.. :D

[bralli]

Keep in mind that the kids are still in school right now too. Being a parent, we have always done our cruising in the heart of summer on ships full of kids. I'm going out of SF next month to Alaska, so I'm curious what the demographics will be.

[pris993]

We have done about 6 cruises out of SF to Mexico in past 10 years. Did find some cruises had large groups booked by a TA. Did not see a large very elderly population on these cruises, generally a good mix. And today, even 80 is not old in some folks. Really depends. We are going again in September. We cruise HAL on TAs - so I guess the older groups don't bother us. Glad they can still travel.

[landnsea]

Just returned from the 4/28/12 cruise out of San Francisco on the Star to Hawaii and back.

 

There were 8 seasoned cruisers in our group and we have never experienced such an elderly population on a cruise before. There were more walkers, scooters and wheelchairs than you can imagine.

 

More than a few of these people needed assistance and were traveling alone, counting on fellow passengers to help.

 

With the rocky, cold weather on the cruise, most passengers were forced indoors.

 

By the time we left, we felt as if we had been in a nursing home. Not being unkind, just surprised at the sheer total population on the ship.:eek:

 

Yes, so very true, The Once Apon A Time Love Boat, thank you for your post.

 

John,Laura and Gaby

Seattle,Wa.

[Cruise staff]

On the run when I was working on the ship, it was funny to see all the motorized scooter that was parked outside the MDR. It looked like it was the parking lot at Nordstrom or Walmart. One of my funny colleagues even joked that we should hand out fake ticket for parking illegally. Then we thought, some of the elderly passengers most likely won't appreciate the humor and we have to deal with complains. Another thought it will be nice to have a scooter valet service. Wouldn't that be cool? LOL:p

[BlueOpal]

I too was on the 4/28 cruise, I have never seen so many scooters and walkers. I feel because this was a longer cruise and only one port that required a tender could be the reason for such a large population of cruisers needing assistance.

 

As another posted stated disembarking was a nightmare (as usual) at SF. Just worse since the Sea princess was also there. Also a women fell and cracked her head during the race to get her luggage. They closed off part of the pier until the ambulance came and took her away.

 

Hope she is ok...there was blood on the cement.

[shellbeachjim]

We were on the March 19th Star cruise from San Francisco. The mother of a friend of ours was also on the cruise and she had worked for Princess for many years and still has many contacts in Santa Clarita. We heard through our friend that the average age of the passengers on our cruise was 83! :eek: I knew there were a lot of folks in their 80's, but clearly there were a bunch in their 90's too. As one of the members of our roll call said, this was a good time to be less than average. ;)

[morriscats]

Absolutely! I love your attitude, and I too hope that I can be like that wonderful older couple at their age. Life is for living, even if you have to do it slower. And some of the most wonderful people I have ever known were those I had to slow down to get to know.

 

On Sitmar cruises to Alaska many years ago, older people would come for their last hurrah. Sometimes they would even die on the cruise. I remember one such man, who was terminally ill and wanted to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing Alaska. He came on the cruise, was a beautiful person, and it seemed as if he made friends with everyone aboard. He died about 2/3 of the way through the (14 day) cruise. The rest of the passengers took care of his wife the rest of the way, and she insisted that we all celebrate his life instead of wallowing in his death. She said he went the way he wanted to go, and that this was the best possible end. She remained friends with many of the passengers until her own death several years later.

 

There are beautiful people in infirm bodies, and we all do well to understand that.

 

Oh AMEN. We have sailed the RT to Hawaii 4 times now and I look at all the senior's and am so glad they are able to cruise. Get out there and live life as long as they can. I would be more than happy to assist anyone who needed help. I will be there soon.

[ONT-CA]

We should all remember that these elderly passengers are the ones that went to war to defend our freedoms and lifestyle. They are directly or indirectly the entrepreneurs who help build our economy and give us our standard of living. They are responsible for the development in science and technology at our fingertips today. They deserve to be able to enjoy some of the fruits of their labour and if that means taking a cruise and being part of the inconvenience in a food line then that is little price for the recipients of their endeavours to pay

[pascalburns]

least we forget,we all will be there one day:)