what cruise for a couple with an age difference?

[LHT28]

Oceania is a wonderful cruiseline. The passengers are invariably well travelled. I have yet to see a drunk and it is unusual to see a child. Entertainment is low key, but you can walk into the lounge 5 minutes after the show has started and still find a good seat. You never seem to have to wait in line for anything like you do on other lines.

 

Although O only offers anytime dining, there is never a long wait for a seat. While there are no formal nights at all, some people like to dress up for the specialty dining rooms. BTW - there is no extra charge for the specialty dining.

Since you quoted my post

You are preaching to the choir ;)

Oceania IS our cruise line of choice

We are among the converted ;)

 

Lyn

[TexasHorseLady]

Hello!

 

My husband and I are thinking about cruising for the first time. the abundance of lines, ships and destinations is overwhelming. So i call in the reinforcements for some advice on what cruiseliner/ship to choose.

 

- destination is Europe as we dont want a long haul in by plane.

- I am in my 30ies, but my husband is in his 50ies. We want a cruise on which both will feel good. and nobody will frown upon us.

- no children on board, or well, not too many of them.

- we are both gourmet people so the quality of dining is of utmost importance

- we both enjoy quiet and relaxed, with of course something to do, but no shout it out load over the PA going on all the time.

- pampering above filled itineraries

- all inclusive would be nice.

- there is no budget as we decided that we want to find the right cruise above finding one that fits in the budget right now. so cruise date might go to 2014 or beyond.

 

appriciate any opinions...

 

I would go with Regent, Seabourn, or Crystal. We sail Regent, and love the casual luxury with well traveled passengers and few (if any) kids. No hairy back contests, no obnoxious announcements, no sales pitches. It is luxurious but not snooty, fun but not sophmoric.

[aohkay]

Oceania has caught my particular attention. It seems to be smaller ships, with here on the boards good reviews and an average age that starts at 40, which means that I will not look like a baby on board.

 

Now only a tad bit worried about the entertainment they offer?

 

Oceania was a perfect cruise for us: No kids, Country Club Casual (no formal nights), refined and relaxed without being stuffy. Service was excellent. Decor is beautiful. The food is out of this world. If you are a foodie, you will enjoy!

 

Entertainment has always been an issue, but with the 2 new larger ships, they've been able to increase the size of their shows.

 

Check out the Oceania board; helpful bunch over there.

[Steamboatin]

HAL has the softest beds. Take HAL and REALLY ENJOY THE BED and the rest of the cruise will not matter.:D

[aohkay]

HAL has the softest beds.:D

 

But, Oceania has the most comfortable. :p

[LHT28]

But, Oceania has the most comfortable. :p

I agree ;)

[burm]

I agree ;)

 

It's unanimous!

 

I am not looking forward to Princess beds on our next cruise. I remember them. :(

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Princess ...

[maryann ns]

If you are interested in Oceana, then you should also look at Azamara. They have small ships. The food is wonderful and wine is included with meals. Gratuties, coffee at the coffee bar, water and soft drinks are also included.

 

The itineraries are interesting and port intensive with many overnights and late nights. There are very few children, at least on the two cruises we took.

 

There was quite an age range of people on board.

[WhansaMi]

thank you barbara and walter,

 

That was exactly an answer i was looking for. I have no problem with "older people" (hey, I married a man 19 years my senior...) and i usually fit right in. the concern was, will fellow travellers let you fit in. I enjoy intelligent and witty conversation, and reading now more about the oceania cruises, i must say that they sound heavenly.

 

An older crowd also means no abundance of childern and that is important for me. I mean, the little tykes can be adorable, but if i would need to listen to children screaming all day long, every day... not very relaxing in my opinion.

 

The upscale of the cruise seems to exclude people get overly drunk and making a nuissance of themselves right? if the emphasis is on food and not on drink, one might reasonably assume this.

 

I felt much as you did, too, about the food and the kid issue. However, be sure to read lots of information about river cruises before you take one. Ours was in July, and while I don't mind being with an older crowd (I'm 53, and my favorite line, so far, is Holland America, which serves an older crowd) river cruises tend to market themselves for a much older crowd that, from what I can tell, by and large likes to have everything laid out for them. What that meant was a lot of walking or bus tours with 30+ people; I found myself feeling like I was being herded around most of the time.

 

Part of that has to do with the variability of a river cruise as opposed to an ocean cruise. River cruises have a much more tentative itinerary, as the boat is more apt to have to change due to river conditions (for instance, the Danube, right now, has very low water levels, and people have been stuck in one port for several days). Therefore, it is harder to plan for private tours or activities, as I often do on cruises.

 

The other thing that was problematic for me was that, due to there being fewer passengers on the ship, there were less dining options for us. Generally, we choose fixed dining, so I didn't expect it to be a problem, but, I guess because we always had the option to skip that, and get room service, or make a differently timed reservation at the premium restaurant, I wasn't fully aware of how constrained that would feel. Generally, on river cruises, breakfast is served for 90 minutes in the morning (drop in), lunch for 90 minutes, and dinner is one seating, scheduled around the time of the tours. Since there is no room service, and no food available at other times, it was another way we felt constrained. We ate many meals off the ship, but there were times that wasn't a possibility (when all aboard was at, say, 5:30).

 

Also, be aware that there are many fewer options for public areas. On most river boats, there is one lounge and the top deck. A few offer a separate bar area. While I rarely use the public areas on an ocean liner, when I do want to go to one to read or play cards, I want to be able to do that without listening to music I don't like, or be unable to at all, because the top deck was closed (due to an upcoming bridge) and the lounge having a show.

 

Based on your posts, I would suggest you look at Oceania or Seven Seas. I have yet to travel on either, but I want to! Also, I can't highly enough recommend the HAL Prinsendam. It was originally owned by Seven Seas, and while she is a older ship, she is my favorite by far -- she is not called the Elegant Explorer for nothing!

 

Best wishes,

Sheila

[Bowie MeMe]

I felt much as you did, too, about the food and the kid issue. However, be sure to read lots of information about river cruises before you take one. Ours was in July, and while I don't mind being with an older crowd (I'm 53, and my favorite line, so far, is Holland America, which serves an older crowd) river cruises tend to market themselves for a much older crowd that, from what I can tell, by and large likes to have everything laid out for them. What that meant was a lot of walking or bus tours with 30+ people; I found myself feeling like I was being herded around most of the time.

 

Part of that has to do with the variability of a river cruise as opposed to an ocean cruise. River cruises have a much more tentative itinerary, as the boat is more apt to have to change due to river conditions (for instance, the Danube, right now, has very low water levels, and people have been stuck in one port for several days). Therefore, it is harder to plan for private tours or activities, as I often do on cruises.

 

The other thing that was problematic for me was that, due to there being fewer passengers on the ship, there were less dining options for us. Generally, we choose fixed dining, so I didn't expect it to be a problem, but, I guess because we always had the option to skip that, and get room service, or make a differently timed reservation at the premium restaurant, I wasn't fully aware of how constrained that would feel. Generally, on river cruises, breakfast is served for 90 minutes in the morning (drop in), lunch for 90 minutes, and dinner is one seating, scheduled around the time of the tours. Since there is no room service, and no food available at other times, it was another way we felt constrained. We ate many meals off the ship, but there were times that wasn't a possibility (when all aboard was at, say, 5:30).

 

Also, be aware that there are many fewer options for public areas. On most river boats, there is one lounge and the top deck. A few offer a separate bar area. While I rarely use the public areas on an ocean liner, when I do want to go to one to read or play cards, I want to be able to do that without listening to music I don't like, or be unable to at all, because the top deck was closed (due to an upcoming bridge) and the lounge having a show.

 

Based on your posts, I would suggest you look at Oceania or Seven Seas. I have yet to travel on either, but I want to! Also, I can't highly enough recommend the HAL Prinsendam. It was originally owned by Seven Seas, and while she is a older ship, she is my favorite by far -- she is not called the Elegant Explorer for nothing!

 

Best wishes,

Sheila

 

I agree with Sheila on lots of these points. There is less options but the options are slightly more upscale than mass market lines. There is also less crowding but if somebody (like an old grump who took over the laundry room as his personal territory) is on your nerves you will be interacting with them -- less places to hide out. Phone and smart phones work better than they do at sea not usually a charge and you can often plug in on the ship next door wifi:rolleyes: I like ocean, I like river, I like land -- guess I'm just a vagabond. Like with most things some parts you will like better others less enthusiastic about. This will even be true on the same line, itinerary and different year/trip. Group dynamics make a huge difference and that changes every week or so. Go with the attitude that it will be wonderful and that at least is a good start. Have fun.

[TexasHorseLady]

If you are interested in Oceana, then you should also look at Azamara. They have small ships. The food is wonderful and wine is included with meals. Gratuties, coffee at the coffee bar, water and soft drinks are also included.

 

The itineraries are interesting and port intensive with many overnights and late nights. There are very few children, at least on the two cruises we took.

 

...you can say exactly the same about Regent, except Regent is more upscale, like Oceana. I like their small ships.

 

To be honest, I don't think anybody will care about your age difference. If you went on a caribbean party boat or some spring break type cruise maybe...but certainly not on any of the cruiselines we have been mentioning.