Will Thirty-somethings feel completely ridiculous on O?

[NicoleAbbate]

We just recently booked a 10 night cruise on Riviera. It's western Caribbean And I am very excited. We are a married couple 32&31 and we keep to ourselves mostly. We are not looking to party all night. We are looking to relax, eat some excellent food, see some new ports and excercise while we are away. I have been on a 12 night celebrity cruise where we were one of the youngest and we had an amazing time.

 

We do enjoying dressing for dinner, my husband likes wearing his tuxedo and suits but this will be one less thing to pack.

 

Does anyone get dressed up for dinner?

[Mura]

Some do (depending on the cruise) but most don't. I did see a group in very formal attire on a Renaissance cruise ONCE. As Frank del Rio has said (I think it was FDR), if your husband wears a tux he may be taken for the maitre d'.

 

Most people are "dressy casual" at dinner.

 

I will also say that if you like to dress up for dinner, do so! No one will stare.

 

Mura

[LHT28]

I agree with Mura

 

Most people dress nicely for dinner if you want to splash out go for it

but fancy dress or suits are not required

[alexa's grandma]

I am traveling with my 18 yr old granddaughter my 40+ niece and I am young 70.

I am sure we will have a great time and we are excited about meeting people from all over.

I have cruised many times and this will be my first cruise since 2000 (crystal) I know shame on me.

 

I know the reputation of Oceania is "older passengers" but I don't consider people 40, 50 60 and yes 70 old!

 

Looking forward to meeting new people to chat with

[Condocat]

You sound like a very mature and professional couple for being in your thirties.

 

Let's face it, international cruise travel is expensive, so you will encounter an older and accomplished clientele who can afford it, along with a few others like yourselves sprinkled in the mix.

 

Embrace the group and enjoy everyone.

[Violet7]

Funny that this thread has come to the top! :) My boyfriend and I will be cruising on the Riviera in October this year and we are in our mid/late 20s. We are in the fortunate position of having won our week on board in a competition run by a newspaper. Can't quite believe it :eek:

 

I have noted that the target demographic seems to be at a different life stage to us but haven't worried about it. We are not party animals or big drinkers, both quite shy and keep ourselves to ourselves so we won't be making a spectacle of ourselves (I hope!) and of course don't have any problems with any of our fellow cruisers DOB ;) Looking forward to seeing a bit more of Europe in much more luxurious surroundings than we are used to.

 

Only thing that caused a bit of a blip was the dress code, I am a jeans and t shirts type but intend to fully embrace the opportunity to buy slightly nicer things for evenings! Other half however used to be a goth and to date I can't get him in anything that is not black, grey or red and jeans or a hoody, so the thought of him in "polo shirt and chinos" is both hilarious and never going to happen! Nice grey trousers and shirt for him methinks! :D

[Mura]

Welcome aboard, Violet. My, wouldn't we love to win such a prize!

 

I'm sure your SO can handle the "enhanced clothing" aspect on board! Grey trousers and a nice shirt will be perfect.

 

Mura

[traveler916]

Funny that this thread has come to the top! :) My boyfriend and I will be cruising on the Riviera in October this year and we are in our mid/late 20s. We are in the fortunate position of having won our week on board in a competition run by a newspaper. Can't quite believe it :eek:

 

The first cruise I was ever on, I won a sales contest from one of my suppliers...that was 30+ years ago. You will be fine and enjoy the cruise...

[gtragitt]

I don't think so. You raised a very good point in looking at demographics. Your style seems suited for Oceania although the majority of passengers will be older.

 

I have cruised many times on Oceania and it is my favorite line. I have never been bored and always felt sad when the cruise ended. As a 63 year old I enjoy the company of younger people and hope to see more couples like you on board.

 

Because I was so happy with Oceania, I figured that I would be even happier moving up to a higher scale Regent cruise in a suite. WRONG!!!!! What a BORING cruise! Although the passengers were in a similar age group as those encountered on Oceania, I perceived their income level to be higher and their energy level to be much lower. They seemed to be there to be pampered and weren't that active.

 

The activity and energy level appeared much higher on all the Oceania cruises that I have purchased.

 

You can expect a higher level of service and better dining on Oceania than on a line that caters to a younger demographic.

 

Beware that the entertainment will probably be much lower quality than on a larger ship. It wasn't as bad as it was on Regent.

[gtragitt]

Thanks for the great feedback and advice from so many of you. I feel confident we're going to have a great time. One of the reasons we looked first toward upper end lines such as Oceania was to escape the obnoxious art shows and sales tactics we've experienced in the past; plus the nickel and diming you can sometimes experience. We also don't like to be cramped in our staterooms, and Oceania seems to be very generous with the space in all of their rooms in comparison to other lines. We compared Celebrity and Oceania for this cruise. The price was slightly higher on Oceania, but our room was significantly larger and with more amenities. I'm sure the Celebrity cruise would skew demographically a little more to our age, but not necessarily to our liking.

 

Sounds like we've made a great choice, and will be well satisfied! This time next year, we'll be returning from our cruise. Seems such a long time away and once it happens, I'm sure it'll fly by.

 

 

Some Oceania passengers that have cruised on all-inclusive lines are offended by having to pay for liquor and tours.

 

I generally don't like the excursions organized by the ship. I like to arrange my own activities and don't want to pay more for a cruise where they are included. Since they are included you will feel obligated to utilize them and will probably be disappointed.

 

I don't drink that much; so, I would rather pay for my alcohol separately than subsidize somebody else.

 

Overall I didn't feel nickel and dimed but some probably do. I think you would be happier on Oceania than if you moved up further to an all inclusive line.

[TERRIER1]

 

 

Only thing that caused a bit of a blip was the dress code, I am a jeans and t shirts type but intend to fully embrace the opportunity to buy slightly nicer things for evenings! Other half however used to be a goth and to date I can't get him in anything that is not black, grey or red and jeans or a hoody, so the thought of him in "polo shirt and chinos" is both hilarious and never going to happen! Nice grey trousers and shirt for him methinks! :D

 

Get him some black chinos, a black collared polo shirt or regular shirt and black shoes and he will be fine. The only problem you will experience is having been on a upscale cruise with great food and bedding so early in your young lives. You will never want to go on a main stream ship again. Have a great time.

[Mountain53]

Curious how things pop back up. Based on our experience my wife and I would'nt recommend Oceania to anyone in the under 50 age bracket. The average age on our cruise was 72 and in our late 50's we were the youngsters. Plan to do your own off ship activities, the tours we were on moved at a snails pace and the food on the ship (Marina) was often not hot and not spicy at all. We did some ports on our own where we were comfortable with the time and not worried about being late getting back. While we met some very nice people, some in our age bracket, it was mostly the pace of the tours and bland food that puts us off ever using them again. Also all the food is shipped from the US and is the same on all their ships so you get no experience of the local cuisine. Perhaps we have been spoiled by a river cruise of Russia we did, with fewer passengers they were able to use local supplies and introduce many local dishes to the menu. We had more of a feel that we were in the country not just on transported from the States.

[Lorei]

Don't worry about age differences. We just returned from the Tahitian Breeze cruise on the Marina. We met a few young couples and many middle aged couples (very few wheel chairs:) The seniors that we met were delightful and I hope to be as fit and mentally brilliant when I reach that age. This was our second cruise on the Marina and the food is fabulous and so is the crew. Jacques, Red Ginger and Toscano were our favorite restaurants. Polo was much like a good steak house in the States. We ate on at the Terrace Cafe one night because we were tired and so full from a delicious local meal on one of the islands. The Terrace Cafe that evening had local red snapper that was just caught that day and it was great. (It truly did come from the island. I saw them cleaning them before bringing it on board.) We were in Oceania Suite 11083 on the aft of the ship with a wrap around deck. You will love your Oceania Suite. It's beautiful and stocked with more liquor that you could possibly drink. We held a couple of cocktail parties and still didn't finish it all. You can plug your IPod into a dock in the suite's media room or there's a large selection through the home theater. There are also outdoor speakers on your deck (while your in your jacuzzi if you like). Our Butler was exemplary. One suggestion is to prebook your excursions because they fill up fast. If you don't want to set up excursions through Oceania, research your options well before you leave the States. The concierge in the Executive Lounge can also help with additional suggestions. Have a wonderful trip!

[Floridiana]

Mountain53,

 

I think I read your complaint about non-local food somewhere else, maybe a South Pacific cruise? I understand where you are coming from, but it is almost impossible to find a safe and ample food supply on most South Pacific islands. The same may be true for many small ports all over the world.

 

You may want to try the freighter/passenger ship Aranui3. While their cuisine is French, they arrange for meals in several island restaurants as part of the overall package. Even that ship was provisioned in Tahiti with produce from Tahiti and Moorea and meat, fish, eggs, and produce from New Zealand. The other islands only have agriculture for local need. Exceptions for vanilla, coconuts, noni, and limes.

[Dorpana]

Cranky, parsimonious oldsters are probably a feature more in tune to the Celebrity type experience, but I still find myself on Celebrity because we get Elite status which is free cocktails and appies in the afternoon, and discounted Wi-Fi. My experience with Seabourn was a typical small ship experience, even though we found Seabourn over-hyped and over priced, as did most of our fellow travellers, no one really griped about while the cruise was going. Afterward we met some folks in Venice from the cruise and they had plenty to say then. I think Oceania will be like our Seabourn experience only with much better cuisine, wine, and service. That's why we've booked Valparaiso to Papeete in Dec.13.

[Dorpana]

Just curious as to whether or not you spent any post cruise time in Papeete or Moorea? Debating where it's best to stay over.

[Floridiana]

Take a hotel in beautiful Moorea if you have more than one day to stay over. The ferry is right next to the cruise port. Definitely stay a while longer until you have been infected by the Tahitian 'virus' - it makes you come back again. ;-)

[Dorpana]

Thanks for the Moorea insight re: the ferry terminal. We were wondering if flying over would be more practical with luggage, etc., but with ferry next to cruise port that's too convenient not to do.

[tjhn]

Hello. We sailed on Marina last May with a group of friends, twelve in all, celebrating a few of us turning 40. The oldest in our group was 41 and the youngest was 35. We did not feel out of place at all. In fact, we loved Oceania and hope to do another group cruise in 2014.

 

Yes, Oceania does seem to appeal to an older demographic, but this didn't bother us. We did not do the Oceania excurisions. We booked our own and we also had our own entertainment by traveling with a larger group of friends.

 

I think the only drawback we saw was at night, things did shut down very early. The girls in our group would have liked a night of dancing, but the band and music was very much out of date. But the guys enjoyed the casinos and made many friends over gambling. But in reality, our cruise was very port intensive, so we were not night owls, preferring to be up early and off the ship to explore. Although we did enjoy two lazy days by the pool!

 

The food was incredible. The service was outstanding. It was one of the best trips my husband and I have ever taken. Can't wait to go back onboard to celebrate my 42nd birthday!

 

Enjoy!

[MakeItCount]

We're very excited about our Oceania Suite. So it's great to hear from one who's stayed in one and loved it. Although we will not be in one of the aft suites, but one on Deck 12.

 

Everyone's comments have been so helpful. We're about 6 months out now, and we can't wait for our cruise around Italy.

 

I think I'm satisfied now that we'll be fine and not be a spectacle. The question just started to nag at me, and I wanted to ask. Funny how this thread came up to the top after all these months, and I'm glad it did resurface, because it's provided me much better insight.

 

Our only worry now is liking the Oceania Suite so much and not having very many sea days to enjoy it. Oh well! I'm sure we'll manage ;-)

 

Don't worry about age differences. We just returned from the Tahitian Breeze cruise on the Marina. We met a few young couples and many middle aged couples (very few wheel chairs:) The seniors that we met were delightful and I hope to be as fit and mentally brilliant when I reach that age. This was our second cruise on the Marina and the food is fabulous and so is the crew. Jacques, Red Ginger and Toscano were our favorite restaurants. Polo was much like a good steak house in the States. We ate on at the Terrace Cafe one night because we were tired and so full from a delicious local meal on one of the islands. The Terrace Cafe that evening had local red snapper that was just caught that day and it was great. (It truly did come from the island. I saw them cleaning them before bringing it on board.) We were in Oceania Suite 11083 on the aft of the ship with a wrap around deck. You will love your Oceania Suite. It's beautiful and stocked with more liquor that you could possibly drink. We held a couple of cocktail parties and still didn't finish it all. You can plug your IPod into a dock in the suite's media room or there's a large selection through the home theater. There are also outdoor speakers on your deck (while your in your jacuzzi if you like). Our Butler was exemplary. One suggestion is to prebook your excursions because they fill up fast. If you don't want to set up excursions through Oceania, research your options well before you leave the States. The concierge in the Executive Lounge can also help with additional suggestions. Have a wonderful trip!

[Mura]

Makeitcount,

 

We will be in one of those aft Oceania suites for the Barceona-Rio TA in November and look forward to it ...

Although we are torn about sacrificing some interior room, especially the second bath (shower?)!

 

Still, I know we will love it, although we haven't been in an OC before.

 

Likewise, I think you'll love your cruise.

 

Of course, our advantage is being on a TA where we have LOTS of sea days.

 

Our one Marina cruise prior to this one was very port intensive, and so we couldn't really indulge in our spectacular accommodations (upgraded to a VS in return for abandoning an oversold Alaska cruise in a PH).

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Mura

[travelwell]

We did an Oceania cruise when I was in my mid 40's and my husband 51. We still keep in touch with some people we met. We found many commonalities among the passengers and the ages varied from a honeymoon couple in their 20's to active 80 years olds who put us to shame with their energy. We found the common thread being well-mannered, interesting, well-traveled, food loving people. Most of travelers our age did excursions on their own at their own pace. We loved eating with different people each night and closed out the restaurant several nights. We were really tired after busy days exploring and never missed any night life. You can search and see my reflections on Oceania on this forum. There was only one negative; you will never go back to mainstream cruising again. This cruise was a launching point to the luxury cruise market for us. Looking back, our Oceania experience was near luxury and we would cruise this line again in a heartbeat.

[Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18]

I took my daughter on a Mediterranean cruise in October, 2011 when she was 27 years old. There were a few younger people aboard the Insignia which had 684 passengers and several young people were on our independent tours. My daughter and I will be taking a Baltic cruise this July to belatedly celebrate her 30th birthday. We're going hiking in Yosemite Park on her actual birthday. I am one of the older people who you point out but I enjoy people of all ages and I have found many of my fellow passengers to be very stimulating. You will not stick out and I'm certain that you will meet passengers whose company you will enjoy.

 

Happy anniversary.

 

Bonnie

[NicoleAbbate]

on our December 2012 cruise on the Riviera we got a couple of "You are to young to be on this cruise" from a few people. Most people were 70-80's but it didn't bother us we had a fabulous time.

 

I met some really nice people on a shore excursion but honestly most kept to themselves.

[Cattsworthy]

We are booked on a Riviera cruise on August 6 this year. My partner and I are 26 and 29. I've had other people tell me that I'll be the youngest person on the ship. But I figure that it's not a problem for me, and if others have a problem with it then that's their issue. Very much looking forward to it!