Best cruise lines for early 40s, with and without kids?

[Chalupacabra]

Hello cruisers,

I went on my first American cruise last year - Holland America to Alaska. My elderly mom wanted to go, and while my expectations were low, what a joy to discover I actually love Alaska and *really* love boats. I can't wait to go again and bring my family.

 

Since I'm totally new to this, I would very much appreciate any input as to which lines would be the best option for 40 somethings, possibly traveling with adult kids. HAL was fantastic, but I noticed it catered to a more senior crowd, and next time it might be nice to find more of a balance of age groups.

 

What I liked about HAL: being able to feel the wave motion when going to sleep, the fabulous service, cafe food accessible most of the time, standing on the decks and looking at the water, and most importantly, a daily Catholic mass.

 

We are in our early 40s with a daughter in her 20s. It doesn't really matter where we go. I like the cultural stuff, learning about the places and people of the locations we visit, while my daughter and her dad are more adventurous and outdoorsy. None of us drink, so huge clubs or parties are not important (though it might be nice to see a band play, if that's an option). We might go on our own, in which case a clientele 30s+ is fine, or we might bring our daughter and her friend (in a separate cabin), which means we'd need to skew a little younger so they'll have enough to do. I'd like to keep it to about a week, at least for an initial trip.

 

Based on your experiences and these hopefully not too demanding parameters, could you please recommend any particular ships or lines that you enjoyed?

 

Thanks so much in advance!

Edited June 17, 2016 by Chalupacabra

[cruiserking]

Welcome to cruising and to Cruise Critic Chalupacabra.

 

I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean - these ships cater to families and have a much more energetic vibe than Holland America Line. The ships are beautiful with many elegant lounges and dozens of on board activities to keep you busy. They feature the largest ships afloat like Harmony, Allure and Oasis. We are very fond of both the Freedom and newer Quantum class ships.

 

Take a look at Celebrity Cruise Line, particularly their newer Solstice class ships, like Solstice, Silhouette, Reflection, Equinox and Eclipse. We haven't cruised on these newer ships but, they look gorgeous.

 

For a slightly more traditional feel you might also consider Princess Cruises. We have two booked on this line, from everything I've read the ships look beautiful.

 

Try posting a question in each of these forums like: Holland America Line vs. Royal Caribbean. This way you will get a good comparison from all of the veteran cruisers from each line.

 

Read reviews, look at youtube videos and see which ships most appeal to you.

 

Jonathan

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. And welcome to the cruising addiction.

First, I have to say that HAL is the only like that might offer you mass every day. None of the other lines make an effort to have clergy onboard, even for important holidays. If that is important to you you might have to look past the older demographic and stick with HAL.

As far as a younger demographic, with other lines, the shorter the cruise, the younger the clientele. Lots of families with children. Younger people do not earn enough vacation time to take more than a week, and often can't afford it. The longer and more exotic the cruise, the older the passenger base.

Try out a few lines,, probably on their older ships. Why the older ones? They are usually the smallest, and the larger the ship, the less you will feel the motion. Most people don't want to feel any motion - many are afraid they will be seasick. If you do choose a larger ship, and want to feel motion. choose forward or aft cabins. EM

[snyniew]

I'm in my early 40's and have cruised Celebrity and loved it. Have done both the S class and the M class ships. This year I took my 2 nieces (22 and 18) and they had a wonderful time as well. While some of the passengers may be slightly older they seemed to be young at heart. We ended up in Revelations to dance every night and you had everyone young and old dancing. While the girls were in the minority due to their age there were some close to their age so they didn't feel out of place but that could depend on when you sail. We sailed over Easter break this year.

[Cruisin'Christine]

I think Royal Caribbean might be a good fit. My husband and I are in our early 40's and found there were a lot of people in that age range, as well as younger people too. For your outdoorsy and adventurous spouse and daughter, there is a zipline, rock climbing walls, and two Floriders (for surfing and body surfing), in addition to pools and hot tubs.

[spookwife]

If mass is a deal breaker, you are stuck with HAL. No other line will come close..high holy days and only if they can get clergy.

 

If you can overlook that requirement, celebrity or Princess

[GUT2407]

Celebrity for the two.

 

Royal for the family.

[lovevacadays]

Princess, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean are good options to look at. I think a lot would depend on what itinerary you were looking at and what is important to you in regards to the type of ship you prefer. These three and HAL have many similarities depending on the ships.

 

It might help reading the boards for each line to get an idea of what to expect. Plus, it's fun to read about everyone's experiences.

[cb at sea]

ALL lines will have kids..they aren't yours, so ignore them!

[Chalupacabra]

Hi CB, very true - fortunately we love kids, so it's not a problem. HAL was almost oddly sedate, in that I only saw a handful. I do want to make sure that the "kids" in our group (just past college age) have something to do rather than getting stuck with not-quite-as-energetic mom and dad the whole time. I'm guessing most ships have something we'd all enjoy, but CruiseCritic looks like a super way to find information and insight from more experienced cruisers. Thanks for your reply!

Edited June 19, 2016 by Chalupacabra

[Chalupacabra]

Thanks Lovevacadays, those are very good suggestions. I'm so new to this I didn't even realize you could see the itineraries in advance (apart from where the ship stops). I have heard great things about Princess and RC but don't know much about Celebrity, so I'll definitely check that out. I really appreciate your time!

Edited June 19, 2016 by Chalupacabra

[Chalupacabra]

Hi Cruiserking,

Thank you very much for this very thorough information - you've given me a lot to think about! I'll definitely look into these ships specifically. I'm hoping this will be the first of many family cruises - no grandkids yet, but maybe before she's 30, so we may expand to the Disney scene sooner or later too. Great idea about checking the line-specific boards and videos online. I wouldn't have thought of that, but it's probably a great way to get a sense of the variety. I've been daydreaming about the massive ones from RC ever since watching a tv show about its construction. The engineering that goes into these ships just blows my mind. Anyway, thanks again - I really appreciate your insights!

[Penciltwister]

Very true - I love kids, so that's not a problem. I just want to make sure that the "kids" in our group (just past college age) have something to do rather than hang out with dorky mom and dad. I'm guessing most ships have something we'd all enjoy. Thanks for your reply!

 

 

 

It's up to you to make sure adults have something to do on a cruise. If they decide to go they can probably be left to work things out themselves

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chalupacabra]

Hi Gut2407,

Thanks! I was not really familiar with Celebrity, but it keeps coming up, so you're definitely on to something. I will be sure to research that. RC also sounds very popular, and from what I've seen they have a ton of on-board activities. I enjoyed the cruise experience so much that I'd like to make this an annual thing, maybe more if I can drag him out of the office. As for the kid, depends on her work schedule, so I hope we can do one on our own and then another with our daughter. Very grateful for your ideas!

[Chalupacabra]

True - when I went with my mom we both found a way to occupy ourselves, though not necessarily doing the same things. Somehow it worked itself out. I'm much more of an introvert, so I'm happy to just stare at the water, but some of these ships have all sorts of sporty options like pools, zip lines etc. (still have no idea how they manage that) and I'm sure everyone can find something of interest.

[Chalupacabra]

Hi Spookwife, Thanks for your input, and yes it seems you're right - I was totally amazed that it was even an option, honestly. Apparently there's an actual maritime ministry, where they recruit clergy to work on these cruises, but no doubt that niche is specific to a certain clientele (there was actually a nun or two on the cruise, just for fun). I'm ok if I can get wi-fi, since there's a daily service available to view on the internet. That probably depends on the ship.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Chalupacabra

[Chalupacabra]

Hello Christine,

RC sounds like a very popular line, and if they have those options I'm sure the two extroverts in the family (i.e. everyone but me!) will be delighted. If you don't mind my asking, which destinations have you enjoyed most? I noticed you're in Canada - my mom's family is from NS and PEI, and I was toying with the idea of a maritime Canada cruise, if that's real and not just in my imagination! When I think of cruise, I think of tropical islands, but I'm sure there are lots of great experiences to be had. Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[Chalupacabra]

Hello Snyniew,

Thank you - that's really helpful, esp. since you've already done this with young adults. Where did y'all go, if you don't mind my asking? I wonder if destination is a factor in demographics too. For example, I'd expect to find more 25 year olds on a trip to the Caribbean than, say, the Alaska trip we did. (I'd like somewhere we're not already super familiar with, so that means pretty much anywhere but Mexico.) Celebrity does seem to be a particularly good option - that, Princess and RC keep coming up as suggestions. I will definitely zoom in on those three. Thanks again!!

[Chalupacabra]

Hi Essiesmom,

 

Thank you - it looks like you have been to a ton of very interesting places! I see what you mean about the cruise addiction... ever since mom and I went, I've been thinking about when I can go again, either just the two of us or with our daughter, probably both but on separate occasions. It's just such a fantastic experience, but while dad has more flexibility, getting enough time off would be something for our daughter to factor in. Re: mass, yes, I was definitely surprised to see clergy on board, but it was really nice to be able to go. If it's just not an option, there is a taped daily service available on the internet - I just don't know if ships have decent wifi. I see you've spent quite a bit of time in tropical areas, which looks fabulous, but I was wondering if you feel like you're missing out by not being able to stay on the islands a little longer? Of course my only point of comparison is Alaska, but there were definitely spots I'd have liked more than a few hours to check out. Did you feel rushed at any point, or does that not really pose a problem? Thanks again!!

[bigsky]

We love Royal and found Princess a bit of an older crowd for our taste.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[cbr663]

Just a couple more things for you to consider when comparing lines.

 

Alaska is a beautiful cruise and there are very few other cruises like it. If you did HAL's inside passage, for instance, then you almost always had something to look at and see. This is very different from say a Caribbean cruise in which you will stare at open ocean until you reach port, or most likely, awaken and are in port.

 

HAL also tends to have port intensive cruises. HAL will generally visit more ports than other cruise lines. This can be important for those who cruise for the itinerary vs those who cruise for the ship. You may find that RC and NCL, for instance, will often only visit 3 ports on a 7-day Caribbean cruise. Imagine having to miss one of these ports due to poor weather.

[Essiesmom]

Hi Essiesmom,

 

Thank you - it looks like you have been to a ton of very interesting places! I see what you mean about the cruise addiction... ever since mom and I went, I've been thinking about when I can go again, either just the two of us or with our daughter, probably both but on separate occasions. It's just such a fantastic experience, but while dad has more flexibility, getting enough time off would be something for our daughter to factor in. Re: mass, yes, I was definitely surprised to see clergy on board, but it was really nice to be able to go. If it's just not an option, there is a taped daily service available on the internet - I just don't know if ships have decent wifi. I see you've spent quite a bit of time in tropical areas, which looks fabulous, but I was wondering if you feel like you're missing out by not being able to stay on the islands a little longer? Of course my only point of comparison is Alaska, but there were definitely spots I'd have liked more than a few hours to check out. Did you feel rushed at any point, or does that not really pose a problem? Thanks again!!

 

If you visit a place that you wish you could have stayed longer, you can always book another cruise or trip to that place. And example for us was Venice. I had always been enchanted with the idea of Venice. I was able to do a long weekend there when I was living in Germany - when I was much, much younger. In 2012, we booked a collectors cruise on HAL, 24 days starting in Venice, and turning around in Venice with an overnight in the middle of the cruise. We had read all of the Donna Leon mysteries set in Venice, and there were places we didn't get to see....So we booked another cruise for the next year, and were there three days before the cruise to finish our explorations. Well worth it.

My favorite trips were not cruises. When I was younger, I did a number of 'adventure travel' vacations with Earthwatch Institute. http://earthwatch.org/

I had traveled a lot with group tours for professional organizations - they were very popular in the 1980's and 90's. My first trips to Asia. And they were great. But when I did my Earthwatch project in Nepal, going into homes and interviewing women about their pregnancy experiences, I realized that the best trips took you places the tour buses couldn't access. There is no better way to experience a different culture than to visit people in their homes, especially in third world countries. I studies Giant Hornbills (birds) in the rain forest of Thailand; giant clams in Tonga; Bamboo crafts among the hill tribes of northern Thailand; Maternal Health in Nepal; Nomad health in (Outer) Mongolia; tropical fishing industry along the Rio Negro/Amazon in Brazil; Childbirth in Bali; Leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica. They aren't luxury trips - some involve camping...but they are interesting and rewarding. And they aren't cheap - but since Earthwatch is a non-profit, and you are helping with research, they are tax deductible. In your age group, especially with your daughter, you might consider an expedition. EM

[OCruisers]

Princess could be a good choice for you with or without your children. :)

[NMLady]

Hi Spookwife, Thanks for your input, and yes it seems you're right - I was totally amazed that it was even an option, honestly. Apparently there's an actual maritime ministry, where they recruit clergy to work on these cruises, but no doubt that niche is specific to a certain clientele (there was actually a nun or two on the cruise, just for fun). I'm ok if I can get wi-fi, since there's a daily service available to view on the internet. That probably depends on the ship.

 

You can get internet via satellite but it is expensive (upwards of 40cents per minute) and not very fast when uploading graphics or video.