Honeymooners—average age on cruise

[jakeHOU97]

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I are getting married next year and we’re in the processing of planning our honeymoon. She’s never been to Europe before, and we both enjoy cruising so we’ve been looking at a Mediterranean cruise on the Viking Sky next year.

 

We’re not party people but we are curious how diverse the demographic is on these type of cruises. We are in our mid 20s. Will there be other people close to our age to conversate with or will mostly everyone be the age of our parents and grandparents?

I know these type of vacations aren’t usually all families and honeymooners but I did have the chance to a land vacation in Europe a few years ago and out of our tour group of 40ish there was about a dozen of us in our teens/20s/30s.

 

Also, what I’ve read and learning about Viking so far sounds really interesting and intriguing, but we’ve only been on Carnival before, so if you have any other insight on Viking cruises we would appreciate it. Thanks!

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by jakeHOU97

[molymoo]

You will find that the majority of the people on Viking cruises will be the age of your parents … maybe grandparents but that might be a bit of a stretch … 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.  That said, most are pretty active and interesting people; well read and experienced travelers.  My daughter travels with me and she was in her early 30’s when we started.  She was the sociable one; conversing easily with our fellow passengers and enjoying their company.  There are usually some “youngsters” aboard … often during the summer and holidays when families take trips together.  

[Jim Avery]

i will second Mollymoo on age and active.  We have only ever seen one 20 or teen ( have to be at least 18 on Viking) but lots of that age in the crew.  We find the crew to be exceptional and we have a number of FB friends from the crew.  Also, the ship is much more refined and beautiful compared to Carnival.  Much less crowds and very much better food.  Shore excursions and docking locations can also be much better based on the ship size and passenger load.  I started life traveling Cunard which you know has an older demographic for the most part and I have loved all of them.  Even our fun Carnival cruises.  I think you two will have your own idea of what to do and will have a great time on Viking.  Bet you get lots of "free" drinks when your fellow pax learn you are honeymooners....🍸

[Azulann]

On my  Med cruises  there were families with young adults , in their 20' and 30's. Not a lot but  I would say about five families. They  were in Torshaven  nigh club at night and at the infinity pool on sea days. 

 

[Twitchly]

Viking is great, but not if you’re hoping for a high degree of age diversity. We did meet one newly married couple in their 20s on our cruise, but most of the people we met were retired. 

[longterm]

I'd place the average age at about 62; since we're (physically at least) a tad older than that, we don't mind much. We've seen younger couples a few times, but they're the exception.

Having said that, we've made friends with other couples who were either older than us or younger than us--in one case, a couple who have become good friends and who are more than 10 years our senior.

So, age isn't always a good gauge; I'm still looking for my inner adult, and with any luck at all, I'll never find it. One of my best friends, on the other hand, was old when he was about 12, so it's all how you look at life. Until someone convinces me that acting old is better than waking up and looking for surprises, I fully plan to continue to embarrass my wife sometimes and avoid wearing shorts with socks pulled up to the top of my calves.

 

Viking ships aren't what I'd call "party boats" but they're a lot of fun, and after all, we bring ourselves wherever we go, so if you intend to have a great time, you'll surely find it on a Viking cruise.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

.....but long around 10:30 you'll have the ship to yourself! 

 

Really if you want to have people your age and a lively crowd, go elsewhere.  If you want to enjoy some good excursions, a beautiful verandah, lovely uncrowded spaces, being waited on, and a whole lot of great advice from people who have been successfully married for decades, Viking would be your ship.  It's all about what you are looking for.  Personally on a honeymoon I would choose a resort hotel over a Super 8, and that's what you'll get on Viking.  

[jakeHOU97]

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far! Keep it coming. There are several pros and cons of doing this Mediterranean cruise vs a land package. 

[longterm]

Some thoughts on land vs. cruise:

 

My wife and I just finished a Rick Steves tour of the Loire valley in France, going from Paris to Nice in 13 days. We both realized that the only way to see the interior of France is with a land tour, and we chose the RS tour because we'd not done one yet and wanted to see how we liked it.

Bus travel. Lots of bus travel. Hours on a bus just doesn't appeal to me; one day we spent almost 6 hours on a bus. 

Packing and unpacking. We stayed in 6 different hotels in 13 days, so we packed and unpacked as many times. One of the great things about a cruise is that you check your bags at your home airport, and then you almost never touch them again, except to unpack and unpack one time. Personally, I love that aspect of cruise travel.

Down time. On a land trip, it's not quite so easy to relax as it is on a cruise; on a cruise, you can go to the room, take a nice snooze, sit on the veranda or elsewhere and just watch the water; on a land cruise, if you're part of a tour group and don't want to take the excursion, you... sit on the bus or if you're lucky you can stay in the hotel (if you've already gotten to the next one, that is).

I think it's much easier to relax on a cruise; granted, cruise excursions can be somewhat lightweight when compared with  inland excursions that have the ability to be much more in-depth, but I've taken some excursions from Viking ships that rival any others I've taken either with private guides or on other land trips.

My wife and I like to relax on trips and not feel that we have to return home to then relax (which is what happened on this recent RS tour); we both feel that we get that on cruises, and because Viking is a smaller ship with none of the flash and cash-draining fluff that dress most megaships, it's a great way to travel, relax, do some exploring, and have a wonderful time.

If you're considering the Mediterranean, I'd recommend the Rome to Athens trip that we took in March; it's 15 days, and by the time you're finished you'll feel that you've gotten to see a huge part of European antiquity. The post-extension in Athens is well worth the money too; we did our own pre-extension in Rome, and that's something I'd recommend as well; a great part of the world.

[CILCIANRQTS]

This post is SO far off the mark that I have to suspect a troll…

[rudychance]

Oh, gosh, we've gone on so many cruises since our mid 30's.- beautiful places,  great time meeting people, fun times.  Now, married over 45 years and booked on our 5th VO cruise, I just can't imagine Viking in our 20's.  Wonderful ships, great food and service, but not.a demographic for young honeymooners.  All the best !

[Squawkman]

A Med cruise is a wonderful way to introduce Europe to your fiancé. I went to Europe on a 3 week land tour for my first honeymoon when I was 24 in 1974. Ironically, we befriended and hung out with older couples as we found them to be more interested in the cultures and tours as opposed to getting drunk every night. I would suggest Iconic Western Mediterranean as it covers a lot of ground in a week. We liked all of the included tours, and recommend Herculaneum which is optional but not expensive. We also added (and enjoyed very much) the Ultimate Tuscany post cruise extension where we ate and hung out primarily with a young couple that didn’t seem to mind being with folks their parent’s age.

[Clay Clayton]

On each of our cruises, there have always been six or eight young or young at heart folks who find each other and make Torshaven what becomes by 10 pm all but their private nightclub. As others have said, it will not be the party ship that you would expect from Carnival….so it depends so much on what vibe you want. 
 

Congratulations and Best Wishes for a great life together!

[Peregrina651]

Age is a mindset.  Baseball great Satchel Paige, when asked his age, responded, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"

 

We can give you an idea of what it is like on board the ship, but only you can decide if what you are hearing will work for you.

 

If you are looking for steel drums, umbrella drinks, belly-flop contests, a hopping disco until the wee hours, etc. Viking is not the right choice.

 

If you are looking for a more subdued experience with touring all day and a table for two at dinner each night, take a look at Viking. 

 

Check out the thread in this forum called "Tell Me Why".  One member asked us to tell her why we think she should try Viking and we came back with a list of things. If you agree with enough of the items on the list, then, regardless of the date on your driver's license, you might be a good fit with Viking. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2381846-tell-me-why/

 

 

 

[FetaCheese]

Started cruising in our late 20's, on Sun Line (Greek -- no longer in business) Demo was much older.  We were always the youngest pax.  Really enjoyed meeting other pax, one couple took us under their wing.  Never minded the older demo, but so enjoyed the excellent food, service, entertainment, etc. Now we're the older demo, mid 60's! with decades of cruises. In my opinion, older folks enjoy being with younger, like minded people.

[jakeHOU97]

This is great insight, thanks! Agreed with many of the things as I noticed them on the land trip to Europe I’ve been on before, just haven’t taken a non-Caribbean cruise to compare it with.
 

We’re looking at the 7 (or 8?) day from Rome to Barcelona. We’d get to see the Italian Riviera, southern coast of France and Spain, which we wouldn’t if we did one of the land trips we’re looking at. However this cruise obviously wouldn’t take us to Paris or London like the land trip would.

 

[jakeHOU97]

3 hours ago, longterm said:

Some thoughts on land vs. cruise:

 

My wife and I just finished a Rick Steves tour of the Loire valley in France, going from Paris to Nice in 13 days. We both realized that the only way to see the interior of France is with a land tour, and we chose the RS tour because we'd not done one yet and wanted to see how we liked it.

Bus travel. Lots of bus travel. Hours on a bus just doesn't appeal to me; one day we spent almost 6 hours on a bus. 

Packing and unpacking. We stayed in 6 different hotels in 13 days, so we packed and unpacked as many times. One of the great things about a cruise is that you check your bags at your home airport, and then you almost never touch them again, except to unpack and unpack one time. Personally, I love that aspect of cruise travel.

Down time. On a land trip, it's not quite so easy to relax as it is on a cruise; on a cruise, you can go to the room, take a nice snooze, sit on the veranda or elsewhere and just watch the water; on a land cruise, if you're part of a tour group and don't want to take the excursion, you... sit on the bus or if you're lucky you can stay in the hotel (if you've already gotten to the next one, that is).

I think it's much easier to relax on a cruise; granted, cruise excursions can be somewhat lightweight when compared with  inland excursions that have the ability to be much more in-depth, but I've taken some excursions from Viking ships that rival any others I've taken either with private guides or on other land trips.

My wife and I like to relax on trips and not feel that we have to return home to then relax (which is what happened on this recent RS tour); we both feel that we get that on cruises, and because Viking is a smaller ship with none of the flash and cash-draining fluff that dress most megaships, it's a great way to travel, relax, do some exploring, and have a wonderful time.

If you're considering the Mediterranean, I'd recommend the Rome to Athens trip that we took in March; it's 15 days, and by the time you're finished you'll feel that you've gotten to see a huge part of European antiquity. The post-extension in Athens is well worth the money too; we did our own pre-extension in Rome, and that's something I'd recommend as well; a great part of the world.

This is great insight, thanks! Agreed with many of the things as I noticed them on the land trip to Europe I’ve been on before, just haven’t taken a non-Caribbean cruise to compare it with.
 

We’re looking at the 7 (or 8?) day from Rome to Barcelona. We’d get to see the Italian Riviera, southern coast of France and Spain, which we wouldn’t if we did one of the land trips we’re looking at. However this cruise obviously wouldn’t take us to Paris or London like the land trip would.

[TERRIER1]

30 minutes ago, jakeHOU97 said:

This is great insight, thanks! Agreed with many of the things as I noticed them on the land trip to Europe I’ve been on before, just haven’t taken a non-Caribbean cruise to compare it with.
 

We’re looking at the 7 (or 8?) day from Rome to Barcelona. We’d get to see the Italian Riviera, southern coast of France and Spain, which we wouldn’t if we did one of the land trips we’re looking at. However this cruise obviously wouldn’t take us to Paris or London like the land trip would.

 

If you want to see Paris and London then maybe you should look into a river cruise that ends in Paris and then take the chunnel to London. I don't think you need an escorted land tour to see those places and you could save significant money by arranging the trip yourself. You can just look at what 7 to 8 day land tours include and duplicate the itinerary. Land excursions and cruises charge per person but the hotels charge per room so there is a cost savings to DIY.

[CCWineLover]

7 hours ago, longterm said:

Some thoughts on land vs. cruise:

 

My wife and I just finished a Rick Steves tour of the Loire valley in France, going from Paris to Nice in 13 days. We both realized that the only way to see the interior of France is with a land tour, and we chose the RS tour because we'd not done one yet and wanted to see how we liked it.

Bus travel. Lots of bus travel. Hours on a bus just doesn't appeal to me; one day we spent almost 6 hours on a bus. 

Packing and unpacking. We stayed in 6 different hotels in 13 days, so we packed and unpacked as many times. One of the great things about a cruise is that you check your bags at your home airport, and then you almost never touch them again, except to unpack and unpack one time. Personally, I love that aspect of cruise travel.

Down time. On a land trip, it's not quite so easy to relax as it is on a cruise; on a cruise, you can go to the room, take a nice snooze, sit on the veranda or elsewhere and just watch the water; on a land cruise, if you're part of a tour group and don't want to take the excursion, you... sit on the bus or if you're lucky you can stay in the hotel (if you've already gotten to the next one, that is).

I think it's much easier to relax on a cruise; granted, cruise excursions can be somewhat lightweight when compared with  inland excursions that have the ability to be much more in-depth, but I've taken some excursions from Viking ships that rival any others I've taken either with private guides or on other land trips.

My wife and I like to relax on trips and not feel that we have to return home to then relax (which is what happened on this recent RS tour); we both feel that we get that on cruises, and because Viking is a smaller ship with none of the flash and cash-draining fluff that dress most megaships, it's a great way to travel, relax, do some exploring, and have a wonderful time.

If you're considering the Mediterranean, I'd recommend the Rome to Athens trip that we took in March; it's 15 days, and by the time you're finished you'll feel that you've gotten to see a huge part of European antiquity. The post-extension in Athens is well worth the money too; we did our own pre-extension in Rome, and that's something I'd recommend as well; a great part of the world.

You nailed it.  Our thoughts exactly.   These were our experiences too, and we are not a troll.

Not sure why someone is so vile against your comments (calling you a troll) . . .

 

It really comes down to everyone's personal opinions and experiences.  There is no right or wrong - just understand what the various experiences will be like and make your own decisions.

[PlanoTim]

9 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

i will second Mollymoo on age and active.  We have only ever seen one 20 or teen ( have to be at least 18 on Viking) but lots of that age in the crew.  We find the crew to be exceptional and we have a number of FB friends from the crew.  Also, the ship is much more refined and beautiful compared to Carnival.  Much less crowds and very much better food.  Shore excursions and docking locations can also be much better based on the ship size and passenger load.  I started life traveling Cunard which you know has an older demographic for the most part and I have loved all of them.  Even our fun Carnival cruises.  I think you two will have your own idea of what to do and will have a great time on Viking.  Bet you get lots of "free" drinks when your fellow pax learn you are honeymooners....🍸

Speaking of the crew on board, we’ve had a crew member join us on many (but not all) of our non-included Viking excursions.  We were told by the hotel manager that it served two purposes.  First, it helped Viking keep tabs on the “quality” of the excursion that the tour operator was providing.  The second benefit was that it served as a small reward for the crew member.  Of course, the crew are typically younger than the passengers.  We’ve been on excursions where the crew member was outgoing, fun, and an absolute blast to be with – the leader of the conga line around the catamaran.  Others have not interacted with anyone at all and kept completely to themselves.  So, there may be opportunities to interact with the younger crew on an excursion.

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

(calling you a troll) . . .

 

 

Hmm. Not clear who it refers to. But clearly out of place here.

[LisaDee]

We loved our one Viking cruise and plan to do more but if I were giving advice to my 20-something sons on which line to honeymoon on I would recommend a suite on either Celebrity Apex or Celebrity Beyond (or Celebrity Ascent which launches next year.)  A Sky Suite on one of those ships is similar to the Viking cabins in terms of size and amenities as well as price per day.  You have key card access to the exclusive suite lounge, concierge, restaurant and sun deck area for a more intimidate smaller ship feel but you still have access to the larger ship - the various bars, restaurants (some carry an up-charge but the suites usually come with OBC that would cover some specialty dining), the casino, large production shows, pools etc.  We found the Celebrity experience to be vibrant and fun but not party central like Carnival.  This ship class (“Edge Class”) is newer and absolutely gorgeous.

 

Like I said, we loved our Viking cruise but in my early 50s I was one of the younger cruisers and the ship was definitely very quiet after dinner.  There was always something happening on Celebrity until later in the evening which made for a great atmosphere.

[longterm]

18 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

This post is SO far off the mark that I have to suspect a troll…

Are you referring to my post? 

My wife and I are big Viking fans and have 2 more scheduled for the near future. Does being a Viking fan mean that we can't choose to try other travel options?

In fact, we're now looking at a possible self-guided train trip from Zurich to Rome; we've decided that we would prefer trains to buses for an inland tour.

The original poster asked about inland versus an ocean cruise, so I addressed that question; I didn't give RSE any sort of plug--in fact, I was deliberately ambivalent about whether we would do another RS tour, and if anything, wasn't complimentary. 

If you think I'm a troll, go back and read my previous posts before you make such a statement.

[longterm]

9 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

Hmm. Not clear who it refers to. But clearly out of place here.

It certainly appeared it was aimed at me; I choose to dismiss ignorance as one of the perils of social media.

[janetcbl]

6 minutes ago, longterm said:

Are you referring to my post? 

My wife and I are big Viking fans and have 2 more scheduled for the near future. Does being a Viking fan mean that we can't choose to try other travel options?

In fact, we're now looking at a possible self-guided train trip from Zurich to Rome; we've decided that we would prefer trains to buses for an inland tour.

The original poster asked about inland versus an ocean cruise, so I addressed that question; I didn't give RSE any sort of plug--in fact, I was deliberately ambivalent about whether we would do another RS tour, and if anything, wasn't complimentary. 

If you think I'm a troll, go back and read my previous posts before you make such a statement.

Swiss trains are the best!…and the scenery isn’t bad, either. (Bit of humor). Enjoy!