Will I feel out of place?

[Eaglecw]

37 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Oh good!! I hope we meet up someday. I chuckle inside (no, you can't hear it) when people try to impress me with how many times they've cruised. Let's talk about kids, hobbies, music, or what you've done / plan to do on the cruise. That's more than enough to develop commonality 

 

i really enjoyed chatting with Ombud on our last cruise. I think we hit most of the topics, LOL. I hope we meet again on another cruise.

[konatyme]

If Tisa's Barefoot Bar is still open on American Samoa, it was a super fun, friendly place with great food and drinks.

[Papa Yoda]

In American Samoa just walk over to Sadie's By The Sea, a couple hundred yards to the east.  Lot's of crew go there, good bar, nice beach.  

 

Make sure to stop by the National Park visitors center to get your passport stamp at the most remote National Park

[billco]

13 hours ago, marymount said:

My husband and myself are considering taking the Crown Princess 28 day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise. We are frequent cruisers, mainly the Caribbean (not been on Princess for many years though). We’ve never sailed for more than 14 days.

He is 72 and I will turn 70 on debarkation day. Tahiti especially has been on my bucket list for a looong time. So thought we’d splurge for my birthday. We are not rich by any means, nor have we traveled the world like many we’ve met. I’m thinking that the clientele of people we meet may make us feel inferior? We are rather shy and not good at starting up a conversation, like at dinner, so wondering if we will feel out of place. 
 

Sounds like it.

[RNRcruisers]

Sounds like a fabulous cruise! I say go and enjoy. All kinds of people cruise, nothing to feel inferior about.

[mom says]

I don't think you'll  feel out of place at all. We are on the Nov LA Tahiti round trip, and it's one of our bucket list trips as well. If this is the one you are contemplating,  come over to the Roll Call. It's pretty active (already 35 pages and counting) and there are lots of friendly people there. Nobody cares how many previous cruises you have had. And no one worth knowing cares about your financial status. DH and I are both pensioners. We just prioritize travel with what discretionary funds we have. It's sad that Bora Bora had to be canceled; but it looks like they added extra time in Papeete to try to compensate. It's been several decades since I last visited the Tahitian Islands on a land vacation.  Can't wait to revisit them. I hope you'll be along for the ride!

[Blondilu]

My 2 sisters and I are about that same age and on the lower side of middle income.  We have met many, many people from all walks of life.  People from all over the world, some who were crazy well-travelled and at least one woman who had big bucks if her jewelry was any indication.  We once sat at a table with a couple of red-necks, a couple from India who now live in Texas and a very classy seemingly well-off lady from the East Coast.  I was amazed at how much such a diverse group had in common.  And the lady with the expensive jewelry was so cute and so, so friendly.  Both she and her husband were such fun.

 

Another time we got seated with agroup of 3 sisters just like us.  We weren't really alike in any other way, but we talked and talked.  

 

Just be yourselves, be nice.  If you're too shy to talk, then listen.  Ask a couple of questions.  And if you'd rather be alone that works, too.  I can pretty much guarantee you will fit right in.

[latebloomer56]

14 hours ago, Ombud said:

Oh good!! I hope we meet up someday. I chuckle inside (no, you can't hear it) when people try to impress me with how many times they've cruised. Let's talk about kids, hobbies, music, or what you've done / plan to do on the cruise. That's more than enough to develop commonality 

 

I do to, though truth be told sometimes it slips out. I would add food as a topic for me, have met so many lovely people on cruise vacations. Like the OP we are not rich but work, save, and then travel. So happy cruising has started up again doing Hawaii/LA in the fall now wish we planned this trip, maybe next time.

[marymount]

Thank you to all for your comments! You’ve already made me (us) feel more comfortable. We are going to do it! Hope to meet those that are also going.

[Yehootu]

12 hours ago, Papa Yoda said:

In American Samoa just walk over to Sadie's By The Sea, a couple hundred yards to the east.  Lot's of crew go there, good bar, nice beach.  

 

Make sure to stop by the National Park visitors center to get your passport stamp at the most remote National Park

Is that the old Rain Maker hotel? My wife and I "got together" at that hotel in Sept 86 and we are going on this cruise to celebrate my retirement.

[Retirement2016]

6 minutes ago, marymount said:

Thank you to all for your comments! You’ve already made me (us) feel more comfortable. We are going to do it! Hope to meet those that are also going.

 

It will be a special cruise, celebrating your birthday, but also a cruise you will never forget.  Enjoy!

[rayandshirl]

As a solo traveler, I always head to the dining room for breakfast and dinner and when I enter I always say, "share a table please".  It's a wonderful way to have conversations about people's day ahead, what itinerary they did the day before and my disposable income is nothing to write home about but there is always some for a Princess cruise.  Enjoy and ask for 2 pieces of birthday cake!

[Princessfan20]

19 hours ago, pris993 said:

Different strokes for different folks.  I have been to Alaska once, once was enough for me.  I have been to the Mediterranean 12+ times, never tired of going again and again.  Went 3 times to Egypt, mainly because it was on an itinerary I really wanted for ports in Israel.  Egypt was on my bucket list, glad I went at least the first time, would I go again not necessarily.  We all need to follow our dreams, not someone else's.    Had to comment since some are trying to talk you out of going on the trip you planned.

Getting to your question, I am sure you will fit in.  Join the roll call for your cruise you may make some connects with others going on the cruise before you leave.    You may think up some questions to ask more seasoned travelers, to start them talking about what they enjoyed.  Travelers love to share stories with anyone willing to listen.  I hope you have a great trip.  

 

Agree.  We have been to Alaska 2 times on a cruise and then I worked there and was flown all over the state in a bush plane.  To me the cruise was like seeing a fake or artificial form of Alaska. We have traveled all over the world on Princess and like you have been to the Mediterranean many times and never bored.  

 

Have been on two South Pacific cruises and would do those again in a minute.  To see the Southern sky at night, the beauty of those islands, the feeling of truly being in paradise and the friendliness of the inhabitants is really worth a once in a lifetime experience.  I would recommend go for your dream.  You can go to old, cold, and over-cruised Alaska any time.

Edited July 7, 2022 by Princessfan20

[symui]

My favorite pacific cruise is Sydney to the west coast or vice versa.  These are repositioning cruises when the cruise lines move ships to / from North America to Australia / New Zealand every spring and fall. 

 

For the same price or less the ship stops at Sydney, New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii, IMO the 4 gems of the pacific.  Why settle for 2 gems when you can get 4 for about the same price.    Also, I would rather take a non-stop flight from SFO, LAX, YVR or DFW to Sydney than spend 9 days at sea returning from Tahati. 

 

Really can't go wrong with either cruise but the last time I checked the SFO to SYD cruise was about $1200 less PP (balcony) than the Tahiti cruise out of LA.   That would cover the one way LAX-SYD airfare and a night or two in Sydney which has one of the most beautiful harbors and sail outs in the world!

 

Both cruises are great, both have pros / cons so check the itineraries and pricing and let us know what you decide. 

[mom says]

1 hour ago, symui said:

My favorite pacific cruise is Sydney to the west coast or vice versa.  These are repositioning cruises when the cruise lines move ships to / from North America to Australia / New Zealand every spring and fall. 

 

For the same price or less the ship stops at Sydney, New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii, IMO the 4 gems of the pacific.  Why settle for 2 gems when you can get 4 for about the same price.    Also, I would rather take a non-stop flight from SFO, LAX, YVR or DFW to Sydney than spend 9 days at sea returning from Tahati. 

 

Really can't go wrong with either cruise but the last time I checked the SFO to SYD cruise was about $1200 less PP (balcony) than the Tahiti cruise out of LA.   That would cover the one way LAX-SYD airfare and a night or two in Sydney which has one of the most beautiful harbors and sail outs in the world!

 

Both cruises are great, both have pros / cons so check the itineraries and pricing and let us know what you decide. 

Not sure why you are trying to discourage the OP from sailing on the bucket list  cruise she and her husband want. And while you don't like sea days, some people do. I'm glad you can fly that cheaply. For us, a flight from Sydney to our home is a shade less than 5 times more expensive than a flight from LAX.  So your cheaper cruise would cost us an extra $4000 (each) in airfare. Plus the Sydney hotels. Not necessarily such a bargain after all.

Edited July 7, 2022 by mom says

[JimmyVWine]

My general attitude is that EVERYONE who chooses to cruise for their vacation and get out of their own little orbit and see other parts of the world and interact with other people from all over the world, (crew, passengers and locals in port alike) is already presumptively an interesting person**.  So if you put 3,000 interesting people and 1,200 interesting crew members in one place at the same time, you have to go out of your way not to have fun, fit in, or be disinterested.  So as long as you have any inclination whatsoever to interact with other people, you are assured of finding people who are interesting and fun, and they in turn will find you to be interesting and fun.  So yes, you will fit in.  Not because you are "just like everyone else."  But because of the exact opposite--because you are you. 

 

**Yes, I have run into people who are exceptions to this general rule, but I am pretty adept at avoiding them.  

[Cruising Jedi]

I am lower middle class, and an extreme introvert to boot.  I feel out of place in many, many places.  But never on any cruise, ever, for any reason.  Its the only place that I like everyone I meet and truly feel accepted.  I chat with people and love it lol...I can't wait for my next.   This cruise you are describing sounds amazing.  Don't hesitate. Enjoy!!! 

[c-boy]

3 hours ago, mom says said:

Not sure why you are trying to discourage the OP from sailing on the bucket list  cruise she and her husband want. And while you don't like sea days, some people do. I'm glad you can fly that cheaply. For us, a flight from Sydney to our home is a shade less than 5 times more expensive than a flight from LAX.  So your cheaper cruise would cost us an extra $4000 (each) in airfare. Plus the Sydney hotels. Not necessarily such a bargain after all.

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by c-boy

[symui]

3 hours ago, mom says said:

Not sure why you are trying to discourage the OP from sailing on the bucket list  cruise she and her husband want. And while you don't like sea days, some people do. I'm glad you can fly that cheaply. For us, a flight from Sydney to our home is a shade less than 5 times more expensive than a flight from LAX.  So your cheaper cruise would cost us an extra $4000 (each) in airfare. Plus the Sydney hotels. Not necessarily such a bargain after all.

 

Not discouraging the OP, in fact encouraging them to take a South Pacific cruise as it's one of my favourites.  As I said both cruises are great, both itinerary's have pros / cons - just providing options based on my travels to AU / NZ.   As for pricing I checked this morning and a 1 way LAX -SYD economy seat is currently $650 to $800 depending on the day travelled.  Add that to the 1 or 2 day hotel or Airbnb stay in the Sydney area and there is a net savings since the Tahiti round trip cruise from LA.

 

To the OP marymount.   The intent of my post was to encourage you to take a South Pacific cruise as it's truly beautiful.  Regardless if it's the round trip cruise from LA that you mentioned or the Pacific crossing I described both are winners in my book.  If you have any questions about the Pacific crossing please let me know. 

 

Enjoy your cruise,

Rick 

[rj59]

I did a one-way from Vancouver to Hawaii, with most of the passengers going on to Australia, and the average age was about yours. People are quite friendly, if you want to be, but now you have to balance that with staying healthy and the risks of testing positive early on a looong cruise. You have to decide how much socializing and communal dining, drinking, shows, and events are worth the risk of quarantine and missing out the ports on your bucket list trip. I had no problem on trips at 30-40% occupancy, but on a near-100% occupancy for an Alaska trip last week I felt too close for comfort in most venues, and I ended up picking up Covid. Personally, I wouldn't risk such a long cruise, especially if I were over 70 and at higher risk and particularly with the greater ability of current Omicron variants to spread and not be blocked by vaccines. I realize people reallly want to travel and go back to socializing with someone other than the spouse they spent years with in lockdown, but my plan is to stick with short cruises for now, until Covid risks and quarantine are behind us, and then go for longer cruises and trips. On my Hawaii cruise we also had to go full-speed to get to Hawaii because of a medical emergency, so the options for emergency health care are limited when you're not within a medevac helicopter distance from a US port. 

[BabsinTX]

On 7/6/2022 at 8:13 PM, Sunset329 said:

We did this cruise in February of 2020 (right before covid hit the U.S.). It was always a bucket list cruise for us, and it didn't disappoint. It was our best cruise. Like you, other than Hawaii, we had only cruised in the Caribbean. This cruise made us want to expand our cruise horizons. You will not have a problem "fitting in". You will not regret taking this cruise of a lifetime.

I was on the same cruise and loved it.  People are often on the outer decks as the ship comes into ports.  And that's a great time to say "What a beautiful place!" to someone standing nearby.  By the way, on longer cruises you'll see lots of people your age.  Who else can take off from work for a month?  And probably quite a few walkers, scooters, etc.

 

And for the $$$ concerns:  There are lots of inside cabins and ocean-view cabins on the ship and they will all be full if possible.  Many folks onboard may have spent less that you to be on the cruise.  And there's not much you HAVE to pay for onboard.  We never buy photos, jewelry, watches, clothes, etc.   We'd rather buy experiences than stuff.  

 

Try to be up on deck if you come into port early in the morning.  The loveliest sunrise I've ever seen was on this cruise.

[rbtan]

I would say book a table for 2. That's what we do. That way you never have worry about those "And what do you do? (which translates to and what do you make) My spouse does a great "Don Corleone" impression. When bothered by annoying PAX who asks this He'll respond: "Oh a little bit of this & a little bit of that"

[voljeep]

4 minutes ago, rbtan said:

I would say book a table for 2. That's what we do. That way you never have worry about those "And what do you do? (which translates to and what do you make) My spouse does a great "Don Corleone" impression. When bothered by annoying PAX who asks this He'll respond: "Oh a little bit of this & a little bit of that"

I do 'forensic accounting investigations for the IRS' ...

[karylrocks]

I get what you are saying. We have to be very careful with our travel dollars, there aren't many and we do tend to spend most of our disposable income doing that (as inexpensively as possible) rather than buying nice things. We have been on about 7 cruises in the past 15 years, only once in a balcony. The people you might be uncomfortable around are not sailing Princess (or RCL or NCL etc); they are spending $50K+ for a week on a luxury cruise line or their own yacht.

[rbtan]

On 7/8/2022 at 5:24 PM, voljeep said:

I do 'forensic accounting investigations for the IRS' ...

LOL!