Older vs Younger

[keysey222]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

We're with you.. We used to be 40...the years fly by We like what you described.

 

.In " olden days"  on X, we enjoyed the authentic reggae bands and Jimmy Buffet style singers..Nice mellow party crowd! We do not miss the harpist but it was a nice touch at dinner on fancy nights..Don't miss those either!

 

We enjoy the shows on E Class..They are  cutting Edge, visually stunning   and  are performed  in amazing hi tech theaters!

 

Reggae bands and Buffet style singers? Sign me up.  I'm 41, but I'm a huge parrothead and would love this kind of entertainment over the lousy top 40 songs blaring at the pool. 

 

[chocolabmom]

On our very first cruise with Celebrity (Apex Inaugural Season) we were in our mid-50s, early 60s.  We met a lovely couple in their early 70s who were dancing most nights at the Grand Plaza near the Martini Bar.  We enjoyed talking to them and admiring their dancing abilities. We also met a lovely couple in their 30s while watching the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game in Craft Social.  We had a great time with them and stayed out later then we normally would enjoying the evening with them.  The point - age makes no difference.  All that matters is meeting nice people and enjoying your time on board.  We certainly did and look forward to our cruise on Beyond next year.

[horseymike]

15 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

There is a trend I have been noticing that I find a bit frustrating. Repeatedly folks posting here make comments about Celebrity driving away its older customers and how everything thing is targeted toward the younger generations. Can I just say I find it really insulting to be spoken about like I don’t matter and only those who have been cruising for 30 years and are elite have opinions that count? Ok I did say it. I am 40 years old with two kids that are under 5 and pretty much exclusively cruise with Celebrity. Why is it ok to consistently speak down about the “younger generation” as if my money shouldn’t also be sought after by the company. I wont retire for another 25 year likely, but isnt it ok for the CEO to think about me as well. I am not saying to just forget about long time customers but I think younger customers matter as well. Ok rant over. Thanks for listening. 

My wife and I ( mid sixties) happen to enjoy the “ adults only “ solarium. Recently there have been numerous instances when children of all ages come to the solarium with or without their parents and the whole experience changes from quiet and peaceful to loud and boisterous. Mind you we like kids but there are times when we enjoy an adult’s only experience.

I hope you continue to enjoy your family cruises and someday later on in your lifetime you may remember this story.

All the Best to you and your family.

[villauk]

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

While older cruiser's expectations are set by past experiences and levels of service, newer (i.e. younger) cruisers don't have these expectations. 

 

Not always. Our kids went on their first cruise when our youngest celebrated his 5th birthday and we were late 30s; we went on our first X cruise when he was 8 and they both really enjoyed it. Several cruises later and they still enjoy their X cruises and remember all those extra-special experiences, like the brunch etc., that they used to enjoy. They liked the smaller kids clubs and the activities, but they also notice the differences from when we first started cruising. Yes, they still travel on all our cruises (for now) because we enjoy travelling as a family. An 18-30s holiday would be their worst nightmare 🙈. Not everyone is the same at any given age, so it’s good that there is choice. 
 

Funny thing is, my DH said that we would take our first cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary, which ironically is this year - glad I ignored him 16 years ago and didn’t wait that long 🤣!

[SoloAlaska]

24 minutes ago, horseymike said:

My wife and I ( mid sixties) happen to enjoy the “ adults only “ solarium. Recently there have been numerous instances when children of all ages come to the solarium with or without their parents and the whole experience changes from quiet and peaceful to loud and boisterous. Mind you we like kids but there are times when we enjoy an adult’s only experience.

I hope you continue to enjoy your family cruises and someday later on in your lifetime you may remember this story.

All the Best to you and your family.

If this is outside of the kid times in the solarium I would not be impressed. I go to the solarium for a kid free environment where I don’t have to be careful of little ears.

[doghog]

4 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

If this is outside of the kid times in the solarium I would not be impressed. I go to the solarium for a kid free environment where I don’t have to be careful of little ears.

That's when you solicit the help from a Celebrity staff member to have the little darlings escorted out!  

[SoloAlaska]

1 minute ago, doghog said:

That's when you solicit the help from a Celebrity staff member to have the little darlings escorted out!  

It hasn’t been an issue for me but HorseyMike mentioned the issue. Just agreeing no matter young or old the solarium is a nice adult space .

[doghog]

6 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

It hasn’t been an issue for me but HorseyMike mentioned the issue. Just agreeing no matter young or old the solarium is a nice adult space .

Me neither. Just saying what I would do if the only adult times were interrupted with kids that shouldn't be in there. That's what the main pool is for or Camp at Sea. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by doghog

[JRG]

What I have seen play out in both cruising life aboard and in real life,   seems like a simple case of Life Imitating Art.

 

That is,  If you have ever seen Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages,  then you will get it.  Rock of Ages would be a perfect stage show on the big ships,  if it hasn't already happened.   Its the RockStars versus themselves in an older version.  

 

It is music that can bridge the intergenerational age gap and the Marketing Pros at the cruise lines recognize this as but one of many strategies.

 

In other words,  I don't see any Benny Goodman fans being targeted by the mainlines in the ads.

 

 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, keysey222 said:

Reggae bands and Buffet style singers? Sign me up.  I'm 41, but I'm a huge parrothead and would love this kind of entertainment over the lousy top 40 songs blaring at the pool. 

 

count us in too.

. Just makes for a happy cruise vibe!

(in the carib)  and  with lyrics that can be understood!

[mrgabriel]

6 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

👍 Celebrity makes no bones to their sales teams that the target client is 40-55, high income, limited time off individuals among other things. Does that mean everyone else is excluded? No. Change is hard. A handful of people here I believe have legitimately hurt feelings that the past no longer exists. The good thing is you can quickly spot the one complaining couple on board and know who to avoid the rest of the trip. Thankfully the onboard experience isn't Cruise Critic. 

 

Can I give this 10 thumbs up? 
 

This is so true. Especially the ‘change is hard’ bit.
 

For the OP, I would far rather sail with people much younger than me who are enjoying their trip than be stuck for seven days with a bunch of people who just moan that things aren’t like they used to be. The people like me far outweigh the curmudgeons.  

[Eli_6]

I think any time that children are able to do experiences that a lot of older people didn't get to do until they were adults, it somehow annoys certain people. When my kids fly business or first internationally, there are comments about "Why are you wasting money on a kid in business?"  I once looked into doing a world cruise with my kids that ran during the summer and got so much hate. Someone even said to me that I would be ruining other people's once-in-a-lifetime experience by bringing my kids on a world cruise.  (After two summers in Europe, though, I have determined that about 3-4 weeks is as much time as any of us really want to be away from home.) Also, there is a world of difference between well-behaved kids and non well-behaved kids and I think a small minority of poorly behaved kids end up making a lot of people without kids internally sigh when they see kids on a ship, plane, etc. 

[hrhdhd]

2 hours ago, mom says said:

<snip> I like the mix of ages. If I didn't, I'd be sailing HAL.

I've sailed HAL (first cruise was on that line, and I was in my 30s), and they also have a mix of ages on shorter cruises, much like Celebrity. Why everyone is angry that younger people are being denigrated but then have no problem doing the same to older people and/or other cruise lines is beyond me.

 

I've never had a bad cruise. I don't care how old the other passengers are, and I don't care if they care how old I am.

[di T]

11 hours ago, chemmo said:

There frequently seems to be a Mr and Mrs Grumble in the Retreat lounge…My favourite memory was of a couple complaining to the concierge that their visit to Lisbon hadn’t been that good ‘…because everyone spoke Spanish’…?!?! It would have been funny enough if the lady had said Portuguese!

 

Sincere best wishes to you and your family for a fantastic cruise on Silhouette, our favourite ship. Such a pity she is not cruising from Southampton next year.

 

PS please don’t send the ‘young at heart’ oldies like myself off Celebrity and onto Saga!

Love it Chemmo! We are young at heart too.3 weeks to our Reflection cruises, can’t wait.I really like a nice mix of ages and think Celebrity do have that. Also like a mix of nationalities, we are all so fortunate to cruise this year we have went a bit daft ( blame covid lockdown) we have sailed 5 times plus 3 to come on 3 totally different lines. Large fun ships small luxury, and of course Celebrity.Not so loyal anymore but just enjoying.

 

[Lastdance]

Unfortunately, using a generalization is sometimes anything but accurate.  Frustration causes people to generalize and vent, so always read between the lines if possible.  My DH and I love a great mix of fun, outgoing and interesting people onboard.  On our last cruise, we met a couple who were so enjoyable that we had dinner with them for the rest of the cruise!  Age is only a number, but their heart is what really matters.  You can learn so much from people of all ages if you value different experiences/conversations.  

[Fly and Sail]

You're always welcome as long as you don't bring the kids. 😅

[aggiejd2000]

12 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

Thank you for posting this. The comments on CC have made me less want to cruise on Celebrity. I’m in my 30s, single, no kids and just want a relaxing vacation with a little pampering. My presence on board the ship does not negatively impact anyone else’s vacation but they complain that advertising is encouraging women in their 30s to cruise. What is so wrong with women in their 30s?

 

If anything we have a lot in common. Just like them I like that celebrity isn’t covered in children running around. Just like them I enjoy good food. Just like them I want to sip my drink (mine is scotch). Just like them I don’t want to see water slides on the ship.

The boards are different than the ship experience, that's for sure.  I'm in my late 40's, childfree, and married and went solo for the first time recently on Celebrity.  I was a bit hesitant as I'm not exactly a social butterfly but I loved it (and will go again solo in a few months)!  Crew was friendly and so were most people, and I found it easy to chat when I wanted to, and had quiet time when I didn't.  You are definitely welcomed on board as a single woman, at any age.  I mostly lurk here and occasionally post but I don't think that the people here are necessarily representative of who is aboard, and I've cruised with Celebrity about 10 times over the last 15 years.  

[ldubs]

18 hours ago, soozles said:

I feel ya… I’m around the same age as you, I have 2 kids under 5, and im

starting to feel like I will be some sort of piranha from reading these boards. And all these comments to stick with Royal or carnival? My kids are terrified of the deck parties and all the noise on carnival or Royal. It’s our choice where we choose to spend our money. My kids deserve to take up space just like anyone else. And if they really didn’t want to have kids on a cruise, they wouldn’t have a kids club or a kids menu. 

 

God forbid one of the children has some fun and actually laughs out loud within hearing of one of the geezers!  We will be reading threads about ruined cruises for the next two weeks!  😃

[Fly and Sail]

9 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Also, there is a world of difference between well-behaved kids and non well-behaved kids and I think a small minority of poorly behaved kids end up making a lot of people without kids internally sigh when they see kids on a ship, plane, etc. 

 

Agreed. Although these days, the number of kids who behave poorly is the vast majority as parents don't have any proper parenting skills anymore, letting them run free throughout the ship and go wild. All while they enjoy their mojito far away.

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Agreed. Although these days, the number of kids who behave poorly is the vast majority as parents don't have any proper parenting skills anymore, letting them run free throughout the ship and go wild. All while they enjoy their mojito far away.

Too many kids behave poorly for sure, but not sure how you can justify that’s the vast majority. Either on cruises or not. On our Celebrity cruises maybe there have been 10 or so under 16s on each and I remember one occasion when a child behaved in a way that upset another cruiser. So very much the minority in our experience.

[framboesa]

We are 45/50 and we tend to avoid  celebrity because we value fun, itinerary, activities and spectacularity more than food and time to relax. We always travel as a couple, without children but we don't mind children or families (well, on our last cruise to Asia there were 800 children on board, but that rarely happens!) We've done quite a few cruises with different companies and we usually choose according to the itinerary but we've always said that we're going to leave the celebrity cruises for when we're in our 70/80s .... It's interesting to read that this company is now trying to attract younger people because honestly we haven't felt the appeal yet 😄  Anyway, I booked a celebrity cruise for my parents and friends (late 70's) this year and I confess I warned them that this cruise would be focused on older people and a little different from what they usually do (they've been doing RC Oasis class lately) . Let's see if they like it 🙂

Edited August 10, 2023 by framboesa

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, framboesa said:

We are 45/50 and we tend to avoid  celebrity because we value fun, itinerary, activities and spectacularity more than food and time to relax. We always travel as a couple, without children but we don't mind children or families (well, on our last cruise to Asia there were 800 children on board, but that rarely happens!) We've done quite a few cruises with different companies and we usually choose according to the itinerary but we've always said that we're going to leave the celebrity cruises for when we're in our 70/80s .... It's interesting to read that this company is now trying to attract younger people because honestly we haven't felt the appeal yet 😄  Anyway, I booked a celebrity cruise for my parents and friends (late 70's) this year and I confess I warned them that this cruise would be focused on older people and a little different from what they usually do (they've been doing RC Oasis class lately) . Let's see if they like it 🙂

Our experience of Celebrity doesn’t match how you describe it. People have fun, loads of activities available granted of the quieter variety, and plenty of younger people enjoying themselves.  It’s certainly not the floating old people’s home you seem to think it is 😂

[OysterD]

 

2 hours ago, framboesa said:

We are 45/50 and we tend to avoid  celebrity because we value fun, itinerary, activities and spectacularity more than food and time to relax. We always travel as a couple, without children but we don't mind children or families (well, on our last cruise to Asia there were 800 children on board, but that rarely happens!) We've done quite a few cruises with different companies and we usually choose according to the itinerary but we've always said that we're going to leave the celebrity cruises for when we're in our 70/80s .... It's interesting to read that this company is now trying to attract younger people because honestly we haven't felt the appeal yet 😄  Anyway, I booked a celebrity cruise for my parents and friends (late 70's) this year and I confess I warned them that this cruise would be focused on older people and a little different from what they usually do (they've been doing RC Oasis class lately) . Let's see if they like it 🙂

Maybe you're confusing Celebrity with Silversea or something of the like? Your description bears little resemblance to reality! If your parents are in their late 70s they will be at the top end of the age scale on board and while there are no water slides or go karts, there are plenty of activities and entertainment aimed at us younger folk. You say you've always given Celebrity a miss because of your perception of the typical X cruiser, I'm curious if you've cruised with them at all and if not what you based your assumption on? Genuinely curious because I've never gotten that impression and I always find it intriguing how people form opinions about things like this.

 

 

Edit... thought I'd throw a photo in here from last year, time around 11pm, note how everyone hasn't retired to bed yet hahah

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by OysterD

[sunkey1]

I'm constantly surprised by the number of people who think that a relaxing vacation simply can't happen on a ship with "bells and whistles". We recently went on the NCL Getaway and it was probably one of my most relaxing cruises out of the +50 I've taken. There is a space called "Vibe" that is an extra fee, adults only sun deck (think Retreat, only ridiculously cheaper). That, plus dining waterfront every evening made for a spectacular week. We simply avoid the "crazy" areas (kids pool areas, etc), plus tend to cruise when kids are in school. It CAN be done! While lines still tend to have their preferred demographics, I think they all are becoming more fluid as people want to branch out and try new lines and ships.

[Pinboy]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

God forbid one of the children has some fun and actually laughs out loud within hearing of one of the geezers!  We will be reading threads about ruined cruises for the next two weeks!  😃

At least it's more "stimulating" ( gets the blood flowing ) than the usual  " What should I do etc, etc  , Gratuities , lounge hogs , Butler/Retreat Host/ , room service delivery charge , how do you get to the airport in , etc ", and my favorite --( everyone knows that one ).

FYI--- Children and old farts playing their bebop music or watching Captain Kangaroo videos so everyone ( I ) can hear them are not permitted in the Solarium Pool area.