Princess for the younger crowd or not?!

[JettaGirl]

Hey everyone. I am a previous Carnival cruiser and I am interested in traveling on Princess. I am only 20 years old and I am told that on Princess you you can travel by yourself when you are 18.

 

I am just wondering if Princess cruise line would be comfortable and fun for me and my 3 friends. We are not party-going people... we just for once want to go by ourselves without the parents.

 

We are looking at going on the Star Princess in January... we picked the ship because it has 4 stops. We are mainly interested in the destinations.

 

Any feedback you can give me is extremely helpful.

 

Thank you!

[melissa_bel]

Hey Jettagirl!

It really depends when, where and how long you plan to cruise. Usually 7 days Caribbean or Mexican Riviera during vacation time has a younger age average than a 12 days South America. Some ships (like the Caribbean Princess) seems to attract a younger crowd too. Most of the time, there's a nice mix of age and I'm sure you won't be the only 20 years-olds aboard.

 

Just relax, enjoy your cruise and let us know how it went.

[kkorman]

Hey everyone. I am a previous Carnival cruiser and I am interested in traveling on Princess. I am only 20 years old and I am told that on Princess you you can travel by yourself when you are 18.

 

I am just wondering if Princess cruise line would be comfortable and fun for me and my 3 friends. We are not party-going people... we just for once want to go by ourselves without the parents.

 

We are looking at going on the Star Princess in January... we picked the ship because it has 4 stops. We are mainly interested in the destinations.

 

Any feedback you can give me is extremely helpful.

 

Thank you!

 

I am 28 and have been cruising for 15 years and have not had a problem meeting people on any of the cruises I have been on. I tend to get a long better with people that are older than I am, but have had several very enjoyable cruises on Princess... even sailing alone. I have been on theStar and would highly recommend that ship. You should also draw the younger crowd because of the itinerary. That being said, the timing might draw an older one.

[edYYZ]

I'd say go for it.. and if you're with your friends, it will be fun for sure. If my friends were up for a cruise, I wouldn't hesitate to do one on Princess (and I'm 19).

[enymarsh]

Hey everyone. I am a previous Carnival cruiser and I am interested in traveling on Princess. I am only 20 years old and I am told that on Princess you you can travel by yourself when you are 18.

 

I hate to put a damper on this - but- my daughter (then 20) tried to book a cruise two years ago with her friends and we ran into a snag. I thought if I did the booking that she'd be able to be onboard with her friends even though they were all under 21. They said that you have to have at least one person in the cabin who is 21 or older. I got this from two different booking agents and also from posting on this board. I think it is a shame because my daughter really loves Princess. She and her friends were looking for a great time but not a constant party and Princess gives you that.

 

(I sure hope my information is out of date or we were misinformed)

[HighRoller]

We'll at 38 I started cruising when I was 20 and there are more and more younger people sailing on Princesss it just depends however on which itineary you choose. You will defenitly run into more younger people in the Carribbean than you would on a Med Cruise or the Orient.

[tom-n-jules]

Jetta, our last Princess cruise was during the regular school year (mid-Nov, 02) and there were a LOT of 20-somethings onboard; we were surprised! They always *seemed* to be having a good time. Like anything else on a cruise, it is mostly what you make of it!!

 

We're booked on the Star Eastern on 01/23/05, hope to see you aboard!! :)

[gopher's girl]

JettaGirl -

I think that the itinerary and time of year that you are looking to go on the Star Princess will be perfect for you and your friends. My sister went with a friend to some of those islands and she was 21 at the time - enjoyed herself tremendously. Make sure you go to the baths at virgin gorda (an excursion off Tortola) - one of my favorites.

[srphnx]

No, Princess isn't FOR the younger crowd but it is FUN for the younger crowd if you want it to be. Most people on Princess are a bit more mature, not necessarily meaning older than on some of the party lines, as they get more comfortable with elegant and polished as opposed to party hardy, they learn to appreciate Princess.

[tom-n-jules]

Make sure you go to the baths at virgin gorda (an excursion off Tortola) - one of my favorites.

WOW!!! Virgin Gorda was the most beautiful place we've ever seen!!! :eek: If you do the Eastern, Jetta, you should really do this one. You can take a long, adventurous walking path through the rock formations, or just chill on the beach!! We did both. :D

[CruiseFever]

One word:

 

Skywalkers

 

Several more words:

 

Here's what my daughter, about your age, had to say about the whole Princess experience-

 

Waoh baby, are you SURE this is Princess?

 

Unless, at 20 you do not have a strong heart. In that case here's where you need to go-

 

Ok lets ease into all this stuff about Princess

[beachlovergirl]

enymarsh - I think that Princess is the only cruise line that lets 18 year olds travel by themselves. My nieces who are both 18 were on the Caribbean Princess by themselves and had no problem booking the cruise which was the July 3rd sailing. For Carnival and RCI they had to be over 21.

[meyerhaus]

My wife (29) and I (25) had a great time on our Golden Princess Cruise. There is alot to do and you can always find another couple or two of 20-somethings doing the same thing.

 

Some of our favorite things were:

• Dance Classes
  
• Sun bathing
  
• Watching movies
  
• Evening events in the Explorer's Lounge (i.e. Princess Idol & game showy stuff)
  

On shore, there are TONS of things to do...especially if you like shopping. AMy and I don't have alot of money, but, luckily for us, we enjoy window shopping as well, so just trying on the nice stuff was fun.

 

If you like a little more adventure, take some of the more active excursions (or better yet, plan them yourself) on land. We did Horseback Riding, Yacht Racing, and lots of snorkeling.

 

If you want to get a feel for the kind of on-ship things you can do, check out my website by clicking the link below and read some of the Patters.

 

Enjoy,

[Coolcruise02]

Yes, skywalkers is great but it was DEAD! I realize it depends on the time of year but we had the ship to ourselves after 10:00. No one was in the casino or the disco. This cruise (Golden in Feb) was an "older" age group.

[CruiseFever]

Yes, skywalkers is great but it was DEAD! I realize it depends on the time of year but we had the ship to ourselves after 10:00. No one was in the casino or the disco. This cruise (Golden in Feb) was an "older" age group.

 

 

Oh yuk...I was afraid of that

[JettaGirl]

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. I am hoping since it is during winter break, there might be a younger crowd. If not, that is OK also. I am determined to have a great time no matter what circumstances.

 

I was told that the age for booking with Princess is 18? Correct me if I am wrong though because it would just cancel the whole idea.

 

Can anyone varify this before I start booking and planning my vacation? 21 or 18 ?

 

Once again, thanks for all of the responses. You guys are so helpful!!

[tom-n-jules]

Call your TA, they'll know definitively. :)

[Coral]

The age for Princess is 18.

 

It gets more complicated if there is someone who is 17 in the cabin but as long as both are 18 you are OK with Princess.

 

Have fun and enjoy!

[Coral]

Here are the age requirements http://www.princess.com/legal/passage.html :

 

5. AGE REQUIREMENTS; DRINKING AGE; GAMING AGE; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

The minimum passenger age is 6 months on Alaska, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Mexico and Transcanal cruises, and 12 months on all other cruises. Passengers under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a Passenger over the age of 21. In addition to proof of citizenship, regardless of the relationship of the adult traveling companion, all children must have a notarized letter(s) of consent to travel signed by the non traveling parent(s) or legal guardian(s) if both parents or legal guardians are not traveling with the child. This written consent must be presented at embarkation and accompany the child during his or her cruise. Children accompanied by only one parent must present a notarized letter of consent to travel signed by the other parent, unless sole legal custody has been granted. In the case of divorce, adoption or other circumstances, the parent or legal guardian is required to present proof of sole legal custody of the child. The Passengers may be refused boarding if they are unable to produce documentation that the child may travel with the adults who are present.

 

No alcohol may be purchased or consumed by any Passengers under the age of 21. No Passenger under the age of 21 shall be permitted to engage in any gaming activities on board the ship. Carrier kindly requests that you do not bring alcoholic beverages of any kind (except wine and champagne) on board for consumption. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free, from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call will be collected by Carrier personnel for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage. A member of Carrier's security staff will be at the gangway to assist with the storage of your alcoholic beverage purchases. A corkage fee of $10.00 per bottle will be applied to wine and champagne consumed in the ship's restaurant.

[tom-n-jules]

... or check the Princess website!! :rolleyes: :D

[edYYZ]

Yes, skywalkers is great but it was DEAD! I realize it depends on the time of year but we had the ship to ourselves after 10:00. No one was in the casino or the disco. This cruise (Golden in Feb) was an "older" age group.

Same thing happened here. Diamond, May - the WHOLE SHIP was dead after about 10PM. Skywalkers seemed dead all the time - day or night. But I would have to say it feels pretty cool when you wander late at night and it feels like you have the entire ship to yourself. :)