What if you want "the best" without formality?

[serendipity1499]

I agree with the posters who mentioned Oceania..We have more than 100 days on HAL & it has been our favorite line..However, last Dec. tried Oceania for the first time & loved it..It is a bit more expensive than HAL but certainly worth every penny..

 

Oceania does not charge extra to eat in the alternative restaurants & the food is excellent in all the venues..We even occasionally enjoyed a nice RARE Burger (the best meat) with Fries & a milk shake as an alternative lunch..

 

It's all Country Club casual & their service is the best we've ever had on any cruise line...The passengers are mixed ages, but many of are in their 50's & 60's as they are the ones who have the time & money for the longer cruises..I imagine the shorter cruises would have a younger age group...Their evening entertainment is not as good as HAL's..They add a larger service charge..$12.50 per person per day in regular cabins & believe it's either $13.50 to $14.00 per day for Suite passengers..

 

I believe you will find many people in their 30's & 40';s on your Princess cruise in Alaska, but unless you stick to the shorter cruises such as the Caribbean, you will have an older age group..

 

Cheers...:) Betty

 

P.S. I understand why you are asking this question..I'm in the older age group & don't feel in the least bit offended about your question;) ...

[jmf123]

Have you considered Windstar? (windstarcruises dot com) They have some amazing itineraries and are Country Club casual, open seating. They use both motor and sail power. (Not to be confused with a Windjammer cruise, where formal night is a clean t-shirt!). ;)

 

[happy cruzer]

Maybe if you told us what a small ship is to you, it would help. Also the finest accomodations. I agree Oceania would have alot of what you are looking for. But it is a smaller ship and cabin except suites are pretty basic.

If that size ship and accomodation work, then you could even think about the Princess small ships and Azmara.

 

And I think the Garden Villas on NCL with dining only in the speciality restaurants might work too.

 

Hope you find your niche.

[buttah75]

Maybe if you told us what a small ship is to you, it would help. Also the finest accomodations.

 

Small = anything with substantially more motion than mid-size or larger ships. I can't really say more specifically than that. My husband had to wear a patch on the Disney Magic and will wear it again on the Diamond. I would adore the Windstar; my husband would never go. I just looked at Oceania, and I MIGHT be able to persuade him to do that. I have to consider his well-being, or I'd end up w/ a very sick cruise-mate.

 

finest accomodations= it's hard to put a word to it. Equivalent to a 5 star hotel or even a Relais and Chateaux hotel. How about that?

 

NCL's garden villas look wonderful, btw.

[sunsurf]

We chose Princess for our upcoming Alaska cruise. We're not your "typical" CC members, in that we've been on only one other cruise .

 

 

Great choice! Be sure to check out the Princess board.

 

I wish you and your hubby a wonderful cruise!

[LHT28]

It is not always the size of ship but the Ocean conditions that cause problems

We have been on larger ships & have felt the motion just as much as the smaller ones.

The Magic is almost 3 times larger than the Oceania ships, pick cabins lower down & mid ship if the motion is really uncomfortable.

 

I suspect that if you choose to cruise you may still have to wear the patch no matter what ship you are on.:(

 

Another vote for Oceania here;)

[yellowbird23]

If I were you, I would try Carnival. On our cruise in 2007 there were MANY MANY passengers our age (22 & 25), and they're very laid back about dress code. I think they even allow shorts in the dining room now.

 

We're actually the opposite. Even though we're young, we hated cruising with people our age. In fact, we just got off a Princess cruise where the majority of the passengers were older, and we had a GREAT time. We get along better with the older folk :)

Bless your heart Sabrett! Not only do you look sweet, you are sweet!:D

[lovesublime]

You've already made your decision, but I would have recommended Regent. They have no formal nights-it's country club casual. It's also beverage all inclusive (alcohol). Sometimes they offer free airfare when booking very early. We know people who sail Regent and from what we've heard, it sounds perfect for you.

[buttah75]

thank you lovesublime, but I also wanted to know for the future, so your suggestion is helpful. I just looked at Regent's Alaska itinerary, though, and unless I'm mistaken, there is one formal night. And the other nights, club casual or whatever it's called, seem dressier than Princess' casual nights.

 

I think I'm going to have to start a cruise line!

[vowsatsea]

Bless your heart Sabrett! Not only do you look sweet, you are sweet!:D

 

 

Thank you! :D :p

[ORV]

What an amusing thread.

[jannandjohn]

I think I'm going to have to start a cruise line!

 

After reading that you don't want to be in the company of anyone over 50 (even though you say that you are in your 40's:eek: )

maybe you could call the ship...LOGAN'S RUN....no-one over 50 allowed on board.!

and if anyone has a birthday and turn 50..they get to walk the plank!!

[pauline664]

I have to chime in here. I took my first cruise in May 2007. So i have no experience with ships. However, i do believe that you may be very happy on a RCCL ship we did the Mariner and absolutely loved it, you can be as formal or or as resort casual as you like and resort casual was greatly accepted in the dining rooms. On formal nights there was resort casual to VERY formal so it was no problem in dressing to your comfort level. The food was IMHO ok, That is why i am trying CCL this year. The service was excellent, the cleanliness was superb, and i was very pleased with everything overall, had a bad issue first day but after that it was great.The mix of pax was 30% young(17 - 25 ) then the rest was 40's ? maybe saw very few older people but of course little known to us we went during the end of school so the younger generation was celebrating graduation before college and college graduations also, so consider the time of year you travel also that will help with the age mix. But have a great time and just go as you like. Select the iteniary and the ship and have a great time and just be yourseleves and all else will work out.

[ORV]

So you didn't like the food very well on Regent and think Carnival might be better? Okay:)

[vowsatsea]

So you didn't like the food very well on Regent and think Carnival might be better? Okay:)

 

The above poster didn't say anything about Regent's food. She was referring to Royal Caribbean's food.

[ORV]

My mistake, the Mariner is also a Regent ship.

[Sweet Sadie Sue]

Not necessarily. If I am not mistaken, Regents does not have formal night. At the same time, jeans are definitely not allowed either.

 

Now about the age issue, well, I simply try to get along with everyone.

 

 

You are correct but to me Regent is a smaller ship.

 

The age issue never bothered me and I have cruised for a very long time. Shoot, I remember when I was the youngest person on the ship but had a wonderful time.

 

 

OP, if you want the finer things in life without the smaller ship experience then I would suggest Cunard lines but be prepared to dine in your room for dinner if any type of formal wear would cause difficulty for your family. In the daytime the dress code is country club casual but at night it tends to be a lot more formal depending on the type of cabin you choose and the restaurant in which you dine.

[WriterOnDeck]

Try Windstar. I haven't sailed them in a few years, but due to the sport activity and lack of elevators, the crowd tended younger. I would say 40s and 50s with some scattered on either side.

 

No formal nights ("elegant casual") and a small enough crowd that you meet some great people.

 

We went on transatlantic crossings 5 years in a row and the last time there were just 100 passengers, 35 of whom we knew from previous crossings. The captain and hotel manager had dinner with every passenger over the 14 nights. I have made many good friends on Windstar.

[sail7seas]

Windstar Cruise Line no longer exists. (Nor does Windjammer.....out of busines). Windstar used to be part of HAL but Majestic America bought the ships of Windstar well over a year ago. We saw one of the ships in St. Thomas in December and it looked beautiful. A very different cruise experience.

 

 

What is Sea Dream I have read mentioned here by a few posters? Are you referring to the 'Yachts' of Seabourn? Please share with me info re: Sea Dream if, indeed, that is what you meant. Seabourn is Very upscale..... entirely different product and category than Princess, Carnival, RCI and HAL. Luxury; not mass market.

 

Thanks if someone tells me about Sea Dream.

 

 

 

[greatam]

Windstar Cruise Line no longer exists. (Nor does Windjammer.....out of busines). Windstar used to be part of HAL but Majestic America bought the ships of Windstar well over a year ago. We saw one of the ships in St. Thomas in December and it looked beautiful. A very different cruise experience.

 

 

What is Sea Dream I have read mentioned here by a few posters? Are you referring to the 'Yachts' of Seabourn? Please share with me info re: Sea Dream if, indeed, that is what you meant. Seabourn is Very upscale..... entirely different product and category than Princess, Carnival, RCI and HAL. Luxury; not mass market.

 

Thanks if someone tells me about Sea Dream.

 

http://www.seadreamyachtclub.com/

 

Seadream sticks to the Caribbean and the Med. So other than the yearly TA's, the chances of the ships being too small and too rough would be slim.

[ehfl]

Virtually all cruise lines are pretty flexible. For example on RCL, if you don't want to do the formal nights in the main dining room, then just book a table at one of the smart casual restuarants such as Chops or Portofinos, or you can eat at the casual Windjammer or Sorentos or other places on board.

[greatam]

Virtually all cruise lines are pretty flexible. For example on RCL, if you don't want to do the formal nights in the main dining room, then just book a table at one of the smart casual restuarants such as Chops or Portofinos, or you can eat at the casual Windjammer or Sorentos or other places on board.

 

The OP wants THE BEST-not run of the mill, mainstream cruise line food, service and amenities. And a younger age group. This severely limits the options.

[sail7seas]

http://www.seadreamyachtclub.com/

 

Seadream sticks to the Caribbean and the Med. So other than the yearly TA's, the chances of the ships being too small and too rough would be slim.

 

 

Thanks, Greatam.

[lovesublime]

thank you lovesublime, but I also wanted to know for the future, so your suggestion is helpful. I just looked at Regent's Alaska itinerary, though, and unless I'm mistaken, there is one formal night. And the other nights, club casual or whatever it's called, seem dressier than Princess' casual nights.

 

I think I'm going to have to start a cruise line!

 

Look again. You may have misread. I just looked and there is one informal night:)

[Jade13]

I know someone who cruises on HAL and Princess mostly. They just went on the Azamara Journey and said it was their best cruise ever. No formal nights either.