Avg age on Alaskan cruises -- are we too young?

[teege]

My girlfriend and I, both 23, have been dying to go to Seattle, Vancouver and Alaska. A cruise to Alaska and surrounding areas fits for obvious reasons.

 

That said, I've heard that the age on cruises can be older than what we may have experienced on a carib. cruise last spring. And honestly, we didn't really feel comfortable with a lot of the younger people on the carib. cruise we were on. At the same time, we don't want to be the only couple under 30.

 

I guess the question is: will we feel out of place on an Alaskan cruise?

[COJOMAY]

I understand your concern. Being older, I'm wondering if I will be happy with the young people. LOL

I guess I look at this way -- all people are interesting, no matter what the age. And afterall, I'm going with my wife on this trip to experience the scenery, not the people on the ship.

I'm sure you'll find people who are friendly, interesting and delightful no matter what the age.

[GAPeachessweety]

I'm not speaking from experience by any means because I will be taking my first cruise in a few days but I can say I've read many threads here that indicate not everyone is "older". We are both 45 but I'd say we act "energy, fun stuff" like we are 30-35. And from what I've read some of the "older" folks are a hoot to be around. I'd say go for it. Pick out some awesome excursions that fit your lifestyle (we are going ziplining, river rafting, etc...) have fun and take advantage of the more seasoned cruisers. You might just have a blast.

[minncruisers]

I think it depends on which cruise line you plan on going with. You'd look like a lot of the guests grandchildren if you sail with Holland America.;) I think you'll do well to sail with Carnival or Norwegian if you don't want to look too young. We went with Carnival on our Alaskan cruise and didn't feel as young as I thought we might. There were quite a few families too. My DH and I are both 41 so that might make a difference compared to you. There's still plenty of nightlife for the younger folks on Carnival. Just go, you'll have so much fun.

[kayden]

I think it depends on which cruise line you plan on going with. You'd look like a lot of the guests grandchildren if you sail with Holland America.;) I think you'll do well to sail with Carnival or Norwegian if you don't want to look too young. We went with Carnival on our Alaskan cruise and didn't feel as young as I thought we might. There were quite a few families too. My DH and I are both 41 so that might make a difference compared to you. There's still plenty of nightlife for the younger folks on Carnival. Just go, you'll have so much fun.

 

I definitely agree with this - Alaska is a blast, even for young people (I'm 31 and had a great time), but if you are concerned with the age of the other passengers, check out the NCL line or Carnival. If you go with Holland America (as I did), the ship's average age must have been around 65?

[Travelcat2]

I would definitely continue to research an Alaska cruise on CruiseCritic. Unless you go to Alaska in May or September, there will be a tremendous amount of children on most cruise lines. I have heard wonderful things about HAL and Celebrity (don't even know if they cruise to Alaska). Our experience with meeting people from Carnival is that it is a bit of a zoo (we were on an excursion with 100 or so Carnival passenges and their children -- the parents were guzzling beer -- were very loud -- all in front of kids. I don't typically bash a cruise line -- ...... well, enough said.

 

We were in Alaska May, 2008 -- May can have some of the best weather of the year (they had a heatwave -- mid 70's - mid 80's). I found a mix of all ages on our cruise. . . think you'll love Alaska!

[LisaH]

It will definitely be older BUT you are never too young to appreciate beautiful scenery. You will have a great time.

[martinchem]

Alaska and Hawaii cruises cater toward older folks. Take the Carnival Spirit if you want to cruise with guests closest to your age group. In the caribbean there is always a good mix, but not in Alaska.

[southrj1]

I'm 27 and am going this year. A lot of my friends have already gone to Alaska and have told me that while there are people their age, the crowd is mostly older. If you're going to primarily socialize and meet people your own age then I can see where you might have a problem. But if that is not one of your concerns (as it is not mine) then I don't see why you won't have a wonderful time. Every single one of my friends has raved about their trips and is jealous that I am going without them :)

[jstducky]

I think that cruising to Alaska has had so much more of a broad appeal through the last 10-15 years that the average age of cruisers on board has dropped significantly. But as another poster said, it may depend, at least to some extent, on a particular cruise line and it's reputation.

 

However, I will tell you that I am 28 and I have been on several Alaskan cruises, and I've never felt out of place too much age-wise.

 

Here's a recap

 

1996 - (old) Golden Princess - I was 16 - I definitely felt I was one of the top 10 youngest on board, but back then the average age on my sailing was easily in the 70s.

 

1996 - (old) HAL Noordam - through a strange turn of events, we got off the Golden Princess after 3 days and switched to the Noordam. I felt relatively relieved because I didn't feel so old anymore. Average age had to have dropped by about 10-15 years to a early 60s average age.

 

2003 - HAL Zaandam - I was 23 - I felt that cruising age had really dropped. I certainly didn't feel out of place at all, even though this was a HAL ship. Avergae cruiser age had to have been in the early 50s, but with plenty of families on board.

 

2005 - RCI Serenade of the Seas - I was 25 - this was definitely a younger crowd. Average age was probably in the late 40s, but there were tons of families with multiple generations on board.

[JoyceWatson]

I don't agree with the information about HOlland America. If all you want is a party, then go on Carnival or NCL. The food, service and many other things are much better on Holland America, why do you think there are many older people on those ships? They know what they are doing. I spent my Honeymoon on HA when I was 21, not a problem. Now I have three kids, ages 24, 21 and 13. We sailed on HA last November and they had a great time (all of them). This time my 21 year old is not coming, but I don't think either one of my kids will worry. They always meet people. I am only 45, and I notice people of all ages.

 

Let me stress, Carnival and NCL (I have been on each once, never wanted to spend my money on them again) do not have the same level of service or can they come close to the food that is served on HA.

 

It all depends on what you want, if you don't care about service or food, then by all means, go on Carnival or NCL.

 

I recommend HA or Royal Carribbean.

[JoyceWatson]

Listen, I spent my honeymoon on HA when I was 21. Since then I have been on Royal Carribbean, Carnival, NCL, Costa and Holland America again last November.

 

It all depends what you want. I think that the food and service on NCL and Carnival stink. My family went on HA to the Carribbean last Thanksgiving. My children now are 23, 21 and 13. They all had a great time. I am 45 and notice people of all ages. There are plenty of people under 30, my kids met lots of people, I had to track them down all of the time because they met so many people.

 

Just think about what you want. If you are looking for a party and don't care if you get good service an food for your money, then by all means go Carnival or NCL. If you are looking for quality, then go Royal Carribbean or Holland America. You will meet people if you want to no matter who you cruise with. It is the level of people that you meet that will be different.

[gertz]

There is no place on earth that I have been to, and I have been to a whole bunch of them, that equals Alaska. You will have a wonderful time no matter what,;) and being in Alaska you will be up early each day to see as much of it as you can. You will meet wonderful people no matter what age and you might enjoy us older people.:cool:

 

We did Alaska in 06 3rd time with granddaughter on the Coral, MS with covered balcony and had a marvelous time. Granddaughter is now hooked on cruising. :) Her words. We will be going again next year.

 

That being said sort a put the age thing on the back burner and consider the number of pax on the ship vs its size. That will give you some idea of how crowded it can be. Check out a few reviews on food but pay little attention to very critical reviews. You will start to get an idea of what to expect. Get a balcony. If possible make sure you do Valley of the Glaciers and College Forge.

 

Enjoy.

 

GERTZ

Princess Elite

Next Tahitian 9/18 Vancouver to Honolulu

Coral 4/12 FLL to LA

Island 8/17/09 back to Alaska 4th time w/grandson:D

[3boyzmom]

We cruised Alaska last year on NCL....We're in our mid 30s, and we had our 2 teenage boys with us. I thought there was a nice mix of people on the ship. I would definitely not classify it as "old." And while I've had the "party ship" experience on some Carnival and NCL trips, it definitely wasn't like that in Alaska. There were lots of families on the ship- everything from grandparents to little kids, but there weren't nearly the number of crazy kids running around the ship as on our last Caribbean cruise.

 

In general, the idea of cruising to Alaska has become more appealing to the younger crowd since many of the excursions have changed. It's no longer just a place to go listen to a 5-hour lecture on Alaskan bird species (though I'm sure you can find that on some cruise lines!) Now you can hike, kayak, or even snorkel. I think that has lowered the average age a bit.

 

Start saving your money NOW for shore excursions in Alaska. Many of the best ones are expensive. By far the best shore excursion we have EVER done on ANY cruise was the helicopter to the dog sledding on a glacier by Temsco helicopters. I would do that again in a MINUTE, but it was $400 per person (I hear it's gone up this year.)

 

Enjoy!

[mcbain]

I guess if you are worried about socializing with people who can remember that Paul McCartney wasn't always a solo act, then it is possible you will feel out of place.:D

 

Seriously, we have talked to 4 people, all under 30, who went on an Alaskan Cruise with Princess in '07 and they loved it. Just seems when they talk about it, they focus on the beauty and excursions(one of the ladies is a fitness trainer and says Alaska is perfect for those whose idea of a relaxing vacation is hiking, kayaking, and zip-lining) and never once mentioned anything about feeling out of place. If anything, they got a kick out of meeting people from different countries.

 

But in their case, it was a matter of something that maybe you want to consider also: They decided that they had the finances, the time, and the health to take on Alaska at this point in their lives. Kind of ironic because for one of the couples, this year the wife lost her lost her job in the mortgage industry and her husband's flooring business was only at about 60% of last year. They cancelled a planned trip to Fiji. So as she was showing us her pictures, all she could say was "if you can go, GO!" :)

[labeachcomber]

I'm 27 and am going this year. A lot of my friends have already gone to Alaska and have told me that while there are people their age, the crowd is mostly older. If you're going to primarily socialize and meet people your own age then I can see where you might have a problem. But if that is not one of your concerns (as it is not mine) then I don't see why you won't have a wonderful time. Every single one of my friends has raved about their trips and is jealous that I am going without them :)

 

I totally agree. We just got off the Serenade. Me - mid 30s, SO - late 20s. We definitely were one of the younger couples on board. There were a few young honeymooners and also unfortunately a pack of about 20 unruly drunk college kids.

 

Because the crowd is older, a lot of the activites are skewed towards this. A performer sang big band and swing tunes. There's ballroom dancing classes throughout the week. Hardly anybody was in the nightclub the two nights we happened to go up there.

 

If you're going to Alaska to meet new friends and email pals, then Alaska is probably not for you. But if you're just going to spend time alone, then I'd say it's no concern. We enjoyed our time despite being in the minority in terms of age.

[mtwingcpa]

My girlfriend and I, both 23, have been dying to go to Seattle, Vancouver and Alaska. A cruise to Alaska and surrounding areas fits for obvious reasons.

 

You might consider traveling on the Alaska Ferries. Probably a more eclectic and somewhat younger crowd than you would encounter on a traditional cruise ship. See links below.

[cruise-Z]

Just returned from a cruise to Alaska.

There were quite a few young couples on our cruise. Older people are a majority but there definitely are younger couples, singles on there.

 

Alaska is awesome and with so many adventure excursions, you are bound to find fellow younger travelers

[alaska_lover]

My wife and I cruised Alaska in 2005 and we were in our late 20s at that time. We cruised HAL and did find that the majority of people were "older", but we met some great "older" people and had a blast on that trip. In fact, we are planning another HAL Alaskan cruise for June of 2009. I love the outdoors and both my wife and I were blown away with the beauty of Alaska, not to mention the wildlife. I know we are a tad older than you are, but I can safely say that no matter what the age, Alaska is a trip that everyone should make at least once. I would encourage you to go and not think twice about your age or the ages of other people you may be surrounded by.

 

Matt

[alaska_lover]

My wife and I cruised Alaska in 2005 and we were in our late 20s at that time. We cruised HAL and did find that the majority of people were "older", but we met some great "older" people and had a blast on that trip. In fact, we are planning another HAL Alaskan cruise for June of 2009. I love the outdoors and both my wife and I were blown away with the beauty of Alaska, not to mention the wildlife. I know we are a tad older than you are, but I can safely say that no matter what the age, Alaska is a trip that everyone should make at least once. I would encourage you to go and not think twice about your age or the ages of other people you may be surrounded by.

 

Matt

[alaska_lover]

My wife and I cruised Alaska in 2005 and we were in our late 20s at that time. We cruised HAL and did find that the majority of people were "older", but we met some great "older" people and had a blast on that trip. In fact, we are planning another HAL Alaskan cruise for June of 2009. I love the outdoors and both my wife and I were blown away with the beauty of Alaska, not to mention the wildlife. I know we are a tad older than you are, but I can safely say that no matter what the age, Alaska is a trip that everyone should make at least once. I would encourage you to go and not think twice about your age or the ages of other people you may be surrounded by.

 

Matt

[ddeprez]

Don't get too hung up on impressions you may have of "older" people. Ii just turned 50, and have more energy and do more exciting things than most of the young adults I work with! Two years ago on a Caribbean cruise, we sat at a table with two couples in their very early twenties. We did twice as many activities & excursions as they did, and stayed up much later! Go to Alaska with your only expectations being to have a great time, see beautiful sights, and meet many interesting people that you might not encounter in your day to day life! Give us "old folks" a chance- you might be surprised!!

[joeeless]

Something to keep in mind though. Just remember that age is just a number and how old one is, is in their heads. I have seen 20 year olds who act as if they were 90 and vice versa. Speaking from experience, the only thing that I will say about the number getting bigger is that parts seem to wear out quicker.

[directortk]

We are in are mid 20's, just got back from our Alaskan cruise. I will say we did feel like the only ones our age. There were mostly older folks or younger (teens going with parents). I didn't mind though because for the most part the ship was more like a great hotel to stay at for a week. There's not as many activities going on as there are on the caribbean cruises, much more laid back. The ports were a blast though. There is tons of stuff for younger folks to do from kayaking, hiking, zip lines, you name it. So, for us, we were fine with the relaxed atmosphere on the ship, just let us get rested for the next day.

[Wirral Girlie]

Too Young?...... Too Old??? It doesn't matter, just enjoy it!!!!:D