Is Princess for me?

[AlCruiser]

Hello fellow Cruisers,
I am planning a cruise to Alaska in September. I have been on Carnival 6 times and always have a great time, however, I am ready to try a new line. I keep hearing that these are full of MUCH older people and that they are nice but boring. We are not party animals, but do love to have fun. We arein our late 20's and early 30's. Any Suggestions?

 

[Natalia]

Im 33 and I LOVE Princess... however, I am not the "party" type. For Alaska, I know PEB for one loves to cruise Alaska on Princess (I can not say, I have not been yet). Im sure he will weigh in on this post himself, he can give you TONS of info. Understand that Alaska naturally draws an older crowd no matter what line you go on. So you will definitely be in the minority age-wise. I think you will be pleased with Princess though, just dont expect the ship to be hoppin and jumpin.

 

[DJA]

Princess is a great line all around, and our personal favorite - we've done Princess 16 times, along with most of the other major lines, including Carnival... but at your age, and given your satisfaction with Carnival, I'm guessing you won't like Princess as much.

As much as I love Princess... in your case I'd recommend Royal Caribbean for your first try at another line. It's different enough from Carnival to give you a new experience, but won't be as mature or subdued a crowd as on Princess, Celebrity, or Holland America.

Don't know if you've done Alaska before or not, but that itinerary tends to spike the age up and the partying down on all cruise lines, so you'll likely notice a difference no matter which one you choose. Getting drunk and hanging out by the pool isn't quite the same on one of those 40 degree days...

Good Luck!

 

[Cruise cutie]

Well I'm 44 and Dh is 53..we are fairly active and I adore Princess line..in Fact will not be changing anytime before 2009..we have the precise ships picked because they have met our needs..I'd research the bigger,newer ships..the Star,Coral,Island,Grand,Caribbean or brand new this WEEK launched Diamond Princess...They have all the amenities..and both traditional fixed dining or Personal Any Choice Dining.where you choose when and where you dine.We like the trivia contests ,tea at 3:30 PM each day,free ice cream at all served in Dining Room meals or in the Horizon Court at 4 PM.. each day..the decor is restrained elegance..NOT loud brash colors.I do not want to rock wall climb ,nor need to ice skate so that is one of the reasons we enjoy the extra room left over for not needing this room for these things..the bed rooms are plenty big for us..been inside,outside window and mini-suite last year on the Panama Canal cruise which was incredible.The casinos have been kind to us too..:grin...Good luck with your research..we will not be changing as the old" if it ain't broke don't fix it"..enjoy all the fun!!. we get lot's of perks as Platinum Members so we also adore that..The itineraries are terrific too..Take care....:grin..Joanne

 

[AlCruiser]

Thanks for your responses...... I did know that the age goes up for Alaska. I am not a party animal either..but dont like to be in bed at 8 This is a tough decision..but again..thanks for your input...

 

[kendra]

My husband and I are in our late-twenties and will be on the Coral Princess to Alaska - leaving June 5. Let me know if you wind up on this itinerary. It would be nice to know some other younger people.

 

[AlCruiser]

Hi Kendra,
actually we are going the week of Sept 12th. To bad...it would be fun to meet someone before we left

 

[KathyN]

I have been told by other cruisers that have done the Alaskan route on different cruiselines, that one should wait until you have seen more of the world and then go to Alaska, as only then can you really appreciate it's magnificence. Also, they said the cruises attract a much older group who are interested in the sightseeing and natural splendor and that in the evening it is mostly very quiet as everyone turns in early to be rested for the next days tours and exploration.
I wouldn't recommend 20 somethings to take this itinerary unless they not interested in nightlife ie. clubbing, dancing etc. That being said, if you have your heart set on Alaska, I would say Royal Caribbean or Carnival would be a better choice. IMHO

 

[jfond]

I am 28, and my wife is 24; and last summer we went on the Star Princess to Alaska and had a wonderful time. We both like to stay up late, but are not the partying type. There was something in the Skywalkers club every night if you wanted something to do (dance/listen to music). Even though we are younger, we also enjoyed the Art Auction, Price is Right, Nearly-Wed Game, and Bingo. We also liked the commedian performances on the ship. I believe that the "late show" started at like 9:15ish; so that was something to do until 10:30. To us, we did not feel "too young".

On the other hand, we also did not meet anyone else that was our age, but we did meet people of varying ages that we could easily socialize with at meals and on excursions.

Unless you are looking for a party/club atmosphere, then I would recommend Princess to Alaska. This is assuming that you are going to Alaska to see the nature.

 

[JPancake]

My wife and I will be taking our second Princess cruise in November. Our honeymoon was aboard the Grand Princess in March/2001. I was 24 and my wife turned 23 on the cruise. We had an absolutely wonderful time. We don't consider ourselves the partying type but we love to dance and drink responsibly when the occasion arises. There were other honeymoon couples on the ship as well. We never felt "too young". Princess suits us very well.

 

[cannonball]

I have to agree with the posts above, my b/f is 27 and I'm 23 and we have been on 4 Princess cruises with the 5th one booked. We really enjoy Princess although we aren't big partiers. We always stay up late, the late show usually starts about 10:30 and then we'll hit up the casino or chill out some place else on the ship. Sometime we meet people our age, sometimes we don't, although there are always people close to our age onboard.

 

[KathyN]

The age factor and quiet nightlife is mentioned in re: to Alaskan cruise. Caribbean, Mexico cruises are different atmosphere.

 

[bfpierce2004]

the belief that princess is a bunch of old people is completely untrue. i am 18 and i have a blast on princess cruises. i like them more than carnival. they have activities for people of all ages.