Are you over 55 and looking to spend your next vacation on a cruise? If yes, the discussion below would surely come in handy for you. Here, we have discussed things one must consider when choosing senior cruises. Read on to find out more.
The ambiance and size of the cruise
Seniors should ideally opt for midsize or small ships that come with similar amenities as the mega ships. That’s because the smaller boats are more likely to offer a comfortable and relaxed ambience that most seniors look for. Additionally, such vessels are also easier to move around.
Seniors can also go for cruises that cater particularly to adult cruisers. For instance, there are cruises that don’t allow kids below the age of 16 years onboard. Less kids means less sound and chaos, which automatically makes the surroundings more serene.
Cabin configurations
As with any other cruiser the budgets of senior cruisers also vary from one individual to another. While there are some who are super rich and find luxury suites affordable there are others who have a modest retirement income. The good news is that there are plenty of options for seniors of both categories.
Seniors, who prefer traveling alone or don’t have any partner, should book single staterooms. The one traveling with their families or friends, on the other hand, must opt for cruises featuring connecting staterooms. These connecting cabins often feature veranda partitions, which open up and creating shared balconies.
Many seniors have health problems like hearing loss, eyesight issues, impaired mobility, etc. These people should always live in accessible cabins during their cruise vacation. As the number of such cabins vary from one cruise ship to another, seniors must ask about availability of accessible cabins before booking their tour.
If you are a senior with disability most cruise lines would do the needful to make your stay comfortable. However, it’s imperative that you disclose your exact problem to the customer executive before finalizing your trip. This will ensure that you get to stay in a cabin that would be addressing your exact needs.
Itineraries
Seniors, particularly retired individuals and empty nesters, often prefer having long vacations. So, often cruises with long itinerary are favorites of these people. Luckily, there are a large number of cruise lines that offer trips lasting for weeks and even months. This gives senior cruisers the opportunity to explore more places or spend more time at a particular place. Here, we must mention cruise lines offering longer trips usually spend more time at every port. Some even include overnight stays (mostly in iconic locations like Paris, Amsterdam, etc.).
If you are a senior looking to enjoy a cruise vacation on a budget, we would advise you to opt for an offseason cruise. Such cruises are cheaper. However, you will be able to board these cruises only if you are retired or have job flexibility. That’s because they never sail during the holidays.
Onboard entertainment and enrichment
Seniors who love traveling often are voracious learners. If you are one of them, you should look for cruises that offer onboard enrichment like sessions by guest lecturers.
Attending these sessions would allow you to gather knowledge about various ports the cruise will take you to. Some would also allow you to know about topics of general interests like politics, science, sports, arts, etc.
There are also cruise lines that provide cruisers the opportunity of developing new skills. Such trips allow seniors go back to their younger days by attending art and craft workshops, cooking and baking classes, etc.
Seniors should also ensure that the cruise line they are opting for have enough entertainment options in store for them. Opt for lines that would organize evening shows almost every day during your trip.
The majority of the top cruise lines have in-house musicians and dancers who would perform every evening for the cruisers. Some even invite popular singers from different parts of the world to make the trip even more special for their guests. Certain ships would also allow you to witness Broadway shows.
Medical facility
When you are on a cruise you are away from all the facilities you get on land. So, it’s important that the cruise ship you are on have all the medical facilities necessary for managing an emergency. Also, don’t forget to carry all your medicines and notify the cruise officials about all your preexisting chronic illnesses in advance.
