What Cruise Line Should I Choose?

Question

I'm trying to book a cruise vacation for my parents. They are between the age range of 50 - 60 years old. What Cruise line is best to give them the greatest time?

Note: I need a boat that leaves from the ports around Los Angeles.

kenny, I said around the L.A. area, not Florida.

Answer 1

Princess is geared more to their age group

even Carnival is the line I prefer and i good for all ages and is a little cheaper, if that is a concern

go to the websites and look and see what you want

Answer 2

Okay, I have been on lots of cruises. It really depends on the people. Carnival I would not recommend for older people, especially your parents as it is more of a partying cruiseline.
Royal Caribbean would be okay, but it's a little higher priced and it is usually more for families, and since I believe they would be going bythemselves I think you could find something alot better. They do have a wide variety of destinations though.
Celebrity would be a good choice. They have an upscale type of cruise, a wide variety of destinations, and the crew is amazing. The prices are average compared to other upscale cruise lines and they have the best food and service. The people are just fantastic and the staff is the some of the best I have ever encountered.
NCL is too controversial for me to recommend. Some people love the free style, eating when and where you want, and how casually dressed you want to be. I think that their are just way to many kinks to be worked out and some of the staff is really rude. The all American staff ships are probably the worse as they can be ruder then some of the foreign staff.
Princess is more of an upscale type of cruise line as well. They do really great Alaska cruises and have more of an older crowd and fewer kids.
Holland America is an older type of cruise line but they have some good deals and I really don't know alot about this cruise line. The clientel is older and everything and the prices are usually higher then some of the other cruise lines.

Side Notes: I would go for at least an oceanview. More cruise lines leave from the LA area so that shouldnt be a problem. If your parents get sea sick, then I would book a cabin towards the bottom of the ship in the middle. You feel the ship rock less and you can still see out your window. If you really want to give them a great time, I would book a balcony. I know they would love being able to go out there whenever they wanted and really enjoy it. Also I would either a Hawaii or Mexican Rivera Cruise. They have some 2 week Hawaii cruises that go out of LA, but it depends on your budget.

I would personally recommned Celebrity or Princess. I think that you may have to use Princess though, because I believe that Celebrity stopped doing Mexican Rivera cruises. I also believe that you can do them in the fall and up until around April is when they start the transition from Mexico up to around the Seattle area for Alaskan cruises. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Having done them all many times, I would suggest that you might consider either Holland America or Princess. Both are owned by Carnival, another lines that also does Los Angeles sailings. They are a step up from Carnival though. If carnival were a car it would be a Chevy and these are the Buick's of the fleet. LOL

Not that ANY ship might provide them with a fantastic experience but these two lines cater more towards their age group although I know lots of people (me included) that enjoy younger crowds.

The ships are lovely, the food and entertainment is great. I would also not overlook Royal Caribbean as their product and service is great as well.

Also consider a repositioning cruise out of Los Angeles. These ships have been in Alaska all summer and they are relocating or repositioning to the Caribbean for the winter. Some lovely ships that don't always operate out of Los Angeles have excellent prices for cruises.

What I would suggest is the services of a good Travel Agent that specializes in cruises who could help you find the perfect ship, sailing date and PRICE! Never pay the price in the brochure as there are "deals" to be found. That is why an expert like that could really help you. Best of all it is free. Most agents don;t charge a service fee when you are booking a cruise. If they do, find one that doesn't but find a Cruise Expert at that agency. Someone that knows the sips and the prices and can find the right ship for your parents.

What a wonderful thing to do for you parents. They obviously did a great job raising you so they deserve kids like you!

Answer 4

I am 50 and my husband is 52. We just got back from a 10 Princess Cruise and had the best time. Everything was exceptional. We are very active and kayaked, hiked, and snorkeled. I would not suggest Holland for your parents. They're just too young for the 70 to 80 year average for that line. Carnival is a great bargain ( I've been on 3) , but tend to have too many kids. Disney is more expensive and again child centered. Also the shorter cruises have a larger percentage of party animals. 7 days and up are sooo much better. For more info try [e-mail] or cruisecritics.com for any cruise related question answered by veteran cruisers who love to share.

Answer 5

I have been on many cruises and I am in that age range. I suggest Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, or Holland America. All of these are great cruise lines with good service and cater to a mixed crowd of passengers, but not the party people that cruise on Carnival. (Carnival and Disney are the two lines they should NOT go on) All of these have cruises out of Los Angeles. You can find the cruises available by going to their respective web sites and selecting cruises leaving the LA port. You may also want to consider cruises from San Diego which is not that far away.

All of these cruise lines pretty much offer the same types of on-board activities; shows, demonstrations, activities at/around the pools, a casino, great food and service, and great tours from the ship.

You need to discuss with them (unless its a secret or surprise) what they would like to do. The choices range from Alaska, to the Mexico ports (Cabo, Acopulco, Puerto Vallarta, etc), to the Panama Canal, Hawaii ( we plan to do a 15 day to Hawaii out of San Diego next year), and even south America and the South Pacific.

Answer 6

I would recommend Royal Caribbean or better yet, Celebrity Cruise Line. Believe it or not, I haven't managed to take a Disney Cruise yet, but that probably would be a good one too. Royal Caribbean does have cruise ports on the west coast....

We've only been on Carnival once - I probably wouldn't do it again. They gave me the impression of being what I'd call a "hoochie line". Caters more to singles, topless sun-bathing decks, and seem to be all about partying & getting some....not really as family oriented as their commercials try to make them look, from my experience. They're kind of like Las Vegas - trying to put themselves out there as "family friendly" but not really succeeding.

Answer 7

How nice of you! The standard answer is usually Holland America or Crystal and one of the other luxury lines. However I'm directly you to some experts on my favorite cruise website. The first is a page on senior cruising. On the second you can search for cruises that leave from LA.

http://cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/area.cfm?area=31

http://cruisecritic.com/ports/homeportmain.cfm

Answer 8

I went on the Carnival Pride from Long Beach California and I could not recommend it higher. I had such a great time. I was not looking for a party boat, I was accompanying my 13 year old daughter as she was performing with her dance troupe on the ship. It was classy, elegant. The food was awesome and I felt like I was experiencing life as a rich person!!!
I loved every minute of it and there were lots of older people, families, and I found it quite sedate. The crusies here in Australia seem to be just floating nightclubs and they are always coming back with people arrested for drugs, one woman was even killed by being given an overdose of a date drug, and molested and degraded while in a drugged stupor.
Carnival was awesome....your parents would love it I am sure.
Especially the food.....You americans sure know how to eat well!!!!!! :-) I have never eaten so much yummy food in my entire life!!!

Answer 9

They will love Princess Cruise lines. See if Princess has a cruise that leaves from that port. We did the Alaskan cruise with them and it was the greatest vacation we have ever had and that is our age category. I believe they may have one that leaves from San Diego.

Answer 10

I would try Royal Caribbean Cruise line. I have been on four cruises and by far that is the best one.