Cruises For The Over 60 Crowd
The majority of cruise lines are ideal for a more mature crowd, as they will have many opportunities to relax. In most cases, cruise lines provide ships that are easy to navigate and are equipped with sufficient elevators and signage to help along the way. If you are looking for a more peaceful time then many cruise lines operate several adult-only cruises throughout the year.
One of the best companies that offers a classic cruising experience is Cunard, which provides exquisite dining and thrilling entertainment . Other luxury cruise lines such as Azamara Club Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Windstar Cruises are also perfect options for a more mature audience.
Where Do Maine Windjammer Cruises Go
A windjammer goes where the wind takes it. Thats a bit of an oversimplification, but this type of cruise does not have a set itinerary. The ships captain must plot a course that takes advantage of the shifting winds and tides.
This wandering route is one of the best things about a windjammer cruise. The focus is not on reaching the next port or the next excursion the focus is on the journey.
Mega Ship Line #: Msc Cruises
Though MSC is headquartered in landlocked Switzerland, this cruise line has mastered the art of mega-ships, building five of the 25 largest in the world: MSC Grandiosa, MSC Bellissima, MSC Meraviglia,MSC Seaview, and MSC Seaside. Each can hold between 5,300 and 6,300 passengers at maximum capacity. MSC Grandiosa is the newest of the five, offering innovative features like Zoe, an artificial intelligencepowered virtual assistant that can help you with any questions or requests on board, as well as impressive entertainment like the third set of Cirque du Soleil shows at sea . But on all five ships, youll find everything from top-notch dining options to bowling alleys to copious outdoor space for sunbathing. MSC has some plans for mega-growth, too: it has another Meraviglia-Plus class ship and four World-class mega-ships in the pipeline, each with a capacity between 5,800 and 6,850 passengers.
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Aren’t All Cruise Lines The Same
Not exactly. With all cruise lines, on both their big ships and small ships, you can always expect a high quality experience and top-notch customer service. While cruise lines all offer slightly different things, youd still expect them to give you fantastic experience on ships that are very well maintained.
But thats pretty much where the definite similarities end, as its rare for one ship to try and cater to all different age ranges and personality types. While most cruises are open to everyone, its a good idea to look a little deeper to find one that is ideal for you.
Medium Ship Line #: Azamara
Though Azamaras three 700-passenger ships are lovely, with top-quality dining and plenty of on-board activities to fill days at sea, passengers choose this cruise line for the experience at its destinations, which span all seven continents. Azamara not only offers personalized shore excursions , they also do a number of overnights, allowing guests to explore more destinations farther inland. The overnights also allow passengers to experience an evening out on the town in port cities, if they so choose.
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Choosing The Right Cabin
If youre someone who plans on spending a lot of time on the ship relaxing, you may want to splurge on a larger cabin. But if you plan to leave the ship and take advantage of excursions everyday, then you may wish to book a smaller room and save your budget for tours. Likewise, if you’re an extremely social person and plan to spend a lot of time socializing, it may not be worth it to invest in a private balcony. Its important, though, to be realistic about what you can tolerate. If youre someone who will get seasick or claustrophobic without a window, an upgrade is mandatory. Otherwise, the money youll save will come at the cost of a pleasant vacation.
River Ship Line #: Amawaterways
AmaWaterways cruises the waters of Europe, Africa, Vietnam, and Cambodia, with a handful of new ships debuting in the past few years. In 2019, the line launched AmaMagna, a double-wide river cruise on the Danube that features massive 710-square-foot suitesa size unheard of on a river-going vessel. Despite the ship being so much larger than its sisters, the passenger count only increased by 20 percent to 196 guests, ensuring an intimate experience.
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Consider The Cruise Lines Policies
Its also good to look into the individual policies that each cruise line has to determine if they match your situation or not. One aspect to look into are drinking ages, which might vary from one company to the next and will depend on factors such as the embarkation port and whether or not youre in international waters.
Some companies also have different policies about taking alcohol on board. Seeing what a cruise line offers as part of their fare is also a good idea as you will be able to see how much you are going to be getting for your money.
Taking other factors into account is important too depending on your lifestyle and health. Its always vital to check cruise line policies if you are a smoker. Cruise lines also have different rules on the likes of pregnancy too which is always important to check beforehand.
Will I Be Bored What Is There To Do
One of the absolute best things about a Maine Windjammer cruise is the chance to simply relax and enjoy the view. People occupy themselves with reading, knitting, journaling, coloring, watching for wildlife, napping, and just plain staring out at the beautiful Maine coast. There are lighthouses to see, seals at play, stately homes, and gorgeous rocky coasts.
The Riggin has a small library and games, and the music-loving family plays and sings traditional sea shanties. Guests are encouraged to bring their own instruments and join in. If you crave down time, this is a perfect cruise style for you.
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Medium Ship Line #1: P& o Cruises
The British line P& O Cruises is the oldest in the world, established in 1837 to ferry mail and passengers between the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula, but it began to offer leisure operationsthe very first cruises as we know themas early as 1844. The ships cater to a primarily British audience, and they provide good value for a classic cruising experience. Guests enjoy traditional activities like shuffleboard, dance classes, and pub quizzes. The ships typically sail in Europe, though they do have ports of call in Asia and the Middle East.
What Is A Windjammer
A windjammer is a sailing ship with multiple masts. In their heyday, windjammers were working ships, often used to transport goods and for fishing. Todays windjammers call back to the days before the age of steam. These beautiful ships offer the opportunity to explore the seas in tune with the winds.
Our ship, the Schooner J & E Riggin, was a hardworking oyster schooner in the 1920s. Even then she was fast, winner of the only official oyster schooner race ever held, in 1929, on the Delaware Bay. The two-masted sailing ship was re-rigged as a passenger ship, but she still retains her historic character. In fact, the Riggin was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.
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What Are The Highlights
Incredible views of the Maine coast, dotted with lighthouses, is a highlight by day. At night, youll enjoy beautiful sunsets and a sky full of stars.
Raising the sails each morning is one of the fun highlights of sailing a windjammer. Everyone lines up, port or starboard, to raise the sails, while the crew calls out traditional commands and leads the effort. While nearly everyone helped raise the sails, the anchor was a more challenging job. No push button convenience here, the anchor is hoisted with strong people power.
Heres how we described it on our takeover of .
A post shared by Schooner J. & E. Riggin on Jun 12, 2019 at 5:46am PDT
How To Pick A Cruise Line
Sitting down to pick the right cruise for your next vacation is like going to a speed-dating event. You can’t take all day getting to know someone, but you need to figure out whether your personalities match. In cruise parlance, that translates to the fact there are tons of lines from which to choose — but who’s got the time to winnow out the mismatches?
While cruise lines try to persuade travelers they can offer an all-things-to-all-people onboard experience, we’re increasingly seeing them carve out distinctive lifestyle niches. Still, picking the perfect ship — like choosing the perfect love match — is tricky. Even the same line can offer different experiences based on the age and size of a ship and the destination and time of year you’re sailing.
Which line best matches your personality? Here’s a cheat sheet to get you started. We recommend reading reviews, asking questions on our message boards and chatting with knowledgeable travel agents to further narrow down the choices.
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Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
The average age of a Fred. ship hovers around the 65 mark, and higher on longer cruises or out-of-season cruises. Fred. operates four small, old ships and sell exclusively to the British market . Expect a cosy, traditionally British cruising experience — think Afternoon tea, ballroom dancing and gentle pursuits on deck such as quoits and shuffleboard.
Should I Bring My Own Drinks
Coffee, hot and iced tea, and water were served with meals. There is also water available from the sink in each room . Bring your own liquor, beer, wine, and spirits if you choose. Some guests brought juice, soda, and bottled water but the ships water tasted good to us. There is a shared cooler with plenty of room for your beer or wine, and ice cubes are always available.
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The Giant On The Danubethe Amamagna
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Launched in May 2019, the AmaMagna, is a double wide vessel, & carries 196 passengers.
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It has expanded on board facilities4 restaurants 5 bars, 2 massage rooms, and a water sports platform.
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It can only sail on portions of the Danube, as their extra width does not allow it to use some of the locks on the Danube River
Cruise Lines For A Livlier Experience
As we alluded to there, most kid-friendly or family-oriented cruise lines are going to be quite lively have a fun and energetic atmosphere. Norwegian Cruise Line is a company that offers a fun cruise experience and Carnival Cruise Line is another great company for those looking for something more up-tempo. Many cruise lines have great onboard activities too that can range from water sports to cooking classes.
For the majority of cruise lines, you will be able to have an experience that matches your personality as most of the events are going to be optional and you wont be forced into anything. You will be free to create your own cruise experience. Unless youre an extreme introvert or extrovert, youll find most companies can match your personality.
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Medium Ship Line #: Crystal Cruises
While many cruises are notorious for charging guests for alcohol and specialty dining options, Crystal practices a generally all-inclusive fare structure covering all drinks , one specialty dining reservation per passenger , 24-hour room service, and a Wi-Fi package. The line has just two ocean-going vessels, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, which both have capacities of fewer than 1,000 passengers and sail global itineraries.
Large Ship #1: Costa Cruises
Italian cruise line Costa Cruises, which operates under parent company Carnival, has quite a history: It was founded in 1854 as a cargo shipping company, transporting olive oil and textiles around the world. Transferring to the leisure cruise side of the business in 1959, Costa now operates 17 shipsthe majority of which accommodate between 2,800 and 5,300 passengersthat sail all over the world, with two more scheduled to join the fleet by the end of 2021.
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Medium Ship Line #: Silversea Cruises
Silverseas fleet has five ships, of which just two are technically medium-sized, with passenger counts around 600 peoplebut thats considered quite a large number for the luxurious cruise line, which specializes in smaller vessels, including five ships in its expedition fleet. Silversea Muse is the newest and largest ship, making her maiden voyage in 2017. Despite her relatively small size, Muse has eight restaurants for her passengers, all of whom are accommodated in spacious suites. As a cruise line, Silversea sails to more than 900 destinations around the world.
Are Offers Of A Discounted Fly & Cruise Package Really A Good Deal
Cruise lines love it if you book a fly and cruise package. The package will most likely include flights to and from the port city of origin and departure, transport to and from the cruise ship and the cruise itself. It is of course an opportunity for them to make more money.
The cruise line may also offer an attractive discount for a fly and cruise package. If you need to fly to your port of origin to start your cruise, this can be a good offer. However, its important to compare this offer with the price of booking flights yourself.
When doing this, add the best flight price you can find when flying into 2 days before cruise departure . Plus the nights at a hotel and transport.
Its an important comparison. Because you may find a cheaper price than the cost of a flight that the cruise line offers you, even with the discount. If the cruise line flies you in the same day your cruise departs, then they are responsible for getting you to the cruise ship on time and you should check that a transfer from airport to cruise port is included.
If you book your flights yourself, you must make it to the port on time, it becomes your responsibility. Therefore we always recommend that you fly in at least two days before departure. Or more if you want to enjoy the city of embarkation before you cruise. For example Barcelona, Rome, London and Athens are some of the most fantastic cities in the world and deserve to be explored before you cruise.
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Where To Get Tested And Which Tests To Get
There are two types of permitted tests: the rapid antigen test and the NAAT . The NAAT includes PCR tests, considered the gold standard for accuracy. The tests must take a specimen from your nose or mouth.
At-home tests are a no-go: International flights and cruises will not accept the home tests you can buy at your local pharmacy that offer immediate results. These tests will be most useful to test family visiting you for the holidays or if you fear you have contracted COVID and want to know right away. The Binax Now home tests are known for their accuracy and cost about $25.
Testing sites: There are numerous testing sites in South Florida that will provide you with the paperwork you need to travel. Holy Cross Urgent Care, which has sites throughout the region, says there is no cost for the test if you have insurance however, the centers require an appointment with a doctor, which can cost up to $262. Holy Cross says antigen results are available in 15 minutes and PCR results take up to 24 hours.
Many sites send the specimens to Quest Diagnostics to process. A Quest spokeswoman said the turnaround time is currently within one day for most PCR tests, and labs will remain open throughout the coming winter holidays.
Our labs run 24/7/365, spokeswoman Kimberly Gorode said. We will be processing specimens on all holidays.
There are also public drive-through sites offering testing in South Florida, but they dont guarantee results in time for your travel.
Large Ship Line #: Royal Caribbean International
Though Royal Caribbean is perhaps best known for its mega-ships, it has quite a number of large ships, toothe 3,100-passenger Voyager-class ships, for instance, were once the worlds largest, until Royal Caribbean debuted the larger Freedom class and subsequently the Oasis class. Each class had its own series of firstsVoyager of the Seas was the first ship to have an ice rink and a rock-climbing wall, while Freedom of the Seas introduced the first FlowRider surf simulator at sea.
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Best Music Festival Cruise: Norwegian Pearl
Courtesy of Kiss Kruise
- Duration: 3-5 nights
- Ship Name: Norwegian Pearl
Cruisers looking to let their hair down and soak in some musical vibes at sea should consider a music cruise with Sixthman. The company charters major cruise ships like the Norwegian Pearl to offer music festivals at sea a great way to meet like-minded adults. The Kiss Cruise from Miami features two shows from Kiss , and other fun activities with the band. Norwegian Pearl also hosts cruises like “Runaway to Paradise” with Jon Bon Jovi, “Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea,” the “Outlaw Country Cruise,” the “311 Cruise,” and many more. After the show, passengers can dance the night away at Spinnaker Lounge and Bliss Ultra Lounge and Night Club.