Is cruising for families of just old people?

Years ago, cruising was said to be for the newlyweds and nearly dead. Even then it was not really an accurate picture of who cruised but just the same, cruising has changed over the years. Most would say cruising has changed for the better but then again it is all about perspective. Cruising is open to a wide spectrum of different cruisers.

Cruise ships these days range from 12 passenger luxury vessels to ships that can carry at maximum passenger capacity well over 6000 passengers.  That is a 1:500 ratio small ship to big ship.  From a cost standpoint, which is somewhat hard to compare because that small luxury ship includes everything you could want where the big ship has tons of add on items to get to the same experience and you can never make the big ship into the peaceful oasis like you would fine when cruising with only 12 passengers. 

With such a wide range of ships available, there is a ship that fits pretty much every personality. Some ships do lend themselves to a less active crowd while other ships are an abundance of activity nearly 24 hours per day.  If you are a new cruiser you should consult a travel agent to get information about what cruise is best for you. Every ship you see advertised does not fit every family or couple and picking the wrong ship can leave a really bad impression of what cruising is all about.

Cruise lines and even ships within lines are designed to attract a particular audience. Some ships go as far as stating explicitly that certain groups are not provided special services on their cruises leading a good agent to redirecting that audience to a more appropriate ship. This allows the cruise to attract a more similar group of passengers which tends to make those folks happier.  Few ships though explicitly exclude specific groups of travelers though. Usually it is the flip where specific audiences are targeted. 

Watch the advertising for specific cues. Carnival calls their ships fun ships, advertising for Royal Caribbean is family oriented, advertising for Cunard showcases luxury travel. That the cues to another level, isolate specific ships with unique features and destinations and you begin to see what ships work for each audience.

Cruising now has something for nearly everyone so get out there and enjoy a cruise.