Best Cruise Lines for Older Adults and Couples
Whether itās hitting the road with our little trailer or boarding a flight to a new city, I love traveling. One of my very favorite ways to see the world is via a cruise because you only have to unpack once, yet travel to many locations. Cruising is a super popular way to travel, and for understandable reasons. You have all of the amenities of an all-inclusive resort with the added benefit of seeing multiple destinations throughout your cruise itinerary.
My favorite part about a cruise is that you can do as much or as little as you want. If I find myself in the mood for relaxing, I can sign up for a day at the spa, read a book, or gaze off into space and relax. If I want to have a day of fun, cruises are absolutely full of shore excursions and lots of on-board activities, from Bingo to casinos to yoga to comedy shows. Most also have a gym so you can stay on top of your exercise routines.
There are many cruise lines out there, and they range from luxury ships that offer exquisite cuisine and pampering to more affordable trips that are a little easier on the wallet. It can be a little overwhelming when you’re trying to decide which one to book. My husband and I have taken many cruises over the years and have grown quite fond of several cruise lines.
Before we get into discussing our favorite cruise lines, I thought I would share some other cruise posts you might like:
- Essentials to Pack for a Cruise
- Cruise Wear for Women Over 50: What to Pack
- What to Pack for a Riverboat Cruise
Viking
We used this cruise line when we took our riverboat cruise down the Danube in 2019. Since Viking operates both ocean cruises and river cruises, they have over 90 ships in their fleet and offer a wide array of destinations and cruise lengths. This line is perfect for my husband and me since it’s aimed at passengers that are over 50 years. In fact, all Viking ships are adults-only, and nobody under the age of 18 is allowed on board. Viking focuses on cultural enrichment, so passengers get more time to experience the local culture and explore historical sites.
Seabourn
Seabourn is a leader in luxury cruising with destinations around the world. You’ll love their delicious cuisine and wonderful service. They even have a new vessel that is designed for polar areas like Antarctica, which would be such a blast! They offer hand-selected itineraries that take you beyond the reach of larger ships. Seabourn’s intimate ships have a club atmosphere and one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry. I love the idea of that because being crowded together isn’t my idea of fun. There’s also never a tab to pick up because complimentary fine wine and spirits are available on board at all times.
Windstar Cruises
Weāve done several cruises on the Windstar Cruise Line and are huge fans. We like their smaller ships which hold less than 200 passengers. By breakfast the day after boarding, every crew member had memorized our names, so we felt like we were guests on a private sailing yacht!
I love that their smaller ships don’t have food court-type dining. Everything is in a dining room and feels special. You’ll eat like a king (or queen) on board because the onboard menus are designed by Michelin-star chefs and are included in your cruise fare. I can attest that I never arrive home lighter than when I left.
Oceania
These upscale and intimate ships are a little larger than Windstar’s but still small in comparison to some of the larger cruise lines. Although there are only seven ships in their fleet, there is no shortage of amazing destinations. Oceana visits more than 450 ports.
On board, you’ll discover beautiful amenities and a country club-esque ambiance where you can spend your days at sea reading in their gorgeous libraries, doing wine tastings, or taking art workshops or cooking classes. This cruise from Reykjavik to Oslo looks wonderful. They have so many great destinations and itineraries to choose from, including Alaska, Australia, and New Zealand, the Greek Islands, Tahiti and the South Pacific, and the Panama Canal!
Reading about all these amazing destinations has given me serious wanderlust! Do you like cruising? What’s your favorite cruise line and destination? I think our favorite so far has been the Baltic Sea into St Petersburg. I’m so glad we got to experience that while we could.
Oh Jennifer, my favorite subject – Cruising! Don’t you just love the tranquility of being on the water. I could talk for hours about my experiences and check itineraries/prices at least 2x per week and my coffee table is littered with cruiseline brochures (they arrive almost daily). I’d literally live aboard a ship given the opportunity and funds. Embarking on my 8th ocean cruise (all in the past 3 years) next month to the Western Caribbean. Living in SE Florida has it’s perks. Drive and Sail. Personally, I like the Retreat experience on Celebrity and won’t book any trips unless at least a Sky Suite is available (prefer the Royal suites on the smaller revolutionized M class ships with the jacuzzi tubs on the balcony but $$$$ are up there now in line with Regent, Seabourne and Oceania’s penthouse suites). Celebrity’s personalized service aboard, exclusive areas for dining, lounging and swimming (Retreat Guests only) and the butlers make for maximum enjoyment while kicking back and relaxing. Is as though it’s a ship within a ship resort experience, even on their 3 floating cities (Edge Class). Retreat staff know your name after day 2 or 3. Still prefer Seabourne though when my budget allows. Those smaller ships, excellent cusine, better ports with longer stays and the outstanding service beats all imho. (Haven’t sailed Regent yet though). I’m scheduled on a Viking river cruise next year – Bucharest to Budapest. 1st time on Viking. Thinking of booking a b2b by flying to Barcelona and cruising the mediterranean while in Europe. Exciting prospects.
I appreciate reading your take on these cruise lines. My husband and I were just talking about booking one again. We had a Viking River cruise booked that was canceled twice due to Covid. One reason we chose Viking was the more casual dress code. What do you know about dress codes on these other lines?
My husband and are cruise lovers, too. Weāve been on 10 cruises with Azamara. Itās an all inclusive line of 4 ships with less than 700 passengers. Itās the staff and itineraries that keep us coming back. Itās like stepping into nice relaxing hotel. Weāre taking an Italy intensive cruise in June with friends we met on a Panama cruise in 2018. Canāt wait!!
Have sailed on most major lines. Favorites wer a European cruise on Celebrity (concierge class), and Princess to Tahiti on one their smaller ships they bought from Renaissance Cruises.
Taking Viking Sky from Barcelona to Florence this September. Will be a new experience. Last cruise was on one of the Norwegian mega ships. While it has everything, it also has 5,000 people. Never again!
Good Morning Jennifer,
Like many of your readers, we love cruising too. We have only cruised with Oceania 10 cruises in all. Our last one was in November from Barcelona to Maimi. We had a ball. Still have our CPAP cruise What’s App group. With 5 couples ( at least one in each pair uses a CPAP) LOL. One of the couples even cruised with us 10 years ago! We keep in touch on FB. Such fun to meet so many lovely people. I am also in contact with some of the entertainment crew FB and Instagram. Oceania also makes a point of learning your names and preferences. My stylist swears by Windstar and it sounds fantastic too. I used many of your packing and cruise tips to get ready for my November cruise. Thank you Happy sailing
My husband and I have done two Viking River cruisesā¦the Rhine and the Danube and loved them both. Weāre looking forward to doing a Viking ocean cruise.
We have been cruising for decades. We are going on a river cruise here in the USA this month. I’m looking forward to seeing how it differs from ocean cruising. The examples you cite here are all top-end and therefore very expensive. The more mainstream cruise lines can also deliver a great trip. I’ll put in a good word for Holland America Lines.
Jennifer,
You have ignited my wanderlust with this post, along with all the other travel posts that are linked! I think the anticipation of the trip for weeks or months before you go, plus the planning of a travel wardrobe are a big part of the fun. I have mistakenly used my last copy of your very helpful packing list. Would you mind linking it again?
Thank you for all the armchair fun!
~Valla
Our introduction to River cruising was the Viking Grand European tour in July of 2019, Amsterdam to Budapest on the Rhine, Main and Danube. It was a fantastic trip, and weāre so grateful we went when we didnāt have to worry about any virus other than the usual varieties. The ship has to pass through dozens of locks, as you know. Midway through our trip we learned a commercial ship had run into a lock and made it impassable. Because Viking runs tours on each route from both directions, all we had to do was switch ships with passengers on the Budapest to Amsterdam route and continue on our way. Viking paid for everyoneās lunch in that dayās destination while they transferred our bags to the new ship, where we had the same cabin. The worst inconvenience we suffered was having to repackāsmall potatoes that made a big impression!
That’s amazing! Viking floods that route with ships; it’s such a beautiful place to see.
Hi, Jennifer: Question for you here. Great column and commentary btw. I would love to take a cruise, but am hesitant because of my significant other who is disabled and can only walk short distances without using a transport chair. Are some of the cruise lines more accomodating for disabilities than others? Travel has been a real problem for us in various venues even those that are supposedly “disability-friendly.”
Most of the larger cruise lines are very accessible. Not Viking river cruises. Iād stick with Holland America, Princess, royal Caribbean, or Celebrity. Been on all but HA. I use a travelscoot.
Nan, please don’t hesitate to book a cruise. Most of the cruise lines are ADA passenger friendly and onboard staff are accommodating, respectful and helpful. Windstar may present a challenge due to the very nature of sailing yachts and their closer quarters/narrow hallways. From my personal observation and experiences, Seabourne will go out of their way to make you comfortable and the Celebrity ADA concierge will even locate you a rental scooter and attendant if required. Of course, all cruise lines will allow you to bring your own ADA equipment onboard and all but a handful have accessible cabins with roll in showers. Hope this information helps you.
Most cruise lines will be very accommodating, and you won’t have any problem at all!
Leaving on our 4th in a few weeks. Looking forward to itā¦.
Bon Voyage!
We are small ship cruisers!
We have done 2 Scenic cruise excursions in Europe, totally all inclusive!
We were in S . France in September,Absolutely beautiful.
In January we did a 2 week adventure on Windstar ā¦it was the best vacation ever! Such a nice way to spend the month of January.,sandals and sundresses.!
The small ships are our preferred way to go too.
Amazing!! They sound fabulous
We love cruising and have been on many – 28 to be exact! But after picking up Covid last summer on a cruise I am very nervous to go again. Too many people in a small space. It is my favorite way to see the world and feel pampered at the same time. Donāt know if I will ever feel comfortable going again and that makes me sad.
I understand your hesitancy, and it is close quarters. I hate that we have to worry about COVID now.
Elaine,
May I suggest looking into PONANT, a French line out of Brittany. Presently disembarked this morning in St Lucia awaiting flight home to Vancouver in a few days, and best ever! Meticulously clean , with all staff wearing masks ( as per French law) and these smaller Explorer ships 180 max passengers. This cruise was just 123 of us , with 22 French passengers. Try US site , otherwise price in Euros on en.ponant. I believe if you are fully vaccinated, with booster, you will feel secure. They are very definite regarding health , with a small clinic/ pharmacy / hospital supplied with doctor & assistant on every vessel.
My previous trip ( Lisbon to London) last spring , just as cruises restarted required full disclosure regarding Covid. Portugal ,at that time, was the only EU country to require visitors to prove Covid free status. We were again tested by PONANT prior to boarding. We 84 passengers all passed with flying colours. All balcony cabins and suites. Hope this may prompt you to look into this amazing company, Elaine. I am an ardent supporter, with another solo cruise coming up in late May. Only way for me.
Thanks for the great list of cruise lines. We love river cruising with Uniworld, you are treated like royalty!
Our friends cruised on Uniworld and loved it.
We have done two Uniworld cruises (pre-Covid) — Amsterdam to Basel and Budapest to Prague. Loved both of them and planning to book another. Uniworld is pricey, but it is all-inclusive, and you really are treated like royalty.
We have traveled on land and water, for many years, with Vantage. We love the Vantage staffing and the fact that the company offers many land trips as well. Vantage, too, is casual and comfortable and we have met some amazing people on both the land trips and the river cruises. We were in Egypt with Vantage during the revolution of 2011 and the care and attention we received was remarkable. Our son was contacted by phone every day with information on our status, we were evacuated to Jordan, we were flown home from Amman by whatever route was best for us despite our having made different original flight plans, and we were reimbursed for the days that we could not spend going up the Nile. On our most recent river trip on the Danube and Rhine, water levels were low, and so a local tour boat was hired to take us on the portion of the trip that the larger river boat could not travel. We all had a wonderful time!
Vantage sounds like an amazing line with great customer service. I’ve always wanted to see Egypt.
Very timely post today as we are thinking about booking a cruise. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been on one. Princess cruise line to the Caribbean. I think we would like a riverboat cruise. Anyway thank you for the great info.
Currently I am in love with Celebrity Cruise Line ! Top notch food and the crew is just great ! And for river cruises don’t forget American Cruise Lines ! I am a Travel Agent and many people love to see the United States and what a better way than to do it on a ship!
We are hoping to cruise the Mississippi one day soon.
Wait! Donāt forget AmaWaterways! They are also a river cruise line, like Viking, only BETTER. Great staff, lovely boat, great food.
I would also like to mention Regent for ocean cruises – a step up from Celebrity, but not as $$ as Oceania.
We are Regent Seven Seas supporters, too, Catherine! We love the all-inclusive aspect and the personal connections with the wonderful, caring staff. The ports are fantastic and the included tours are always very special!
We travelled most summers (my husband was a teacher) with our children but didn’t start cruising until retirement. The smaller cruise lines look lovely but are not in our price range however we’ve had wonderful cruises with Holland America and Celebrity. No cruises in the last 4 years but we have 3 planned for this year, including one in the Caribbean with our children and grandchildren as an alternative to a week in a beach rental. No one has to shop or cook or clean, we can just enjoy each other’s company!
We also took an Alaskan cruise in 2018 with our kids and grands. It was great. Like you said no one had to shop, cook, or clean! We had dinner together every night in the main dining room. Because Carnival allowed 2 year olds in their childrenās program and we had twins, that was our choice. And the ship and activities WERE fun. This summer we are going on Royal Caribbean to the western Caribbean.
I must mention Gate1 travel.com for river cruises. They are very affordable and may only lack 2 bells and a whistle. Ha. Viking and our ship were together at every port and we had to tender through each othersā sometimes.
Those sound so fabulous! Great points…you can just enjoy the family.
Viking for us every time. No casino, no noises, no kids, very casual. The extent of dressing up was a knit dress and scarf. No need to impress. Very nice tour opportunities or you could do your own thing on shore if you had previously been to the cities, which we did a few times. We loved it and plan to go back. I would definitely not enjoy a huge cruise ship, as I donāt want or need manufactured entertainment every night. I look for peace and relaxation when I go on these trips, not Vegas!
Weāre not into lots of entertainment at night either so the Viking was perfection.
Thank you for this article we are taking our first Viking in September, before we always did Holland America. I canāt wait to read what to pack I have no idea since it has been so long and I read Viking is more casual. Thank you for this article.
Janice, Viking is very casual. No long dresses for women, no suits for men, altho a jacket might be used. My husband wore a nice collared shirt and a vest with his long trousers. He didnāt take a jacket other than a warm fleece. Good walking shoes are essential since the tours sometimes involve a lot of walking. You could have one pair of nice shoes for wearing on the ship, for instance.. I took booties. No fancy stuff. I packed one dress, wore it once, and home on the plane. Otherwise nice pants and top worked fine. They furnish hair dryers, you wonāt need that. We tend to dress up a little when traveling, no slouchy sweats or big white tennis shoes . We try to look more like an older local person might look..
You will love Viking! Itās so much more intimate.
Great summary of cruise lineās Jennifer. We love cruising and have really enjoyed the SilverSeas line. The service is fantastic and love the smaller ships so we donāt feel like in are on a floating city. Itās low key which suits us fine. Itās a great way to travel, not only because of the service but also the opportunity to visit different ports and if there is one that you want to explore further, you can visit another time. Bon voyage!
Our friends loved their SilverSeas cruise. We have to check into their itineraries. The floating cities arenāt our cup of tea either.
We, too, love cruising! We havenāt since COVID though and had one scheduled for Australia/New Zealand and I had a heart episode and couldnāt go. Our travel buddies said it was great but the ship missed ports because of New Zealandās strict requirements about ship hills, etc (long story). I have to say that China was the most interesting and the only place where we felt totally foreign, no āsilver blond haired peopleā that we saw. At the panda reserve I was having a ābad tummy dayā and sat to rest and people would touch my hair, one couple even put their baby on my lap for a photo. There is always an unexpected spot on our trips that are breathtaking – Malta, Valletta, a sweet craft village in Hungary. We have cruised with a number of cruise lines all of which have pros and cons. Tauck Tours are great!
Iām so sorry to hear about your heart episode. I hope everything is stable now. Iāve always wanted to see China and a cruise sounds like the perfect way to do it.
Thank you for the suggestions/synopsis of the various cruise lines! My husband and I have only been on one cruise which I would highly recommend. The Hurtigruten cruises (both north bound and south) along the coast of Norway are truly spectacular. These boats were the original mail boats (modern versions now, of course) for the country and still serve as supply lines for the ports. The stops along the way offer great opportunities to see a part of the country that would be impossible otherwise. I wish I were on one of those boats right now!
Those sound amazing!! Iāve never heard of that line. Thanks for sharing with us.
Weāve done two Viking river cruises and one Viking ocean cruise and have found them to be wonderful. The ocean cruise had an on board historian that gave several lectures which were insightful and very interesting! We were in Croatia, so one of the talks was about Game of Thrones which we love. He related many of the events and characters to historical people and events but made the lecture fun, not at all dry or boring.
The Danube River cruise was awesome! Wonderful shore excursions! We extended our stay in Budapest which I highly recommend. I also would recommend the RhƓne in Provence which was beautiful! A stay in Paris for a few days really rounds or the trip.
The RhƓne is on our bucket list. Budapest was fabulous!
We are doing the RhƓne in August with AMAWaterways. It will be our second time on the Rhone. Lovely area.
Nice!!
Loved your suggestions on cruise lines. We did the Viking Riverboat Rhine Cruise from Switzerland to Amsterdam last spring and it was fabulous. My first experience on a riverboat and I am ready to go again. We also met a couple we keep in touch with and we are meeting them at the coast of Spain in May! I am curious about Windstar and want to check them out. My husband is a lake sailor and would love their boat experience. I have read your posts in the past for cruise packing and they were very helpful. Have a great day!
It all looks wonderful but I have a deathly fear of the water. I have heard it all, big boats, you will never know you are in the water. Hmm, yes I will. But it all looks so relaxing and entertaining.
Truth be told, I’m not fond of the water either but for some reason I am not afraid on the ships.
My husband loves to sail too which is why we started on Windstar. The stabilizer bars keep them from tipping which makes me happy š
My husband and I love to travel but always said we wouldnāt take a cruise until we turned 70. That happened a few years ago but we havenāt taken one yet because weāre worried we wonāt like it. But this gives me some motivation to try it. Sounds like youāve had many great trips!
I think youāll love them. They can be just as busy or quiet as you like and the destinations are fabulous.
We took our first cruise, destination Alaska. We weren’t sure we were going to like ship life but it was wonderful and a great way to see the state and a good starter experience for us. What a shock when we got off the ship and had to start paying for things again! We took a second cruise to the Mediterranean with another couple and I’ll never forget taking a yoga class on the bow of the ship with the large cathedral of Marseille in the background! Both ships were smaller than 750 passengers and we loved every minute of our experiences. I don’t think I could do more than a week though. I live and work on a ranch and can’t sit still much longer than that!
Good morning, Jennifer! My husband and I have taken all 3 of the cruise lines you mentioned, with Windstar being our favorite. Viking’s ship (it was an ocean cruise) was lovely, Seabourn had the best entertainment — almost Broadway-level quality, but Windstar’s service was over the top. We have many pictures with the staff and they always make me smile. Thanks for a wonderful blog!
Weāre hoping to take another Windstar this summer. Theyāre just wonderful.
Good morning Jennifer, my favorite topic cruises. My husband and I took a Viking cruise on the Danube. What a wonderful way to visit Europe. We met a very nice couple and still keep in touch with them. Our very favorite cruise line is Celebrity. We have taken 7 cruises with them not including the one we have scheduled for Aug 24th on the Mediterranean. We always book their Aqua Class cabins.
So fun talking about cruisesšš
Have a great day and keep on cruising
We just love cruising!! Iāll have to check into the Aqua class cabins.
Good morning Jennifer,
I just got home from a 10 day cruise to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. So nice to get away from the cold weather. This was a family cruise of brothers and sister all over 65 with spouses. We had a great time! We went with Celebrity Cruiseline and thought they were excellant. Depending on what time of the year you go you will find most passengers are senior citizens. The last 2 cruises we’ve been on have been all older adults. We’ve been on Princess and Carnival. Carnival seems to have a younger crowd and some have duty partying.
If you have a bucket list of countries you’d like to see, you can’t beat cruising. The unpacking once and great food and service is the best.
Wish you had posted the “what to pack for a cruise” a couple of weeks ago. Lol.
Your trip sounds amazing! How fun to get all the siblings together.