1. Seniors Know Who They Are
Seniors on cruises are less likely to disrupt the system, threaten authority, cause havoc in emergencies, and dispute cruise personnel when directed to follow ships' policies. This can save considerable time and effort by the staff. Seniors tend to help with prior-cruise information to others, rather then display tendencies of resisting "no smoking" signs in certain areas and making excessive comments during lifeboat or safety drills. Seniors will diligently follow tours and excursions, and are genuinely interested and appreciate the information being offered. Seniors are rarely late for onboard activities or cut it too close back to the ship from shore.

2. Seniors Rate Higher and Mean More Repeat Business
Seniors are the number-one word-of-mouth business growth factor. They very likely have huge networks of friends, relatives, and acquaintances who will hear all about the cruise. They are disposed to recommend that cruise line, as well as specific voyages, if service and accommodations are up to snuff. Seniors aren't saving up for college for the kids or building the nest egg. They travel much more, and are willing to commit more money per year. They don't have to get off from work or family responsibilities to take a vacation. Younger couples or families are still balancing different priorities. But seniors are more likely to re-book and possibly cruise with friends at different times every year. The budget, work pressures and family schedules of younger groups don't work nearly as easily for cruise vacations. Many cruise lines use customer feedback surveys and coded response surveys at the end of or after a cruise. Seniors regularly register higher satisfaction rates and are a better indicator of service problems than a younger couple or guest. 'Unless the circumstances are extreme, older people are generally more satisfied with the cruise and overall vacation". This factors into performance reviews, pay rates, and even bonuses for certain service groups, like wait staff or tour promotions administrators. Many marketing and airline and vacation web sites depend on feedback from seniors to recommend the cruise to future potential passengers. A little service goes a long way. Seniors have huge buying power in the travel and vacation industry and the cruise lines know it. Younger generations are just not in the same place in life as seniors, who want to have a ball and are ready to take the opportunity to enjoy themselves".

3. Seniors Mean Less Day Care
Seniors are far less likely to be traveling with children and teenagers going out of control. The senior generation of today is the last great generation, they don't tolerate much in the way of bad behavior. A pouch of Kool-Aid or Jell-O poured into the pool will probably not happen with a senior in charge. Younger parents often try to enjoy their cruise and go light on the childcare responsibilities. This is apparently a nightmare for stewards because other guests get really uncomfortable, because it's their cruise too. Many seniors travel with family and grandchildren from toddlers to teenagers without a hitch, warranted to the fact that different cruise lines provide activities programs that provide fun for kids from 9 to 90. It's not to say that all kids act-up, most are minding their manners to a point, but kids are kids and most seniors are great with kids and have lot's of prior experience.

4. Younger Couples and Passengers Can't Leave Work Behind
Work papers, demands for special business publications, carrying huge reports, typing at the laptop or cellphone going off repeatedly. These are annoyances to other passengers and unwelcome reminders of what they are trying to escape. But some passengers can't let go. Who ever heard of a "working" cruise, Ok there are corporate cruises but they are a boat of a different color. These passengers sometimes degrade the experience for everyone. The hold acrimonious business calls in public areas, stare down noisy children or berate raucous swimmers, and express body language that projects superiority. It comes as a rude surprise that they are considered a pill by other guests and are not included in parties or invited to special events. Seniors are much more accessible and understanding of what a cruise is about, even the grouchy ones.

5. Seniors Know How to Cruise
Younger couples, according to this study, don't have as near a good a time, unless they can relax and learn to let go a little. Younger cruisers might have stressful jobs, tense relationships, or try to keep the home fires burning with endless telephone calls to the kids or colleagues, and emails home. These pressures don't disappear during the cruise, just shift to the back burner. Trying to "ride both rails" does them in. Cruise employees quickly identify the "career overachiever". They might not be in shape to do everything they want. They might be work-frazzled or overcompensating for the run-up to their vacation. The wife might need a break from the kids. But they'll burn the candle at both ends and then explode or crash halfway through the cruise, most likely at a social event Cruises can sometimes exacerbate bad habits that emerge during stressful times. Younger men and women present many risks. They drink or gamble too much and pay for it with a few morning afters. Seniors hit their stride early on and stay in the cruising zone throughout. Younger couples are out of sync and perhaps cruising for the first time, and not comfortable with dining en masse or socializing with the same group of new people for a week. By the time they've relaxed, the cruise is over.

6. Seniors are Emotionally Secure and Confident
Seniors are not as "at sea" as younger passengers. Men in their thirties and forties can spend the whole cruise pestering people with their business cards or telling acquaintances about their huge house or impressive job. This is small change for senior citizen men who often have forty years plus work experience under their belt. Seniors are past this "bump" and don't need to impress anyone. Meals, tours, shopping. They have simple prerogatives. They're retired and have a host of experiences to deal from and talk about. They have already achieved some dreams and goals and the confidence shows. Seniors, who don't usually gamble to excess onboard and who can't overindulge in food due to medical issues, dietary requirements, or medication interference, (and plain old wisdom) are more stable. Seniors are less likely to have drunken arguments about that cute other guy the wife was dancing with, or "where did the husband disappear to for 2 and a half hours". If there is a disturbance about noise or a fight it's rarely a pair of seniors. They're also less likely to leave children alone in the cabin or dress offensively. "It's younger, mid-"Boomer" guys who stress out physically on board. "They leave tense jobs or home situations, and try to pack a month of partying into a week. They overdo the sports, the drinking, the eating, whatever. "They're burnt by the time they disembark".

7. Seniors Are Aware of Their Surrounding
Cruise staff hear a lot more of what's going on than passengers think. They know what's going on. They notice when people pay upwards of $20,000 for their dream cruise and up sitting across the dinner table from a guy with a four inch tattoo and a woman with a nose ring. Among the crew, it's known that older people are usually more tolerant of strangers or foreigners, even in today's trouble political climates. It's younger children and couples or singles in the 24-35 year old sector that can really make some shocking statements about certain nationalities or ethnicities. 'People carry their prejudices with them. They just don't realize how much it says about who they really are." Security microphones pick up a lot of stray chatter. Younger couples are more likely to discuss marital problems or money challenges onboard. Seniors will keep confidential discussions like this at home or in private. They'll discuss a ticket price or a meal tab, "but they won't start discussing their mortgage rate or who at work is sleeping with whom".

8. Seniors Know The Ropes And Knots
Seniors are old hands at vacationing together and make the most out of meeting new people and making social connections that may only last for the cruise, but some new friendships continue on to other cruises. They are long settled in their traveling habits and expend little energy agitating against each other. If one wants to participate in a specific activity, they split up for a time with no bones about it. Younger couples are not so adept. One part of the couple is always less secure about being alone. Seniors, conversely, are more experienced as a couple and know how to make others feel at ease or direct a conversation. They will often take the lead or make tactful suggestions when a younger couple wrestles with their pre-cruise demons.

9. Seniors "Know the Drill"
Seniors are more conservative with their health. They're more likely to call the ship's doctor before a symptom or medical condition gets out of hand, and also more likely to obey doctor's orders. If they don't feel well they'll stay in and rest. "[Can you] imagine a 35-year-old married man doing that?" Seniors are valued by cruise onboard staff. They are more considerate and less rude to service personnel. "They've lived through a world war. They appreciate everything." "If a steak gets sent back 4-5 times, the chef might ask who it is. It's probably not a senior citizen." They don't leave their rooms in a constant state of disorder and incur excess damages to the stateroom. They focus on having a good time, not finding the fly in the ointment. Unwelcome attention from male cruise guests under 50 to female onboard staff is much more likely. If such attention comes from a much older man, they are less likely to assault a woman, passenger or employee. Seniors are made of a different cloth, a different generation of morals and values.

10. Seniors Show Respect and Know What To Expect
In the politics of a short or long cruise, manners and maturity play a big part. Seniors are more experienced in dealing with maids and cabin attendants. Some younger women get delusions of grandeur and "ask the maid to zip them up, alter their clothes, even in one case, fix their hair". Some men or kids make huge messes and shrug that the cleaning attendants will take care of it. The Hospitality staff is tested on these matters. Cleaning staff have timed batches of rooms to clean and are "graded" on their completion and feedback. One child using a marker on the bathroom wall for half an hour can take up to three days to clean off, and then repainting might be necessary. Parents are loathe to report these things in time, if in fact they know about them at all. Cleaning staff are forced to become "policemen" and report damages. Younger men used to being cleaned up after might spill colored chips or beer in the room, and not report it until the shift cleaner has 2 hours to finish an entire suite of rooms. The "hotel" mentality takes hold. In contrast, seniors often make their own beds and shift a counter full of toiletries to the side to speed cleaning. Cruiser passengers never see a ripple of this but the crew knows what is going on.

In Conclusion; Senior Cruise Culture
For all these reasons, cruise line and employees are happy to see the senior citizens book up the trips, and you'll see that enthusiasm in the marketing campaigns that heavily feature silver-haired couples living it up. Cruise lines diligently work to present the best possible cruise experience to all cruise passengers and equally welcome everyone to embark, enjoy and experience cruising. Welcome Aboard!!

Note: This general study was conducted over a period of one year, of the cruise industry services offered and interviews with cruise industry personnel from different cruise lines. This part of the study is in no way directed at any specific group, association or cruise line and is intended to show a passenger consensus of the millions of cruise travelers that embark every year on cruises and the experiences and issues that can and have surfaced with the cruise lines.