What are the best adults-only excursions – excursions that not only ban children but also cater to the tastes and preferences of adults?
You might ask because you just spent time on a super ship where the kids took over the pools and hot tubs (not to mention the elevators), leaving you feeling extremely frustrated. Or, you might be looking for a vacation with more lectures and less limbo, or perhaps an excursion that’s more R-rated than G-rated.
Alas, the list of adults-only excursions is short. Only a few cruise lines ban children from boarding their ships and promise adult excursions – perhaps most notably to those new to cruises Virgin Trip and grow fast Viking.
In fact, the trend of cruises in recent years is more family-focused, with more children appearing on the ships. Indeed, some of the biggest, most popular yacht brands have Leaving full of boredom after the family marketso much so that the sunlit top decks of their ships can sometimes seem more like a scene from “Daddy Day Care” than a blissful vacation.
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Don’t despair, though. Even as many routes double down on the family market, there is still a small group of cruise operators that still focus on the idea of adults-only excursions.
Here are our picks for the best adults-only cruise lines, with a mature feel to boot.
Related: A beginner’s guide to choosing an itinerary
Virgin Trip
The much-supported new line from Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group has banned children under 18 from boarding their ships. It’s part of an effort to create a more sophisticated, adult-focused feel that company leaders say is sorely lacking in the yachting world.
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“We did a lot of research to really try to create a sophisticated experience,” said Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin said in the days before the launch of the line. “I did some personal research. We found that when you put kids in the pool, they scream and we don’t want that to happen.”
Related: I have been on over 150 cruise ships. This is what I think about Scarlet Lady
Sailing from Miami from late 2021, Virgin Voyages’ first adult-only cruise ship, the Scarlet Lady 2,770 passengers, caters to adults looking for an adult type of fun with offerings such as interactive dance parties and sex-themed variety shows. It also offers a karaoke room with pink purple karaoke rooma tattoo parlor (read about how one of our employees among the first to get squid on board) and drag the queen brunch.
What you won’t find on Scarlet Lady — and a more recently revealed sister vessel, brave lady — is the waterslide, splash zone, teen lounge and all the other family-friendly features that are becoming all too common on larger ships.
Two more adult-only Virgin Voyages are scheduled to launch in 2023 and 2024.
Viking
In choosing to create an adult-only cruise experience, Virgin Voyages took a page from rapid growth Vikingthe play of. Viking’s eight-vessel cruises division has banned children under the age of 18 since it launched in 2015. Additionally, its 80-ship river cruises division already has some sort of degree limit minimum age for more than two decades. (Originally, the limit was 12 years old; as of 2019, that number also increased to 18 years.)
Virgin and Viking are not the same. Virgin is designed as one line will attract thousands of years and older travelers who want to party like they’re millennials. Viking is the anti-millennium line.
Its target market is in the 55+ bracket. It focuses on that demographic with a premium, destination-focused experience that focuses on what the industry calls “enrichment” – onboard lectures and other learning opportunities. It also highlights tours that include a focus on history and culture, as well as entertainment offerings geared more toward string quartets than string bikini dancers.
Richard Marnell, Viking’s executive vice president of marketing, told TPG: “What we’re trying to do is try not to be all things to all people. “We don’t have a children’s program. What we have is . . . [an] immersive experience best suited for intellectually curious people.”
Cruise P&O
This line of British history clearly sees a need for adults-only cruise ships, but it hasn’t given up on the family market either. The line divides the difference between the two segments. Five of its seven ships are marketed as “family friendly” and open to passengers of all ages. The other two (Arcadia and Aurora) are reserved for adults.
Given that more than 95% of the passengers of the Southampton, UK-based cruise line are British, you’ll probably want to be British or a major Anglophile to consider booking. Sailing with P&O Cruises is a very British experience, something that becomes apparent as soon as you see its ships. They have hulls painted with giant Union Jacks.
In addition, you’ll find quintessential British offerings aboard P&O Cruises ships such as elaborate afternoon teas, top deck dishes and restaurant menus designed by master chefs. in the United Kingdom, such as Marco Pierre White.
That said, if you are a Princess Cruise fans, you can feel right at home on a P&O Cruises ship. Nestled under the same company, the two brands are longtime sisters who have switched ships back and forth (though Dutch American fans may want to know that Arcadia actually shares a ship design with that line’s Vista class) .
For reservation purposes, P&O Cruises considers anyone 18 years of age or older at the time of sailing as an adult.
Saga Cruise
Like P&O Cruises, Saga Cruises is a British cruise line that has succeeded in offering adults-only cruises. In alienating young travelers, it goes beyond what P&O Cruises or any other company is doing. The minimum age at Saga Cruises is not 18 or even 21 — it’s 50.
That’s right – you won’t find a millennium or even a lot of Generation X on board Saga Cruises (at 57, even the oldest members of Generation X have only made it past a few years). What you will find are lots of Baby Boomers, many of them retired.
Saga Cruises operates only two ocean liners, both of which only sail out of the UK, along with a number of river ships. Like P&O Cruises, this is probably best for British travelers or longtime Anglophiles.
Other Adult Excursions
In addition to routes that completely ban passengers under the age of 18, some cruise companies allow small children but relatively few of them.
Examples include premium lines such as silver sea yacht and seaport. Small Ship Specialist Windstar Cruise allows teenagers and young adults on board its six ships, but it does not allow any children under the age of 8.
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, which sells both ocean and river cruises, traditionally discourages customers from bringing passengers under 12 years of age except for trips during the Christmas holiday season.
Also, the longer the journey, the fewer children you will find. Book a two-week cruise to a more exotic destination, such as Asia or South America, during the school year on a route like Netherlands USA or Princess, and you’ll mostly be sharing the ship with adults.
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