An adults-only cruise can mean very different things.
There are some cruises that are both all-adult and wholesome. Many charter cruises, for example, like “The 80s Cruise” and other music-related trips are 18+.
In addition there are lifestyle cruises like the “Big Gay Cruise,” which are adults-only, but not overtly adult. There are, of course, swingers cruises, nudist cruises, and other charter voyages that some passengers would see as more capital A adult than others.
Carnival Cruise Line has adults-only pool and sun deck areas on its ships. It also offers comedy shows that are 18+, but it’s a family-friendly cruise line.
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Most areas on Carnival ships cater to all ages. And while there is a curfew of 1 a.m. for passengers under 18, that’s only for kids who are not accompanied by an adult.
People of all ages are welcome everywhere on Carnival ships, and that includes the bars. Carnival, like its rival Royal Caribbean, has embraced the idea of nonalcoholic mocktails.
These are being offered to cater to both people of legal drinking age who simply want less alcohol and people who are under the age of 21 who want a bar-like experience.
Not every Carnival cruise is packed with kids, but every cruise the company offers will accommodate children. That’s not something every passenger of the cruise line is super happy about.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival answers adult-only question
One Carnival passenger, Florence Thompson Hobson asked Heald about the possibility of the cruise line offering an adults-only cruise.
"Dear John, can you please arrange an adults-only cruise? Not a weird, alternative lifestyle one like Virgin Voyages, just a nice, relaxing, quiet adults-only voyage," she wrote.
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Heald politely ignored the implied bigotry in the post and responded to the core question.
"Thank you. I don’t think that’s ever going to happen, and I want to say that quite honestly. We are a very proud family cruise line, so I don’t think this is possible at all. Thank you. There are obviously times when there are fewer children on board," the Brand Ambassador wrote.
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Longer cruises and cruises during the school year tend to have more adults and fewer children.
Virgin Voyages are 18+ but they do not cater to any specific "alternative lifestyle." The cruise line, like Carnival, welcomes all passengers, no matter their lifestyle.
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Bob Kissinger did have advice for Hobson.
"Not happening, as Carnival is proud of their family reputation. That said, if you sail on the longer Journeys cruises during the off-season, you will have minimal young passengers. Last Journeys cruise we were on had seven children on the entire ship," he wrote.
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