A cruise experience is defined not just by the itinerary but also by the company onboard. If you’re looking forward to a romantic sailing getaway, you probably don’t want your pool time punctuated by children making a splash… Adult-only cruises are the ideal solution. From smaller luxury yachts to feature-packed ocean cruisers, you’ll have plenty to choose from. Let’s take a look.

Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages are one of the few adult-only cruise lines. It’s a great choice for young-at-heart adults who want to see the world but aren’t necessarily looking for white-glove service. These all-inclusive cruises give you an interesting line-up of bars and restaurants in place of the typical buffets. The onboard entertainment ranges from multi-form theatre to pool parties and drag queen cabaret.

Virgin Voyages sails through the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Europe, and North American seas. You can cruise to Spanish & Italian Hot Spots, enjoy a 7-night sailing holiday to the Greek Islands or take longer voyages from Reykjavik to Amsterdam & Portsmouth. Their themed cruises like the 6-night Virgin Voyages Comedy Fest are a popular choice too.

Viking River Cruises
These Scandinavian ships are known for their open-airy layout and can accommodate just around 150 cruisers at a time. The beauty of cruising with these ships is that every cabin has a veranda view! While you’re unlikely to find a casino or a theatre on these ships, there’s plenty of space to lounge, relax and appreciate the passing views.

Viking cruise ships sail down the major rivers in Europe, Russia and China. Some of their most popular itineraries include the Rhine Getaway, Danube Waltz and the 10-night Passage to Eastern Europe.

P&O
2 of the 7 ships in the P&O fleet; Aurora and Arcadia, are reserved for adult-only cruises. Both ships have multiple pools, a library, an art gallery, a cinema, a lounge and more. When it comes to food and drink, the Aurora has 7 restaurants and 11 bars and cafes while the Arcadia has 5 restaurants and 10 bars and cafes.

Both ships have itineraries that take you around the world. You can join a cruise like the 3-night Guernsey Cruise or the 3-night Belgium Cruise for a short break or enjoy a longer getaway on voyages like the 16-night Northern Europe and Scandinavia Cruise.

Seabourn
Seabourn does not explicitly define itself as an adult-only cruise line. However, it skips out on children’s programs and entertainment to focus instead on creating a refined, adult-oriented environment. Some cruises may require all guests to meet a minimum age criteria. This luxury cruise line is known for its all ocean-front suites, personalized service, complimentary world-class culinary experiences and expedition voyages.

Seabourn sails everywhere from the warm Mediterranean and Caribbean seas to the icy poles. Their 7-night Grecian Gems and Balkan Jewels cruises are perfect for a laid-back holiday. But, if you’re looking for adventure, book yourself an expedition cruise to the North Iceland Fjords or the aptly named 14-night Icelandic Intrigue cruise. 

Windstar Cruises
Technically speaking, Windstar Cruises permits children over the age of 8 years to accompany their parents/ chaperones. However, the ships do not offer any kind of kid's programming or facilities. The ships are known for their intimate, upscale atmosphere and luxury service. It’s also one of the few cruise lines where you can sail on a masted sailing yacht. The smaller size of these ships not only creates a more intimate cruising experience but also allows the ships to dock at less-visited ports of call.

Windstar offers cruise itineraries around the Greek Isles, the Caribbean, Costa Rica & Panama Canal, and Europe as well as Transatlantic cruises. If you enjoy wine, their 8-night Wine Cruise around the Canary Islands and the 7-night Yachtsman's Harbours Of the Rivieras cruise are great choices.

Quark Expeditions
Like Windstar Cruises, Quark Expeditions permits children above the age of 8 years to come on board their expedition cruises. However, you’re not likely to see too many little ones running around the ship. These expedition cruises usually sail to the Arctic and Antarctic regions – they’re not destinations that are likely to excite children. In addition, the cruise line’s terms and conditions limit adventure activities to guests over the age of 16 years.

Quark Expeditions cruises usually follow a 1-2 week-long itinerary. If you’re hoping to see penguins, take the 10-night Antarctic Explorer Cruise. Or, take the 12-night Ultimate Arctic Voyage to spot the majestic polar bears.

Are There Other Options?
While they may not label themselves as adults-only cruises, there are several other cruise lines where you’re unlikely to share deck space with children. Cruise lines like Cunard, Ponant, and Oceania Cruises maintain an elegant, country club-style ambiance that isn’t very conducive to sailing with children.

Apart from these cruise lines, there are several cruise ships with adult-only spaces within the vessel. For example, Celebrity Cruise ships as well as Royal Caribbean cruise ships have an adults-only Solarium area. Similarly, the Serenity Retreat on Carnival cruise ships is accessible only to guests over the age of 21 years. All Disney cruise ships have an adult-only pool and at least 1 adult-only restaurant.

Of course, you’ll be sharing all the other common spaces with cruisers of all ages. You might also have to pay an additional fee for entry to these adult-only spaces.

Planning Your Cruise
Once you’re onboard a cruise, almost everything is taken care of for you. The hard part is planning your cruise.

It’s about more than just knowing your destination. What cabin should you pick? Do you need to pre-book shore excursions? What about visas and insurance? When you’re travelling from India, you also need to plan your flight tickets to and from the end ports. This is where we come in.

At Cruisebay we’ll help you plan your cruise and make sure to dot the I's and cross the T's. While you plan your outfits; we’ll book your flights and hotels, make sure you get the best cabins, help you select shore excursions and more. We’ll even guide you through the visa and insurance paperwork so you’re not weighed down by anything. All that’s left to do is pack your suitcases! Bon Voyage!