Senior Romances on board cruise ships
Dallas Sherringham on Seniors Looking for Love on board
The number of seniors who meet on a cruise and end becoming a permanent 'item' is astounding. And it might come as a surprise to learn that males are as keen to find true romance on a cruise as the ladies.Senior cruisers these days aren't necessarily content with Bingo and Trivia. While the cruise ship is the main attraction for seniors who love to cruise , they also cruise to love in many cases. I have met literally thousands of seniors who met on cruises or have found new love on their current cruise. "If the kids new what I was up to on this cruise,they'd be shocked; they might even disown me," Gloria, a grandma from Ryde confided over lunch, with a wry smile. The cruise industry is conservative and was initially slow to react to this new kind of cruising for love. Now there are singles cruises and even swingers' cruises for a generation that is freer and more liberated than their children. But it's not just sex. When you're running out of time you can become more adventurous, be open to new experiences, rather than less so. There's also the assumption that everyone over 60 is retired with plenty of time on their hands. That's absurd these days. Not everyone can afford to retire. Not everyone wants to retire. The Grey Nomads, older travellers who turn life into one long road trip or a string of cruises, are in fact trend-setters. They were doing it long before the new 'Van Life' movement favored by 20-something digital nomads and influencers. By working on into their seventies, they have much more disposable income than pensioners and can afford to go cruising at least a couple of times a year. 'A BUYERS MARKET' My accountant mate Ron from Penrith goes cruising twice a year and he reckons it is 'A Buyers Market' for people seeking romance, especially for men. "There are more way more women than men on board and there is not much competition from young guys." Ron explained that 'young guys' are the deadly enemies of 'old guys' in the love stakes. 'They chase the older ladies and generally succeed in cutting us old blokes out,on land.""But on many cruise ships there are few young people which means we are in demand." Now, Ron always did have a way of analysing everything in economic terms, but in this case, he was right. And his viewpoint is just as relevant for women, albeit the figures are skewed in Ron and his henchmen's direction. Most cruises I go on are a Senior Paradise where people in their 70s and 80s can 17 and 18 again for a week or so. |