Over-The Seas Gang

All around us were long-married couples celebrating anniversaries--25, 35, 50 years. I turned to Trudy and Don, who had joined our table--she, white-haired, comfortably grandmotherly; he, no hair, 80-ish, a bit wobbly on his cane.

“And how long are you married?” I asked. Trudy smiled. “We’re just friends.”

OK. We were on the Love Boat, where anything goes. And ahead were seven days and nights for the pursuit of pleasure, far from the daily concerns of children, grandchildren, doctors’ appointments and fat-free yogurt.

Cruising was invented for seniors and, like many sailings, this one had a large number. We were pampered, fed and entertained nonstop from the moment we boarded at Port Everglades, Fla., for our fall cruise of the western Caribbean. It’s a September-through-April itinerary for the Sun Princess, which sails every Saturday from Fort Lauderdale’s port, putting in at Princess Cays (the cruise line’s private resort) in the Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; the Mexican resort of Cozumel and back to Port Everglades. This voyage never made it to Cozumel (we got an extra day in Key West) because of a tragic and mysterious passenger accident, but more about that later.

There were days of lolling by the pool, simmering in the hot whirlpool, of instant friendships formed around pink linen-covered tables, of gastronomical indulgences. Nights filled with ‘40s music and the flickering promise of romance. Never mind that I was grayer, maybe paunchier and that my honeymoon had been almost a half century ago.

This, of course, was not the case for all the seniors on board. Another couple from Cape Town, South Africa, the Kawitzkys, ages 74 and 82, were married only four years. She had been his late wife’s best friend and, like many of the wives on board, was more robust than her spouse. Husbands and other male companions seemed to settle contentedly into deck chairs, while the women joined in nonstop activities.

Carmel Kawitzky climbed the slippery rocks of the Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios with us--wet, white hair streaming over her face, laughing as she was pummeled by the falling water. We all held hands and climbed in a crazily waving line led by the agile young guides. I made it, though not in great style, by attaching myself to a strong-armed Texan.

Returning to the dock on the trimaran, complimentary rum punch in hand, we grandmothers joined in wild dancing with the barefoot crew and young Americans with rings in their belly buttons. For my friend Lillian and me, both widows, this was the high spot of the cruise. Thousands, maybe millions, have climbed the Dunn’s River Falls, but for us it was a moment of achievement, worth the $39 cost of the shore excursion.

*

We were the new kids on the block, it seemed. I’d been on a number of ships through Europe and along the Eastern Seaboard, but had never cruised the Caribbean. For some of our fellow travelers it was the fifth, sixth, even 15th cruise; some were in the running for the captain’s prize for logging the most hours on Princess ships, while others had sampled other cruise lines and could compare the beef Wellingtons. (I spotted three canvas totes with Holland America logos.)

Most of the seniors on our cruise were healthy, but there were some in wheelchairs and with other locomotion aids. “It’s easy to get around this ship because everything is in the center,” said Eileen, who was cruising the decks handily with her walker. I learned later that the Sun Princess has 19 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Nancy Schlaline, a 56-year-old mental-health therapy aide from New York, brought along her uncle, Thomas O’Reilly, 72, whose recent heart surgery didn’t stop him from “doing everything.” The opposite of the “do-everything” crowd was Frances Vella, who had come aboard with 16 neighbors from her Tampa, Fla., development. Frances, who had been on more cruises than she could count, didn’t sign up for any of the expensive shore excursions. “I’ve seen it all,” she said. She sunned on the pool deck, while her less experienced neighbors clambered aboard the tender, $55 tickets in hand.

The Sun Princess, a 1,950-passenger, 14-deck behemoth--not the biggest in the Caribbean fleet but big enough not to look or feel as if it were afloat--was equipped to entertain those who chose not to go ashore. Every night we were given the “Princess Patter,” a guide to the next day’s activities. There was the daily movie, line dancing or cha-cha lessons, a golf-putt tournament, art auction, bridge, wine tasting, afternoon tea, a fitness center, library, some “singles mingles” (but not enough), a beauty salon offering a “medically approved” technique for losing “1 to 8 inches of body fat in one hour!”

Lillian and I never missed the daily trivia quiz. We did manage to miss the daily Walk-a-Mile, led by a staffer--three times around the deck was a mile. We would have liked more opportunity to mix with other singles. Our table mates were all married couples, who nevertheless turned out to be charmers; we all bonded and were exchanging addresses by the end of the cruise. We also would have liked more classes, such as Spanish, since Cozumel was a destination.

But many of the passengers had not come to be educated. They came for the casino. Jean Mellingers, a sweet-faced Kansas grandmother straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting, headed for the craps table. “I always know where to find her,” said her husband, Charles. This was the couple’s 10th cruise, their fifth on a Princess. They also go to Las Vegas, but cruising is cheaper because food and entertainment are included. Though a casino is not my cup of tea, for many it’s the center of activity.

My friend ran into one elderly woman who came aboard full of aches and complaints. One night she won $1,000 on the slots. “A whole new personality emerged,” Lillian said.

It was cruise director Peter O’Loughlin’s job to entertain a mixed bag of tastes and personalities. An Irish actor-comedian, he had come aboard the British-owned cruise line for a two-week stint, and was in his 18th year.

He leans toward what might be called seasoned tastes in picking music (Big Band) and shows. “The older you get, the more special the cruise becomes,” he said. He got laughs by relating the dumb questions passengers ask, such as “Do you sleep on board?” (“No, I’m delivered with the mail every morning”) and “Does the ship make its own electricity?” (“No, we have a long extension cord that follows us from Port Everglades”).

*

Though we didn’t splurge on all the shore tours we took the less expensive trips, which turned out to be the best. Our first stop, Princess Cays, the cruise line’s private establishment on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, was a pleasant day on a warm beach with a cool swim in crystal-clear water followed by a barbecue lunch.

For seniors with time on their hands and flexible schedules there are deals out there, particularly during the off-seasons, spring and fall. Granted, there are few across-the-board senior discounts in an industry where so much of the total market is over 55. “But a month or so before sailing, if a ship is not doing gang-buster business, we may offer a senior discount on a per-sailing basis,” said Richard Speck, spokesman for Royal Caribbean International.

But something happened near the end of our cruise that’s not supposed to happen on a cruise ship. Sometime during the night, a woman--age 47, blond, blue eyes, 4-foot-11, 105 pounds--disappeared, presumably overboard. We were steaming toward Cozumel when the discovery was made. The captain turned the ship around and headed back to Grand Cayman. A plane hovered overhead. The air-sea rescue effort continued until 3 p.m.

All day the rumors flew. There were unconfirmed reports that she had left a suicide note, that she had fought with her boyfriend in the casino, that he had run up a big debt on her credit card. The woman was never found and was presumed drowned. It was, perhaps, a case of love gone sour. And there’s nothing anyone can do about that at any age.

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GUIDEBOOK

Who’s On Board

Below are some ships’ passenger profiles supplied by the cruise lines. Toll-free numbers generally are for information only. For booking, contact a travel agent who specializes in cruises.

Carnival Cruise Lines: Although billed as youth-oriented, Carnival claims to serve more seniors than any other line. The passenger age breakdown: 30% over 55; 40%, 35-55; 30% under 35. Telephone (800) 327-9501.

Celebrity Cruises: Most passengers come from the Northeast. Target market is adults 35-55, average income $60,000-plus. Tel. (800) 437-3111.

Crystal Cruises: Passengers on these ultra-luxury liners tend to be active seniors, executive types, interested in finance seminars, special wines, VIP treatment. The breakdown is 35% over 65; 25% 55-64; 25% 45-54; 15% under 44. Tel. (800) 820-6663.

Delta Queen Steamboat Co.: Paddle-wheel steamboats on three- to 14-night river cruises attract those with a taste for nostalgia. Average passenger age: 55 to 60. Tel. (800) 543-1949.

Holland America Line: Average age of passengers on shorter (seven-day) Caribbean cruises is 50; on longer Alaskan or Panama Canal cruises, 55-59; on 98-day round-the-world cruises, mid-60s. Tel. (800) 426-0327.

Norwegian Cruise Line: Typical passenger is of baby-boomer age 40-55; 14-day voyages draw the over-55 set. Tel. (800) 327-7030.

Princess Cruises: British-owned cruise line serves prosperous British families, as well as Americans. Average passenger age: 45 to 65. Telephone (800) LOVEBOAT.

Radisson Seven Seas: Average passenger is 45 or older, with a household income of $100,000 plus. Tel. (800) 285-1835.

Royal Caribbean International: Longer cruises to Alaska, Panama Canal, tend to attract mid- to late-40s. Less than 30% are 55 or older. Tel. (800) 327-6700.

Seabourn Cruise Line: Space on these upscale liners runs as high as $1,000 per day. Average passenger who can afford it is 45; over 55 on longer cruises. Tel. (800) 929-4747.