Senior discount cruise

We were waiting in the cruise terminal to board our ship that first day when we met an attractive, dark-haired woman in her 40s. She mentioned she was from San Diego, and she was laughing and joking, happy to be going on this long-awaited cruise with her husband. But when we ran into her the next morning after breakfast, her jaw was tight and she was frowning so deeply that there was a crease across her forehead.

It was so obvious she was annoyed that after a few minutes' chat one of us asked her, "What's the matter? Has something happened?"

After a moment's hesitation she said, "This morning my husband and I were talking with the people in the next cabin, an older couple. We have identical cabins, and they didn't book a year ahead--actually, we signed up in the same month. Yet they're paying $400 less than we are. What's going on here? That's what I want to know!"

The key words, it turned out, were "older couple." Senior citizens are finally reaping some benefits from a lifetime of paying their dues.

Seniors have always provided the bulk of some cruise lines' business. Older people, conventional wisdom has it, have the money to spend on a cruise--and the time. It's certainly true that cruise line executives can predict what the average age of the passengers will be on a particular voyage by the length of the cruise. For every few days at sea add a few more years to the passengers' longevity.

The large cruise lines, with many ships each, cast their advertising nets as widely as possible to catch all the age groups. Some now offer special incentives to attract older passengers--and not only monetary discounts. For example, Carnival, in addition to lowering the fare for seniors, bans anyone under 21 unless someone 25 or older is in the same cabin. This eliminates a group of college students on break, prone to becoming boisterous and apt to disturb the more profitable upper-end of the age scale.

Some of the smaller lines have developed lucrative specialties aimed directly at seniors. For instance, World Explorer Cruises, with its one ship that spends every summer in Alaska, each day at sea fills a half-dozen classrooms and theaters with passengers paying avid attention to vacationing college professors who lecture on the botany, marine life, Native American culture, and other aspects of what the voyager will find ashore. The emphasis on continuing education predictably attracts an overwhelming proportion of seniors, many of whom loyally return to the Universe Explorer year after year.

There is even a cruise line entirely for seniors. Saga Holidays bought Cunard's top-rated Sagafjord and improved and transformed the ship into the Saga Rose, where no one under 50 is allowed (an exception is made for an above-50 who has a spouse who's at least 40). When we cruised on the Saga Rose last year, several people told us they liked it specifically because there were no children or teenagers.

"I spent my life raising my own kids," one told us. "Now it's nice to know I won't have to listen to all that noise and commotion from other people's children. I can just enjoy myself."

No matter what other factors attracts a person to a particular line or specific ship, the price of the cruise is ultimately taken into account. It is only in the last few years that older people are able to take advantage of lower cruise prices created just for them. Of the 50 cruise companies we surveyed, more than a dozen regularly offer senior discounts at this time. Because those that do have different terms and, sometimes, conditions attached, we have detailed the information in the accompanying sidebar. New offers are frequently made, so be sure to check with your travel agent for the latest information.

SENIOR SAILOR SAVINGS

The cruise lines listed here offer discounts or other enticements that are available only to seniors. (On a few of the lines, such a high proportion of the passengers are seniors, up to 99 percent, that they allow an occasional accompanying grandchild or underage friend to participate.) Specify your eligibility for senior discounts when booking. Because discounts are sometimes applied only to specific cruises, inquire if one applies to your cruise. If a discount applies only to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) members, note that membership is easily attainable, costs only $10, and is available to those 50 years of age and up; contact AARP at 800-424-3410. Cruise line toll-free numbers are listed below.

* American Canadian Caribbean Line (800-556-7450)--Seniors receive a 20 percent discount on winter Caribbean cruises.

* Carnival Cruise Lines (800-327-9501)--AARP members get a break on all three-, four-, and five-day cruises; $100 per cabin off on most seven-day cruises; and a $200 per cabin discount on most cruises 10 days or longer.

* Costa Cruise Lines (800-462-6782)--Seniors 60+ save $100 per cabin.

* EuroCruises (800-688-3876)--Guests 50+, on some South American cruises, get discounts of $300-$600 per person (amount depends on cabin category).

* Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines (800-688-3876)--Seniors can save up to 40 percent on selected cruises on certain dates.

* GlobalQuest (800-221-3254)--Travelers 55+ get five percent off every cruise.

* Norwegian Coastal Voyage (800-323-7436)--Passengers 67+ save $95-$120 on a six-day sailing; $115-$150 on a seven-day; $170-$220 on a 12-day (except June 1-July 15). AARP members can deduct $70 per cabin one-way; $100 on roundtrip cruises; $100-$150 if air-inclusive. No single supplement September 15-April 15. Can combine discounts.

* Norwegian Cruise Line (800-327-7030)--Senior discounts are offered on specific ships/cruises; phone for details.

* RiverBarge Excursions Lines (888-462-2743)--On a "Grand Vacation," children 12 and under sail free with their grandparents, while those 13-17 are half-price. A "Scholarship Program" offers retired teachers half-price fares.

* Royal Caribbean International (800-327-6700)--Seniors get discounts on all ships at various times; phone for details.

* Saga Holidays (877-265-6862)--Accepts only seniors 50+ (40+ accompanying); included in cruise fare are air fare, transfers, port taxes, medical insurance, baggage insurance.

* World Explorer Cruises (800-854-3835)--AARP members save 10 percent per person in lower cabin categories, 20 percent in upper categories (only one cabin-mate need be a member). On selected cruises, the second passenger gets a 50 percent discount, and AARP members still get up to a 20 percent discount.

--Phyllis & Robert White