When you’re looking to book a cruise and you’re over 60, your needs and interests may have shifted from earlier in your life. It might be that you’d prefer a cruise line offering specific daytime activities, or one that’s exclusively for adults. You might want to treat yourself with a luxury cruise to mark a significant birthday or anniversary, or feel that a smaller ship would be preferable to a more busy one.

Whatever your specific requirements, there are plenty of senior-friendly cruise lines whose routes, activities and ethos should match what you need. We’ve profiled four of them here, highlighting where they sail to and what you can expect from life on board. We hope these cruise travel recommendations are helpful when choosing your golden years cruise adventures!

Luxury cruise options with Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Wherever you want to sail in the world, you can pretty much find a Regent Seven Seas Cruise to suit! RSSC goes to Africa, Asia and the Pacific; the Americas and the Caribbean; Europe and the Mediterranean; plus extended voyages such as round the world trips.

RSSC has six ships ranging from 490-750 guests. Luxury is the keyword here, making RSSC a great choice for a voyage that truly indulges your every wish. It’s an all-suite cruise line, so your suite will feature a separate sitting room, wardrobes, flatscreen TV and mini bar that’s restocked daily – perfect for some serious R&R at sea! 99% of suites also enjoy a private balcony. Your fare also includes return flights, unlimited shore excursions, unlimited beverages, pre-paid gratuities, unlimited wifi and valet service.

RSSC is the line to choose if you’re after personalised service at sea, with a staff-to-guest ration of 1: 1.5. It’s also the line to select if you like the idea of more formal dress – it operates an ‘elegant casual’ dress code after 6pm, with options for semi-formal and formal evenings on longer sailings.

Life on board Regent Seven Seas Cruises

While the ships aren’t huge, the facilities on board rival those of much larger ships, with RSSC priding itself on offering unparalleled space at sea. There are plenty of daytime activities, whether you want to lounge by the pool deck, quietly read in the library, play games with other people in the card room, or join in with cookery classes. In the evening enjoy plays, music and comedy, or have a flutter in the casino.

All the dining options on board are included in your fare, including speciality restaurants. From classic French cuisine to Italian, steakhouse to pan-Asian cuisine, you’re sure to find food to match your mood.

Memorable senior cruises with Fred. Olsen

Norwegian-based cruise line Fred. Olsen distinguishes itself from other cruise lines with an emphasis on smaller ships and a family feel onboard. It curates a broad range of cruises, ranging from short trips around the British Isles to lavish four-month world journeys. It’s also a good choice if you’re looking for Northern Lights cruises, as well as specific wildlife cruises.

There are three ships in the Fred. Olsen fleet – Bolette (named for Fred Olsen’s grandmother), Borealis and Balmoral, which range from 690 cabins to 710.

Life on board Fred. Olsen ships

If you like the idea of formal dining at least once during your cruise, Fred. Olsen offers at least one formal night per cruise where you can dress up in your finest frock or dinner jacket. For the rest of the cruise you can opt for meals in the main restaurant, a more casual experience in the buffet restaurants, or speciality Asian dining. And each afternoon there’s a chance to join a traditional afternoon tea, where sandwiches, pastries and scones are served with a musical accompaniment!

Fred. Olsen cruise experiences are geared towards older guests. Music lessons, choirs, a fully equipped art studio, dance classes, cookery demonstrations and craft workshops will help you learn new skills, while you’ll be entertained in the evening with the onboard theatre company, professional performers and live music. Each ship has a gym, pool, jacuzzi and wellness suite, plus chances to play games such as quoits and deck tennis.

To learn more about the regions you’re visiting, the on-board team is there to point out places of interest and help identify marine and birdlife. Some cruises also have nature specialists from charities ORCA and Ocean Wildlife Encounters onboard to help you identify wildlife, and there are also regular stargazing sessions. You can even learn navigation and chart-reading from the captain and crew.

Enriching cruise getaways on board Ambassador Cruise Line

Britain’s newest cruise line prides itself on premium value cruises, all of which are no-fly options leaving from British ports. Ambassador has two ships in its fleet, carrying 1,400 and 1,200 passengers. It has a similar type of offering to Fred. Olsen – an exciting selection of shorter UK and Mediterranean cruises, all the way up to round-the-world voyages lasting over 100 nights.

Except for its multi-generational cruises, Ambassador is an over-18s only cruise line with a particular focus on guests aged 50+. This makes it an excellent choice for over 60s travel experiences, with a focus on high-quality, friendly and non-pretentious service.

Life on board Ambassador Cruise Line

Ambassador Cruise Line amenities include quizzes, plays, cabaret and West End-style shows and comedy nights. On cruises over six nights there are arts and craft specialists to help you learn new skills, such as painting, calligraphy and bead jewellery. There’s a gym, library and spa on both ships, and a unique feature to Ambassador is its book club on journeys of over six nights. All books are chosen in advance, so you can look up the novel for your specific cruise and then join in group discussions.

You’ll find experts from wildlife charity ORCA on selected cruises to share their knowledge about wildlife, making Ambassador a great choice if you’re interested in learning more about the natural world.

When it comes to dining, you can choose between more formal restaurants or the Borough Market dining room with global food options. Ambassador also offers specialty restaurants covering Indian fusion and Mediterranean cuisine, plus its high-end restaurant The Chef’s Table where the executive chef will talk you through every course – perfect for foodies!

Sophisticated cruise journeys with AmaWaterways

With nearly 30 ships, ranging from an intimate 64 passenger capacity up to around 130, AmaWaterways is the perfect choice for tailored cruise getaways on European, African and South American rivers.

AmaWaterways trips include European cruises along the Danube, the Rhine, the Moselle and the Duoro; safaris and wildlife cruises in countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia; Nile river cruises in Egypt; and cruises along the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia. You’ll also find voyages based around specific interests such as golf, classical music and Christmas markets, as well as the chance to celebrate Black history and culture.

Life on board AmaWaterways ships

There are naturally fewer facilities than on the larger ocean cruise ships, but these small river ships still offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy life while on the water. Take a dip the pool on the sundeck, keep fit in the gym and get pampered in the spa and salon.

The evening entertainment for AmaWaterways is focussed on the areas you’re sailing in. So as well as a resident musician, you’ll often be entertained by local musicians, dancers and storytellers sharing their talents and traditions.

One excellent feature onboard AmaWaterways is the complimentary internet access and WiFi, meaning you can keep in touch with children and grandchildren back home. Your stateroom comes equipped with a personal computer so you can use this larger screen for email or going online, rather than relying on your smaller phone or tablet.

AmaWaterways is rightly proud of its gourmet dining options. In fact, it was inducted into La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs for its European ships, a prestigious international gastronomic society dedicated to fine cuisine. You have to be invited to be a member and demonstrate world-class cuisine, so you know that the food on your ship is going to be exquisite!

Your fare includes unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks during lunch and dinner, and you can indulge at breakfast with sparkling wine and fresh-squeezed juices. Wines come from local wineries and vineyards, giving you a delightful flavour of the regions you’re visiting.

Cruise amenities for seniors

If a cruise with one of these senior-friendly cruise lines sounds like your ideal next holiday, don’t forget to sign up to Cruise Collective to take advantage of exclusive deals on cruises with these providers. Your free membership also gives you access to insider information to help you make the most of life at sea, as well as the chance to enter fantastic competitions.