‘Do Your Research’: Man Sails Out Of Baltimore On Carnival Cruise. Then He Learns What Type Of Cruise It Is The Hard Way

Part of the fun of cruising, besides the people watching and off ship excursions, is the opportunity to make new friends. People who like the same types of vacations tend to have at least some other things in common, after all.

One man recently discovered he had less in common with his shipmates than he expected. Shawn Wilson of Secret Gem Travel (@secretgemtravel) spent days hyping himself up for the cruise he was taking on Carnival Pride.

But upon boarding, he discovered that his cruise had a speciality passenger manifest. The travel agent had booked himself onto a “Senior Cruise.”

Not the kind of seniors that are getting ready to go off to college, “We have about 60 wheelchairs here,” Wilson said. He is not a senior citizen.

How Do You Book The Right Cruise?

At the start of his video, Wilson explains that he began to think something might be wrong when no one commented on his original post. He was asking about the onboard nightclub, and also curious to know who he’d be cruising with. Of course, he also got the name of the ship wrong. But the real reason it was getting low traction is because he was appealing to the completely wrong demographic in the wrong place.

“There are about 200 passengers who are over the age of about 55,” he says as he discreetly speaks into the camera. Then he promises to keep everyone updated on how the cruise goes. Though his expectations of the journey are “not lookin’ too good,” he says with a small, wry smile.

Finally he slowly pans the camera around, and his initial assessment is verified: there are an abundance of individuals using mobility assistive technology.

In the video, which has been viewed over 7,500 times, Wilson laments that he didn’t catch the fact that he was booking a cruise for senior citizens. “Do your research,” he says, especially if you’re sailing on Carnival Pride out of Baltimore.

For people with special interests, there are cruises that cater to just about every hobby from golf and wine to wellness and Christmas markets. But digging out demographic information can prove trickier. That’s where more casual, anecdotal research can be helpful. But for newbies, one Redditor suggests working with a travel professional. Someone else noted, however, that until you’ve gone on at least one cruise, you don’t really have an idea of your likes and dislikes. So do your best that first time, or maybe go with more experienced friends, then begin to build your seafaring adventures.

Real life experience aside, there are many Reddit threads to help you navigate into a more comfortable berth, and then there’s a quiz. There’s also an entire genre of YouTube videos where hosts parse the differences between the lines, which on the surface can seem confusingly similar.  And then there’s a Cruise-Industry Demographics study on the University of Florida’s library site. There you can learn that the average age of a cruiser is 45, and other informative facts. Finally, joining a Facebook cruising group can help make sure you get on the right ship.

Always Read The Comments

Though Wilson was nervous that he won’t have a good time, the travelers in the comments seem to think he’s on the right ship. “We just got off this cruise today and he ain’t lying! It was so many scooters and walkers. I can tell you what there wasn’t tho… no kids running through the halls, no fights, no dogs, and most importantly NO LINES,” shared Monique.

Then SammyLonglegs added, “They not old, they just seasoned… watch them still turn up [sobbing emoji] keep us posted [sobbing emoji].”

Missy thought Secret Gem Travel might be about to adjust his expectations of his shipmates, writing, “every ship I was on the elderly definitely partied.”

Kween said it could always be worse. “Went to the singles mixer for the 10 day i don’t wanna talk about it [laughing sobbing emoji, laughing sobbing emoji],” they countered

But at the end of the day, whether with younger or older folks, Secret Gem Travel will still be in the middle of sun, salt, and ocean breezes. Nice work when you can get it.

BoardingArea reached out to Wilson via his email and with a direct message on TikTok. We will update this article if he gets back to us.