Yes, some cruise lines operate adults-only cruises.
With the rise of cruising as a holiday, you can now find a cruise for all tastes; from family holidays, food experiences or ultra-luxury cruises to expedition, adventure and bridge cruises. It was only a matter of time until we would see adult-only cruises.
This concept has only recently emerged, due to the increase of adult-only areas aboard the "normal" cruise lines. While most lines focus on family cruises, some have started adult-only cruises.
This may be for a variety of reasons. Some itineraries or trips might be considered as theme cruises, leading organisers to decide to make it an adults-only cruise, or the entire ship is kid-free and there are no kid-friendly facilities thus keeping away the families.
The key to finding the adult-only cruises is to look for those itineraries that don't appeal to families - ships with little to no children facilities or cruises that focus on food, history and culture.
Cruises / Ships for Adults-only (18-plus)
- Viking Ocean Cruises (they have been an adults-only cruise line since they started)
- Norwegian Cruise Line (they have specific decks & areas that are adults-only)
- Celebrity Cruise (The Retreat is an adults-only area - only on selected ships)
- Virgin Voyages (Complete adults-only cruise line)
- Carnival Cruises (Only the new ships - an area called the Serenity is adults-only)
- U by Uniworld (Adults-only river cruises on some departures since 2018)
- MSC Cruises (The Top Deck - Solarium is an adults-only area. Some ships also have dedicated swimming pools)
Some small and mid-size vessels are permanent adults-only ships, these include P&O Cruises (Arcadia, Aurora, Oriana), Saga Cruise (Saga Pearl II, Saga Discovery, Spirit of Discovery) and Cruise & Maritime Voyage (Columbus & Majella).
Cruises for 50 plus only:
- Grand Circle Small ship Cruises
- Saga Holidays (The main passenger has to be 50-plus, the companion can be 40-plus)
You will find very few kids on longer itineraries, generally, so choose a 10 night or longer cruise outside of school holidays and the probability that you will find a child on-board is almost none.
In the times that you are not able to book on one of the adults-only cruises, you can maximise your adult time by booking a suite (some cruise line have dedicated residents only areas for those booked in a suite), spending time in the spa, casino or the adult-only sun deck.