Teri West
Who can relate: You're on your much-needed vacation and are relaxing, maybe even on the brink of slipping into a midday slumber when ...
A baby starts wailing. Or children playing tag bump past. Or a kid cannonballs into the pool, spraying you in the process.
They aren't kids you brought with you -- you've left those behind with other family, or maybe they've settled into adulthood, or maybe you've always been child-free. But they're someone's kids, and they're here, and they're ruining your nap.
But the number of cruise lines promising a child-free experience is growing. Oceania Cruises introduced an 18-and-up policy last week, joining Viking and Virgin Voyages.
The two advisors I spoke to within hours of Oceania's announcement told me that they were thrilled. The cruise line had basically just offered them a new way to market its product to their clients and had grown the field of adults-only cruise options by 50%.
Cruise Planners advisor Nick Pena said he saw it as part of a shift toward more segmentation within the cruise industry. It's a shift that has proven positive for his business, he said, because it enables him to better customize experiences for his clients, which is exactly what they want.
"I, as an agent, realize that I cannot be everything to everybody," the Orlando-based Pena said. "The more I niche, the more money I make. I feel like in luxury travel, the most successful brands don't try to be everything to everyone, so I think Oceania is making a very strategic decision to protect that onboard experience for that core guest."
Of the three adults-only lines, Viking and Oceania probably have more in common, so how should advisors navigate which is right for their client?
Bridgett Quinn Webber, an advisor at Fulshear, Texas-based Cruise Specialists, told me she sees a clear differentiation.
First, the price. Viking's is higher overall, she said, and Oceania offers more budget options, like an inside cabin that she called "a great price point."
Two, the onboard vibe. While they are both calm, Viking is the slower paced of the two, since Oceania has activities like a casino, she said.
Three, the itineraries. Viking's cruises tend to be a bit longer than Oceania's, Quinn Webber said. That can also contribute to a higher price tag.
Viking and Oceania also pride themselves on different top-line focus: With Oceania, it's the cuisine and on Viking it's about the destination.
Virgin Voyages, meanwhile, has carved out its own corner of the cruise industry by being a high-energy, active vibe.
Quinn Webber has clients who want to travel without their children to celebrate an anniversary or take a break from responsibilities. Other travelers like herself, however, look for the same experience even when they aren't leaving children behind.
"I don't have children, so when I travel, I don't want to be around a lot of kids," she said. "When I travel, I am vacationing to get away, to relax, to decompress from everything in my daily life, and I think that's what a lot of people who are looking to cruise or just vacation without kids are looking for."