DH and I are in our 60's. I've been cruising since the late 70's,hubby,since the late 90's. To say that we've seen changes in cruising would be an understatement. On the pro side,cabins have definitely gotten bigger and passenger opinions are taken more seriously now. On the con side,obviously prices have risen.
There are many more cruise lines to choose from now and more exotic itineraries, so it's on the prospective passengers to shop around and make the best decision they can at the time. Each family has it's list of priorities and there's a cruise to fit each one,thank goodness. There's fun and adventure in trying something new once in awhile. It's the only way of knowing which line you like more.
We'll be platinum next week on our 11th and 12th DCL cruises. We've had amazing memories on our DCL cruises and it is our preferred line,BUT, it's time to look at some new experiences. We're checking out European River cruises, maybe a Steamboat river cruise here in the U.S. Our neighbors love Crystal Cruises and we might go on one with them in the near future. At first,we couldn't imagine not cruising DCL,we felt like traitors. But it's not as if we can never go back, and so true,their prices are bordering on obscene at this point. It's totally understandable why some people are saying enough is enough. But I would certainly encourage newbies to try a DCL cruise just once.
With that said,we are going whole hog into our retirement account for the trip of a lifetime next August on DCL. We are taking our 4 children,their spouses and our 10 grandchildren on a Fantasy cruise next year. None of them have ever been on a cruise, so we chose DCL for their first time. The ages span across the board and with DCL, we can feel confident that everyone will have a great time. We could have done the trip for ALOT less on any other cruise line, but for the first time,there's nothing like the Fantasy. I'll let you know if I still feel the same way when our Paid In Full date creeps up on us!