Mrs. Swede and I took our first cruise in our late-20's. We did RCCL's Radiance of the Seas around the Caribbean in mid-December, which probably had fewer kids compared to two weeks prior and after. That said, we didn't notice many kids, nor were we ever inconvenienced by any.

Initially, we sat at a table where we could've been any of the couples' grandchildren (or great-grandchildren!). We asked to be moved and, from then on, we sat at a table of eight with two other couples around our age, a couple in their 40's (who were professional ballroom dancers and so much fun), and two single people.

The weather throughout the whole cruise sucked, but it was nice to have such fun tablemates.

We recently did Carnival over New Year's, and, even though there were a ton of kids on-board (including our two little ones), they were never bothersome (except at the hot tub). My five nieces and nephews ranged from 12-18, and I was lucky to see them except when on-shore or during dinner!