Too crowded?

[emcamm]

I've been dying to take an Eastern Caribbean cruise for years now. I think we may have the option of going (with our 10 and 3 year olds) sometime in the end of Nov/beginning of Dec.

I'm really wanting some honest opinions on this as my husband isn't a crowd person. I know ships hold a lot of people but is it truly crowded? Are there long lines for many activities? Are the pools crammed full?

I really want him to enjoy this vacation and if a cruise isn't the ideal place for him then I'll look elsewhere.

 

Thanks!:D

[cb at sea]

Most ships are designed to accomodate the maximum number of passengers. Which ship/cruiseline are you considering? Some have better designs than others.

 

On sea days, the pools on EVERY ship will be pretty full.....that doesn't mean you can't find "your spot" for the day! True, it may not be right beside the pool, but that isn't the nicest spot anyway! Up a deck and forward usually has more space, less noise, and it's just a short walk to take a dip.

 

On some ships, the buffet gets quite crowded at lunch....again, some have better designs than others. Carnival is one, long buffet line. RCI has "stations", so you can flit from one type of food to another without standing in long lines. And, there's always the dining room, where there are no lines at all!

 

When a show lets out, there will be a crowd...it's inevitable...but that's short-lived.

Other than those times, you probably will never be able to tell how many are on the ship....folks spread out.

 

Think of the ship as a floating resort, because that's exactly what it is! Your husband can easily avoid the "crowds" anytime he wants to. Most of the time, he'll find "avoidance" unnecessary!

[SuitCaseBears]

I'm really wanting some honest opinions on this as my husband isn't a crowd person. I know ships hold a lot of people but is it truly crowded? Are there long lines for many activities? Are the pools crammed full?

I really want him to enjoy this vacation and if a cruise isn't the ideal place for him then I'll look elsewhere.

 

Thanks!:D

 

It also varies by the cruise line, and in particular the size of the ship. You wouldn't think it would matter that much because, you figure, larger ship, more pools, more elevators, more lounge chairs. But it doesn't work quite that way.

 

Smaller ships (unfortunately usually the luxury cruise lines) have fewer lines, shorter lines. One day on our Alaska cruise the 700 passenger Mariner, and one of the bigger (probably about 3000 passenger) ships were docked next to each other. I took two pictures of us re-boarding at the end of the day - you can see the LONG line for the larger ship and about 6 people walking towards the Mariner and one person on the gang plank.

Luxury lines are not in everyone's budget - but people tend to forget how much variation there can be in things like crowds, so I offer this just as something to think about.

 

[Keith1010]

Some ships are more crowded than others and some will feel more crowded the day you board the ship and sometimes when you are getting on and off at port. But for the most part there is a lot of space on most of the newer ships.

 

Keith

[emcamm]

Most ships are designed to accomodate the maximum number of passengers. Which ship/cruiseline are you considering? Some have better designs than others.

 

On sea days, the pools on EVERY ship will be pretty full.....that doesn't mean you can't find "your spot" for the day! True, it may not be right beside the pool, but that isn't the nicest spot anyway! Up a deck and forward usually has more space, less noise, and it's just a short walk to take a dip.

 

On some ships, the buffet gets quite crowded at lunch....again, some have better designs than others. Carnival is one, long buffet line. RCI has "stations", so you can flit from one type of food to another without standing in long lines. And, there's always the dining room, where there are no lines at all!

 

When a show lets out, there will be a crowd...it's inevitable...but that's short-lived.

Other than those times, you probably will never be able to tell how many are on the ship....folks spread out.

 

Think of the ship as a floating resort, because that's exactly what it is! Your husband can easily avoid the "crowds" anytime he wants to. Most of the time, he'll find "avoidance" unnecessary!

 

Thanks for the information! We're leaning towards either Carnival or RCI as they seem more kid friendly.

We usually eat our meals at off peak hours so I'm hoping that will help in the food department.

 

Smaller ships (unfortunately usually the luxury cruise lines) have fewer lines, shorter lines. One day on our Alaska cruise the 700 passenger Mariner, and one of the bigger (probably about 3000 passenger) ships were docked next to each other. I took two pictures of us re-boarding at the end of the day - you can see the LONG line for the larger ship and about 6 people walking towards the Mariner and one person on the gang plank.

 

Those pics are awesome! Thanks for the info. Do you have to be in line by a certain time or could we show up 30 mins past the set time just so we didn't have to stand there with a toddler?

[uppitycats]

Thanks for the information! We're leaning towards either Carnival or RCI as they seem more kid friendly.

We usually eat our meals at off peak hours so I'm hoping that will help in the food department.

 

 

 

Those pics are awesome! Thanks for the info. Do you have to be in line by a certain time or could we show up 30 mins past the set time just so we didn't have to stand there with a toddler?

 

 

When the ship is in port you have to be on board at least 30 minutes before the ship is to set sail. The time that the ship sets sail will be in your cruise daily newsletter, there will be signs posted at the doors as you get off the ship, and there will be announcements. Make sure you note the time you need to be back as the ship will leave without you.

 

So rather than show up 30 minutes PAST the set time, if you're concerned you should show up 30 minutes EARLIER than the set time. Many of us do.

[firefly333]

RCL has more space per pax and their pools and hot tubs are more numerous and larger.

 

Dont expect to book the cheapest Carnival cruise and not deal with crowds ....all cruiselines will have lines and crowds at times though.

[Happy ks]

Thanks for the information! We're leaning towards either Carnival or RCI as they seem more kid friendly.

We usually eat our meals at off peak hours so I'm hoping that will help in the food department.

 

 

Make sure you select My Time Dining or the equivalent (I have no idea if Carnival has this choice). That way you are able to go to dinner when you want and be seated by yourselves. Otherwise, dinner is a traditional choice of 2 seating times...you select early or late and are at the same table every night, same time.

 

 

Those pics are awesome! Thanks for the info. Do you have to be in line by a certain time or could we show up 30 mins past the set time just so we didn't have to stand there with a toddler?

 

 

This depends. If you get to the line too late, you will watch your ship sail away without you. If, while in port, you arrive back to the ship an hour or more ahead of sailaway, there many times are no lines. Most ships require you be back on board a minimum of 30 minutes prior to sailaway, so synchronize your watch when you disembark at port (times can change, go by ship time).

 

My husband typically likes to be back onboard long before the rest of the ship pax show up so a lot of times we are back 2 hours before sailaway. It's pretty nice to be on board with fewer crowds, we go to the pool area or find a quiet place to read. By the time the crowds are getting back, we usually leave and go to the cabin for a nap or shower. We usually book a balcony cabin so we can enjoy our time there, no crowds at all.

[chipmaster]

A flarge full ship is crowded I don't care what other people say.

 

During formal night the public areas are full of people, many places have much space taken by photographers, the theater will be full, the elevators packed. During the afternoon at sea days the pool will have kids, most of the chairs will be occupied by a person and also likely find many with just a book/towel too :D

 

There will be a long line to get into traditional dining on some ships, there will be line to get off the ship first, there will be line line at the buffet. There willl be lines!

 

Of course after saying all that, I still love to cruise and none of the crowds stop me from having a good time. If you want no crowds you need to go upscale or on a "small" ship. Its when the ship is empty you should worry.

 

 

I've been dying to take an Eastern Caribbean cruise for years now. I think we may have the option of going (with our 10 and 3 year olds) sometime in the end of Nov/beginning of Dec.

I'm really wanting some honest opinions on this as my husband isn't a crowd person. I know ships hold a lot of people but is it truly crowded? Are there long lines for many activities? Are the pools crammed full?

I really want him to enjoy this vacation and if a cruise isn't the ideal place for him then I'll look elsewhere.

 

Thanks!:D

[Crazy Gramps]

If crowds REALLY bother him take a pass on a cruise.

Even if the ship itself doesn't feel crowded there are a lot of times it's a mob scene. A lot of times

 

Gramps

[MissRabbit]

I have "issues" with crowds as well. Some times it doesn't bother me. Other times, i just have to get out of there.

 

One thing i have done on previous cruises, which has saved my sanity, is to find a place on the ship that is all my own. A quiet, private out of the way place where i can go just to relax and de-crowd myself. Bars and nightclubs during the day time are great places to go as they are relatively empty. Sure, the pool deck and eating venues will be fairly crowded, but they can be dealt with knowing there IS a means of escaping it if it just gets to be too much.

 

Eating at non-peak times is a great idea. Showing up to board the ship before the major flood of pax trying to get on at the last minute, also helps.

 

Enjoy your cruise :)

[cpygrl]

I have to say - I hate crowds and I REALLY hate standing in line, but I just went on my first cruise recently and LOVED IT. Yes, there were lines and crowds at times, but I was still more chilled out than I've probably ever been in my life :) The only time it bothered me was during lunch at the buffet (Carnival Fantasy). I learned to just grab something wherever the shortest line was and move on with my life.

[saskcruiser]

It depends on your definition of crowds.

 

It sounds like I am like your husband, I do not like crowds. (Check that, I love people but do not like being crowded) I was horrified when it was announced the ship was at capacity. This was one of my concerns about cruising. I loved Disneyworld in May, I hated it in December Christmas season where I felt like I was herded around.

 

Like it was said above there are times where it is crowded, but to me it was like waiting in line for a movie or before you board a plane. It was very minimal and maybe a couple times a day for minutes, not hours.

 

I never had that "Disney" feeling once, and actually commented on how much room there was.

[kitty9]

You cannot get out of standing in line anywhere on a ship. You say if you show up 30 minutes after the appointed time???? If you do that, I hope you have passports with you as the ship will be sailing away while you're on the dock. You absolutely cannot show up 30 minutes after any appointed time on a cruise ship. You won't be the only one with a toddler, so standing in lines on a cruise ship is a way of life.

 

As for eating at non peak times, just realize that there are set times for dining anywhere. It doesn't matter if it's the buffet or the main dining room. You just can't show up at the buffet at, let's say, 2:30 or 3:00 and have lunch. There are some venues such as the burger area or pizza that are open off hours, but not everything is like that.

[mikewrit]

The worst crowding on our cruises has been the rush to disembark early for shore excursions. The crew has ways of spreading it out -- having all the folks for a big trip gather awhile in the theater -- but any glitch at the gangway or tender deck will result in a mob scene. Whenever possible, we opt for leaving the ship after an hour or so when most of the crowds have melted away. Embarcation can also be a mess. Your cruise roll call will be a good place to ask about the difficulties likely on your vacation.

[cruiseman40]

I wonder what are his shopping habits. Does he go to Walmart, Grocery Stores, beaches, stadiums, basketball games, hockey, just to name a few. Crowds almost everywhere depending what's considered a big crowd?

[griffy116]

My Grandson had an absolute meltdown in Disney World because of the crowd in line at the teacups. He stopped wailing long enough to say/shout "these crowds are making me nervous." The next year we went on a cruise to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. The line at the pier to board (embarkation) was long but to be honest, we arrived at the peak of boarding (noon). Arriving at peak times, you will see the worst of the crowd, however, the lines thin out considerably by 2 pm. He was a little tense (thank God for gummy bears..his cheeks were stuffed), but made it through it fine. After we were allowed to Board, there were no lines of any size that bothered him or us (or where he bothered the other passengers). The Windjammer was crowded which is where we went once onboard. Now they even have the Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos you can have that first lunch at to avoid the crowd. The only other sizeable line we encountered was a long, swiftly moving line on formal night at the Main Dining Room entrance. Once inside, there's no crowding. When you are coming back to the ship after leaving a port we've never really encountered a line. We are always back an hour before the time we are told to be back and we just walz onto the ship. Embarkation and Debarkation are the only real crowd. I don't really consider either of these to be as bad as going through security at a major airport, which has a bigger crowd and slower line than either getting on the ship or leaving the ship.

[138east]

You've gotten a lot of good suggestions about crowd avoidance. Eating early in the cafeteria areas always works. Also eating in the MDR for breakfast and lunch also is crowd free. If your dinner seating is at 6 pm folks will line up waiting for them to open the doors, but the "crowd" will be gone if you arrive between 6:05-10. As someone pointed out there are always areas on the ship that are underutilized at certain times of the day - the bars before mid afternoon and the pool decks in the evening. Usually the promenade deck can be a good place to hang out most of the day.

 

Room selection can also help. A room near the elevators that serve the food venues will be very convenient. A middle deck offers the option of stairs down to the food or up to the pool deck.

 

What ships are you considering and what time of year? You might get some more precise comments about particular ships.