Is a Cruise too crowded?

Question

This is to anybody who has ever been on a RC or Carnival cruise: I have never cruised before and was wondering, are you always just jam packed with other people? I'm thinking about taking a Carnival Western Caribbean cruise this April.

Answer 1

I have been on more than 15 cruises with several cruise lines and what I have seen is that for the most part the cruise lines do a good job of taking care of people and not having things crowded. I went last year on the new RC ship, Freedom of the Seas, which holds up to 4000 people and it did not seem crowded at all. But there are events and places on ship when it can get crowded. For example, the buffet area can be crowded for lunch, especially the first day of the cruise. There are generally enough shows for everyone to be accommodated to see them but people tend to rush in to get a seat and create a crowded hallway/entrance.

Most newer ships have multiple pools and hot tubs for everyone but some of the best spots can get crowded. I generally just go find a spot that is NOT crowded. There are always places where you can get away from the crowd.

On all cruise ships except NCL and Princess to an extent, you always have a table assigned to you for dinners so you don't need to get in the crowd of people who jam in as soon as the door opens.

It can also be somewhat crowded when its time to get off the ship for tours and activities in ports; and back on. Everyone wants or needs to get off the ship in a hurry and all must generally go through just one doorway. Occasionally they use two doorways that make things better.

But as a general rule you do not feel crowded at all.

Answer 2

I Wouldn't Say Jam Packed... Cause For One U Definitely Don't See All The People You Cruise With... Second... Its So Much To Do On Carnival (the fun ships) That Everyone Isn't In the Same Place At the Same Time... So You Should Be Good... Have Fun On Your Cruise.. And If You Need Any Future Booking... Contact Me At 800-319-7151(toll free) Or www.Divagetaways.com... I Specialize In Carnival Cruises... Tell Them Cory Sent You

Answer 3

Having been on five cruises, I would say that it really matters the ship and time of year. WC Carnival in April would probably not be too bad, but since Carnival does have a pool with a slide on each ship, there may be some wait at certain times. Otherwise, if you have free dinner, try to choose the buffet or come early if you really hate the lines. If you're looking for a more relaxed enviroment where the kids are contained more (I would know, I'm 14), I would go with a Princess Cruise. Anyways, lines aren't everywhere, and there's plenty of fun stuff to do that doesn't involve lines, plus there's things to do while youre IN line, too.

Hope it helped, and have fun!

Answer 4

I wouldn't say the cruises are jam packed, there is a lot of room on the ship. Sometimes the pool area is kind of crowded, but it never bothered me, and I don't care for standing in line or large crowds.
I've never been on Carnival, but I have cruised with RC several times and it is my favorite line.
Going to the Caribbean would be a younger more party crowd if that is the type of thing your interested in.

Answer 5

I did a Western Caribbean cruise on Carnival this past April and it was great! I barely noticed other people. There are places to avoid at certain times like the cafeteria style eatery around standard meal times like 9am, 12pm, and 5-7pm. That is a popular place for families with children to eat at those times. I always ate in my assigned dining room and it wasn't bad at all. I was assigned a table and didn't have to wait to be seated, you just walk to your assigned table. The pool is generally busy, but they have plenty of seating. The only time I really realized that it was crowded was when we got off the ship and even then Carnival had everything running smoothly. It's a great vacation. You just pay your money and show up, your cruise ship takes care of everything. Cruises are also very addictive. The one in April was my first one and before I got off the ship, I was already looking into my next Carnival Cruise. It's a great vacation. Also after your first cruise, many companies will treat returning customers with discounts and free upgrades on their next cruise! Good Luck and have fun!

Answer 6

Hello there. I am a Travel Agent and would love to help you with your travel. To tell you the truth, it never seems crowded if you are a people person. Everything is timed perfectly.

Because everything is basically timed on your dinner scedule. With Carnival, you are going to love it because everyone is in a party feel. RCI is more of a Sport boat. they have alot of sport activities...

I would suggest as a first cruise, Carnival Holiday out of Mobile Alabama. It goes to Cozumel and Costa Maya... 2 great ports of call. And when you get there do not buy anything activities from the Cruise line. Make sure to purchase everything off the boat. And you will only need $500-$600 spending money for 2 people...

Ask me any question you need to. or visit me at my site and see how I travel so much. I do it for a living. www.vacationintowealth.com

Answer 7

No - cruises do not get over crowded. The only time you may run into some crowding is your day's "at sea" - there will be alot of people around the pool area. Best to get a chair early in the morning.
Best tip - on your "port days" stay on the ship if you really have no shore excursion planned. At least 80% of the people will be getting off- and it is like having the ship all to yourself. It's wonderful!!
Enjoy!

Answer 8

depends on your definiation of over crowded.

Certainly you picked a popular cruise to the caribbean.

If you never cruised before you might find yourself overwheledbut that is normal. RC cruises have a fair amount of people. RC boats in my opinion are the nicest on the water. Though i only been on one carinval cruise. But anyway, it wont be like you cant move anywhere with that many people.

Also people have all different interset. So their are alot of activities on RC crusies, so their will not be too many people at one activity.

I would check out RC cruises again, but certainly on the new freedom class that sails in the caribbean, it will be alot of people, but really big ship= not over crowded in my opnion.

Answer 9

I was on a Carnival cruise and was perfectly comfortable. Sometimes the food hall can be a bit packed, but I could always find somewhere a bit less crowded to sit and eat. The pool will be crowded...always. But I did activities whenever we docked, so it was fun.

Answer 10

The newer ships have more room per person than the older ships. Ships are rated in gross registered tons (GRT). GRT is a space rating, not a weight rating. One GRT is 100 cubic feet. So, you take the number of passengers (at two per cabin) and divide that into the GRT to get a space rating.

For example, the older Carnival Holiday (1985) is 46,052 GRT and carries 1452 passengers at two per cabin. Thus the space ratio is 31.7.

The newer Carnival Spirit (2001) is 88,500 GRT and carries 2124 passengers. Thus the space rating is 41.7.

There older Sovereign of the Seas (1988) is 73,192 GRT and carries 2280 passengers. Thus the space ratio is 32.1 The newer Navigator of the Seas (2002) is 138,000 GRT and carries 3114 passengers. Thus the space ratio is 44.3.

Luxury ships, such as Seabourn, have even more room per passenger. The space ratio on Seabourn is 48.1.

Now, to answer your question, no, the newer ships do not feel crowded. However, there is another side to this issue. The smaller ships (under 30,000 GRT) carry fewer people, and because there are less people, there are smaller lines. When a ship docks everyone wants to get off at the same time. Well, a small ship of say 21,000 GRT carrying 700 people (space ratio of 30) will feel less crowded when everyone wants to get off because there are less people getting off compared to a much larger ship, say 126,000 GRT if the larger ship is carrying 3150 people (space ratio of 40).