Cruise Etiquette: Tips for Finding Peace and Quiet on Crowded Cruise Ships

09.02.2024 - 19:56 / cntraveler.com / Royal Caribbean / Holland America Line

When I was a travel consultant in the early 2000s, the concern I would most often hear from potential first-time cruisers were about crowded ships: “I don’t want to be cooped up with all those people,” they’d groan.

At the time, the capacity of the industry’s largest ships was just over 2,600 passengers. Today, that’s considered medium-sized. The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s new Icon of the Seas, can set sail with 7,600 passengers onboard. With the industry reporting a return to pre-pandemic booking levels in 2023, there's enough cruising demand to fill these new mega ships—the Icon of the Seas' inaugural voyage was nearly sold out just 24 hours after bookings opened, The Points Guy reported. While busy ships help create the fun-loving social atmosphere cruises are best known for, navigating crowded cruises can also lend itself to questionable passenger etiquette (nobody likes a pool chair hog).

Of course, not every cruise will sell out, nor are they all that big. As a rule of thumb, travelers should expect full ships during summer months and popular holiday and school break travel periods. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to determine if your cruise has been booked to capacity prior to its sailing (many a Reddit thread has been dedicated to cracking the code).

When anticipating how crowded a cruise ship may feel, the total number of passengers onboard doesn’t tell the whole story. To get a better sense of this, the cruise industry refers to something called the “space ratio,” which takes the total tonnage of the ship and divides it by the number of passengers the ship can accommodate. As one might expect, that ratio is lower on big ship cruise lines—Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean generally have less space per passenger. It then increases on premium lines (think Princess, Holland America Line, Celebrity), and tops out at the luxury end (Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea).

But how can passengers who aren’t booking a boutique cruise ship or a luxury line carve out quiet spaces to themselves onboard bigger ships—while still being respectful of other passengers? Below, find tried and true ways to find space on a crowded cruise ship, whether you're onboard a modern mega ship or an intimate expedition vessel.

The most obvious way to secure your own quiet enclave is to book a balcony stateroom. While small, the value of this outdoor space shouldn’t be underestimated, particularly for itineraries rich with scenic cruising, like voyages to Alaska or the Baltic Sea. Several cruise lines also offer private areas of the ship for top-end suite passengers, including dedicated bars, restaurants, pools, and spas that are off-limits to other cruise goers, Tom Baker, the president