Cruise experts reveal the best times to visit popular ship venues and avoid long lines and packed decks.
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problem solved
With hundreds to thousands of guests on board, even the largest cruise ships can sometimes feel crowded.
Certain venues and activities are particularly popular and can result in hallway bottlenecks, lack of seating, and long lines. Travelers who braved the buffet at 9 a.m. would have had to avoid the crowded foot traffic to browse the offerings.
“Breakfast always feels hectic because everyone wakes up at different times,” said Alisa Myat, a travel vlogger who runs the YouTube channel EECC Travels with her husband Jason.
However, with a little more planning and flexibility, travelers can enjoy many of these spaces when they’re free. Here’s what you need to know:
buffet
The buffet can get crowded as soon as the cruise begins. “It definitely seems like everyone goes to the buffet on embarkation day,” Myatt said. “As soon as you get on the ship, you want to go get something to eat. The buffet is always full and it’s hard to find a seat.”
She said not all food and beverage outlets will be open for lunch while passengers are on board, but guests can typically dine in the main dining room instead. Depending on the ship, some specialty restaurants may also be open.
On other days, “peak dining times” tend to be busiest, such as noon for lunch and 6:30 or 7 p.m. for dinner. “If you can wait, if you’re a late eater like 1:30 or 2 o’clock, it’s definitely still open, but it’s not as busy,” Myatt said. Going to the buffet in the evening as soon as dinner service begins (often around 5pm) can also help passengers avoid the rush.
pool deck
Myatt said poolside loungers tend to move out “very quickly,” with some guests waking up early to secure a spot. As an alternative, she recommended finding a space on a remote sundeck.
“Often there’s an open upper deck with lots of lounge chairs,” she said. “You may not be able to see the pool, but if you don’t want to be in the pool, it’s much easier to have a lounge chair there.
The cruise line’s onboard concepts, such as MSC Cruises’ MSC Yacht Club, also offer private deck space. Some ships also have adult-only pools, which may be less crowded.
That said, Myatt has noticed cruise lines putting more effort into monitoring poolside loungers. “So if a chair has been vacant for a while and there’s just a towel or something on it, they’ll come and remove it,” she said. Passengers may find it worth checking periodically to see if seats are available.
Port days also tend to be quieter throughout the ship, making it an ideal time to spend poolside for guests who don’t mind staying on board. I did the same thing last year aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas, which stopped in Costa Rica, Mexico. Since I had been to the port before, I decided to stay on board and spent most of the day on my favorite lounger.
Vehicles and activities
On Port Day, enjoy short waits at popular attractions, from rock climbing walls to drop slides. Myatt suggested that when sailing, you typically arrive at the same time the attraction opens (hours of operation should be listed in the cruise line’s daily program or app).
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Viva’s The Drop Freefall Slide was at the top of my to-do list during my November 2023 cruise, so I headed there one day as soon as it opened and became the first passenger.
Myatt noted that ships with fewer attractions may have longer lines than ships with a wider range of amenities. She recently sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, which has a Category 6 water park, and “didn’t see any big lines, even on sea days…We have six (water) slides, so it’s great because it spreads out people.”
show
Myatt said early and late shows tend to be equally crowded on cruise ships (though late-night shows such as after-hours comedy may not be as crowded). However, passengers should generally be able to take a seat.
“If you don’t care where you sit, be sure to get there 10 minutes before the show starts and you’ll be seated,” she said. “It might not be the best seats, but you can get there 10 to 15 minutes early. But if you want a specific seat, get there 45 minutes before the doors open.”
When I arrived about 20 minutes early to see the Broadway-style “Disney Hercules” show aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Destiny ship in November, the line was nearly halfway through the ship. However, since we arrived early, we were able to get a seat with plenty of time.
However, depending on demand, that period could be longer.
Boarding and disembarking
Myatt recommended finding an earlier or later boarding time to make the boarding process less rushed. Cruise lines typically notify guests via email or app that they can check in and choose from multiple arrival windows.
Most passengers tend to board between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., so look for availability outside of those hours, she said. We arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida around 2pm to take a cruise in August, and the terminal was almost empty. It took about 10 minutes to pass the security check and board the ship.
The same goes for getting off the ship. “If you don’t want to wait in line, get up early,” she said. “Either you wake up, get ready and get off the ship, or you take the opposite approach. You’re sleeping.”
Guests typically have to leave their staterooms by around 8 a.m., but waiting until a little later allows you to disembark after many other guests have already eaten breakfast.
Boarding and disembarking the ship may be crowded at other times as well. Myatt noted that tender ports, where guests board small boats to travel to and from shore, could cause significant congestion.
“If tenders are involved, we recommend booking a tour. Cruise lines will give you priority off the ship because they don’t want you to miss a tour you booked through a cruise line,” she said. “So they usually set up a meeting point at a theater or something like that and send people off on excursions first.”
You’ll feel more relaxed if you book a tour that meets later in the day, after many of your other guests have departed on their adventures.
spa
Spas are often in high demand on sea days, so if you book on a port day, there will usually be more availability. “When it comes to thermal suites, we’re limited to the number of people who can purchase that pass per week,” Myatt said. “It usually doesn’t get too crowded at any point.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Please contact us at ndiller@usatoday.com.
