Looking for quiet ships (or dedicated quiet areas)

It's seems hard to find reliable dedicated quiet public areas on ships.

I would love to find a ship or an entire line that has a dedicated pool area, indoor reading area, outdoor ocean viewing area and a dining area with no amplified noise pollution, ever. Always tranquil and able to talk or read or hear the ocean or rain. Anyone find such a gem?

I just went on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam thinking that would be a peaceful cruiseline with its reputation as catering to a mature crowd. but they had mega sound systems enveloping both pools, crows nest/library and the dining rooms. The piped music was very good but often too loud to stay in area and I never knew when an area would be quiet or loud. Live music was always ear piercing and I needed to leave that side of ship. I would love live music if the amplified volume didn't hurt my ears and would allow for conversations with my friends, but as it is, all amplified live music is tourture. (except the non-amplified classical duet) I was very happy with HALs promenade of no amplified music but it would close on windy days.

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This is a great question. We are also looking for the same type of experience. I have often remarked to my wife that our cruising experience would be much more enjoyable without the constant noise that seems to be all over the ship regardless of the ship or cruise line we are on. We are still looking for that "quietness" that seems to be missing.

I'll check back here from time to time. Hopefully, someone will see your thread and answer your question.

Try some of the premium lines or luxury lines

The OP raises a great issue. We have been cruising for about forty years, been on 14 cruise lines and more then 70 different ships, and lately have began to wonder if the inmates are truly running the asylum. Noise pollution has overtaken most mass-market cruise ships and it is not good. On Princess you can be blasted day and night by MUTS (supposed to mean Movies Under the Stars). Celebrity often has loud background music at the pools, in the Atrium (which echos through much of the ship) etc, HAL is a bit more sedate but some cruise directors feel the need to flood the main pool area with background music as well as oft loud live music during 1 or 2 hours of the day.

DW and I can find quiet spots on most ships (sometimes it will be our own balcony) but it getting more difficult. Some of the more upscale lines (like Crystal and Regent) do seem to maintain a quieter onboard ambiance but even those lines have been known to have some background music.

And the one thing that can even be more annoying are the Cruise Directors who seem to revel in hearing their own voice over the shipwide PA system. On some lines the Cruise Directors have simply become salesmen/saleswomen who spend too many daytime minutes hawking all sorts of onboard sales, art auctions, Bingo, etc (anything that can generate onboard revenue). Even my noise cancelling headphones cannot block out that noise pollution :(

Hank

On Princess, especially the grand class, they often use Skywalkers lounge as a quiet reading area during the day. ON our last cruise I frequently enjoyed the quiet to read and relax-bedsides Skywalkers has some unbelievable views of the sea during the day.

On other Princess ships I have had no problem finding quiet places to get away from the noise.

We found the S class of Celebrity to have wonderful, quiet areas off the atrium. the library, Planet Earth (called the Hideaway on Silhouette). Unfortunately, they often have musical groups in the atrium in the evening and the music/cacophony travels up through the atrium. The solarium with covered pool is a quiet, kid free zone. EM

Get to Europe, and P&O have 3 adult-only ships, Fred Olsen in term-time are almost entirely child-free, Voyages of Discovery have no child-centred facilities whatsoever, and none of them have wall-to-wall sound for adults either.

Crystal ships have very nice areas that are quiet and relaxing. The Palm Court during the day is a great place to read, and it has wonderful sea views off the front of the ship. They also have an outdoor promenade that is quiet and you can read or listen to the ocean.

Celebrity S Class ships have a couple of quiet and relaxing places. Their Sky Lounge is nice, especially when in port. There's an area up on deck 15, along the grass area, that attracts those who want quiet times. There's also the Solarium that is a lovely place, and kid free. Finally, if you book an Aqua Class cabin, you are entitled to use all the spa areas, including the quiet room. And with Aqua Class you get your own restaurant that is very small, intimate and not anywhere near as noisy as the MDR.

Crystal ships have very nice areas that are quiet and relaxing. The Palm Court during the day is a great place to read, and it has wonderful sea views off the front of the ship. They also have an outdoor promenade that is quiet and you can read or listen to the ocean.

 

Celebrity S Class ships have a couple of quiet and relaxing places. Their Sky Lounge is nice, especially when in port. There's an area up on deck 15, along the grass area, that attracts those who want quiet times. There's also the Solarium that is a lovely place, and kid free. Finally, if you book an Aqua Class cabin, you are entitled to use all the spa areas, including the quiet room. And with Aqua Class you get your own restaurant that is very small, intimate and not anywhere near as noisy as the MDR.

Agree that Crystal does have some good quiet places (we did suggest that line in our other post). But the S-Class ships (some of my favorite ships at sea) are being overcome by excess noise pollution. In fact, this has been a topic (many times) on the Celebrity forum where the topic of very loud music at the pool and in some of the wonderful bars are discussed with little love :). We often wonder what design genius put so-called quiet rooms like the "Hideaway" on the Silhouette in an area where one can hear all the noise/music from the Atrium.

And on our recent Oosterdam cruise we had multiple issues with noise pollution (that actually angered some passengers). While attending lectures (very popular on a cruise with more then a dozen sea days) in the large theater, the lecturer had to stop because of the PA announcements made by the CD...who, since he scheduled the popular lectures should have known better. And then the nearby Casino had a manager who wanted her Casino to sound more like a Carnival midway then a casino, and those at the rear of the theater could hear her loud PA announcements (on the Casino PA) in the rear third of the theater. And her loud announcements were also a constant annoyance in the nearby Piano Bar where she competed with the piano bar singer. One day I met this casino manager and quietly told her I would not gamble a penny in a casino that had the atmosphere of a midway attraction (not to mention the cigarette smoke). Apparently she heard other complaints because she did finally tone down all her PA antics after the first 4 weeks of the cruise.

Hank

Crystal ships have very nice areas that are quiet and relaxing. The Palm Court during the day is a great place to read, and it has wonderful sea views off the front of the ship. They also have an outdoor promenade that is quiet and you can read or listen to the ocean.

 

Celebrity S Class ships have a couple of quiet and relaxing places. Their Sky Lounge is nice, especially when in port. There's an area up on deck 15, along the grass area, that attracts those who want quiet times. There's also the Solarium that is a lovely place, and kid free. Finally, if you book an Aqua Class cabin, you are entitled to use all the spa areas, including the quiet room. And with Aqua Class you get your own restaurant that is very small, intimate and not anywhere near as noisy as the MDR.

Agree that Crystal does have some good quiet places (we did suggest that line in our other post). But the S-Class ships (some of my favorite ships at sea) are being overcome by excess noise pollution. In fact, this has been a topic (many times) on the Celebrity forum where the topic of very loud music at the pool and in some of the wonderful bars are discussed with little love :). We often wonder what design genius put so-called quiet rooms like the "Hideaway" on the Silhouette in an area where one can hear all the noise/music from the Atrium.

And on our recent Oosterdam cruise we had multiple issues with noise pollution (that actually angered some passengers). While attending lectures (very popular on a cruise with more then a dozen sea days) in the large theater, the lecturer had to stop because of the PA announcements made by the CD...who, since he scheduled the popular lectures should have known better. And then the Casino had a manager who wanted her Casino to sound more like a Carnival midway then a casino, And her loud announcements were also a constant annoyance in the nearby Piano Bar where she competed with the piano bar singer. One day I met this casino manager and quietly told her I would not gamble a penny in a casino that had the atmosphere of a midway attraction (not to mention the cigarette smoke). Apparently she heard other complaints because she did finally tone down all her PA antics after the first 4 weeks of the cruise.

Hank

My experience is that on luxury lines that you will find many quiet areas on board. As Hank said you will find this on the S Class Celebrity ships.

The dining rooms on most ships tend to be loud. The way to get around this is to go to the smaller and usually quieter specialty restaurants.

Since I also sail Crystal a lot I want to mention that there are some quite a few quiet areas on board. Kitty mentioned some. Outside on the back of each passenger deck is a nice area with chairs and lounge chairs. Unlike most cruise lines Crystal does not place suites with oversized verandahs in the back of their ships. Rather they leave them for public space. Very few people utilize these areas so often when you sit out there it is like being on a private yacht.

Keith

I've always been able to find a quiet spot mostly in one of the lounges, or somewhere on deck, or of course when things get real desperate we retreat to the balcony.:D

Like anything there would need to be "police", in this case "noise police". Sure there could be an area with no "piped in music" but some guy is going to bring their own tunes for all to enjoy. Then there is the mom in the quiet area "whispering" over a Walkie talkie checking in on her kids and the group playing charades at the top of their lungs! The cruiselines don't adequately enforce the no seat saving rule and the no children under 12 swimming in the pool unsupervised rule yet so I just can't see them being good at "noise policing".

Since I have never been able to find more than a few peaceful minutes in a row on my balcony I can't imagine a designated quiet area working on a cruiseship.

Princess has an adult area with pool but you must pay to use it.

Carnival has the free Serenity deck(S) on most of their ships. This is no smoking and adults only and they mean this.

On the Fantasy class ships the Serenity deck is in the very back, stern of the ship overlooking the wake. There are two hot tubs. It is very quiet here, the only thing you hear are announcements.

On the Conquest class ships it is along the starboard (right) side of the ship and the bow (front). There are two hot tubs in the bow.Its ok if you're in the very front but along the side you hear everything, movies, games, etc. if you sit here.

On the Sunshine the Serenity is on 3 decks in the bow. There are cabins in the front then the Serenity Deck on decks 11 & 12. There is a pool on deck 11 and a large hot tub on deck 14 across from the bar overlooking the lower decks. In the front you again can find quiet overlooking the bow but deck 11 & 12 can get noisy because you look down over the pool, movie screen and games.

Oceania cruise line, many quiet areas, no video music blasting over the deck. We were anchored next to a Carnival ship in Grand Cayman and I could hear their music louder that anything on our ship.

Oceania cruise line, many quiet areas, no video music blasting over the deck. We were anchored next to a Carnival ship in Grand Cayman and I could hear their music louder that anything on our ship.

Another vote for the small ships of Oceania. The libraries on the 3 smaller ships are comfortable, quiet and well stocked. They also have ocean views.

Try Cunard, one announcment at noon on sea days. No piped music all over the ship. You could have a band at the rear pool area but you could move to another spot. You could sit and watch the sea go by. Also during the evening there would be small music groups playing but not loud.

The OP is not looking for A quiet area on a ship. Most ships have that. He is asking for a ship with a whole bunch of quiet areas including a pool area, indoor reading area, outdoor ocean view area AND a dining area. That's a lot to ask for IMHO.

The OP is not looking for A quiet area on a ship. Most ships have that. He is asking for a ship with a whole bunch of quiet areas including a pool area, indoor reading area, outdoor ocean view area AND a dining area. That's a lot to ask for IMHO.

Not really

You can get that with Oceania & probably the luxury lines as mentioned above

Even on the mega mass market lines I have always found solace on the promenade deck under the life boats.

Wind Star. We spent two weeks on the Surf. There was never piped in music. The show band played at a volume low enough that you could still hold a conversation. The duo was the same. There was never a fight to find a chair pool side or anywhere on deck. There was no napkin twirling, dancing waiters, or other nonsense in the dining rooms. The bridge was open to visitors most of the cruise (when in port it was closed for security reasons and when in heavy shipping lanes it was closed for safety reasons) and was also very quiet. There were no announcements over the PA hawking Bingo, gold by the inch, or some show or another.

What you did hear were interesting conversations with others, and the sound of the waves and wind. The dining rooms were what you might encounter in a high end restaurant as far as noise level. The main lounge area was quiet during the day, and the library was another quiet and peaceful area.

I can't recommend it highly enough, and can't wait to get back on board.

Cunard ships have one operational announcement at Noon. We get the next day's activities schedule after dinner and it's assumed that big boys and girls will show up at the events which interest them. No announcements of bingo, trivia, etc. On windy days the aft end of the promenade deck is usually open as it's sheltered.

Wind Star.

 

I can't recommend it highly enough, and can't wait to get back on board.

Your experience sounds just like what we are looking for. What type of stateroom did you have? Do you have any pictures of your room and cruise that you care to share?

Your experience sounds just like what we are looking for. What type of stateroom did you have? Do you have any pictures of your room and cruise that you care to share?

Since we sailed the cabins have been renovated. I'd start with the Windstar web site. http://www.windstarcruises.com/ There are three types of cabins, and the only differences between cabins within each type is the location.

We booked one of the small porthole cabins. At 188 s/f we found it fine. It's logically designed with plenty of storage space and the bathroom was roomy. Our cruise was in Europe, so very port intensive, and we were in the cabin to sleep and shower.

The next step up are suites which are two cabins joined together to offer a sleeping area and sitting area and two bathrooms. Then there are the larger suites, I think three or four of them.

The entire ship has been refurbished since we sailed, and the photos are stunning.

We found far and above the best service, food, atmosphere of any of the ships we've sailed on. We found our fellow cruisers to be well traveled, interesting, and gracious. The atmosphere was reserved but stimulating and fun.

Our days quickly fell into a routine of waking and showering, going to breakfast al fresco, going ashore for the day, returning and having either tea or an adult beverage, taking a short nap, dressing for dinner, having a fantastic meal sometimes with others and sometimes alone as our moods desired, having a nightcap and listening to the band (some of our fellow cruisers would take some time in the casino after dinner), and then off to bed. It was a routine but not a rut, and there was as much interaction with others or alone time as we wanted.

There were no belly flop or hairy leg contests. Room service was happy to deliver lunch to the pool area. There were plenty of loungers both in the sun and shade. No one saved chairs, if anything was on a chair it was because it had accidentally been left behind. There was never a push for alcohol, shore excursions, photos, or the small shop on board. The night before each port they distributed information about the port so you could DIY if you chose. There were shore excursions and most were reasonably priced. They were happy to give you walking directions to public transit.

Their motto is "180 Degrees From Ordinary" and it is very fitting.

I agree about both Oceania and Windstar. We were on the ship ”Windstar” this year for a short cruise and will certainly sail on this line again. We were on the lower deck, can’t see any difference between the two decks other than one more staircase to climb. We were also on QM2 and Diamond Princess this year. Indeed there is only the one announcement at noon on the QM2, commendable…Princess on the other hand….It was an eighteen day cruise round Japan, sold also as two nine day cruises, with a foreign port during each nine day cruise. This meant that we had to go through lengthy immigration procedures entering and leaving Japan on each nine day segment. This was made worse by Princess transmitting very loud and repeated announcements into the cabins each time - to chase up those who inevitably ignored their scheduled times for passport control. So those of us who did the right thing, and went through immigration as required, were blasted from our attempts to rest quietly in the cabin by these repeated loud announcements. I understand the need to reach all passengers as this was a mandatory procedure; it was the extremely loud volume level of the announcements into the cabin that was the issue. This may have been unique to this itinerary only, cannot recollect such disturbance on Princess before (we are nearly elite on Princess.) However, since our return from Japan we have booked our next two cruises on Oceania, which we have cruised once before. To be fair it is not only the noise issue, but it is a factor…other things like the size of the ship, traditional or anytime dining options, quality amenities in the cabins, are also important to us.