People overload

This might sound like a strange question but I've never cruised before and I just booked a cruise to Alaska this July. Does it feel crowed or like a lot of people on the boats when your on them? Are you right on top of each other. Are the pools/saunas etc. crowded? We're going on the Crown Princess and it holds 3,000 passengers. :eek: I'm a pretty friendly person but I can get a little claustrophobic in crowds and like some alone time as well.

There are times that it feels crowded such as embarking the ship but other times that it won't feel crowded.

You can find quite spots so no worries.

Keith

This might sound like a strange question but I've never cruised before and I just booked a cruise to Alaska this July. Does it feel crowed or like a lot of people on the boats when your on them? Are you right on top of each other. Are the pools/saunas etc. crowded? We're going on the Crown Princess and it holds 3,000 passengers. :eek: I'm a pretty friendly person but I can get a little claustrophobic in crowds and like some alone time as well.

I was just on the Crown Princess. I wrote a review (the link is below) and it includes lots of photographs, some on sea days when everyone is on board the ship. Click on the link below and take a look at the photographs. Then you can decided how crowded it looks ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2316257

There are times when it will feel crowded as in when a show lets out, the Atrium in the early evening, embarking at a post. As for the pools, yes the main pools will be crowded but there is an adult pool at the aft that for the most part is pretty quiet. Explore the ship the first day aboard and you will find all kinds od places that are off the beaten track so to speak where you would not know that you are a ship with 3000 people. Enjoy your cruise and this may be your first but can pretty much guarantee that it will not be your last.

I assume that as you suffer from claustrophobia that you did not book an interior cabin.

I haven't traveled on a Princess ship but have traveled on other lines. We have experienced crowding in elevators on ships. The dining areas can seem crowded at busy times, like noon in the buffet. Getting into and leaving popular venues like the evening show can seem crowded for a few minutes.

I would suggest that you try and not plan to get off at ports early. People love to line up to be the first off and the hallways and stair cases will be packed with people. Literally, no where to move until they start letting people off the ship.

We have found that the best way to find time to yourself is to take advantage of your stateroom. We spend quite a bit of time in our cabin and on our balcony. Visiting common areas line dining venues at off peak times also helps. And, waiting until everyone simply clears out also helps.

Some ships are better than others but there is always places on the ship (apart from your cabin) where there are no crowds and you can get some quiet time.:D

Have you ever been at a resort hotel? It's just like that! On nice days, sea days, the pools will be crowded, but there are always less "peopled" spots! When shows let out, there's a crowd....sit in your seat until most have left!

The ships are designed for the maximum number of passengers.

I understand exactly what you mean

.....I'm not fond of crowds :o

Explore the ship and you'll find plenty of quiet spots :)

...I've found Skywalkers nightclub to be a great spot during the day. Peaceful, and a great view :D

You'll be just fine....enjoy yourself :)

I don't think the pools will be crowded in Alaska. Hot tubs, maybe. Crown does not have a covered pool. EM

Hi - welcome to Cruise Critic.

If you go to the Buffet/Horizon Court on Deck 15 for lunch on Embarkation day when everyone is boarding, expect it to be very crowded. Depending on what time you board, one of the Main Dining Rooms may be open for lunch - you just have to ask which one. (I think the hours are limited for lunch that day however.)

If you find the mid-ship elevators overly crowded, you can walk a little further and use the forward or aft elevators - generally not as crowded, although the forward ones will be busy right after the Theatre show gets out.

On Princess your stateroom should be available as soon as you get on the ship, so if things seem crowded, you can grab a snack from the International Café on Deck 5 and retreat to your stateroom until Sail-Away. For Sail-Away you can usually go to the upper decks and find more open space. The bar area/s at the back of the ship will probably be crowded during Sail-Away.

Have you found your Roll Call? This is a forum where you can chat with otherspeople on your sailing:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/?cruise_line_id=28&ship_id=347

Have a wonderful cruise - Princess is a great line for Alaska.

The open decks will be packed when cruising around the glaciers so your own balcony may be a good idea for then.:D

I'm sure you'll have a good time. After a couple of times on the large ships, we tried a 150 passenger ship and now would not travel on anything larger than 300 people. My husband is a pilot and spends all day at crowded airports. I just dislike crowds and waiting in line in particular. But we do love cruising!

There will be times when you cannot avoid a crowd or waiting around to get on/off, eat, etc. For some people that is ok. For us, its not.

If you mean on the ship, I've never felt crowded. And I hate crowds.

Sure at times you may have to wait, ir line up, but that's not even very often.

But that can only apply to the lines I've sailed.

If by "Boat" you mean the Tender, yes they can be a bit crowded, but you are only on them for a short time.

I do struggle a bit with the crowds a embarkation.

When I need to use a wheelchair it's worse. Simply because of how low you are.

For me the most crowded time on a cruise ship is during and after muster, the required drill every passenger must attend. It is especially crowded just after the muster as all the passengers rush to elevators or lounges or decks to watch the sail away.

The second biggest crowding situation is when folks are leaving the theater after a show. Many rush to elevators and jam in. I refuse to jam into an elevator and instead just wait patiently for one that is less crowded. That can take awhile after a show or a muster.

We book a balcony cabin and the balcony is my peaceful little "private resort" away from people when being around folks all the time gets tiring. Another place that can be quiet, especially at certain times of day, is the library.

I hope you enjoy your cruise to scenic Alaska and I hope you will want ot take many more cruises.

Embarkation (inside terminal), muster drill, shows and perhaps some tendering ports is where you'll see the most crowds. otherwise there will be areas where you can breath such as the atrium, library, little nooks here and there. A balcony sure helps as well!

I notice the biggest crowds when the CD gets on the loud speaker and mentions the word "sale".

yeah no balcony booked:( trying to go the cheapest I can. Okay at least I feel a little better. I can deal with the occasional crowd. Ive spent a bit of time traveling on the NYC subways:D I was worried more about the day in and out type things like walking around the deck, getting food, lounge chair areas and pools.

Oh yeah, don't go to the buffet when you first board as it'll be packed. I see your on Crown Princess so eat in the MDR for lunch, one of them should be open til 130p

yeah no balcony booked:( trying to go the cheapest I can. Okay at least I feel a little better. I can deal with the occasional crowd. Ive spent a bit of time traveling on the NYC subways:D I was worried more about the day in and out type things like walking around the deck, getting food, lounge chair areas and pools.

Next time, you may want to look at a ship with only hundreds of passengers. Oceania Regatta does Alaska with under 700 passengers.

This might sound like a strange question but I've never cruised before and I just booked a cruise to Alaska this July. Does it feel crowed or like a lot of people on the boats when your on them? Are you right on top of each other. Are the pools/saunas etc. crowded? We're going on the Crown Princess and it holds 3,000 passengers. :eek: I'm a pretty friendly person but I can get a little claustrophobic in crowds and like some alone time as well.

Cruise ships get crowded. It's a fact of the business. No matter what line you sail, there are times you'll be stuck in a crowd. I haven't sailed Crown, but I've sailed similar Princess ships (Ruby and Caribbean). Of course, there are times when the ship won't be crowded, as shown in the link cuizer provided, but there are other times you'll want to get away from all the people. Crowded boats are a peeve of mine to but like I said, it's the nature of the beast.

I don't care for huge crowds, either. Our first cruise was a little overwhelming at times, but as others said, there are plenty of quiet places you can find with lots of elbow room. I'm an early riser and discovered that before 0800 the public spaces are pretty quiet and it's a great time to walk around and explore the ship in peace and quiet. ;)

Of course, it is not just numbers that matter: the make-up of the crowd counts -- a couple of hundred drunk Spring-breakers on a Carnival three day special can make a couple thousand Cunarders on a QM2 T/A seem like an intimate tea party.

I also get a little "twitchy" in large crowds, especially when there is some gentle pushing as the crowd moves along.

On a ship, it's actually easy to deal with:

Get to shows early- then don't try to exit immediately. Let the crazy people go first, sit in your seat and exit once the crowd thins out.

Do the steps instead of the crowded elevators. This also helps with the weight gain! When we have three flights, I almost always take the stairs.

Don't try to get as close to the pools as possible. Music blaring, screaming kids, splashing...ugh. Stake out a quiet chair, usually near a less popular spot.

Buffet is craziest when it first opens. Let the crowds die down a little.

Most of all, don't let that ruin your day!