Are the ships usually full

[Kazzykins]

Are the ships usually fully booked throughout the year? We want to go early September when kids are back at school (Independence of the Seas, Sept 09 to Europe) but dread the thought of long queues to eat in the restaurants or rising at the crack of dawn to put my towel on a deckchair lol:D Any tips? Thanks Kaz:)

[TEXASMUNK]

They have been at 105% capacity until the world economy decided to implode.

 

It is only a guess if ship's will be full the balance of this year.

 

But, your concerns about lines....they are not as bad as you seem to imagine they might be and you will find fewer kids since school will be back in session.

[rclfan18]

Uhmm.. I think it depends on the time of year. I went on the Sovereign last september, and it is a smaller ship, but it seemed completely empty. I talked to some staff and they said the ship was only around 1/2 capacity. So I think when kids go back into school is around a good time.

[RoofingPrincess]

If you take Traditional Dining there will not be a long queue to eat your dinner.... I've never experienced a queue for breakfast or lunch in the Formal Dining Room either (only on at-sea days do they generally serve lunch in the MDR; the Windjammer buffet is open on both sea days and port days)

[Elizanessie]

Are the ships usually fully booked throughout the year? We want to go early September when kids are back at school (Independence of the Seas, Sept 09 to Europe) but dread the thought of long queues to eat in the restaurants or rising at the crack of dawn to put my towel on a deckchair lol:D Any tips? Thanks Kaz:)

 

Not all schools in UK will be back by then. You might find as you are sailing from Southampton there will be more older people on it than you expected to see.(due to not needing to fly to embark)

 

We did the Navigator Sept 07 on the same route from Southampton and there were quite a few kids on it....grrrrr hot tubs grrr...but with the Indy the kids have their own pool area so you should find it more peaceful :)

 

I have never had a problem with queues/getting table in Windjammer....just keeping walking round and dont stop at first food area ;)

[cb at sea]

Do NOT get up a dawn to "hog" a deck chair!!!!!!

Try breakfast in the dining room--it's nicer than the buffet, and they seat you--no searching for a clean table! No lines! Table service! Oh, so nice!

You don't need to be right beside the pool---there are PLENTY of deck chairs on the upper decks--less crowded and less noisy!

[cruiserbryce]

not always but the sailings we have been on have been pretty full. I would think mid sept may be a little lighter crowds than in December, summer or spring break

[moogiechompy]

We sailed last year on the 6th Sep on Indy from Southampton, the ship was full but there were very few children, one afternoon my DH and I were the only ones in the arcade (we're early 30's :D). I didn't really have any issues, always got a table in the Windjammer and the bars even though it was busy and when the sun did come out we always got a lounger on deck. There was a nice mix of ages on board and if (more a case of when :))I was to book from Southampton again I would definitely do that time of year again.

[Merion_Mom]

They have been at 105% capacity until the world economy decided to implode.

 

It is only a guess if ship's will be full the balance of this year.

 

But, your concerns about lines....they are not as bad as you seem to imagine they might be and you will find fewer kids since school will be back in session.

 

I endorse and agree with Texasmunk's response 105%. :)

[sandytoes03]

We only cruise in the summer or spring break and the ships are always full. I've never waited in crazy lines, nor have I woken up at the crack of down to put my towel on a chair. It will be fine.

[rubrrick]

Ship capacity at even 100% for the rest of the year on many ships is doubtful.

 

What I used to see was the fact if one wanted a suite.......you had to book it about a year out.:cool:

 

Now..........many of the suites of ships are still open a month before the cruise.

 

Times are changing, and the fallout is going to affect every area of life, until we see a bottom to this recession. Hopefully it will not be long lived....but it's going to be with us for the near future.

 

Rick

[critterchick]

There's full and there's "full". Mariner, for example, can hold something like 3600 passengers, but that's assuming that every berth is full, meaning that every cabin has as many people in it as it can hold. But she can also sail "full" with fewer than that many passengers if most of the cabins only have 2 people in them. That's why the website shows her capacity at 3,114, event though she can hold more.

 

RCI typically will offer special pricing to fill their ships - senior, residency and military discounts have popped up on almost every cruise we have booked for 2009. But in the current world economy, it's anybody's guess whether that will work.