Crafty Ways To Steer Clear Of The Crowds On Busy Cruises
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- Cruise lines are packing their ships full these days. They're admitting that they're selling at 100% or higher capacity. So, ships are really, really full, and I've seen this firsthand on a recent cruise, like MSC Cruises, Norwegian, or Caribbean, even Princess in Alaska. So, I want to share with you proven techniques to deal with managing crowds and avoiding crowds.
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Cruise lines are packing their ships full these days. They're admitting that they're selling at 100% or higher capacity. So, ships are really, really full, and I've seen this firsthand on a recent cruise, like MSC Cruises, Norwegian, or Caribbean, even Princess in Alaska. So, I want to share with you proven techniques to deal with managing crowds and avoiding crowds.
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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
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00:00 Start
00:34 Cruise Line Add Ons
00:40 Ships-Within-Ships
01:24 Sanctuaries
01:54 Special Passes
02:54 Balconies
03:28 On Board Crowd Tips
03:39 Avoidance Techniques
04:05 Embarkation and Disembarkation
05:00 Smart Activity Plans
05:40 Dining Without Crowds
06:30 Pool Deck Tricks
08:00 Elevators
08:20 In Port Crowd Tips
08:30 Excursions
09:36 Staying On Ship
09:50 Lunchtime Tricks
11:18 Early Bird Tricks
![เบิ้ล ปทุมราช - อ้ายกินดอง น้องลาบงัว ft. สแน็ก อัจฉรีย์ [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-OK--KaSPcI/mqdefault.jpg)
One hint for avoiding crowds in port--get off the tourist path. We had the best pizza I've ever eaten in Florence, one block off the main tourist walkway. There was a short line of workmen lined up at this place--we got pizza for lunch at 1 euro per large slice and got bottles of water, soda, or whatever at the grocery next door. There was a little public seating area which we had all to ourselves. It was absolutely nothing fancy but totally delicious. Our goal was to eat quickly and get on with our day, not to sit in an overpriced, fancy restaurant. In fact, we laughed at the fancy outdoor restaurant we passed with a sign that said pizza was 15 Euros per person. Of course, we didn't have a cute tablecloth or even a table.
Love your tip!
I remember eating at Gustarium, which sounds just like the place you describe. Pizza sold by weight, so you can sample as many varieties as you like.
I lived in Italy for school for a few months while I was in college. The best restaurants are always tucked away, most of the time just a street away from the busy areas. Some even have a table cloth 😉
One fairly specific tip I'd like to share: on the Caribbean/Diamond/Sapphire/Crown/Emerald/Ruby Princess, Skywalkers Lounge is almost always quiet during the day. This is the large nightclub space overlooking the rear of the ship. It has commanding views of the scenery, and is typically vacant during the day. My fellow curmudgeons and I use it as a reading room.
Our daughter gave us this tip, and we went to the lounge on a sea day on the way to Alaska - great views and no crowd and thus no crowd noise.
Yes, but Princess is determined to phase that out with their viewless new ships.
@@kays749 You're right about that. The Royal class ships have very few places to take in the view. I'm Elite with Princess, but I'm so put off by their new ship designs I'm in the market for a new home line. That's how I found this channel.
SKYWALKERS!!! Best quiet place! I comment to Princess after every cruise on one of those ships that they do not do enough to use/promote that space. Plus, the moving sidewalk is added fun!
I would also add to cruise/travel during off-season if possible. Now that we are retired this is what we always try to do. Less crowds and the locals are happy to see you!! We are also definitely a fan of private tour guides when possible. Love your TH-cam channel - chock full of wonderful advice!
Any tips on finding out what the actual off-season timeframe is, for the region you want to cruise in? Taking into account all aspects, not just weather or kids/school, etc.?
For dining times, I find that different cruises have different "busy" times in the dining room. Longer cruises with a larger percentage of elderly travellers tend to crowd up for earlier dinner. My last cruise actually opened the dining rooms at 4:30 PM and the room was half empty by 6:30 PM. On shorter trips with a younger crowd, busy times tend to move later. Another idea: if you actually want to swim, rather than just stand around in the pool, go later. On a recent Holland America trip, I found that I could have the stern deck pool all to myself any time from about 4:00 pm onward, even on sea days. The sun worshippers were all gone because the sunlight wasn't nearly as intense by that time of day.
One quiet place most guests overlook: specialty restaurants outside of their usual open hours. As long as you don't show up when they're trying to feed crew (ask what those times are) and don't get in the way, the staff usually have no problem with you hanging out there. On the newer Holland America ships I like to head up to Tamarind at sail-away...you have a lovely view out the windows, a balcony just outside if you want to take pictures, lovely and comfortable chairs and lounges...and other than the staff, it's usually deserted. I felt like I was leaving port on my own personal super-yacht ;-)
That is a great suggestion!
Good idea!
Are these restaurants "closed" for serving and you are just hangin out reading or are you eating? Is this restricted in some way? Thanks.
My wife is a teacher so we have always cruised during peak. You just need patience otherwise embarkation / debarkation will always be a terrible experience. We always arrive at least the day before the cruise and plan to depart the day after the cruise arrives to ensure we aren't rushed. Our private escape is always our balcony so cruises with room service included is a requirement for us. We will often grab a window seat in the buffet to read, relax, and snack since the wife is a bit sun shy. Also helps that we aren't partiers so aren't interested in the group gatherings. We also go to bed early and wake up early where a crowded ship often appears quite empty. We take a cruise for the sites from the ship and rarely take the over valued excursions so at best we get off briefly and explore the port shops for a magnet souvenir or t-shirt and have the ship to ourselves for the rest of our time in port.
Thanks for adding this and your tips and insights to help others. That approach was really interesting to hear about!
Regarding disembarkation crowds ... I stay on the ship until I am kicked off. Food is available all day on the final day and everything except the bar and casino are still open. About 11 o'clock when there is only me left onboard, I take a casual stroll to the gangplank.
I know there is a large number of folks who want the earliest check in time but we try for the 1:00pm window. We don't have to bust our butts to get up and get going on embarkation day. The long lines have evaporated and we breeze through the check in process and most times our rooms are available when we board the ship. We can drop our carry on bags in the room, do the e-muster and the throngs in the food venues have all left for their cabins leaving it quiet for us.
I was going to order room service for lunch on a sea day, but then this reminded me to go to the main dining room instead, so I appreciate that! It totally slipped my mind that the main dining room was an option. I remembered to do the main dining room for lunch on embarkation day.
I did that on my last cruise and it was so nice!
Great tips! We discovered self-debarkation when our Princess New England cruise ended in Brooklyn. We saw all the advance warnings and instructions about the regular debarkation and shuttle procedures, looked at how much the shuttle cost and how little luggage we had, and either canceled or never booked it. We got our own cab and were all set. Breakfast in the dining room and taking the stairs also work wonders!
This is definitely why I'm more interested in a medium-to-small ship experience. It's more expensive, but more chill and tailored. I grew up in a tourist town that got packed during the summer. I still live in a kinda touristy area. I don't want that touristy vibe on vacation! I totally understand why other folks would want it, especially if they don't live in an area with tons of attractions like I do.
Exactly, but medium ships aren't always more expensive. Many of the big name lines are operating older ships that hold 2500-3000 passengers and tend to be less popular because they don't have all the bells and whistles. We're older, don't need ice rinks or go karts....so these medium ships are perfect for us. They also often cost less than the newer ships on the same line. There are also a few lines that have new ships in that size range, which we also find to be good for us. We cruises a 4000 passenger behemoth years ago and found it too big and crowded for our taste; I can't even imaging what a 6000 passenger ship would feel like. Medium ships, off season for us!
Agree wholeheartedly! Less crowded, less expensive and more restful. HAL’s smaller, older Zuiderdam has a quiet library and the newer, larger Nieuw Statendam has NO library. Sailed on both on a B2B and the difference was apparent.
Excellent video, Gary! One of my key tactics to avoid the crowds is to choose a day where you think lots of people will get off for the day, and use that as a day to enjoy the ship. It's usually only do-able for me on an itinerary with ports I've done before though, as I don't want to miss an entirely new port just to stay on the ship!
Thanks for watching! Yes agree I try the same tactic
Getting a balcony is the best thing you can do for privacy. I did an Alaska cruise recently but had an interior cabin and found myself constantly leaving my room just to look at the spectacular views but so was everyone else and it was annoying fighting for deck space and dealing with people with their selfie 🤳 moments and constant interruptions whrn I tried to film. So from here on out nothing but balconies for me every cruise.
I love balconies, but almost too much. I end up spending the vast majority on the cruise just lounging on my balcony, and not doing anything outside of my cabin.
Thank you to both of you for the insight. I’d like a balcony but was thinking “Is it really worth the expense when you can just go on deck?”. You answered that.
The irony in your second sentence is astounding.
A balcony is a must on an Alaska cruise.
Great tips. One reason I get a balcony is to have alone time. Those big crowds are just not me. I look where the quiet out of the way places on the cruise are located and head there with my sewing hand work. It is amazing how many other passengers will join me with their work or to read.
Exactly what I’m doing on my next cruise with HAL. My husband asked why I wanted a balcony since he’s not going. I said it was to soothe my sole. We usually cruise Viking or Oceania always with a balcony. But he thought since I was cruising solo I could take an inside cabin. We are going on the NS from Athens to AT
I avoid the disembarkation crowd the extreme opposite method. I relax on the ship outside the buffet until last call; very few passengers wait until last call and I get off the ship in a few minutes. I find a place to relax outside the terminal and find getting a Lyft, UBER, or Taxi is less money if you are patient. Also, airfare often is less catching a flight late afternoon or even the next day.
This is a good idea. Do they give you bad looks if you sit and read until they. arebasically throwing yout out?
Faster navigation onboard, use the deck with staterooms only that allows you to walk almost the entire length from bow to stern, then hit the stairs.
I hate crowds. I loved this video and saved it. I didnt know that suites offered areas outside of the crowds. This was very helpful and please keep us updated, maybe like a part 2.
Thanks Gary. Cheers
Great to hear that this will be so helpful!!!!
Hi Gary. Great video and I agree with most of your tips. For those who can afford it, the easiest solution is to just book into First Class (or whatever they are calling it now). Another solution, you touched on in a recent video is to just travel on a smaller ship. There are trade offs there. You will have few or no really large crazy crowds. The ship is likely to be much quieter and you will probably visit ports that the bigger ships don't go to. Which also helps with crowd mitigation. The downside is you will have fewer shipboard amenities. So this might not be a great choice if you really enjoy the amusement park and Las Vegas style entertainment options or are easily bored.
If possible cruise when kids are in school. I enjoy cruising in the fall seems to be less crowded than the summer
In regards to elevators, if everyone wants to go up, take the elevator down... it will go up after that.
Brilliant!
You didn't mention if you can cruise on a flexible schedule NEVER book during spring break, mid-summer, or holiday weekends.
Thank you for this Gary, your recommendations make perfect sense to me. Especially because i dont like crowds and do want to get the most value from my cruise fare. I would rather go out early, back for lunch then if time permits go off again or stay on board. When you factor in 1st day is self guided really prior to embarkation, and last day is also w disembarkation, you have to be smart in how you extract value from your cruise. Essentially the cruise is 2 days short and cost per day much higher so get the most from what you paid.
Another advantage of traveling with carryons is it’s easy to walk off for debarkation. The taxis cost to the airport in Fort Lauderdale is less than $20. We were at the Airport before 8:30 am.
One thing we've done is to use the buffet for dinner. It's never as busy as breakfast or lunch. Check the menus and see if there are special nights. On a Celebrity Caribbean cruise, the buffet chef had a wonderful steak night one evening, and we took our meals out to the back open deck where a woman was playing acoustic guitar. There were maybe 20 couples and tables there, with a dedicated bartender looking to keep busy. It was a memorable night my husband and I still say it was a magical evening. We felt we had a private concert.
If you need to walk the length of the ship, oftentimes the least crowded way to do that is via one of the hotel decks rather than one of the common area decks.
When I went on a cruise one of the things we really noticed is how well the ship handled all the people. The only two times we really had a sense of the large number of passengers was when we did the life boat drill and at the very end of the cruise when we disembarked. This was a positive imho.
We always go early off the ship. A lot of the times we rent a car/van & go exploring. Love it!
I'm with you. After 2020, I can't do big crowds. I can't see myself on RC Icon. 😲. The pools are definitely a NO!
Your advice is always golden! Thank you. Avoiding crowds is important to me. That's one of the many reason I love Viking.
Excellent tips, Gary. Thank you.
I did my first and only cruise 20 years ago. I mostly just remember all the crowds and queues. Cautiously giving it another shot in two weeks on the Celebrity Eclipse for a repositioning cruise down the west coast. I see myself taking lots of walks on deck in a warm hoodie followed by a warm drink, enjoying our aft balcony, and dining in the specialty restaurants.
Have a great trip! That sounds amazing!
Cruise Lines that provide free cruising for kids should either be avoided or get an exclusive area / access upgrades.
Virgin Voyages lacks over capacity issues because the cabins are not packed with kids.
If doing Alaska avoid the mega chips , Holland America is a great option.
The way to beat all these crowds is to only sail with cruise companies that offer 1,000 guests or less. Yes these type of cruises will cost you more money but you will get away from all the knuckleheads and drunks and people throwing up in the pools
I have been on a couple with 1200, which was great, but about max for me!
Sorry, but arrogance isn't that better. And Knuckleheads can be found everywhere.
SNOB ALERT!!! 🤡🧌🤡🧌
I so love your use of the word civilised. ❤❤
Thanks, 5pm seems to be a time I feel I have the ship to myself😂I love the sanctuary for the afternoons❤
I discovered the self dis-embarkation on my last cruise. Except for the long line to actually leave the ship, they routed us all the way fore and aft before getting to the gangway, it was fast getting to customs and away from the terminal. I'm never letting them take my bags off again!
Luv your channel. Thank you.
Gary, great tips for having a quieter cruise in general. Nice to see Mark throughout this video. Hello, Mark! Have a wonderful weekend. (Edit: added left out word)
Passengers on Disney are always moaning about how busy the midship lifts are on the legacy ships so DCL sorted out the long queue times by eliminating the midship lifts on the newer ships, Wish & Treasure! So genius…
/s
I like the ships (often older ones) with a promenade. The younger and louder people are usually there and I can find or avoid the sun as needed lounging on that deck.
Good tips. I found that queues for the shuttle bus were very long when I travelled on the MSC Virtuosa, so the best way was to go very early, or wait until noon.
We've just finished a 21 day Med cruise on Enchanted Princess and thoroughly recommend a cabana in the Sanctuary for anyone wanting to get away from the hustle & bustle of a packed busy ship. We loved it despite the extra cost of US$120 for an afternoon. This cruise was also a reminder to never sail again on any ship over 120,000 tons. Just too many people on the larger ships; unfortunately Princess, our cruise line of choice keep on retiring their smaller ships and replacing them with 150,000+ tons monsters.
Still much better than flying a full airplane.
Thank you for the video!
Wow! Terrific info. definitely staying onboard in Cozumel. Six ships in port including a large Carnival ship and the biggest Royal Caribbean ship. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Gary. We’ve nearly stopped cruising except for smaller ships specifically on Viking and Oceania. Unfortunately fares seemed to have risen dramatically and that has also curtailed our cruise plans. Now maybe once per year. Haven’t found a reliable TA and the line’s sales staff doesn’t seem to want to help find value cruises.
We used to go 5 cruises per year . For decades. No more. Too big. Too crowded. Trying Gate1 travel. Supposed to be great and small groups. Cruise industry is going to implode when people get sick of the crowds and don't become repeat. Princess was so stupid to dump all their small ships. They lost so many past cruisers like us.
Great tips but I just avoid the big ships… I did one cruise where we were 5000 passengers and every time I left my cabin I felt like I was in a mall on Christmas Eve. Go small, off season and balcony or don’t go…
Timing tourist crowds in almost any situation is be there early or late, but never at 10 AM. I love all these tips as the only cruise I've done was a huge ship sailing at something like 30% capacity.
I have no idea what to expect with crowds on my next cruise, only that it will be more than that! Hopefully since it is a bit off season and isn't a round trip, it'll be slightly less packed than it might otherwise be.
Dinning Room for Breakfast and Lunch is a GREAT IDEA!! I did this on the Norwegian Sky in the aft dinning room. I had a great relaxing breakfast with my wife, had a great view of Nassau. The only issue was the rumbling of the ships screws and stern thrusters.
What I'm looking for is a video about "Crafty Ways To Steer Clear of Towel Animals On Cruises" 😂
Yes :-) Luckily it is in theory easy - tell cabin steward not to do them....but (eek) no escaping those big displays some lines set up around the pool deck other than run...?????
Cruisetimetable! THANK YOU!
Avoiding the crowds - I'm with you Gary. However, some might argue that the crowds are part of the fun, and one shouldn't be on a cruise if you don't like it.
I almost never travel on large cruise ships for exactly that reason.
@@jec1ny There won't be anything other than large cruise ships in a bit, unfortunately😭. Big, bigger, biggest seems to be the way.
I have watched your videos for a while and at the beginning of the video I was getting discouraged because avoiding crowds costs so much more money. But the second part of your video had great tips!! And some I have used, like eating early, and at the main dining room.
Club Orange on Holland is totally worth the extra cost on a number of levels - particularly for those adverse to crowds 👍🏽 On the Koningsdam, Niew Statendam and Rotterdam the separate dinning room is really amazing service and fare!
Good tips.
Or.... Focus on lines that aren't going berserk with capacities. Our last several princess cruises were a total mess. Cancelled 4 i had booked in the future. Gonna try ncl prima. Big ship but fewer people than princess. Gonna try river as well. These ships are just tooo big and the ports are insane busy. We couldn't even get a table for lunch in Alaska. Wall to wall people. Smaller ships, less crowded iteneries. Check port schedules before you book so you can see how many ships in each port. Thanks for what you do Gary!
Your best tip enjoy the MDR OVER BUFFET
I go on cruises to see the places on port days so staying on board has little appeal. Also according to the daily programme many facilities are closed whilst in port.
Gary is a treasure!
Carnival has a “adults only” Sanctuary for a nominal fee that we LOVE! RCCL smaller ships also have an Adults Only area with a covered pool. These areas are usually much quieter than the main pool area.
Who could possibly have imagined Gary taking tea in the Queens' Room?😏
I love the NCL Haven.
My wife and i just did a Greek island cruise with Celebrity. It was our first cruise ever. We enjoyed the ports days but we felt rushed and couldn't really enjoy the Greek Islands. We enjoyed the ship mainly because it was our first cruise but liked the sea days much less ( we had 3) . Despite the excellent service we received on board Celebrity We came back with very mixed feelings aboutbthe whole cruise thing. It wasn't really for us because we were much more interested in visiting Greece as opposed to being stuck on a ship, which we felt we spent too much time on rather than on the Islands themselves. We don't see a cruise in our future anytime soon. Love you content.
My way to avoid crowds on ships is to avoid mega ships. I loved my experience on Saga Spirit of Adventure. Plenty big enough for me. Soon I will be on Oceania Vista. A little larger, but I’m expecting it to be spacious.
Great tips! Alas many require an added premium💰or tough to access (Princess Sanctuary is almost impossible). Will keep trying but as an educator can’t help but sail during school breaks. As suggested we walk the ship on day 1 to find “hidden” areas. We’ve also found Eden on Celebrity Edge class is great for daytime relaxing!
Early bird gets the worm - I love it!
If using a local guide or 3rd party, BE SURE to get back BEFORE the ship leaves. You don't want to be left behind.
If you are looking for a quiet outside space, loot towards the bow of the ship. Many (older) ships that don't have cabins tehre, have smaller decks there, mostly accessible via a small door from the corridoor with cabins.. Not someplace people will find by accident, so mostly quiet!
Thanks Gary for the info, but my way to avoid the crowds is to avoid cruise ships like the plague. The are big and ugly floating hotels. I would stick with shipping lines like Cunard, the QM2 is what I would call a real ship, and a transatlantic one at that.
Another way to avoid the crowd is to do your research and go off season.
I avoid ports where Royal Caribbean and MSC stop.
I’m going on a Princess cruise soon and they’ve abandoned specific embarkation times , so I can turn you when I want as long as it’s between 11 am and 3 pm. I’m trying to decide what the best time will be to embark when it’s quieter.
Gary what is your experience with needing a visa to go on private tours or just self tour in certain countries?
The crowds look nightmarish to me..
If you want to explore the port, one of the best ways to avoid large crowds is to talk to your Travel Advisor before you leave. They have better access to small and private tours
yes!
I'm looking at taking a Holland American cruise. What do I book to get the private areas?
Normal people Gary cannot afford Yacht Clubs etc. Simply do not take a cruise on these ships. It used to be that cruise ships limited the number of children to what their crew who look after kids can ganged. That is all out of the window especially with US owned cruise lines who simply do not care will pile the kids onto their shops and then find far too many to handle leaving a lot of parents unhappy.
Floating holiday camps,hi-de-hi!
I notice you went on Virtuosa. I almost booked it until I came across two TH-camrs who said the dining room & cabin hallway smelled of cigarette smoke because MSC allows indoor smoking. What was your experience with the air on the ship?
Did you try the main dining room? I heard it is so packed, it takes 40 minutes to get a beverage. If you are not in Yacht Club, how long do you have to wait to get off the ship in a port?
How was the quality of the food in the main dining room?
I would turn the day around-Sleep throughout the day and be active during evening and night. Thereby the shouldn't be so crowded. I hope
MDR Breakfast is the best. Usually I have the place to myself.
yes I love that !!
All great tips. But I am a little concerned with hiring your own tour guide in foreign ports. While they may know the area better, you don't know who or what you are getting. At least the cruise company has vetted all of the tour providers they contract with. Less of a chance to get taken advantage of.
We have had a quiet, private tour guide twice overseas recently. Look for the driver/guide that is dressed in clean clothes, non smoker and a clean car. Talk with him/her to establish price. The you will have a pretty good idea if you should use that person. Trust your instincts. If the price is too good, don’t do it!
didn't like that the beefiest buffet didn't open till 7, and dinning did't open till 8. Early is awesome no one up, but only one place open for food at 6 ( with more limiting menu).
Gary: Great Video!
I tend to shy away from Super-Spreader Events….oops, I mean crowds, as much as possible.
Kinda sad that you have to have an “Avoidance Strategy “.
I thought i was pretty crafty as I watched the cruise ship....(which I've just now decided to call Grub Tubs for the rest of my life).... board from my villa balcony. That being said, I do have two giant suitcases full of money, how stringent are customs on a grub tub? I have to "smuggle" all this wealth into the Cayman Islands. Would a grub tub be ideal for this? I'm thinking with the severely underpaid staff, the massive overcrowding might be a benefit. Not to mention that most grub tub operators ore already engaging in basically the same system, should be no problem. Yes? What's a little tax dodging amongst friends.
I don’t like these new private club areas that cost more $$$ to access because they effectively take even more space away from the majority of passengers. I also would not consider booking a cruise on a massive ship, smaller is more civilized. 😄
Golly! If cruise lines are SO packed, they need to dramatically increase prices!!!!
That's exactly what they're doing
I miss covid restrictions
I’ve got a quick question here for the Cruising Experts: is there any way to know before you board your ship how crowded it’s going to be?
Unfortunately not. By looking at availability of grades when do a part booking online it’s possible to see if all or many grades “waitlisted”. Travel agents can sometimes get an insight
Those big ships seem best to be avoided altogether.
Another reason I avoid the mega ships.
agree....
Let's be honest cruising isn't what it once was. People ruin the experience in many ways. Your port experience is ruined with a 7000 plus passenger monster docked for the day. We have loved our cruises, but we are looking elsewhere for vacations. We will still cruise to get away from our winter, but fewer and fewer cruises are on our list. Currently, we are canceling some of our future sailings and planning trips to less crowded spots.
Go to the gym not too crowded on most cruises since most people are lazy
Agreed! Even the group classes are not crowded so it’s a nice experience.
True but there always seems to be a fat guy sitting on the machine I want to use. I remember a lady sitting on a machine for twenty minutes and I requested to use it. Her husband yelled at me-"she's resting". A true story.
Avoid the crowds by avoiding those oversized tacky cruise lines,soon all huge monstrosities like those will be banned from certain countries and it's happening now and I don't blame them,who wants 6000 tourists bombarding their small towns 🙀
I don't like crowds. I avoid large ships.
❤️🇨🇦🌺⛈️
Anyone else having trouble hearing Gary? The commercials blast loudly but he is muffled. My device says my volume settings are at max. Could this be my wifi provider? I am not a techie - never had this issue with other videos Gary posts.
Just book on a small ship.
best way to avoid crowds, don't sail on crowded ships.
One thing you can do is pay lots more money & hire a private yacht. 😎
I have an ethnographic fascination with cruise postings. I'm mystified about the attraction some people feel for being packed into an artificial, confining environment as active participants in spewing sewage, garbage, and petrochemical toxins wherever they go.
Compared to multiple air flights and hotel bookings, though, maybe it's not so bad. If you simply can't scratch your recreational itch closer to home ;-)
I have a fascination with cruise video but being stuck on what looks like a Vegas hotel at sea would be a nightmare for me
G.Moeller - I understand your concerns but Tips for Travellers has a video about how cruise liners process the sewage, grey water (bath and sink water), garbage, etc.
Hey let’s go on a cruise and spend the entire time trying to figure out when things are happening! Oh and make certain you run around trying to get in line early before the crowd. Dang, now I have to pack light so I only have enough clothes for sort cruises or then worry about having to laundry on a cruise ship which is now a floating laundromat. Oh and by the way you can always shovel out more money 💰 to try and isolate yourself from the masses. There really is no way now to avoid the crowds in the ports with these huge ships disgorging thousand of wondering folks trying to decide which Chinese manufactured Souvenir. Heck,now maybe you can toss out the idea of sleeping in while on vacation. Alaska has officially been ruined with the larger and larger ships.
Seriously, every friend of ours who have gone on a large cruise ship raved about them and all the glitzy stuff onboard. Then mentioned the excursions were frustrating due to the crowds. Next comes the credit card invoices and they couldn’t believe how much they wasted onboard.
Finally we ask them if they would again they pretty much say maybe on a small ship but never again on one of those, as one friend put it “a floating shopping mall at Christmas”.