First time cruisers

The best deck on a cruise ship is different for each person. While some might love the views from a high deck, others prefer to be low down where they won’t feel the motion as much.

There are other factors to consider too, like noise, stairs and being close to the action.

So, what deck level is best on a cruise ship? Let’s dive in…

Go low to avoid motion sickness

The best deck on a cruise ship for motion sickness is the lowest passenger deck. This is because the top of a ship sways more than the bottom. To avoid motion sickness, choose a cabin close to the waterline.

If you’re really worried about whether you’ll feel seasick, you should consider booking a cabin with a balcony. If you’re able to sit on the balcony and look out to sea, you’ll feel much better than if you lie down in bed in a windowless inside cabin.

The lowest cruise ship decks don’t have balconies as they’re too close to the water. The balcony staterooms usually start on the third or fourth deck up.

If you don’t have the budget for a balcony stateroom, consider a room with a window. There are available on the lowest decks and being able to look at the horizon will help your brain to cope with the motion, so you’ll feel less queasy in rough seas.

I loved this Ocean View room on deck 4 of P&O Cruises Iona, the lowest passenger deck on the ship. It had a lovely window seat with great views of the ocean.

I would say that an Ocean View room on the lowest deck in a mid-ship location is the best room on a cruise ship for motion sickness. The sea was very rough on our cruise and I heard a lot of people requesting sea sickness tablets at the reception desk, but we had no issues at all in our room.

Want the best views? Go high

If you’re cruising to somewhere with stunning scenery, then it’s wise to go for a balcony stateroom on a higher deck. The higher up the ship you go, the better the view.

It’s not that the view from the lower decks is bad. Far from it. It’s just that you’ll be able to see further from higher up. If you don’t have a balcony in your cabin, you can head up to the top deck and enjoy the views from there as you sail away.

When I cruised from Florida, we once saw dolphins playing in the water next to the ship. We had a high deck, but it would have been even better to see them up close from a lower deck.

That might be the same for an Alaskan cruise too – you’d have a much easier time spotting whales from a lower deck.

Yet the glaciers might be more impressive from a higher deck… Tough decisions!

Hate elevators? Choose a mid-level deck

Around 12.5% of people suffer from claustrophobia (the fear of enclosed spaces) and a further 1% suffer from agoraphobia (the fear of not being able to escape). Many of these sufferers will want to avoid elevators (or lifts, as they’re known in the UK).

While most able-bodied people can walk up a few flights of stairs comfortably, only the fittest could manage to walk up ten flights or more without breaking a sweat. I’ve climbed about fifteen decks on a cruise ship before and let me tell you, it’s pretty tiring!

If you prefer to avoid taking the elevator on a cruise ship, you should choose a cabin on a mid-level deck. That way, you won’t have too many floors to climb in one go, whether you’re going up to the pool or down to the dining room.

5 decks you’ll want to avoid

Even if you never get seasick, there are some other things that you should consider when choosing a cruise ship deck…

Are you a light sleeper who likes to go to bed early or sleep in late? Do you want to avoid long journeys in the elevator? Or maybe you just don’t want to see other cruisers peering into your room!

1. The deck directly below the Lido Deck

Many of the noise problems that cause complaints on cruise ships come from the pool deck. Here, you might have deck parties with live music until late in the evening, followed by people scraping their sunloungers across the deck at the crack of dawn.

If you prefer not to be disturbed, you should avoid the deck below the Lido Deck and go down a level where it will almost certainly be quieter. If you really want to stay in one of the highest cabins, study the deck plan carefully to see exactly what’s above your room.

2. The very lowest deck

The cabins on the lowest passenger deck are usually the cheapest and there’s a good reason for that. In the lowest part of a cruise ship, there’s a whole lot of noisy stuff so you may hear the hum of the engine, the blast of the bow thrusters and the clanging of the anchor chain.

Depending on the ship, you may also feel vibrations that could make the hangers in your wardrobe rattle!

Suggested read: Where Are The Engines Located On A Cruise Ship?

Of course, I’m not saying that low decks are always noisy. But at certain times of day, in bad weather and especially when a ship is manoeuvring into and out of a port, you will hear more noise here than you would on a higher deck.

3. The landing deck

Some people believe that having a cabin on the landing deck can be a good thing as you can leave the ship quickly at each port.

In reality, you’re probably going to go all the way up to the buffet at the top of the ship for breakfast first, but it can be handy when returning to the ship as you can drop off some of your stuff before heading upstairs to get food.

If your cabin is close to the exit door, you may have people crowding around and making noise as they leave the ship. If you’re an early riser, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. However, on some cruises guests can disembark at ports as early as 6 am.

Plus, if you have an overnight stay, people could be coming back on board at all hours of the night.

4. The Promenade Deck

Strolling around the Prom Deck is a wonderful activity to enjoy early in the morning, after dinner or before bed. But as lovely as the promenade deck is, it can be one of the worst locations for a cruise cabin.

The problem with cabins on the promenade deck is that people can often see straight into your room. On P&O Cruises’ Iona, the promenade deck even has hot tubs on it. That means that some cabins will have a Jacuzzi blocking their view of the ocean.

Some promenade deck cabins have windows rather than balconies. These have special one-way glass that looks like a mirror from the outside. However, if someone were to put their face right up the glass, they could almost certainly see right into your room.

5. The deck above an interior promenade

Some Royal Caribbean ships have an interior promenade featuring bars and restaurants. Cabins on the deck above often have windows that look down over the promenade.

While these cabins may be great for people-watching, people can also look up and see you, so you’ll want to remember to close your curtains when changing. This can also be a noisy location, especially if your cabin is right above the sports bar or another loud venue.

Suggested read: Cruise Ship Deck Names (And Why They’re Called That)

Deck numbering explained

Before you go ahead and select the cabin for your next cruise, it’s important that you know how the deck are numbered…

On cruise ships, decks are numbered from bottom to top, starting from Deck 1 and going up at high as 20 or more. On most cruise ships, the lowest decks aren’t accessible to passengers, and you board the ship on Deck 4 or Deck 5.

Many cruise ships give the decks names as well as numbers. For example, on MSC Grandiosa, the decks are named after famous artists such as Monet and Van Gogh, whereas on Costa Deliziosa the decks are named after ornamental flowers such as Petunia and Azalea.

Some cruise ships have letters as well as numbers for the decks. On P&O Ventura, for example, Deck 12 is called A Deck, Deck 11 is called B Deck, and so on.

So, where’s Deck 1?

On some cruise ships, Deck 1 is the lowest deck on the ship. On others, it’s simply the lowest deck that’s accessible to passengers. On Carnival, Fred. Olsen and Disney cruise ships, you can book a cabin on Deck 1.

On other cruise ships, the lowest passenger cabins are on Deck 3 or 4.

Below the passenger cabins, there are the crew cabins, the engine room and other facilities such as the laundry, jail and medical centre. On some cruise ships, these areas are on Decks 1 and 2. On ships with passenger cabins on Deck 1, the decks beneath have names such as Deck A, Deck B and Deck C.

The best deck level

The best deck on a cruise ship depends very much on the ship and what’s important for you, so there’s no single answer to the question of which deck is best.

The best cruise ship deck for many people is a lower deck because less movement will be felt there. However, for the best views, you should choose a higher deck. If you want to avoid taking the elevator, a mid-level deck would be best.

Of course, as well as the deck, you’ll want to think about whether your cabin is towards the front (forward) or rear (aft) of the ship. There are a few locations that you’ll certainly want to steer clear of if you want to be sure of a good night’s sleep!

To make sure you avoid any dodgy cabins on your next cruise, I’ve created a checklist that will make sure you get it right…

Guarantee cabins explained (you might not choose your deck!)

Sometimes, you can save money on your cruise by allowing the cruise line to select your cabin for you. This is known as a ‘guarantee’ stateroom because you’re guaranteed to get a room in the grade that you choose, or higher.

So, if you book an inside cabin and they sell out, you could be upgraded to an outside cabin with a window. Free upgrades can happen regardless of whether you choose your cabin number yourself or not.

Guarantee cabins aren’t usually in the most desirable locations. This is because these are the rooms that are left over after everyone who’s picked their choice of room. So you’re unlikely to get a midship cabin when you book the guarantee rate.

You may decide that you don’t really care what deck your cruise cabin is on. If you’re fit enough to walk the length of a cruise ship and climb a few flights of stairs, then spending a few extra minutes walking to and from your room each day could be well worth the saving.

Personally, I always go for the guarantee cabin, unless there are some other free perks that come with the higher rate.

Related posts:

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

On cruise ships, robes are usually only provided for guests staying in suites. If it’s a cold weather cruise and I know I’ll want to use the outdoor hot tubs, I’ll usually bring my dressing gown from home and wear it on the way to and from the jacuzzi.

I’ll admit, wearing a bathrobe or dressing gown in public feels a little bit weird. If you’re not sure if it’s frowned upon to wear your robe to walk up the crystal staircase, I can see why.

Have you ever been to one of those spa days on land where everyone has lunch in their robes? That feels a bit weird to me too, if I’m honest!

There are some places where you definitely shouldn’t wear your robe, even if it is the posh cruise line branded one. So in this article, I’ll clear up any confusion, so you can avoid a fashion faux pas on your next cruise…

Places You CAN Wear A Bathrobe

1. Your Stateroom

You can obviously wear your bathrobe when you’re in the comfort of your own stateroom or cabin. That’s the entire purpose of having one, for most people – the fact that you can relax without having to rush to get dressed.

You might wear it once you’ve got out the shower, for those days when drying off with a towel feels like a little too much effort. Or you might just throw it on so you can enjoy your balcony first thing in the morning, before the sun has really got going and the air’s a little cooler.

Your bathrobe will also come in handy if anyone knocks on your cabin door while you’re not dressed. It’s not often that someone will come visiting you when you’re in your room, but if they do it’s a lot better to just throw on a robe instead of trying to scramble around pulling on an outfit, or worse, not bothering.

2. The Spa

Another common place to wear a bathrobe on a cruise ship is when you’re visiting the spa. If you’re going to use the thermal suites, or you have a massage booked, you’re going to need to be in your bathing suit, but you don’t necessarily want to sit around waiting in such a state of undress.

So it’s worth taking your bathrobe with you to the spa, and that way if you are waiting around after your treatment or you can’t get into the sauna immediately because it’s too busy, you have something comfortable you can relax in, and you don’t need to get changed.

You can also wear your bathrobe as you’re travelling to the spa, or heading back to your stateroom, as long as you’re pretty direct about it. Most people won’t, and will have an outfit with them, and there’s a chance you could get some funny looks.

If you prefer to travel between your room and the spa in a robe, consider a cruise ship which has spa elevators to take you directly to the spa area – typically from a spa room, like on many Carnival ships.

3. The Pool Deck

If you don’t want to carry around a full outfit, then you might want to take your bathrobe with you on your way to the pool deck. 

It’s a good option for covering up as you move around the deck until you’re ready for a dip, and then you can even sit in the bathrobe after a swim to help dry off a little – though, if you’re cruising somewhere like the Caribbean, the sunshine will typically do all that work for you in a few minutes.

Having a robe means you can walk around the pool deck a little more comfortably, especially if you’re not the most confident person.

You shouldn’t worry about that, though – nobody’s going to judge you for going up to the pool bar in your swimwear.

Suggested read: My Favourite Swimsuit Coverups For Cruises

4. The Pool Bar

Right by the pool is the pool bar and you’ll have no problem getting served there while wearing your robe.

On Celebrity Apex, the Magic Carpet is a floating platform that moves between the decks. When it was by the pool, I exited the jacuzzi and headed there in my robe for a cocktail. Nobody batted an eyelid.

5. The Sun Deck

The Sun Deck is the same as the pool deck, really. They might even be the same location, but many cruise ships will have separate, adults-only sun decks or a sun deck that’s exclusively for the use of suite guests.

Here, it’s absolutely fine to wear a robe, and you can wear one on your way to the sun deck if you prefer. A lot of people would rather that than you walking around the ship in your bathing suit, ready to sunbathe, so most people won’t care if you’re clearly heading off to sunbathe with your robe on.

Suggested read: Cruise Ship Etiquette – The Unwritten Rules You Need to Know

6. The Buffet…Maybe

Robes typically aren’t allowed in places where you’ll eat, but if you wore one to a buffet restaurant, you might get away with it.

Swimwear is typically not allowed, so covering up with a bathrobe might be seen as the preferable option, especially if you’re just nipping in there for a glass of water or a cake to take away.

To be honest though, you are likely to get some funny looks, and there is a chance the crew might ask you leave and come back with a proper outfit on.

If you really want to eat in your robe, you’d be better to head to the poolside snack bar for a burger and fries or a slice of pizza.

Still, if you’re determined to enjoy breakfast or lunch whilst being comfortable in your bathrobe, the buffet restaurant is the place to try your luck.

Places You Definitely Can’t Wear A Bathrobe

1. Restaurants

The restaurants on your cruise ship – including the main dining room and any other complimentary or speciality venues – will all have a dress code. For most of them it will be relatively relaxed, except on formal nights, but ‘relaxed’ does not extend to bathrobes.

You might like to eat breakfast at home while you’re still in your PJs and bathrobe, but that’s going to go down well when you’re on a cruise. Even first thing, you’re expected to be properly clothed when you turn up at any sit-down restaurant on the ship.

Now, you might not be refused by the crew. They may still serve you. But other guests on the ship are likely to glare, because it’s a restaurant. If you want to eat in a robe, order room service.

2. Guest Services

The Guest Services desk exists to solve any problems you might have on your cruise – just pop along and wait to speak to someone if you need to let them know something’s wrong, or in the rare situations where you need to make a complaint.

But please try and be dressed when you do – nobody wants to be queuing for the guest services team while someone’s in a bathrobe close by, especially since that could be all that they’re wearing – very uncomfortable.

3. Indoor Bars & Entertainment Venues

Don’t wander up to the bars to grab a drink while you’re in a bathrobe – you wouldn’t wear a robe to a nice bar back on land.

And the same if you’re going to the theatre, or a comedy show. Make sure you’re dressed, so that other guests feel comfortable.

The exceptions are if you’re going to a bar on the pool deck – then it’s perfectly fine to wrap a robe around you if you want – or if it’s a special themed party night for your PJs, though most themed parties on cruises tend to be clothed ones, perhaps with a colour or a fancy dress theme.

4. In Port

I feel like I don’t need to state the obvious here, right?

But just in case I do – no, you can’t go ashore wearing your bathrobe.

Some people can be guilty of acting like each port is an extension of their ‘cruise resort’, but ports are not private resorts (in most cases) and you should treat them as if you were visiting any other city on any other type of holiday.

Chances are, the crew will stop you if you try to leave the ship in just a bathrobe anyway.

And if it’s a cruise line’s private island, that still doesn’t make a difference – put some clothes on, please.

Final Word

Ever seen anyone wearing a bathrobe on a ship in a really unusual place? Were they trying to get on the Royal Caribbean surfing simulators maybe, or perhaps in line for the go karts on an NCL ship?

Wearing a robe in your room or anywhere where you would otherwise be in your swimwear is typically fine, but the rest of the ship should be somewhere that you stay dressed.

Related Posts:

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

Hopefully, you’ll never need to visit the guest services desk during your sailing, but if you do, you might overhear some pretty bad complaints.

Often these are just because people are entitled, or downright deluded, but sometimes there’s also a genuinely terrible complaint that the guest is right to be complaining about.

So, let’s take a look at the worst complaints overheard at guest services…

1. There are gay people onboard!

(Source)

One guest was extremely unhappy to find out that there were gay men on the same cruise ship as his family, and felt like a refund of the entire cruise was justified.

If the guest is being honest here, then it’s hard to know who was more in the wrong – the guest for thinking that they should ask for a cruise without anyone gay onboard, or the booking agent they used who told them there wouldn’t be anyone gay on the ship!

Of course, guest services were exactly right here – they don’t ask for your sexuality and it’s not their business to disclose it to anyone else anyway.

The fact the guest spent two hours arguing his case is crazy, and definitely justifies this as the worst complaint heard on a ship.

Suggested read: The 15 Most Fun Gay & LGBTQ+ Cruises

2. It’s not fair that I’m losing sleep on this transatlantic cruise

(Source)

When you sail on a transatlantic cruise, you need to keep changing your watch as you cross each different time zone.

The guest in this instance couldn’t wrap their head around that fact, and was upset that they were ‘losing sleep’ with every hour they lost.

I’m sure that, if they flew across the Atlantic, they wouldn’t blink at having to move their watch forward a few hours in one go.

Top tip – On a cruise, sleep as long as you want – regardless of what time your watch says.

3. The entertainers’ outfits are wrinkled

(Source)

Some guests on a cruise ship seem to want to nitpick – to find anything that they can complain about, either because they’re hoping to get some compensation or just because they love to moan.

This complaint really seems to take things quite far though, with the couple saying that the entertainers’ outfits were wrinkled and worn.

If that’s what you’re noticing during the performances, maybe the onboard entertainment just isn’t to your taste.

4. Turn the ship around – I’ve lost $40 in Jamaica!

(Source)

Most cruise ships these days will have at least a couple of thousand guests onboard. Some have over 7,000. And yet there’s always somebody who forgets that, and thinks that the ship should be run just to their schedule.

Take this guest, who had $40 disappear from their wallet while in Jamaica. Not even on the cruise line’s excursions, either. And they wanted the ship to turn around so they could go get it back.

Who’s to say whether they really did suffer a crime, but even if they did, $40 isn’t enough to delay a ship by a few hours.

5. My toilet exploded!

(Source)

Here’s one of the complaints that is completely justified – it’s one of the worst complaints purely because it just sounds awful.

The guests had a problem with their cabin toilet – but not just backed up. It completely exploded, to the point of contaminating the clothes in the wardrobe…

Cruise ship plumbing can have some issues but not like this normally. Thankfully there are laundry services onboard most cruise ships, and you’d hope the guests were able to get their clothes cleaned quickly.

6. I asked for an ocean view, not a port view room!

(Source)

An ocean view room on a cruise ship is one with a window – either a porthole or a picture window – so you can enjoy some natural light and a view as you’re sailing.

But when you’re docked, half of the ship is going to be facing the port. Something that these guests forgot.

Or maybe they assumed that an ocean view cabin would always be facing the ocean… Either way, getting upset over this is pretty entitled behaviour. Just wait a few hours and you’ll have that view you want.

Suggested read: What Is The Best Side Of The Ship For An Alaska Cruise?

7. Where’s the water slide?

(Source)

Cruise ships aren’t built to a single template, and they aren’t all designed for the same demographic.

There are some that are aimed squarely at families, and that are packed with exciting features including water slides.

And there are some that are more aimed at adults who want a more refined, relaxing experience. Sans water slides.

Unfortunately, this guest didn’t do their research, but that’s not the fault of Holland America Line.

Always learn about the cruise line and ship before you book!

Read more: The Best Cruise Ships With Water Slides

8. There’s no way we drank that much!

(Source)

If you don’t pay for a drinks package on your cruise, then you’ll need to pay for each drink you enjoy.

What’s a little dangerous is that you don’t pay as you go. Instead, the drinks are charged to your account and you pay it off at the end of your cruise.

This can mean that, if you get a little bit tipsy and lose track of what you’re ordering, or how much, you might get a nasty shock on the last day.

However, you don’t then get to complain at guest services. Your decision to order those drinks is on you – stop shouting at the crew doing their jobs, and pay up.

9. There’s too much sunlight

(Source)

This is great proof that there are genuine complaints, and bad ones. 

This guest complained about toilet troubles in their cabin – a perfectly reasonable complaint – and because there wasn’t an easy maintenance fix, they were moved to a different cabin which another guest had just vacated after their own complaints.

The reason? The room was getting too much sunlight.

There are always curtains you can close, but unfortunately, captains have to steer the ship towards the next destination and they can’t control the sun.

10. There are too many kids on this Disney cruise

(Source)

It’s true that cruising is a lot more family-friendly these days than it used to be, but there are still plenty of cruise lines and ships you can choose if you want a quieter, adults-only escape.

And that might be a good idea if you’re on a special trip, say your honeymoon.

But if you choose a Disney cruise for your getaway, you can’t really complain about the number of children onboard!

There’s nothing wrong with adults who love Disney, but you have to accept that it is a family-friendly brand. There will be children. Lots of them.

Suggested read: The 12 Best Adult-Only Cruises

11. I’ve not seen any whales on this cruise

(Source)

If you cruise to Alaska or select other parts of the world, you might get lucky and spot a whale from the ship. It’s an exciting experience and a great photo opportunity.

Yet it’s not guaranteed. And you certainly aren’t entitled to a full refund of your entire cruise if you don’t see a whale!

Even if you booked specific whale-watching excursions, it will be explained that there is only a chance. Don’t be that person who thinks they deserve a full week of free food, entertainment and board on a cruise ship just because a whale didn’t crest the waves.

12. My luggage hasn’t arrived after 13 days!

(Source)

The guests in this instance might have a valid complaint to make, but it’s still a little wild. They were overheard at guest services saying that their luggage hadn’t shown up, 13 days into a 15-day cruise.

This begs a few questions. Was it the first time they raised the problem? If so, what were they doing for the first 12 days?

Chances are, if they had complained already, the suitcases weren’t on a ship, and might’ve been lost by an airline, or left behind at port.

It’s not the absolute craziest complaint, but the timing of it definitely seems strange. You can always buy clothes and essentials in port (or even on the ship) if you are struggling.

13. Let me off the ship – my new wife can keep the room

(Source)

Another tale of a honeymoon gone wrong, though this one went very wrong when a guest complained and demanded her own room after arguing with her new husband.

While that wasn’t going to happen, the husband did at least resolve things by getting off the ship and letting his new wife enjoy the rest of their cruise.

As the person who told this story said, you have to wonder what happened when the guest returned home to her husband once the cruise was over.

At least she enjoyed the rest of her time on the ship.

14. My roommate is talking in their sleep

(Source)

Sometimes, cruise ship cabins can be a little noisy, especially if you’ve picked a bad location on the ship.

If something unusual is causing the noise, there’s a chance guest services could move you to another room, provided the ship isn’t sold out.

But if it’s the person you’re travelling with causing the noise, then that’s on you to resolve it.

A cruise line does not need to burden the cabin stewards with an extra room to clean because your partner or friend is talking in their sleep.

15. The microwave isn’t working

(Source)

We’ll end with a couple of confused complaints from guests who didn’t quite understand the features of their cabin, including this one.

A guest was complaining to the guest services team that they couldn’t get the microwave in their cabin to work to reheat their pizza.

If you’ve cruised before, you might be wondering – since when do cruise ship cabins come with a microwave?

Well, they don’t. It was a safe.

The pizza stayed cold, but it was the best-protected slice of pizza on the whole ship.

16. The fast-forward button isn’t working

(Source)

This person overheard someone complaining to the guest services team that there wasn’t a fast-forward button for the cruise cabin TV.

It’s not a problem with the remote – the TV just didn’t need a fast-forward button.

People are used to having complete control over their TV, but do you really need to complain about being unable to fast-forward parts of a movie you don’t want to watch?

Surely you’ll save time by not walking down to the guest services desk to complain. Just watch the movie.

Final Word

If you’re the kind of person who gets tickled by entitled guests, then maybe grab a drink on your next cruise and find a seat near the guest services desk.

It’s like people watching, but with added drama. And maybe you’ll end up with some stories of your own. If you do, make sure you leave a comment below.

Related Posts

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

If you’re plus-size, you might be worried about fully enjoying a cruise holiday, and if there’s anything that will make your experience less fun or more of a challenge.

And for some people, there will be parts of a cruise that aren’t great if you’re larger. But it depends on you, too.

For this guide, I’ve spoken to some of my larger friends to put together some of the common challenges plus-size cruisers can come up against. But don’t assume these will impact everyone plus-size, or that they can ruin your holiday either.

It’s just good to be aware of them, so you can prepare.

1. Aeroplane seats

Many cruises will need you to fly out to meet the ship, and seats on the plane are often very small. You might be uncomfortable in a standard economy seat, without much legroom or feeling crammed into a small row.

On budget airlines, there’s not much you can do but endure it – in theory, those flights don’t take long. If you’re crossing the Atlantic and using BA or Virgin, check the prices for a slightly upgraded seat, such as Economy Delight with Virgin, just for a little extra legroom.

2. Chairs with arms in restaurants

Another chair-related discomfort – on a cruise, many of the restaurants will have chairs that have arms. Those chairs have often been designed to fit as many people around a table as possible, and so the arms can be restrictive if you’re a larger person.

You can ask the servers, as there may be armless chair options available elsewhere in the restaurant or somewhere within easy reach. Don’t be ashamed to – you deserve to enjoy your meal in comfort.

3. Booth-style seating in buffet restaurants

Some buffet restaurants on cruise ships have booths rather than individual seats – and these can be just as uncomfortable as a chair with arms, or even more so when there isn’t much room.

There will be tables with regular seats, but they can be busy, so try to visit the buffet during quieter periods if you want to avoid a booth.

4. Seating in the theatre

Cruise ship theatres are designed to maximise the number of guests who can enjoy a show, and that means seats are not often designed with plus-size guests in mind. They’re quite narrow, and often they have arm rests which make things even more uncomfortable.

There’s not much you can do about this if you want to see a theatre show – so maybe pay the theatre a visit during a quiet moment and test to see whether you can use a chair comfortably, as a test run before you’re sat watching a live show that you don’t want to disturb by leaving.

Some cruise ships do have a section of bench-style seats at the very back, so check there for your best chance of being accommodated.

5. Small showers and bathrooms

The bathrooms in most cruise cabins are hardly sprawling. If you book a suite then maybe, but otherwise expect a space that’s a little cramped even if you’re not plus-size.

The shower cubicles can be tiny, so if you can’t close the door comfortably, just leave it open and put more towels on the floor. The cabin attendants can provide extra for you.

The toilets may also be uncomfortable if they’re crammed in a smaller space, but the public toilets elsewhere on the ship will have more space, so try to use those more if you can.

6. Long walks on the ship

Some of the more modern cruise ships are epic in size, but even the mid-sized ships can involve a lot of walking to get from one area to another. Yes, there are lifts/elevators between floors, but you may still need to walk the length of the ship to go from your cabin to a restaurant, for example.

Try to plan ahead when choosing your cabin, if you get tired or uncomfortable with longer walks, so that you don’t have as far to go. A cabin in a mid-ship location will limit the amount of walking you need to do in one go.

7. Standing in line

There’ll be times on a cruise ship where you need to wait in line – either at the buffet, or if you’re queuing to get off the ship in port, or at the Guest Services desk.

For some people, long lines can be uncomfortable. If standing upright for long periods causes you any pain or discomfort, try to plan around it. Get to places early so you aren’t standing in line for long, or leave it until a little later when crowds have died down.

8. Clothing availability in gift shops

Ships will have stores onboard selling a range of souvenir items and gifts, often including clothing – swimwear, custom t-shirts, that sort of thing.

But they won’t stock a lot of different sizes, so it’s best to shop with the expectation that you won’t be able to grab any new clothes onboard. Feel free to check, as some cruise lines do cater for larger guests, but most of the time anything above an XL is unlikely to appear on racks.

9. Swimming pool access

Most cruise pools don’t use a ladder to get in or out of the pool on deck, which is a bonus for plus-size people as lifting yourself out with a ladder can be tricky.

The alternative is stepped access at one end of the pool but even this can be tough for larger folks, as there isn’t always a handrail. Take your time on what could be slippery steps, to avoid falling and hurting yourself.

10. Waterslide and attraction weight limits

Unfortunately, many of the attractions on modern cruise ships, such as the waterslides, zip lines, go-karting tracks etc., will have weight limits that can prevent you from enjoying them.

The crew can let you know if there are restrictions if you can’t see them advertised, and they can be discreet when you ask so that you don’t need to worry about embarrassment.

If you want to do the i-Fly skydiving simulator on a Royal Caribbean ship, for example, every single guest has to step on the scales. So you won’t feel singled out for a weight check if you’re approaching the limit.

While it’s a shame there might be things you can’t enjoy, there are always plenty of other options to stay entertained.

11. Pullman bed weight limits

If you have more than two people sharing a cabin, the third bed will either be a sofa bed or a pulldown bed, called a Pullman bed. And these can be tricky to climb into if you’re plus-size.

They also have weight limits. These can vary depending on the cruise line, but for some, they will be 250lb while others can hold 300lb.

Don’t risk it if you’re above the weight. If you’re in cramped conditions because you didn’t think ahead, speak to Guest Services to see if there are any spare cabins so that you can pay for an extra room and a proper bed for your third and fourth guests.

12. Flimsy balcony furniture

Most cruise ships have pretty sturdy furniture on the balconies of any balcony staterooms, but there can be some chairs that only have smaller metal legs.

Plus-size people can sometimes damage these chairs, if they’re above the recommended weight limit. Again you might also have arms on the chair making them uncomfortable too.

13. Stepping onto tender boats

Your cruise might include some tender ports – these are where the ship can’t dock directly at the destination, and so instead anchors off shore and uses smaller tender boats to ferry people back and forth to land.

You’ll board a tender boat from the cruise ship, but if the waves aren’t calm then stepping onto the boat can be difficult as a plus-size cruise guest. The crew will help you, but you’ll want to take your time and be extra careful.

Final Word

One of the things you really don’t have to worry about as a plus-size cruise passenger is the atmosphere onboard or feeling judged for your size. There are always lots of plus-size guests on cruise ships, and almost everyone respects each other’s freedom to enjoy their cruise.

But these challenges can make some parts of your experience a little uncomfortable if you’re not prepared.

So if you do have a larger frame, make sure you’re aware of these and that you try to mitigate them as much as possible – avoiding crowds so you can get the best chairs for you, booking cabins with larger bathrooms if you can, and so on.

You’ll have a great time.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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