6,000 People On One Ship… Does It Actually Feel Crowded?

6,000 passengers on one cruise ship might sound ridiculous.

That could be compared to a small town or a packed stadium.

I would normally avoid really crowded stadium events, but wouldn’t think twice about taking a cruise on a mega ship.

How does it feel to be on a cruise ship with so many other passengers?

Is it constantly busy… or surprisingly calm? In this article, we look at the advantages and disadvantages of cruising on a mega ship with over 6,000 passengers.

First Impressions – Embarkation Day Chaos?

Cruise lines are very good at giving guests different embarkation times so that everyone doesn’t arrive at the terminal at the same time.

The idea is to stagger embarkation to make it easier and less busy for everyone.

But when you are getting over six thousand people on one ship in a few hours, it can feel overcrowded in the terminal.

There will likely be lines/queues for check-in and security. You can lessen the delays by making sure you have everything you need to hand.

I like to think I am organised after taking so many cruises. Make sure you don’t forget anything vital by reading the article below:

7 Embarkation Day Mistakes That Catch Out Unsuspecting Cruisers

The Buffet – Can Be Absolute Madness

On the first day, people tend to head straight to the buffet to get something to eat.

They have often had a long morning travelling or hanging around in the terminal, so this might seem like a sensible thing to do.

It does mean that the buffet on embarkation day can be really busy. But this isn’t what the whole cruise feels like, and it doesn’t give a very good first impression.

My top tip is to check which other dining venues are open. You might be able to go to the main dining room or the poolside grill. Both are likely to be less busy and rushed. You can try the buffet another day.

How Cruise Ships “Hide” People So Well

Ships are designed to spread people out

There are multiple decks, venues, restaurants, bars, and pools available.

People naturally split into different routines and like to do different things onboard.

This is one thing I really like about cruising. I like to eat early, go to a bar or show and join in trivia quizzes.

Others eat late, get up late, go to nightclubs, do karaoke – and I will probably never come across those people at all!

I haven’t seen 6,000 people on a ship at once. None of the venues are big enough to hold everyone, they will be spread out across different areas of the ship.

Have a look at MSC World Europa in the video below. She takes 6,700 passengers at full capacity, but we sailed out of season, so she wasn’t full when I was onboard.

Where It DOES Feel Crowded

There are certain places I expect to see crowds. These are:

• The buffet at peak times
  • When the ship docks, guests want to go to the buffet before getting off to explore or go on a ship excursion.
    • Often, it feels like everyone is in the same place at the same time, and it can be hard to get a table.
  • Disembarkation day morning can also be crowded.
    • Everyone wants to make the most of the facilities and have a good breakfast before they head home.
• Pool decks on sea days in warm weather
  • In warm weather, people like to swim or sit by the pool.
  • If families with children are onboard, they will want to use the splash pools and slides, which is perfectly understandable; big ships are built with lots of these facilities.
  • If you have an inside cabin with no balcony, you will want to be outside enjoying the sunshine on the public decks.
• Theatre just before shows start
  • On larger ships, they usually have a booking system in the cruise ship app to book seats for performances.
  • This is to stop everyone turning up at the same time, as there aren’t enough seats for everyone.
  • Just before the performance starts, they might allow people who haven’t booked to go in if there are still seats available. (Some people book, but then are no-shows.)
    • This means there might be people hanging around outside before the show starts.
• Ports when everyone wants to get off at once
  • I can understand why everyone wants to get off immediately when the ship arrives in some new, exciting destination.
    • I tend to get off a little later, once the crowds have died down.
• Tendering: Bigger ships tend to avoid tender ports, but if tendering is necessary, there will be queues and a ticketing system in place.

Have a look at the cruise I took onboard the Symphony of the Seas below.

She is a massive ship, with a maximum passenger capacity of around 6,600, and as I sailed in peak season, there were lots of children onboard.

See how crowded the ship was in the video below:

Where It Feels Surprisingly Quiet

Early mornings and late evenings can feel surprisingly quiet. The majority of guests will be in their cabins.

Speciality restaurants can feel quiet. Many people don’t wish to pay extra for dining on a ship where there is so much free food available.

Understandably, those guests who pay extra for speciality restaurants want a quiet, premium, unhurried experience. That is what the ships are very good at providing – at an additional charge, of course.

Promenade decks, lounges, and unused corners of the ship may be less crowded. You will soon get to know your way around the ship, and you can use the deck plans to look for spaces everyone else has missed.

Find out more about making the most of deck plans here:

11 Cruise Deck Plan Hacks Only Regular Cruisers Know

Cabin corridors are often dead quiet. You might see the cabin stewards with their trolleys parked outside cabins as they clean, but guests tend to be out and about, enjoying themselves.

Sea Days vs Port Days

Sea days are the busiest onboard. Many people are using the ship’s public areas and making the most of drink packages and onboard facilities.

On port days, the ship can feel almost empty; you might get the pool, buffet, or spa virtually to yourself.

Staying onboard in port can almost feel like a “private ship” experience. I often choose this option if I want some quiet time to relax, to get on with some work, or go swimming.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Bigger ships have some advantages and disadvantages. There are more people, but also more space and a wider choice of activities and venues available.

Smaller ships have far fewer people, but fewer venues, and less going on onboard.

Newer, well-designed, bigger ships can feel less crowded. A badly designed, older ship can feel cramped.

In My Experience…

Dining

What time you eat seems to change everything. I prefer to eat early, five-sixish. This is fantastic, as the restaurants are only just opening, they aren’t crowded, and you often get the best seats near the windows.

If you eat at peak time, 7.30/8 pm, for example, everyone else is likely to have the same idea, and the restaurant may be crowded. The service may be slower, and waiters may be more rushed.

If the cruiseline has set dining times, I always pick the early dining time. Eating at 8 pm or later doesn’t suit me at all.

Shows

Mega ships have big theatres and usually offer an early and a late show each night. Smaller ships might have a smaller theatre, or just a show lounge with only one performance per evening that everyone can attend.

As I mentioned, I like to eat early, then go to the show. The earlier performance is usually quieter, and most guests are in the dining room eating their dinner when it is going on.

The later show is more likely to be full, and you will have to be organised about booking in advance on the app to make sure there is space for you.

When on a mega ship, I tend to book seats for theatre performances every night of the cruise. I can always cancel if my plans then change.

That is far better than deciding on the day you want to see a show and then finding there is no space available.

When It Actually Feels Too Busy

If you are travelling during school holidays or at peak times, it may feel too busy onboard.

Cabins are often at full occupancy with up to four guests (often families with children) sharing a cabin. This means that bars and shows will always be busy, and you have to show up everywhere early in the hope of getting a seat.

Sometimes the venue is completely full, and I give up and go elsewhere. I enjoy doing trivia on cruises, but if they take place in the ship’s pub, there is often no space to sit and join in, which is disappointing.

Short cruises can often feel busier, as they are cheap, sell out fast and often sail at full capacity.

I remember when I went on an August British Isles cruise with Princess, one of the ports was Guernsey ( in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France).

MSC Virtuosa was also there, and both ships were tendering people to the shore. The lines of people for our Princess ship weren’t too long, but the unlucky people waiting to get back onboard MSC Virtuosa – they must have waited hours.

MSC Virtuosa can accommodate over 6,300 guests at full capacity, but getting all those guests off the ship and into its small lifeboats for tendering must be a challenge.

Have a look at that interesting British Isles cruise I took with Princess here:

My Honest Verdict

• Most of the time, it doesn’t feel like 6,000 people are onboard the same ship as me.
• Occasionally, in specific hotspots like the buffet at peak times, in queues for tenders, or bars when entertainment is happening, you may struggle to get a seat.
• Overall: It’s much more manageable than people expect. The ships are designed to spread guests around the different venues and decks, so you are unlikely to be aware of the number of people onboard.

My advice would be to avoid these big ships at peak times and in peak seasons. When mega ships are sailing at full capacity, they may feel a bit overwhelming.

I took a cruise on the Megaship Costa Smeralda in January. It was a really cheap out-of-season deal, not too crowded – and we had a fabulous time.

Italians cruise very differently to me – they tend to eat late, and party late into the night, so the number of people on the ship didn’t worry me at all. I wasn’t in the same place at the same time as the majority of the passengers! Perfect!

The bottom line is you might be able to get some very reasonable deals on big ships such as Costa Smeralda or Toscana, P&O’s Iona or Arvia or MSC World Europa or World America.

The cruise lines make savings because of economies of scale, so this can make fares cheaper. ( A ship carrying 6,000 guests does not cost three times more to operate than one carrying 2,000. This makes the cost per passenger lower.)

The biggest ships at sea are all operated by Royal Caribbean. Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas, Legend of the Seas, etc., are always in demand, so prices remain high.

Sailing on a slightly older Royal Caribbean ship like Symphony of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, or Oasis of the Seas may offer a very similar experience at a more affordable price.

Have a look at the good value cruise I took on Britain’s biggest ship, P&O’s Arvia, below. I took eight family members with me, and there was something to suit everyone:

Before You Go

Find out how big the world’s biggest ships actually are in the article below:

The World’s Biggest Cruise Ships Compared To Cars, Buildings – And Even Capybaras

Find out what the world’s biggest ships actually are below; they aren’t cruise ships:

The World’s Biggest Ship Isn’t a Cruise Ship – Illustrated Size Comparison