Do Bigger Cruise Ships Mean Longer Lines?

Many people assume that bigger ships will mean longer queues/ lines everywhere.

It makes sense, in theory, that the more passengers onboard, the more crowding there should be.

In reality, it’s not the size of the ship that matters. It’s how well it’s designed and crewed that will really have an impact on your cruise experience.

Why Bigger Doesn’t Always Mean Busier

Just because you are sailing on a mega-ship, it won’t necessarily feel crowded.

• Everything Is Scaled Up
  • A ship with 6,000 passengers will have more restaurants, more bars, more pools, and more staff than a ship with 2,000.
  • It’s not like putting twice as many people into the same-sized ship space. Big ships are built for big crowds.
• Modern Ship Design Reduces Bottlenecks
  • Newer ships are carefully planned to spread people out.
  • Modern ships have multiple dining choices, for example. The last thing the cruise line wants is 6,000 people, all arriving at one main dining room at the same time, expecting to have dinner!
  • Ships may have more than one atrium, extra gangways, and better logistics to reduce crowding.
• Staffing Levels Matter More Than Size
  • A well-staffed ship can move people through embarkation, dining, and activities more efficiently.
  • Some cruise lines cut back on staffing, which can make even smaller ships feel crowded.
  • Ships like Disney and Celebrity are known for high crew-to-guest ratios, making everything feel smoother and providing a more luxurious experience.
  • More “budget-friendly” cruise lines like MSC and P&O may have fewer staff available, so if the ship is at full capacity, it may feel crowded.

I took two cruises on P&O’s large family ship, Iona. She can hold 5200 passengers and just over 1750 crew at full capacity.

My first cruise was in October. The ship was new, and there was plenty of space to do whatever we wanted. The second one was in the February half-term school holidays. Every cabin was full to capacity, and their were literally. hundreds of children onboard.

Walking through the main atrium area at busy times. It wasn’t at all pleasant...

I wouldn’t consider sailing on Iona again in the school holidays, sailing during school term time is far more relaxing.

Have a look at my first, less busy cruise on Iona here:

When Bigger Ships DO Have Longer Lines

• Embarkation & Debarkation Can Take Longer
  • Even with multiple gangways, getting thousands of people off a ship in one go can take a while.
  • If you were to go to a port where you have to tender – Guernsey, for example – it could take you ages to get off the ship
    • You would probably have to get a ticket and wait in a bar for your tender number to be called.
    • Some guests will have “priority tender tickets” – those who are staying in suites and have paid more money, for example.
    • People booked on Cruise Line excursions also get off first. This means the wait could be a few hours if you are planning to explore the port independently.

We disembarked by tender boat in Guernsey, when we took a British Isles cruise with Princess.

At the same time, the MSC Virtuosa was also tendering – she takes over 6000 passengers, whereas our ship, Emerald Princess, took half that.

Although we did have to get in a line to get back onboard our ship, Princess did everything they could to make us comfortable.

The poor passengers on MSC Virtuosa had to stand in longer lines in the sun, and I was very grateful not to have sailed to Guernsey on that ship.

Find out more about that amazing British Isles cruise, with many tender ports here:

Find out everything you need to know about tendering to shore here:

Cruise Ship Tendering – Hints, Tips & Everything You NEED to Know

• Popular Attractions Might Get Busy
  • Newer mega-ships have cool activities like go-karts, skydiving simulators, and waterparks, but these can have queues, especially on sea days.

When I sailed to the Norwegian Fjords with my nieces, they were keen to try out the Bumper Cars. The ship takes up to 4,905 passengers.

There was always a queue, but the activity was free, so it was understandable. We also managed to try out the Lazerquest and roller skating, which didn’t have such big queues. My niece also tried out the ifly skydiving simulator.

The ifly could be booked via the App, so there was no waiting around involved. You just turn up at the time you have booked, and go straight on.

Find out more about this great family cruise here. Although there were lots of children onboard, the ship didn’t feel overcrowded.

• Ships that require reservations for shows and dining tend to handle crowds better.
  • The cruise line can limit the number of people arriving at one venue at one time.
• If a Ship Isn’t Designed Well, Crowds Can Build Up
  • Older big ships or ones with poor traffic flow (too few elevators, small pool decks, etc.) can feel more crowded than they should.
  • Some older ships just weren’t built to handle modern passenger numbers.

The ship I remember travelling on where I thought the design was not ideal was Norwegian Epic.

We did travel over Christmas, and the ship must have been at full capacity. This ship holds just over 4,000 passengers, but most venues seemed crowded.

Luckily for us, the cruise was quite port intensive, so it didn’t spoil our holiday too much.

It is interesting to note, though, that Norwegian Epic has no sister ships. The order for a second identical ship was cancelled.

Which Cruise Lines Handle Crowds the Best?

• Royal Caribbean
  • Even the huge Oasis-class ships rarely feel packed, thanks to multiple entertainment zones and clever design features
• Celebrity Cruises
  • They have a higher crew-to-passenger ratio.
  • This helps with a smooth embarkation.
  • They have no mega-ships, so they suffer less from overcrowding issues.
    • This does come at a cost, though, expect to pay more for your Celebrity Cruise experience.
• Disney Cruise Line
  • Have excellent crowd control and high staff numbers.
  • Small pools can get busy though, as Disney attract many families and everyone wants to get in the pool!
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  • The newer ships are good at spreading people out.
  • With its Freestyle Dining concept, diners are spread out at different restaurants around the ship at different times.
  • Popular activities can get queues like slides, waterparks, and GoKarting can have queues/lines.

Find out everything you need to know about Norwegian’s “Freestyle Dining” experience here:

Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Freestyle” Dining Explained. Included Food, Speciality Restaurants and More…

Have a look at some of the amazing activities I tried on Norwegian Prima below:

How to Avoid Long Queues/Lines on A Cruise Ship

• Board Early or Late
  • Embarkation is busiest around 11 AM–1 PM. Arriving later can mean shorter queues.
    • Many cruise lines will give you a set boarding time. Try to stick to that if you can, they do this to stagger everyone’s arrival at the terminal.
• Use the App (If Available)
  • Many cruise lines now let you reserve shows, dining, and activities to avoid waiting in line.
    • This is something I would normally do on embarkation day. I book the shows for the same time every evening – I can always cancel the booking if my plans change.
• Go Off-Peak
  • Buffets, pools, and bars are quieter at odd times (mid-afternoon, early morning, and late evening).
    • I am not an early riser, so there is no chance of me being out and about early – but I often miss dinner so that I can go for a swim. I then pick up a snack elsewhere later.
• Plan for Tenders
  • If a ship has to tender, get your tender ticket early to avoid long waits if you are keen to get off and explore.
  • Unless the port is particularly interesting, I tend to get off after the rush.
    • Usually, ships are docked for many hours, so I don’t often feel the need to rush off and explore.
• Don’t sail during the school holidays unless you HAVE to!
  • When the children are on holiday, many of the cabins will have three or four people staying in them. This can make a huge difference.
    • Obviously, sailing out of the holiday season isn’t an option for many, but if you have the choice – don’t do it!

When booking a cruise, the decision shouldn’t always be about the size of the ship.

The ship’s set-up and ability to avoid bottlenecks and overcrowding in busy areas will make the most difference to your cruise experience.

The time of year you sail will have a big impact on how crowded the ship will feel. Sail in school term times if that is possible.

Before You Go

I would never dismiss sailing on a smaller, older ship. On some itineraries ( Norway, for example), they can dock at places other larger ships can’t. Find out more about that here:

9 Reasons You Shouldn’t Avoid Cruising on Older, Smaller Cruise Ships

Find out about the controversial cabin I stayed on on the mega-ship MSC World Europa here:

I Stayed in a Controversial Cabin With NO PRIVACY – Cabins Opposite – MSC World Europa