How bad (or not) is a FULL cruise?

[dijid]

Our May 4th cruise is sold out. We're in gty status as it is and now I can't get the horrible thoughts of overcrowded pools and long, long lines everywhere out of my mind. Long story short, this wasn't our first choice of dates, but I was hopeful that with school in session, the ship wouldn't be that full.

Are my fears unfounded? Or should I just prepare myself for the inevitable? (I'm beginning to second-guess myself for thinking that a cruise would be fun with a 10month old and 2 1/2 yo.)

 

[aprilgail2]

how do you find out if your cruise is sold out?? We are on the Wonder on May 5th and I have no idea how full it is...

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

First, realize that there's a difference in how you define "full" - full really only means that all of the available rooms have occupants, not that all of those rooms are at the occupancy capacity.

We went on a "full" cruise in October, and really, except at some of the major events, you'd never no it was full. Ok, the kids pools did get busy from time to time, but you could also find times that the pool was almost empty; and the adult pool never seemed crowded.

 

[inkkognito]

Thankfully, being on a full cruise is NOT like being at WDW in the peak season! The ships are built to accommodate a capacity crowd, so it will rarely feel obnoxiously full. The only times it will have any impact is when going to the shows or getting a spot on the beach...you'll need to get there a little early to get your pick of the spots. The family pool is always pretty crowded anyway, so it probably won't matter much. At dinner you have your assigned seating, so no problem there. If you plan the activities that you want to attend in advance and get there a little early, that won't be a problem either. Personally, I prefer a full ship to an empty one. We were on one "ghost cruise," and I hated it! It was weird to be in a half empty dining room and there was no energy at the shows due to such a small crowd in the theater. Don't sweat it...even with a full house, you will have a blast.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Rikersmom]

Our 2/23 cruise was full. Never did notice it being too crowded, although the dining rooms were filled. We were seated at a table of 10--which took longer to get served. One nice thing was that there were matinees of the productions. This not only provided another choice of time, but then the two evening shows were not so full.

The only time I did realize how many people were on board was the morning we were arriving at St. Thomas. Since 9/11, everyone has to clear customs, and this is done very efficiently, but it still takes time.

Remember that the crew is prepared for a full ship--so don't be discouraged.

 

[plutospal]

I have the same question as AprilGail2 above ... how can you find out the level of occupancy of a specific sailing? In other words, how do you know if your sailing is full or not? No doubt Barb or others know ... and sorry if everyone knows this but us! Thanks ... everyone on these Boards are great!

 

[cypress_star]

Call DCL and ask, they'll tell you if there are any rooms left

 

[jtorch]

Hi. We will also be there on May 4th. I'm a little nervous too because we will be traveling with our 1 year old! We also have a 6 and 1/2 yr. old DD. I'm going to just try and relax.

 

[dznymom1]

We cruised last summer on a full ship. It had a record number of teens, and lots of kids so I am guessing it was a FULL full cruise There were plenty of nice quiet areas, and I certainly never felt it was unpleasant. One thing I do recall was that the lines for formal pictures were very long right before dinner, so I would try to arrive there a bit earlier if that is an issue. Also, it is more likely that excursions, spa times and Palos reservations will be tougher to get, so take care of that promptly. We got all the times we wanted and our first choice of excursions, but we followed the advice given on these boards and split up on the afternoon of embarkation to be more efficient. It was well worth it, and we had a magnificent cruise.

Our upcoming April 21 cruise is also full. The only reason I know is because I called to inquire about a cabin upgrade and was told it is full, plus I checked on the DCL reservation site and it was not showing availablity. I fully expect another terrific Full cruise. Our upcoming August 10 cruise still shows availability, so come on everybody and fill that one up too!

 

[bpd528]

On our last cruise on Jan, 5 02 we were told by the crew that the ship was full, over 2400 people. As Barb says you would not know it. With a little planning you don't wait for anything. The only time we knew that the ship was full was at Castaway Cay, we watched the people coming back aboard from our verandah while drinking some nice wine!!!!

So don't worry, enjoy the "crowds".

Alan & Judy
WDW 92 & 99
Magic 10/99; 1/01; 1/02
Wonder 12/02

 

[Disney Cape Codder]

I believe our 3 night cruise on Feb 21 was full. The Oceaneer Club director told me there were a record number of children on the ship..864 I think. We had no problems. There are so many different wonderful things to do that the ship rarely felt full. The only time it felt full was at the pool with the mickey slide and sometimes at the pool hot tubs. However, the kids loved that the mickey slide and pool were full of kids their own age having fun.

Don't worry about a full ship!

 

[Tluvs2talk]

We have also been on a "FULL" ship. We had no problems. The only thing I can see that would be crowded would be the pools. We don't have any children so we went to the adult pool. The Goofy and Mickey pool's aways seem to be crowded during the day, but after Dinner they were almost empty. Since you have an assigned dining time and table, you won't be in line to eat. Except right before the doors open a lot of people stand around and wait.

 

[imamoose]

just got back from the 3/2 Magic cruise and a week at the Grand Flooridian, 2642 total shipmates I was told...almost the ships total capacity..and as everyone else has said, the only place you really might notice it was at the pools, but if you have kids you know, for them the more the merrier, the adult pool was never busy..the dining rooms were still only at best 2/3's full...alot of people like to get real sunburned the first day at sea..and so stay in their cabins alot after that...go figure....speaking of sunburn,,remember you are in the middle of water..highly reflective...there is a cool breeze blowing...don't feel the heat..SOOOOO...slather everyone up and make sure the sunburn express doesn't ruin your trip...I saw one lady whose feet were extremely burned, had swollen up to about twice their normal size...sitting next to the pool on the second day with here feet just barely under the water....living in the desert and being around the pool alot I can tell you...you may as well just put them in the microwave....anyway we never saw her again the rest of the trip...when I asked someone I had seen with her earlier, they told me she couldn't walk....so please be careful.

 

[Iris]

Thanks for the input for this thread. I found out that the April 4th sailing of the Wonder as well as the March 31st sailing is completely booked. We are on the April 4th sailing and it is my husband first sailing and I was dreading the potential crowds.