As you know, cruise ships have become bigger and bigger in recent years.
At the same time, the number of decks continues to increase as well. Modern ships can have as many as 20 or more decks.
As a result, an increasing number of people are bewildered in choosing a deck for their vacation, wondering which one is the best among the many that are offered.
I have been on many cruises and have tried almost every deck, from the lowest to the highest. So in this article, I want to give you some useful tips to find the best one on each ship!
Understanding your needs
The first thing to do is to understand your needs.
You need to know that every deck has its pros and cons; the perfect one does not exist.
Therefore, understand what is most important for you between a beautiful view, a deck that limits seasickness, hearing less noise, or paying less, and then choose accordingly.
The best deck for those who get seasick
One very important thing to consider is seasickness.
Large cruise ships rarely move much, but on certain itineraries and at certain times of the year, sea movement can be felt quite a bit.
If you suffer from seasickness, choosing the right deck is critical. You should know, in fact, that the ship moves much more in some areas than others.
In particular, if you suffer from seasickness the best decks for you are the lowest ones. This is because the sway, due to a matter of height, is smaller than that which occurs on the higher decks.
In addition, as I explained in the article on how to find the best cabins on a cruise, always prefer central locations on the deck avoiding cabins too far forward or too far aft.
Cabins at the front, in particular, have a direct impact with waves or should be avoided.
The best deck if you hate noise
If your main problem is noise, you have to do a different kind of reasoning.
You need to look at the ship plan for your specific cruise ship and identify potentially noisy areas.
Usually, the areas you need to watch carefully are the pools, restaurants and buffets, bars, the nightclub, and the theater.
Since these are noisy areas or areas from which music can come, you should avoid decks that are above or below them.
My advice here, which many passengers have found helpful, is to choose decks that have on the upper deck and lower deck only other cabins, and not public areas.
The best deck if you want to enjoy the view
There is no doubt. If you want to enjoy the view from your balcony on a cruise, the best decks you should choose are definitely the high ones.
The higher decks give you a better view of the horizon, both while the ship is sailing and while it is anchored in port.
Moreover, Sometimes decks that are too low can have the view obstructed by the lifeboats that are generally located between decks 5 and 8.
To avoid these problems I recommend you read carefully which cabins to avoid for each cruise line, on my blog you can already find articles for:
The best bridge if you are afraid of elevators
Elevators are essential on a cruise. The tallest ships can be compared to 17- or 18-story buildings, so you can imagine that it would be difficult to move around using only stairs.
However, because I know some people are claustrophobic or afraid of elevators I want to give you some advice.
Choose the same deck, or a deck just below or just above the areas where you will go most often so that you take the stairs when possible.
Usually, the most popular deck during the cruise is the one where the pools or buffet are located, so choose a cabin on the same or on a close deck that can easily reached by stairs.
The best deck overall and my personal experience
After all these tips, can we conclude what is the best deck on a cruise?
In my experience, the best decks are decks 13, 14, or 15.
The reasons are simple: they are high decks so there is a nice view, you don’t hear much noise and vibration since they are away from the propellers (just check that they are not right under the pools), and then you don’t risk finding a cabin with an obstructed view.
Several years ago I booked a cabin on Deck 5 because it was cheaper, and I really had a lot of problems.
When the ship was going in and out of ports, and the propellers were put on high power, the cabin literally shook so much that I woke up every time.
Since then I have always booked cabins in the upper part of the ship and have generally always been happy with them.
What do you guys think? Have you ever booked a cabin on a deck you didn’t like, or do you have a favorite deck?
Let me know in the comments below!
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