A silver lining of the Covid pandemic was that when cruises finally sailed back into service, passengers on larger ships could relish the sort of extra space normally found on smaller luxury vessels.

With cruise ships initially restricted to operating half-full or even less, those early sailings felt strangely quiet, but as the recovery gathered pace, so numbers inexorably climbed to 70 or 80 per cent capacity – providing a sweet spot of onboard buzz without the accompanying queues and crowds which invariably form when ships are full.

It’s been a scenario that regulars have quickly become accustomed to, but as next year looms, so does the prospect of maximum capacity as cruise companies finally return to pre-pandemic levels of sold-out ships. 

So what’s the solution for anyone craving the more serene on-board experience of recent years and wanting to side-step the masses? 

The Passenger Space Ratio

Aside from picking your times carefully (such as avoiding school holidays on cruise lines that cater for children), another is to study your chosen ship, comparing its size with the amount of passengers it carries as these factors vary between different vessels. 

For instance, a larger ship can feel as capacious as its smaller equivalents even though it takes more guests. It all depends on what’s known as the Passenger Space Ratio (PSR).

This is worked out by dividing a ship’s gross registered tonnage by the number of passengers (usually based on double occupancy). The higher the resulting figure, the more space guests enjoy. 

So with upmarket so-called “Six Star” lines such as Silversea, Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, you can expect to see their ships generally scoring in the 60s and 70s, while many mass market ships are in the 20s, 30s and 40s.

Make space for Saga

But there are exceptions, with Saga Cruises’ new ships, Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure, which take just 987 guests, leading in the space stakes with a rating of 59. 

Close behind is Cunard’s venerable ocean liner Queen Mary 2 at 55.4 and for anyone who’s experienced this 2,691-passenger ship, its roomier proportions are evident in the wide open decks, airy walkways and grand lounges.

Essex-based Ambassador Cruise Line, which offers more keenly-priced value cruises, also scores highly with its 1,400-passenger ship Ambience coming in with a ratio of 50.2.

The pick of the major lines

Among mainstream lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Holland America Line are the space trailblazers with a number of their ships scoring in the early to mid-40s.  

This is also the case for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ two newer ships Bolette and Borealis, which joined its fleet in 2020.

Managing director Peter Deer explains that while these new additions are slightly larger than Fred Olsen’s previous ships, they hold a similar number of guests which enables them to offer a smaller ship experience, but with a greater choice of venues such as spa thermal suites, two-tier theatres and new speciality dining venues.

“What this means is guests can enjoy more space in our public areas, their cabins and while out on deck” he adds. “We know through feedback from guests that having more space in the wake of the pandemic is something they value.”

The ships notching up the highest PSR in P&O Cruises’ seven-strong fleet are its two oldest and smallest incumbents, Aurora and Arcadia, which hit 40, while their sister ships hover in the mid to high-30s, with newly-arrived 5,200-passenger Arvia scoring 35.3.

Secret suites

Yet it’s not all about grabbing your calculator to doggedly work out such sums. 

Another trick is to study deck plans for design quirks in ship structures as these can reveal extra-large cabins and balconies, which cost the same as standard ones. You just need to know where to find them.

It’s also worth considering cabins at the front or back of the ship as these tend to have a more unusual layout, potentially with more space, and by their very nature are more tucked away.

For instance, on Princess Cruises’ Royal-class ships some mini-suites located directly at the front on decks 15 and 16 are significantly larger, measuring 319 sq ft instead of the average 222 sq ft, yet they are the same price as regular mini-suites.

The design of Holland America Line ships Rotterdam, Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam means some staterooms on the Schubert and Navigation decks have much larger verandas because of the “bubble” design of the atrium lifts.

Even on upscale lines there are opportunities to revel in even more space by knowing which suites to opt for.

On Seabourn, for example, penthouse spa suites and owner’s suites on Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation have vast wrap-around balconies.

Room on the river

When it comes to river cruise ships, there’s no PSR to compare, but it’s worth bearing in mind such craft are limited in size by the locks and bridges they have to traverse, so it’s more a matter of noting the number of passengers carried.

Avalon Waterways says the panorama suites on its ships are 30 per cent larger than the industry norm, aided by an “Open-Air Balcony”, created by lowering the floor to ceiling panoramic window that becomes a French balcony. This space-saving trick is being used increasingly by some river cruise lines and even ocean companies such as Celebrity.

However, there are two European river ships that stand out in the size stakes, notably Riverside Mozart belonging to new river cruise line Riverside Luxury Cruises and AmaWaterways’ ship AmaMagna, as both are almost twice the width of conventional river ships at 22m compared to the regular 12m.

AmaWaterways’ UK managing director Jamie Loizou points out that even though AmaMagna is significantly larger than other ships (and virtually double the size of the rest of the ships in the company’s fleet), it takes just 20 per cent more passengers, allowing far more expansive deck areas inside and out.

“Most accommodations are spacious suites measuring between 355sq ft and 710 sq ft with full balconies, and our owner’s suite, at 710 sq ft, is the largest on European rivers,” he says.

Details like this prove that when planning your next cruise, a little know-how and learning to navigate cruise ship deck plans could help you to avoid the crowds.