Which Royal ship has the most open deck space?

[blueslily]

Hello fellow cruisers,

Which Royal ships have the most open deck space? I enjoy the Oasis class ships and now there's all the chatter about the new Icon. But, I would love to enjoy a ship with a lot of open deck space for just relaxing and enjoying the ocean. Which class ships or specific ships offer that?

 

And of those ships with great open outdoor space, which ones have been amped or had renovations of some type ? I dont need amped to include slides and all that. I just mean some freshening up of public spaces or cabins if they happen to be older ships.

Thanks!

 

**the word I meant was amp or refurbished, not renovations I guess. Trying to use the right language for Royal ships. 🙂

Edited October 22, 2022 by blueslily

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, blueslily said:

And of those ships with great open outdoor space, which ones have been amped or had renovations of some type?

You may want to search for the term "chair hogs" in the threads here.

[blueslily]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

You may want to search for the term "chair hogs" in the threads here.

Hi Biker19,  Yes, I've seen quite a bit of chatter about chair hogs. Are you saying that the renovated ships have more chair hogs? Sorry, just trying to understand the link between chair hogs and my question that you quoted. Thanks 

[Biker19]

Just now, blueslily said:

Sorry, just trying to understand the link between chair hogs and my question that you quoted.

There are not only no reservations, but your ability to get a chair varies a lot (mostly due to said chair hogs) - the chair hog related threads will give you more info.

[blueslily]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

There are not only no reservations, but your ability to get a chair varies a lot (mostly due to said chair hogs) - the chair hog related threads will give you more info.

Oh, my question is design wise, which ships are designed with more outdoor space free of stuff like slides and other stuff taking up the outdoor deck space. Like open deck space I can walk around or sit and relax on. Hopefully that helps. This is not a question about passenger behavior. I'm asking about ship design. 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, blueslily said:

This is not a question about passenger behavior. I'm asking about ship design. 

Not sure how much diff the design makes - yes, there's miles of outdoor space on some ships, but all of the space where chairs can be had may be had by chair hogs. OTOH, on just about any ship, there's likely be some out of the way spot, where you may find some chair hog free space - slightly different question. 

[blueslily]

27 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Not sure how much diff the design makes - yes, there's miles of outdoor space on some ships, but all of the space where chairs can be had may be had by chair hogs. OTOH, on just about any ship, there's likely be some out of the way spot, where you may find some chair hog free space - slightly different question. 

Ok. Sorry that my question is not clear. Maybe someone else will understand what I'm asking. If not, I will try to ask it a different way.  Thank you. 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, blueslily said:

Ok. Sorry that my question is not clear. Maybe someone else will understand what I'm asking. If not, I will try to ask it a different way. 

It is very clear, but you don’t seem to want to understand that the design doesn’t make much difference - the O class ships may have the most open deck space but that doesn’t mean it’s the one you’re going to find the most open space on which to relax. And, the answer is so variable depending on sailing, itinerary, capacity that any answer would be meaningless.
 

On paper you could find ship x has exactly what you want, you book it and then when on the sailing you find out that your particular sailing is a partial charter where a section of the deck is off limits (or over run by kids, or chair hogs, or at 120% capacity, rains all week etc) which throws off your whole plan. 

[RedIguana]

Just due to shear size I would assume oasis class. Most classes have the pool deck, and a sundeck one level up. If you really are looking to just relax and watch the ocean just head for the promenade deck (deck 4 or 5 on most classes). Promenade on radiance is usually empty, deck chairs when weather is decent.

[Gabrielle R.]

This is what I noticed on my cruises for deck space:

on Radiance ships (We go on Jewel in December. Think Serenade, Grandeur).  DH and I tend to go on the upper decks to sit and relax

on Navigator we found quieter spots on the upper decks away from the main pool.  
“chair hogs” tend to be around the pools, so for more space we go to the upper levels.

can’t help on the Oasis ships, we haven’t been on them. Too many kids for us. 😉

hope that is what you’re looking for. Gabrielle 

[blueslily]

11 minutes ago, Gabrielle R. said:

This is what I noticed on my cruises for deck space:

on Radiance ships (We go on Jewel in December. Think Serenade, Grandeur).  DH and I tend to go on the upper decks to sit and relax

on Navigator we found quieter spots on the upper decks away from the main pool.  
“chair hogs” tend to be around the pools, so for more space we go to the upper levels.

can’t help on the Oasis ships, we haven’t been on them. Too many kids for us. 😉

hope that is what you’re looking for. Gabrielle 

Thanks so much Gabrielle!

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Proportional to their size, I would say Voyager, Freedom, Oasis, and now Icon Class have the most/best open deck space. These ships were designed for warm weather Caribbean cruising.

 

Quantum and Radiance Classes are definitely more "cold-weather focused" and have less open pool space. They do have enclosed areas, however. Odyssey is kind of a mix because they modified the original Q Class design to be more outdoor focused.

Edited October 22, 2022 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[shipgeeks]

Enchantment.  Promenade deck goes around most or all of Deck 5.  The ship was stretched, which added a pool, and additional pool deck space.  Above pool deck is a sun/walking track, also extended. There are loungers, but they do not intrude onto the walking area. Newly opened, above that, is a small elevated area with loungers, which gives the highest views forward.

We are not pool lounger people, but we do enjoy all the open areas on Enchantment, and have never felt especially crowded.  (But we don't sail during school vacations.)  The only outdoor sports element is the climbing wall, aft, with another small open walkway on each side to get there.

 

[blueslily]

14 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Enchantment.  Promenade deck goes around most or all of Deck 5.  The ship was stretched, which added a pool, and additional pool deck space.  Above pool deck is a sun/walking track, also extended. There are loungers, but they do not intrude onto the walking area. Newly opened, above that, is a small elevated area with loungers, which gives the highest views forward.

We are not pool lounger people, but we do enjoy all the open areas on Enchantment, and have never felt especially crowded.  (But we don't sail during school vacations.)  The only outdoor sports element is the climbing wall, aft, with another small open walkway on each side to get there.

 

Thank you so much. Very helpful. 

[ymncruise]

Try Celebrity. The decks are pretty open. I’ve always been able to get a chair on the deck above the pool.