Best Deck on a Cruise Ship (For Every Type of Cruiser)

The best deck on a cruise ship is different for each person. While some might love the views from a high deck, others prefer to be low down where they won’t feel the motion as much.

There are other factors to consider too, like noise, stairs and being close to the action.

So, what deck level is best on a cruise ship? Let’s dive in…

The Best Deck To Avoid Motion Sickness – Low

The best deck on a cruise ship for motion sickness is the lowest passenger deck. This is because the top of a ship sways more than the bottom. To avoid motion sickness, choose a cabin close to the waterline.

If you’re really worried about whether you’ll feel seasick, you should consider booking a cabin with a balcony. If you’re able to sit on the balcony and look out to sea, you’ll feel much better than if you lie down in bed in a windowless inside cabin.

The lowest cruise ship decks don’t have balconies as they’re too close to the water. The balcony staterooms usually start on the third or fourth deck up.

If you don’t have the budget for a balcony stateroom, consider a room with a window. There are available on the lowest decks and being able to look at the horizon will help your brain to cope with the motion, so you’ll feel less queasy in rough seas.

I loved this Ocean View room on deck 4 of P&O Cruises Iona, the lowest passenger deck on the ship. It had a lovely window seat with great views of the ocean.

I would say that an Ocean View room on the lowest deck in a mid-ship location is the best room on a cruise ship for motion sickness. The sea was very rough on our cruise and I heard a lot of people requesting sea sickness tablets at the reception desk, but we had no issues at all in our room.

The Best Deck For Views – High

If you’re cruising to somewhere with stunning scenery, then it’s wise to go for a balcony stateroom on a higher deck. The higher up the ship you go, the better the view.

It’s not that the view from the lower decks is bad. Far from it. It’s just that you’ll be able to see further from higher up. If you don’t have a balcony in your cabin, you can head up to the top deck and enjoy the views from there as you sail away.

When I cruised from Florida, we once saw dolphins playing in the water next to the ship. We had a high deck, but it would have been even better to see them up close from a lower deck.

That might be the same for an Alaskan cruise too – you’d have a much easier time spotting whales from a lower deck.

Yet the glaciers might be more impressive from a higher deck… Tough decisions!

The Best Deck If You Hate Elevators – Mid

Around 12.5% of people suffer from claustrophobia (the fear of enclosed spaces) and a further 1% suffer from agoraphobia (the fear of not being able to escape). Many of these sufferers will want to avoid elevators (or lifts, as they’re known in the UK).

While most able-bodied people can walk up a few flights of stairs comfortably, only the fittest could manage to walk up ten flights or more without breaking a sweat. I’ve climbed about fifteen decks on a cruise ship before and let me tell you, it’s pretty tiring!

If you prefer to avoid taking the elevator on a cruise ship, you should choose a cabin on a mid-level deck. That way, you won’t have too many floors to climb in one go, whether you’re going up to the pool or down to the dining room.

5 Cruise Ship Decks To Avoid

Even if you never get seasick, there are some other things that you should consider when choosing a cruise ship deck…

Are you a light sleeper who likes to go to bed early or sleep in late? Do you want to avoid long journeys in the elevator? Or maybe you just don’t want to see other cruisers peering into your room!

1. The Deck Below the Lido Deck

Many of the noise problems that cause complaints on cruise ships come from the pool deck. Here, you might have deck parties with live music until late in the evening, followed by people scraping their sunloungers across the deck at the crack of dawn.

If you prefer not to be disturbed, you should avoid the deck below the Lido Deck and go down a level where it will almost certainly be quieter. If you really want to stay in one of the highest cabins, study the deck plan carefully to see exactly what’s above your room.

2. The Lowest Deck

The cabins on the lowest passenger deck are usually the cheapest and there’s a good reason for that. In the lowest part of a cruise ship, there’s a whole lot of noisy stuff so you may hear the hum of the engine, the blast of the bow thrusters and the clanging of the anchor chain.

Depending on the ship, you may also feel vibrations that could make the hangers in your wardrobe rattle!

Suggested read: Where Are The Engines Located On A Cruise Ship?

Of course, I’m not saying that low decks are always noisy. But at certain times of day, in bad weather and especially when a ship is manoeuvring into and out of a port, you will hear more noise here than you would on a higher deck.

3. The Landing Deck

Some people believe that having a cabin on the landing deck can be a good thing as you can leave the ship quickly at each port.

In reality, you’re probably going to go all the way up to the buffet at the top of the ship for breakfast first, but it can be handy when returning to the ship as you can drop off some of your stuff before heading upstairs to get food.

If your cabin is close to the exit door, you may have people crowding around and making noise as they leave the ship. If you’re an early riser, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. However, on some cruises guests can disembark at ports as early as 6 am.

Plus, if you have an overnight stay, people could be coming back on board at all hours of the night.

4. The Promenade Deck

Strolling around the Prom Deck is a wonderful activity to enjoy early in the morning, after dinner or before bed. But as lovely as the promenade deck is, it can be one of the worst locations for a cruise cabin.

The problem with cabins on the promenade deck is that people can often see straight into your room. On P&O Cruises’ Iona, the promenade deck even has hot tubs on it. That means that some cabins will have a Jacuzzi blocking their view of the ocean.

Some promenade deck cabins have windows rather than balconies. These have special one-way glass that looks like a mirror from the outside. However, if someone were to put their face right up the glass, they could almost certainly see right into your room.

5. The Deck Above an Interior Promenade

Some Royal Caribbean ships have an interior promenade featuring bars and restaurants. Cabins on the deck above often have windows that look down over the promenade.

While these cabins may be great for people-watching, people can also look up and see you, so you’ll want to remember to close your curtains when changing. This can also be a noisy location, especially if your cabin is right above the sports bar or another loud venue.

Suggested read: Cruise Ship Deck Names (And Why They’re Called That)

How Are Decks Numbered on a Cruise Ship?

Before you go ahead and select the cabin for your next cruise, it’s important that you know how the deck are numbered…

On cruise ships, decks are numbered from bottom to top, starting from Deck 1 and going up at high as 20 or more. On most cruise ships, the lowest decks aren’t accessible to passengers, and you board the ship on Deck 4 or Deck 5.

Many cruise ships give the decks names as well as numbers. For example, on MSC Grandiosa, the decks are named after famous artists such as Monet and Van Gogh, whereas on Costa Deliziosa the decks are named after ornamental flowers such as Petunia and Azalea.

Some cruise ships have letters as well as numbers for the decks. On P&O Ventura, for example, Deck 12 is called A Deck, Deck 11 is called B Deck, and so on.

Where Is Deck 1 on a Cruise Ship?

On some cruise ships, Deck 1 is the lowest deck on the ship. On others, it’s simply the lowest deck that’s accessible to passengers. On Carnival, Fred. Olsen and Disney cruise ships, you can book a cabin on Deck 1.

On other cruise ships, the lowest passenger cabins are on Deck 3 or 4.

Below the passenger cabins, there are the crew cabins, the engine room and other facilities such as the laundry, jail and medical centre. On some cruise ships, these areas are on Decks 1 and 2. On ships with passenger cabins on Deck 1, the decks beneath have names such as Deck A, Deck B and Deck C.

Which Deck Level Is Best on a Cruise Ship?

The best deck on a cruise ship depends very much on the ship and what’s important for you, so there’s no single answer to the question of which deck is best.

The best cruise ship deck for many people is a lower deck because less movement will be felt there. However, for the best views, you should choose a higher deck. If you want to avoid taking the elevator, a mid-level deck would be best.

Of course, as well as the deck, you’ll want to think about whether your cabin is towards the front (forward) or rear (aft) of the ship. There are a few locations that you’ll certainly want to steer clear of if you want to be sure of a good night’s sleep!

To make sure you avoid any dodgy cabins on your next cruise, I’ve created a checklist that will make sure you get it right…

What About Guarantee Cabins?

Sometimes, you can save money on your cruise by allowing the cruise line to select your cabin for you. This is known as a ‘guarantee’ stateroom because you’re guaranteed to get a room in the grade that you choose, or higher.

So, if you book an inside cabin and they sell out, you could be upgraded to an outside cabin with a window. Free upgrades can happen regardless of whether you choose your cabin number yourself or not.

Guarantee cabins aren’t usually in the most desirable locations. This is because these are the rooms that are left over after everyone who’s picked their choice of room. So you’re unlikely to get a midship cabin when you book the guarantee rate.

You may decide that you don’t really care what deck your cruise cabin is on. If you’re fit enough to walk the length of a cruise ship and climb a few flights of stairs, then spending a few extra minutes walking to and from your room each day could be well worth the saving.

Personally, I always go for the guarantee cabin, unless there are some other free perks that come with the higher rate.

Related posts:

• 13 Royal Caribbean Cabins To Avoid
• 16 Carnival Cruise Cabins To Avoid
• Is Deck 7 On A Cruise Ship Good?
• How To Upgrade Your Cruise Cabin After Purchase