Deal breakers? 10 must-have amenities you won’t find on all cruise ships

Cruise ships offer a staggering array of amenities — but they don’t always cover all the bases.

Planning to double down on excitement at the blackjack table on your cruise vacation? Make sure your ship has a casino. Prefer to pack light and wash your clothes while on board? You’ll pay more unless your cruise line offers self-service laundry. And if you’re traveling with kids, what will you tell them when the ship you booked doesn’t have waterslides?

Before you book, make sure the amenities you require will actually be on the ship you choose. Here are 10 must-have amenities you won’t find on all cruise ships.

Casinos

Casinos are a hub of activity on large mainstream ships, where they’re given ample real estate filled with whirring slot machines and assorted gaming tables. On premium and luxury vessels, casinos are typically much smaller and are sometimes even tucked away for only the most determined players to find.

Some cruise lines, however, have chosen not to put casinos on their ships or ditched them during refurbishment. For example, family-focused Disney Cruise Line ships do not include casinos. Also, Pride of America is the only vessel in Norwegian Cruise Line‘s fleet without a casino because it exclusively cruises in Hawaii, where gambling is illegal.

You also won’t find casinos on most expedition and river ships. Such is the case with Viking, which operates a fleet of adults-only ocean, river and expedition ships.

Some premium lines, such as Azamara, Windstar Cruises and Paul Gauguin Cruises, removed casinos when they refurbished their ships.

Which cruise lines offer casinos on their ships? You can roll the dice when you sail with Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages. Premium and luxury cruise lines like Cunard, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas also feature casinos on ships.

Balcony cabins

It might surprise you to learn that not all ships offer standard balcony cabins. Cruise lines began designing vessels with more balcony cabins and suites about 25 years ago, so some ships built in the 1990s and earlier might not have them — or only offer a small number of suites with balconies.

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Of the mainstream cruise lines, Holland America is the only one with ships lacking standard balcony cabins. Volendam and Zaandam, both built in 1999, only feature private verandas in their Vista Suites and Neptune Suites. Most rooms are ocean-view cabins. However, Volendam offers Lanai Staterooms with glass doors that open onto the promenade deck (as do a handful of other Holland America ships).

Among small-ship luxury cruise lines, Windstar‘s masted sailing ships lack balconies. And while its motorized yachts do feature two top suite categories with private outdoor space, most of the balcony suites only have French balconies (sliding doors with a railing for letting in fresh air but without actual outdoor space).

Most expedition vessels lack standard balcony cabins (although some have floor-to-ceiling infinite veranda-type windows or French balconies). National Geographic-Lindblad Expedition Cruises’ National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution and UnCruise Adventures‘ Safari Endeavor and Safari Explorer are among the exceptions.

River ships sailing Europe’s waterways have a mix of balcony and French balcony rooms, depending on the cruise line. AmaWaterways and Viking offer full balconies, for example, while Avalon, Uniworld River Cruises and others have French balconies. Many cabins on Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours ships feature an indoor Sun Lounge with windows that can convert to a balcony. However, many smaller vessels cruising the Nile, Mekong and Amazon rivers feature just French balconies. Exceptions include Viking Saigon and Aqua Mekong on the Mekong and AmaWaterways and Viking ships on the Nile, all of which have true balcony cabins.

Related: The best cruise ship balcony cabins for your vacation at sea

Self-service laundry

If you like to travel light, it helps to know if your ship offers free self-service laundry (though you’ll often pay for detergent and fabric softener unless you brought them from home). Valet-type laundry services are widely available for a fee.

If you’ll be cruising on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America, Virgin Voyages or MSC, prepare to pay to have your clothes cleaned because none of these lines offer self-service laundry rooms.

Carnival does offer self-service washers and dryers (although you’ll pay a per-load fee) on most of its ships. However, only machine-less “ironing rooms” are available on its newest Excel Class ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee) and on the three ships it acquired from sister line Costa Cruises (Luminosa, Firenze and Venezia).

Princess also charges per load in its self-service laundry rooms.

Most river ships also do not offer self-service laundry rooms. Some exceptions include American Cruise Lines and Viking’s U.S.-based ship, Viking Mississippi.

Disney Cruise Line, Viking, Oceania and Azamara, among others, provide free self-service laundry facilities on their ships.

Related: Everything you need to know about cruise ship laundry services

Waterslides

Waterslides create a theme-park-like vibe on the top decks of many megaships. So, if you’re a parent who doesn’t want to disappoint your thrill-seeking kids and teens — or if you enjoy an adrenaline rush yourself — know that some cruise lines don’t offer a single slide on their ships.

Those cruise lines include Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and Oceania. As you might expect, expedition vessels, yacht-style ships and river ships do not offer waterslides.

If you’re game for an adrenaline rush, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Disney and MSC are the waterslide kings. Many of these lines’ newer and larger ships offer at least one and as many as six waterslides, plus all the splashy top-deck fun you could possibly imagine.

That said, select Royal Caribbean vessels — all Quantum Class ships, plus significantly older and smaller Radiance Class ships — do not feature waterslides. Additionally, some older Norwegian ships lack waterslides.

Spas and fitness centers

Almost all ocean ships — from mainstream megaships to ultraluxury small ships and expedition vessels — feature a spa and a fitness center. However, the spa size, treatment offerings, thermal suite amenities and exercise equipment will vary.

Spa facilities will be the most basic on smaller adventure-style vessels and river ships. It might come as a surprise that Viking, known for ocean and expedition ships featuring some of the most impressive spas and thermal suites at sea, does not offer a spa on any of its 80-plus river ships. The line’s ships also lack gyms and walking tracks (with the exception of Viking Mississippi, which has the latter).

That’s an anomaly among river cruise ships since other lines, including AmaWaterways, Tauck, Scenic and Uniworld, all feature a small gym and a spa treatment room on all or most of their ships. AmaWaterways and Scenic also provide wellness coaches who lead yoga classes and biking excursions.

Avalon Waterways, which operates on the rivers of Europe and Asia, and American Cruise Lines, which has coastal and river ships exclusively in the U.S., both feature fitness areas on all ships but do not have spas.

Related: The best cruise ship spas

Libraries

As more cruisers tote reading tablets loaded with multiple books, libraries on mainstream cruise ships are doing a disappearing act, with take-a-book, leave-a-book exchanges sometimes taking their place.

The four most recent Princess ships (Sun Princess, Discovery Princess, Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess) do not have libraries. Norwegian’s six latest vessels (Prima, Viva, Aqua, Encore, Joy and Bliss) also lack libraries. However, older ships on both lines do include libraries.

Carnival has also ditched the library on its newer ships, Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee.

Royal Caribbean nixed the library on Icon of the Seas (and on the upcoming Star of the Seas), while a small selection of books is available in the Card Room on Oasis, Quantum and Freedom Class vessels.

Celebrity also jettisoned the library on its Edge Class ships (Edge, Apex, Beyond, Ascent and the upcoming Xcel). However, those seeking stacks of books and a cool place to read will find it on Celebrity’s five Solstice Class vessels (Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Reflection and Silhouette), all of which feature a two-level library on decks 10 and 11.

Which cruise lines do offer libraries on their ships? Cunard is known for its libraries (the one on Queen Mary 2 has more than 10,000 titles). Holland America recently added libraries back onto its ships; by the end of 2025, all vessels will feature refurbished onboard libraries with new decor and up to 1,700 books.

Oceania ships feature some of the most inviting libraries, from cozy, wood-paneled rooms on its older vessels to larger, chicly decorated spaces on newer ships. A handful of Azamara ships feature an elegant Drawing Room stocked with books. All Windstar ships have a library.

Luxury cruise ships from Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and Viking have dedicated library spaces. Those on Regent Seven Seas Explorer, Splendor and Grandeur are especially well stocked, and the “secret library” on Silversea’s Silver Nova and Silver Ray is a small but beautiful jewel.

Pools and hot tubs

Is a pool or hot tub a cruise vacation must? Almost all ocean and luxury expedition ships feature one or the other (or both) — with larger ships offering multiple spots to enjoy a dip. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the largest ship in the world, has seven pools and nine hot tubs.

River cruise ships, on the other hand, are inconsistent with pool and hot tub offerings. For example, none of Viking’s 60 identical Longships sailing in Europe feature a pool or hot tub. However, you’ll find pools on its vessels on the Douro, Nile, Mekong and Mississippi rivers. Additionally, none of American Cruise Lines’ vessels have pools or hot tubs.

Pool and hot tub availability on other river cruise lines vary, with some AmaWaterways, Avalon, Scenic and Uniworld ships featuring pools or hot tubs, and others lacking them.

Most adventure and expedition lines only offer hot tubs on their vessels.

Indoor pools

An indoor pool is a welcome perk for cool-weather cruising. Unfortunately, they aren’t available on many ships, at least, beyond the smaller thermal pools or lap pools in the spa area. Indoor pools that are available to all guests (without an added fee) are missing on all ships from lines such as Norwegian, Virgin Voyages, Disney, Oceania, Regent and Ponant, among others.

Additionally, most river ships do not have indoor pools. A few exceptions include a handful of Emerald Cruises and Uniworld vessels.

However, some cruise lines do have ships with pools that are either indoors or feature a retractable roof. For example, all Celebrity ships (except Celebrity Flora in the Galapagos Islands) feature an indoor adults-only Solarium Pool.

Solarium spaces also vary across Royal Caribbean ships, with some featuring a fixed or retractable roof, while other Solarium areas are open.

Pools with retractable roofs are also on all Holland America ships, as well as on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and the new Queen Anne.

A handful of Princess ships offer indoor pools, while the line’s newest ship, Sun Princess, features an indoor-outdoor pool beneath a geodesic, glass-enclosed dome.

You’ll also find indoor pools on select MSC vessels and on luxury cruise line ships, such as Viking (ocean-going ships) and Explora Journeys.

Pickleball courts

You can get your pickleball game on at sea on almost every ocean cruise line except for Disney, Windstar, Viking, Azamara and Ponant.

Most river ships have yet to jump on the craze due to space limitations, but AmaWaterways has a full-size pickleball court on AmaMagna, which cruises the Danube.

Suite enclaves

Some mass-market cruise lines offer a “ship-within-a-ship” space, but the layout varies from line to line. For example, some suite complexes are grouped together in a private area on the ship, with exclusive dining, a lounge, a pool and a sundeck situated nearby. Suites on other lines are located around the ship, with the designated restaurant, lounge and sundeck area elsewhere on the vessel. Alternatively, some lines offer suites but lack exclusive spaces for suite guests.

You will not find suite enclaves on Holland America or Carnival or on older Norwegian and MSC vessels.

Norwegian’s The Haven and MSC’s Yacht Club are self-contained suite enclaves, while Royal Caribbean’s Royal Suite Class and Celebrity’s The Retreat are not. The latter two feature suite accommodations and exclusive spaces spread around the ship.

Disney ships feature concierge-level rooms that come with private lounge and sundeck access, plus perks like special onboard meals and offerings, early cabana booking at Disney’s Castaway Cay private island and early theater seating, among other benefits.

Exclusive areas are also available on Cunard sailings when you book one of the higher-tier accommodations, including Britannia Club cabins, Princess Grill suites and Queens Grill suites. They come with access to exclusive lounge and deck spaces, private dining and other perks.

The newest Princess ship, Sun Princess, and all Virgin Voyages ships have added amenities and spaces for suite guests, but again, these spaces are located throughout the ships.

Bottom line

Before you hit the “book now” button, make sure the ship you choose has everything you need for your ideal cruise vacation. You might not have to go cold turkey when it comes to playing pickleball or getting a massage while at sea. However, if you require a well-curated library or a self-service laundry option when you cruise, choose your ship wisely.

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