By ANDREA PETERSEN via wsj.com

Cruise lines are trying to solve a peculiar dilemma: How to make it actually feel like you're on water.

That may seem unnecessary when you're vacationing in the middle of the ocean. But on many cruise ships, while you may be sailing across the Caribbean's turquoise waters, you often don't feel like it. It's especially true when you're in a huge onboard casino, indoor theater or the windowless, low-ceilinged hallway leading to your stateroom.

"As they've gotten bigger and bigger, ships are almost fortress-like," says Frank Del Rio, chairman of Prestige Cruise Holdings, which owns the Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises lines of upscale small and mid-sized ships.

The ship employs two full-time lawn keepers aboard to ensure the grass stays healthy and attractive. Here Eugene Creencia, of the Philippines, watered the grass before a wine and cheese event later in the night aboard the Celebrity Eclipse docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Now, cruise lines are increasing the amount of outdoor space on both small, luxury ships and large, mass-market ships. They are also offering a bunch of new alfresco activities. Silversea Cruises' newest vessel, the 540-passenger Silver Spirit, has 60% more outdoor deck space than previous ships, including larger guest-room verandas and the company's first restaurant serving dinner outdoors. (Guests can cook their own meat and fish over hot volcanic rocks.)

Celebrity Cruises' Silhouette, which sets sail in July, will have two new restaurants with outdoor seating, an open-air art studio where guests can take painting lessons and VIP sea-view cabanas for rent. All will be located on the top of the ship surrounding a 12,000 square-foot lawn of growing grass. Norwegian Cruise Lines' 4,100-passenger Epic, which debuted in the summer of 2010, has an open-air nightclub: The dance floor rises from the pool. The Magic from Carnival Corp.'s Carnival Cruise Lines, which begins sailing in May, will feature a 9,300-square foot water park, an outdoor video game area and an open-air sports facility with exercise bikes and rowing machines. Some suites on Oceania Cruises' new 1,250-passenger ship, the Marina, have balconies outfitted with Jacuzzis and 42-inch flat-screen TVs specially made to withstand wind and salt water.

The Lawn Club on Celebrity's new ship, the 2,884-passenger Silhouette, which sets sail in July, will include two new restaurants with outdoor seating, an open-air art studio and private sea-view cabanas.

"There's a perception that I'm going to be on this piece of metal out at sea and I'm confined," says Rod K. McLeod of cruise and tourism advisory firm McLeod.Applebaum & Partners.

The focus on the outdoors is part of an ongoing push to attract younger customers. "The old adage that cruises are meant for the newly wed and the nearly dead isn't true anymore," says Brad Ball, a spokesman for Silversea. Fifteen years ago, the typical Silversea passengers were in their upper 60s to mid 70s. Today, the guests are generally in their 50s, Mr. Ball says.

Cruise companies are aiming to shed their reputation for bland buffets and hokey variety shows and compete more directly with shore-side resorts. In recent years, they have introduced lavish spas, high-end restaurants, rock-climbing walls and Broadway shows such as "Chicago" and "Hairspray."

To pack all that in, cruise ships are now longer and wider. Bigger ships are also more efficient to operate. But, just 20% of Americans have taken a cruise, according to data from the Cruise Lines International Association Inc.

When it comes to adding outdoor spaces, ships face challenges that land resorts usually don't. Nobody is going to want to eat outside if the wind is blowing cocktail napkins into your umbrella drink, for example. (Ships usually do add glass wind screens that help shield outdoor areas.) When the winds get too intense, Nippon Yusen Kaisha's Crystal Cruises sometimes ropes off the jogging track that wraps around its Symphony ship.

When planning the Magic's outdoor gym, Carnival considered—and then abandoned—a plan to include free weights, fearing dangerous projectiles rolling around the deck. Environmental regulations and concerns also restrict what cruise ships can do outdoors. Carnival wanted to add a driving range to the 3,690-passenger Magic, but would do so only if it could use biodegradable golf balls, since some would surely end up overboard. But the ball the company found didn't pass muster with a group of test golfers. "They didn't go as far or spin as much," as a normal ball, says Ruben Rodriguez, Carnival Cruise Lines' executive vice president, ship operations. "When you hit them hard, they'd deform."

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