Maybe and maybe not.
At the end of the war the Essex had been due a refit and was detached to the Puget Sound Navy Yard where she arrived on 3 Sept 1945. But was not inactivated until Jan 1947. Knowledge of her movements between these dates beyond her being involved in Magic Carpet operations is almost non existent so far as I can tell. But Essex was in the Pacific carrying out her Magic Carpet operations. During the war the overcrowded crew quarters could become rather hot and uncomfortable in the tropics, with crew members often looking for other cooler places to sleep. The hangar deck, even with tiers of bunks welded to the deck might be a better place to be if the lifts were lowered or the roller shutters over the hangar side openings could be opened in full or in part to allow fresh air to circulate.
By the way Yorktown, a sister ship, took 4,600 troops from Manila to the USA in one trip Dec 1945 / Jan 1946.
A luxury cruise it was not!
