Cruise duration

I'm just wondering if you all have a preference regarding cruise duration when you go solo.

"As long as possible /I can afford" :)

I've taken to primarily doing Transatlantic for the last few years, which are usually just shy of a fortnight. Lots of sea days gives me a chance to relax and get to know people. On whole traditional cruises (7 days, 5 ports) I feel under pressure to get off and explore.

That said, I got a good deal for October, which is just 1 week and has 4 ports of call. I may skip one of two of them though.

"As long as possible /I can afford" :)

tHAT'D BE MY ANSWER IF SOLO OR PART OF A GROUP OF 1,000,000

"As long as possible /I can afford" :) .

Sounds about right :) Although I would add "as long as I can get off work"!

I do prefer itineraries that intermingle port and sea days, but have done a few transatlantics which were lovely as well.

I will say I'm not terribly interested in anything less than a week. I don't think that's enough time to really unwind. And all of the above would apply whether I'm traveling with others or on my own.

I seem to do mostly 5 night cruises when I cruise solo. Not sure why, thats just where I've found the best deals. And since I do have a hubby at home, its not too long to be gone. And for me, that's enough down time that I am ready to go home. Don't get me wrong, I love 7 night cruises but usually do those with family or girl friends.

I'm actually in need of a solo cruise and currently looking for a deal. :)

I started off with 7 nights, just to see if I liked cruises (which of course I did :D ), but I found I had just started to unwind by the time I had to start packing again, so now I aim for 14 nights or as near as possible depending on the itinerary (I went to Iceland & Norway for only 12 nights, but that was well worth it for the destination).

That said I've been lucky enough to have 2 cruises some years and then the second one has had to be 7 days, just for getting time off work and the cost of course.

In a couple of weeks I'm off on the Thomson Spirit (mainly British passengers) for 14 nights and only 2 sea days - but I love waking up in a different port and will be visiting Istanbul, Athens and Jerusalem & Bethlehem amongst others this time - so will have plenty to keep me occupied during the day!

I'd guess NOT having to consider a travel partner's scheduling or other preferences has allowed me to choose longer cruises than might otherwise be the case. I tend to prefer around 2 weeks.

Between 2 and 4 weeks.......I don't want to be away from home for more than a month, and 10 days to 2 weeks is a minimum. I only want cruises with lots of sea days - at least 8-10 days at sea, preferably more

I usually do a week long cruises, anything shorter is too short for me, but if the price is right I would do longer.

I normally go for a week but omg......if I could afford to go for a month

I would:D.....I am more at peace on a cruise than I am on land.......

My longest has been 10 nights on the ship (about 2 weeks total) pre

cruise/post cruise.....but if I could cruise for 14 nights.......I would be

there in heartbeat..........

I go for as long as I can afford and how much vacation time I have; vacation time seems to be my limiting factor, but then $$$ is a factor too. :p

I am a person who loves days at sea but will forgo them if I am in a place I have never been and would like to do sightseeing, not very many in the Caribbean. The Caribbean is a 50/50 decision on whether I will even get off of the ship. :) So, a TA or TP is my fave.

OP, really good question!

Happy and safe cruising all!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone. I was curious because I am currently considering what could be my first solo cruise. I may have a travel companion, but maybe not. I am also considering another one for next year that will more likely be solo. This year's would be 13 days over the Christmas/New Year period, next year's would be 35 days. I've only done 1 cruise before. It was 28 days and I really enjoyed it. If I go on the one this year I would use it a bit of a test to see if I think I would enjoy the longer one as a solo.

Depends on the cruise line/ship. I'm hoping to squeeze my budget enough for 42 days on Costa Deliziosa next spring. But Holland America, I was so bored, I was seriously considering getting off part way through, so that's a negative number- you'd have to pay me to get me back on board.

"As long as possible /I can afford" :)

 

Ditto!:D:D:D

Anything less than 3 weeks doesnt feel like a holiday to me. I generally do 4 to 6 weeks.

and as someone else said well "the longest I can afford".

I dont get the 3 to 5 day cruises - barely worth the effort of packing a bag to me.

Anything less than 3 weeks doesnt feel like a holiday to me. I generally do 4 to 6 weeks.

 

and as someone else said well "the longest I can afford".

 

I dont get the 3 to 5 day cruises - barely worth the effort of packing a bag to me.

3-5 day cruises work for ALOT of people...just to give you an example,

If you know what the state of Floirida looks like..? I posted a picture of a map of Florida below....I can't

give you the exact population of the cities/counties but there are tons and tons of people who live within 2 hours (driving)

of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando..... and don't forget Tampa......sometimes a weekend cruise is cheaper

than staying home:D;):)....it is a long weekend of relaxing........

I am not saying it is for everyone but those short cruises are always

full and as for the packing? When driving 2 hours away? It is very

easy to pack.

I see you are Downunder....I have met some wonderful Aussies on

my various cruises:D.....I am guessing the ports of Syndey and/or

Melbourne don't offer shorter cruises.....

Here is a map....WPB, FLL and Miami.......and Tampa is on the Gulf

Coast.....with Orlando in the middle and up top is Jacksonville..........

We only have 1 ship with Carnival......

 

I am not saying it is for everyone but those short cruises are always

full and as for the packing? When driving 2 hours away? It is very

easy to pack.

 

I see you are Downunder....I have met some wonderful Aussies on

my various cruises:D.....I am guessing the ports of Syndey and/or

Melbourne don't offer shorter cruises.....

Most people here drive 2 or more hours to visit a nice cafe. Not considered to be a long drive here so not remotely a big deal. My mother drives 4 hours for doctor or dentist visits and home the same day.

Aussies cruise from all over the world. We don't tend to stick to departures out of our own country like the U.S. population would. So our cruise planning includes 6-20 hours of flying each way. Or more. 28 hours and 4 planes for me to get to southern Argentina for a polar expedition.

There are plenty of short cruises out of Sydney and Melbourne of 6 to 8 days. The loops around NZ or up to PNG are 2-3 weeks. I did an 8 day one last year and it was barely worth the effort of unpacking the bags. Back home and at work far too fast. Didn't remotely feel like a decent break. I only went as some of the biggest opera and theatre artists from Aus and UK were starting every night.

Aussies cruise from all over the world.

Yes, Aussies do love to travel.....and (unlike most Americans) you are allotted the vacation time to do it. Americans are often shocked by what is considered "standard" vacation time for most Aussies, and vice versa - I know many Americans who, unless they've been at their job for 15+ years, only get 1-2 (paid) vacation weeks a year. I think in Australia, a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation is pretty standard, isn't it?

(Canadians fall somewhere in the middle, with 2-3 weeks being standard for early years with a company.)

Most people here drive 2 or more hours to visit a nice cafe. Not considered to be a long drive here so not remotely a big deal. My mother drives 4 hours for doctor or dentist visits and home the same day.

 

Aussies cruise from all over the world. We don't tend to stick to departures out of our own country like the U.S. population would. So our cruise planning includes 6-20 hours of flying each way. Or more. 28 hours and 4 planes for me to get to southern Argentina for a polar expedition.

 

There are plenty of short cruises out of Sydney and Melbourne of 6 to 8 days. The loops around NZ or up to PNG are 2-3 weeks. I did an 8 day one last year and it was barely worth the effort of unpacking the bags. Back home and at work far too fast. Didn't remotely feel like a decent break. I only went as some of the biggest opera and theatre artists from Aus and UK were starting every night.

I am trying to read the tone of your post but sometimes it is very

hard on the internet.....I wasn't trying to be rude.....was just giving

some examples of folks who enjoy short cruises. And as for driving

2 hours to a Cafe? And back home the say day? No thanks....we have

some nice cafes that are 20 mintues away:) And 4 hours drive to the Dr?

Not happening here unless it is a "specialist".....my Dr is about 10 minutes

from where I live.

Many of us here in the states get no more than 4 weeks a year

for "holiday"....we call it vacation. So a short cruise is not your

thing......for me? An 8 night cruise would be something I would

love to do:).....I try to spread my vacation time out over of the year.

I would never be able to take off 4 weeks consecutively from work

and it would never be in my budget either.

Anyway, as I always say, different strokes for different folks:D

It's been interesting reading everyone's thoughts. Thank you all for sharing. My possible travel buddy for this year has decided not to go, so now I have to decide if I'm ready for my first solo cruise.

Yes, Aussies do love to travel.....and (unlike most Americans) you are allotted the vacation time to do it. Americans are often shocked by what is considered "standard" vacation time for most Aussies, and vice versa - I know many Americans who, unless they've been at their job for 15+ years, only get 1-2 (paid) vacation weeks a year. I think in Australia, a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation is pretty standard, isn't it?

 

(Canadians fall somewhere in the middle, with 2-3 weeks being standard for early years with a company.)

Yep it's pretty criminal what US employers think of their "valued" employees. I have pals in Cal who are bank managers with the same bank for their entire working life and still only get 2 weeks a year - and they can't choose when to take it.

4 weeks here is the basic minimum. Then we have long service leave on top of that - 90 paid days after tenth year then 9 days every year after that. Purchase leave is also throughout the government and moving into the private sector - where you have an amount deducted from your salary fortnightly to buy 1-8 extra weeks per year. I buy 3 weeks extra. It's cheaper than going from full time to part time.

Any of that leave can be taken at double the days for half the pay. So most folks when they get their first lot of long service leave will take 180 days on half pay and do big round the world lengthy trips.

We don't take it all for granted tho. Our taxes are some of the highest in the world to pay for all that. Always has to be a catch !!

Our taxes are some of the highest in the world to pay for all that. Always has to be a catch !!

The important question is whether you value the things that those taxes buy. I totally get it.