First timer....be gentle

Hi all....Happy New Year.

New to this site and took a few days of reading thru a lot of posts before I had the nerve to post.

Thinking about my first cruise this fall, either Nov. or Dec.

Would you choose a shorter cruise or jump right into a week long cruise?

Any tips for a newbie?

Thanks in advance......

Katie

Welcome!!!!

Personally I would jump right in and go for a week. I think the week long itinerarys and menus offer more than the shorter cruises. However, if it was a choice between a short cruise or no cruise then go for the shorter one! Anything to go on a cruise- you will LOVE it!!! It's an addiction!

I would go for the longer cruise. I feel that the precruise travel and embarkation to be a lot of work for only a few days. If you are close to port, a short cruise would be great, but with any travel, I would feel like its not as exciting.

Also, when you just start to have fun, you'll get kicked off.

But as the other poster said, any cruise is better than no cruise.

I'm a cruising virgin and I jumped right in for an 8 day cruise! Exciting :)

Welcome! Go for the longer one. You'll be glad you did. :)

I like the long ones. Wife likes a little shorter.I don't know if you are subject to motion sickness , but if so , maybe a shorter one. I think a lot of cruisers think they may get sick, but once you are onboard, most people realize how stable the ship is, and quickly forget about it. If I had to tell you what to do though, I would say the longer one,as someone said above, there is more to do, and the days go by so quickly anyway.I am sure you will enjoy..Also, if you have to fly to your port, you will get more for your money, in a sense.:)

My dw and I have been in both and we highly recommened the longer ones. We just got off a 5 day and hated that we just got relaxed and had to leave.

I my self also enjoy the longer cruises. I try and cruise at twice a year once in January and once again in June. My option the longer the better.

It also depends on if you have to fly to port or are within driving distance.

If you have to spend a lot of money to get there, definitely go for the longer cruise.

I agree with the prior posters. Jump right in with a 7 day cruise. We did that and never looked back. It will take you a few days to "get" the cruise experience anyway (layout of the ship, activities, dining, drink of the day, scrambling for a deck chair, life boat drill and other things). Enjoy.

Another vote for a longer cruise for your first one. Minimum 7 days. Anything shorter and you don't get the full cruise experience, in my opinion. You just get all relaxed and learn where everything is on the ship, and it's time to get off. Do yourself a favor and do a 7-8 day cruise for your first one. You'll love it and get addicted the way the rest of us have on Cruise Critic. Welcome!

Welcome!

I agree, go for the longer one.

Plus, the ships for the 7 day cruises are the larger / newer ships with more amenities and options. You will really be able to experience everything that cruises have.. from the variety of ports to the dining options. Sometimes four or five days is just not enough!

Good Luck Planning..and keep asking questions.. thats what these boards are for!

Catrin

Back in 1985, I took my first cruise. It was a 3-day cruise. There was so much to do and so little time to do it all that I felt that I needed a vacation once I got home. I said that I would nevertheless, ever goon a short cruise again. I like the longer cruises because you can pace yourself with all the activities. Much more relaxing time with longer cruises. Go for the longer cruise-you will not be disappointed.

Darn autocorrect!!!

Welcome :)

Only been on two cruises so far, but my first was a seven day and I didn't regret it one bit. My second was a four day, and while I enjoyed it, I found it to be too short. Felt like it was over before it even got started. I say go for seven!

Hi all....Happy New Year.

 

New to this site and took a few days of reading thru a lot of posts before I had the nerve to post.

 

Thinking about my first cruise this fall, either Nov. or Dec.

 

Would you choose a shorter cruise or jump right into a week long cruise?

 

Any tips for a newbie?

 

Thanks in advance......

 

Katie

Well Katie ,there may be more that you need to know before you make that decision. How many people would you have sailing with you ?

Short cruises can be fun as well as a "breaking in period".

Just to see how you and others take to the sea.

Never take a long cruise first if your not sure , it may be a lasting experience that you'll never forget.

My first cruise was a 7 day sort of last minute Christmas cruise and I'm glad we took it. We had 3 sea days and 3 port days so it worked out perfectly. My 2nd cruise was a 5 day because I brought the rest of the family and it seemed so short and I didn't like only having 2 ports so I made sure the next one was another 7. I might not always be able to book a 7 time or finance wise but if I have the option, I'm taking a 7 over a 5.

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

I've done 4-day, 7-day, and in between cruises and the "right" answer I find is based on budget and vacation days from work. If you are choosing between a 4-day and 7 or 8 day option where either one fits your $$$ and vacation day budget, then I'd say go for the 7-8 day. Between the ports and things on the ship, a week gives you a big cruise experience without being so long that you run out of new stuff to try.

Also, one tip for a "November or December" cruise: definitely look into the first two weeks of December, AFTER Thanksgiving and BEFORE the Christmas Holiday season. That two-week stretch, along with the winter from about January 5 through the end of February, often has some of the lowest prices of the year. A 7-day cruise the week of December 8 will probably be cheaper than a 4-day cruise sailing two weeks later. Year-round, I've always found the basic rule of thumb with cruise pricing is "are schoolkids in the US in or out of school that week?"

Have a wonderful vacation no matter what you decide to do!

I'm going on my first cruise in May, and we're doing a 7 night. The longest vacation that DH and I have taken is 5 nights for our honeymoon. Since were staying in San Juan the night before, this will be an extra 3 nights. We can't wait!

Hi all....Happy New Year.

 

New to this site and took a few days of reading thru a lot of posts before I had the nerve to post.

 

Thinking about my first cruise this fall, either Nov. or Dec.

 

Would you choose a shorter cruise or jump right into a week long cruise?

 

Any tips for a newbie?

 

Thanks in advance......

 

Katie

Welcome.. my advice.. is keep reading and reading.. and if you can't find the answer which is unlikely you can ask away.. also take the longer cruise you will thank yourself after for it... and if you think you won't get seasick.. bring meds anyways... ;)

Our first cruise was on Carnival Conquest - 7 days. I never wanted it to end! Go for the 7 day!:D

I took my first cruise in the '80's. Crusing was not as popular then as today so really had not much in the way of information to go on. We were scheduled and paid for a 3 day cruise. About 3 weeks before we were scheduled to go our travel agent called and asked if we could get away for 7 days. She said that we had been given the ultimate upgrade(now this is truly an upgrade) and could go on the 7 day for the sme price we had paid and would be in one of the better rooms at that time. We took it and have not looked back ever since. We normally go on the longer cruises but have taken 2 --4 day cruises and would not ever take one again unless we paired it as a back to back or if we could not cruise at all. Go for the longer cruise--you will be able to see what cruising is all about.

For my first cruise, I wanted to do one that was long enough so I got a good taste of what a cruise is, but short enough so that if I hated it, I wouldn't be stuck on it for a week.

I ended up taking the 4 day Imagination cruise out of Miami to Key West/Cozumel. It gave me a great taste of a cruise since it was longer than a three-day, and left me wanting more, and I have booked 7 day cruises since then.

I of course wished at the end that I had started with a week-long cruise. That being said, if I hadn't liked cruising, I would have been so glad to have gotten off that ship after 4 days! I know everyone here is encouraging you to take the longer cruise right away, but we're also a group of people who happen to love cruising! You MIGHT end up being one of those people who, after they try it, decide they don't like cruising, and I'd hate for you to be miserable for a whole week (or more).

Our four-day cruise started and ended with some stays in some very nice miami spa hotels, so even though the cruise itself was only four days, we definitely made a great week-long vacation out of it, so don't worry that the fun will be over quickly... make your fun last!

Good luck in whatever you decide, and let us know what you choose!

Just thought of another argument for the 7 day cruise over the 4 day cruise...doesn't Carnival still have the vacation guarantee plan where you can get off the boat at the first foreign port if you hate the cruise and Carnival refunds your unused portion of the cruise and flies you home?

Anything less than 7 days is not a real cruise.