"Weekend" Cruises

[cruising mickey]

Hello y'all,

 

Are 3 day cruises considered "out of control" party cruises?  My fiance and I have a tight budget as well as a limited timeframe; thus the reason got the shorter cruise.  Would this type of cruise be a good fit for a wedding/honeymoon?

 

Thanks in advance

[Brkintx]

16 minutes ago, cruising mickey said:

Hello y'all,

 

Are 3 day cruises considered "out of control" party cruises?  My fiance and I have a tight budget as well as a limited timeframe; thus the reason got the shorter cruise.  Would this type of cruise be a good fit for a wedding/honeymoon?

 

Thanks in advance

IMO… If it is at all possible, try for a 4 night… there will be a port day and two sea days, so you won’t be overwhelmed by any particular activities on board… (party or other) 

Directly on point, the 4 night weekend cruise I was on at the end of July/early August was not a huge party ship… there were events for sure, but still plenty of opportunity to relax / enjoy. 

[1025cruise]

I don't fly for less than 7 days.

[WindinmySails]

My husband and I went on a 4 day and it was not all party, party...met some really nice locals on the ship.  I agree with Brkintx that a 4 day is better than a 3 day.  My husband and I were both in our 50s at the time and it was perfect for us. 

[tallnthensome]

I would never waste my time with a three day cruise. Minimum would be 5 . Not worth the packing and it would be over before it even starts. 

[Colorado Beach Bum]

3 hours ago, cruising mickey said:

Hello y'all,

 

Are 3 day cruises considered "out of control" party cruises?  My fiance and I have a tight budget as well as a limited timeframe; thus the reason got the shorter cruise.  Would this type of cruise be a good fit for a wedding/honeymoon?

 

Thanks in advance

You can make a cruise whatever you want.  It’s not like people are running up and down the halls banging on doors all night long.  I’m sure that’s happened but we’ve never seen it.  We’ve done a couple of short cruises and did enjoy ourselves and we are not out of control party people.  

[Guest BasicSailor]

Shorter day cruise will pick up the party animal for sure. Easy enough to avoid if you plan correctly. 

[staceyglow]

47 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

I would never waste my time with a three day cruise. Minimum would be 5 . Not worth the packing and it would be over before it even starts. 

I agree.  Fortunately, I am retired and can take my time doing things.  The OP might not have that luxury.  But your main sentiment is true.  If you can swing at least a 4-day cruise, you will enjoy it much better, and you have fewer people that are trying to pack all the drinking, partying, and rabble-rousing into 72 hours that they can.

[ray985]

The 3-day cruises are usually on the less desirable/updated ships and usually have more of a party atmosphere. It's still not going to be like spring break in Cancun, but it's noticeably different from a longer cruise. A 5, 6, or 7 day cruise will be a lot more balanced, and less party focused. That being said, as long as your expectations are set, you can still have a good time.

 

Also, be sure to do mock-bookings both longer and shorter cruises. Every time, I look, the price for a 3-day and 5-day can come out pretty close. They usually price shorter cruises a bit higher per day to make up for less revenue being made on-board.  

[IntrepidFromDC]

I think perception varies, but our first cruise in 2013 was five days and we agreed never again.  Our shortest cruise since then has been seven days.  Each cruise is different, but they all seem to have the "getting to know" phase and the "in full cruise groove" phase.  I want at least five days grooving.

[Guest BasicSailor]

2 hours ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

You can make a cruise whatever you want.  It’s not like people are running up and down the halls banging on doors all night long.  I’m sure that’s happened but we’ve never seen it.  We’ve done a couple of short cruises and did enjoy ourselves and we are not out of control party people.  

Spring Break will getcha the door knockers.

[Can'tWait2SetSail]

I have found that if you go on  shorter cruise that is during the week rather than over the weekend, the Crowd is a little less PARTY!!!

[Virga]

We almost exclusively take short cruises - both midweek and over the weekends. About half the time, we get the beverage package and we are the partiers.  The other half the time we're just there for rest, relaxation, and food.  Even on the smallest ships, we can ALWAYS find quiet places to hang out and read.  We have never sailed spring break - we avoid traveling over school holidays, as a rule - but the rest of the time, the ships seem big enough to find your flavor of fun, no matter what that may be.  

[tidecat]

The bigger question for the short-term is whether the 3-day cruises will sail with a meaningful number of passengers given the current health protocols.

[momof3cruisers]

I have a few questions for you? Are you flying to the port and where do you plan to sail from? If CA the shorter cruises are now on a much nicer ship than they used to because they scrapped Imagination and…the other one. 😁

 

I agree that if you can swing a four day they are a lot more relaxing. Keep in mind that on a 3 day your first day is the day you board so it really feels like 2 days. And if you fly on non weekend days, your airfare will likely be cheaper as well as the hotel night. 
 

If you must do a 3 day, I have been on many. There are easy ways to avoid the drinkers. Go to dinner by 7:00 if you have open seating. We do all the games like trivia etc and never had rowdiness. There are plenty of quiet places around the ship. I’ve never experienced craziness sitting outside either but we do avoid the main pool with the loud contests and what not. If people are loud and annoying you, just move on to somewhere else. The shows will also be fine karaoke might be a little crazy but that’s kind of the point. 
 

Main thing is, pay attention to your travel companion, ignore everyone else and have fun.

[momof3cruisers]

34 minutes ago, Virga said:

We almost exclusively take short cruises - both midweek and over the weekends. About half the time, we get the beverage package and we are the partiers.  The other half the time we're just there for rest, relaxation, and food.  Even on the smallest ships, we can ALWAYS find quiet places to hang out and read.  We have never sailed spring break - we avoid traveling over school holidays, as a rule - but the rest of the time, the ships seem big enough to find your flavor of fun, no matter what that may be.  

This has been our experience as well. My sisters and I (6 of us) travel this same way. Sometimes we’re loud and silly, other times we are quiet and laid back playing cards. Often on the same cruise. That’s the great thing about cruising. You can make it what you want it to be.

[zzdoug]

Maybe you already know this, but The time of year of the cruise can have a significant impact on the fare. If you have any flexibility to travel off peak, you might pay less for a 7 day than you would for a 3 day in peak season.

 

I went on only one short cruise and we certainly had fun, but I found it disappointing compared to other Carnival cruises. This was on the Carnival Paradise about 10 years ago, during president's week in February, out of Long Beach. There were many families with children who had the week off, including ours. The embarkation/debarkation process seemed to take a significant part of the cruise. Also the food was surprisingly awful whereas the food on the 7 day Carnival cruises we have taken has been much better. 

[BlerkOne]

Micky Arison was on one 3 day cruise I was on. Some of the best food ever.

 

Not everyone has a lot of time or money. Short cruises can have a party crowd and can also have a young family crowd. Even people padding their cruise count to get to a milestone number. There will be all kinds.

[zzdoug]

2 hours ago, fyree39 said:

We've had some horrendously loud hall-happenings on short cruises. Night #2 seems the best since most are exhausted from night #1. By night #3 they all have their wind back and it's off to the races again. lol Still, we love the short cruises and adjust our expectations. The stories I have are great! Here's a photo from one of our 3-day cruises from years ago. I have no idea who these guys are, but they were thrilled to join us in our picture. That was just one of the more memorable booze cruises we've been on. 😄

I assume you two are the people on the far left and far right. That crazy couple in the middle is clearly partying it up and having the time of their life. Good times!

[travelplus]

My Shortest Cruise also is 7 Days this February but I have done a 14 Day Panama Canal on the Princess from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles,  14 and 15 nights on Royal and a Back2B 21 Night on Royal. Also I did a B2B on Cunard from Athens and the 2nd one out of Rome on the QE2! I would not waste my time for anything under 7 nights. The Panorama has just enough sea days 3 is perfect  and enough ports with shore excursions.   I'll be enjoying the Brunch on the Panorama as well as Breakfast Burritos! 

For me just enjoying some chill music on my Balcony from my playlist and watching the ocean with Room Service  with a  Bloody Mary is awesome. Followed by some Pool time and Serenity Deck time.  I cannot think of a better vacation than a cruise!

Edited October 12, 2021 by travelplus

[csm5986142]

We have done cruises anywhere from 4 days to 15 days.  I actually like the shorter cruises.  I think it depends on a lot of factors. 

Our worst was on a 6 day cruise, where the cabin next to us was a huge gathering/party place.  Excessive noise and banging (probably bumping into) the walls until 3 am.  That was a 6-day cruise.  It was miserable.

We have also done 4-day cruises out of Long Beach (at spring break) and it was perfect.  Mostly nice young families.