Are things different on a short cruise?

[Whitemarsh]

What about the complaining - you know, the nonstop, constant & endless complaining? Is there more or less of that during a shorter cruise?

[BlueRiband]

The experience may depend on the passenger mix boarding on a short voyage. The shortest voyage available here in the US is a 5-nighter ''July 4th'' out of New York. The ship was filled with Americans so there was no culture clash. (Nor was there any confusion on keeping to the right or to the left when jogging the Promenade Deck. :D)

 

- My stateroom had full toiletries, although I have to qualify that since it was a P1 to Q6 upgrade and not a collier cabin.

 

- Ordering off menu in QG was no problem. (Although my table mates were a problem. For a short voyage it was tolerable but would have asked for relocation had it been longer.)

 

- The evening dress code appeared to be enthusiastically embraced. The Black and White Ball theme was taken quite literally and my apricot hue summer evening dress looked a bit out of place by contrast.

 

The mood of the ship appears to be influenced by the expectations of those on board. It passengers board with the intention of having the grand ocean liner holiday it will be festive. If they board with the expectation of a cheap booze cruise one will feel the difference.

 

Another factor will be price. The ''July 4th'' is popular and Cunard doesn't have to resort to early price cuts. The "bed fillers" as one put it are often deeply discounted. Everyone wants to get a great price break but it's not economically reasonable to expect Silversea service at Carnival pricing.

 

The elimination of short ''bed fillers'' would however eliminate other itineraries. Without the "July 4th" to fill the ship with vacationing Americans it would not be possible to take a WB TA, spend a few days in NY, and return on an EB TA. (Upon disembarking in NY it was announced that only 190 passengers were continuing on to Southampton.)