14 day Caribbean cruise itineraries are gone

[Shadow9612]

I loved those 14-night cruises! You can't replicate the experience on two 7-nighters. For one thing, the menu repeats.

Even if the ports are different, you still 'lose' a day on the overlap day and for Canadians coming from a cold snowy winter, I'd rather get deeper south on a longer cruise rather than returning to MIA/FLL mid-cruise...

 

We love the 14 day cruises. The cost per day is usually decently cheaper than booking a b2b.

exactly

 

 

In January 2019 we have a 7 day cruise on Edge and then get on Silhouette for 12 days. Celebrity has told us they will take our luggage and deliver it from Edge to Silhouette. That is pretty cool[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

That is VERY cool.

[cruise47]

My guess is there aren't enough people with the flexibility and money to book a 14 day cruise, especially when it's not standard summer vacation times.

 

It's easier to fill 2 7-day cruises than 1 14-day one.

 

As has been suggested, book a b2b for the 2 weeks you want. Or do 2 different ships, or a week on land and a week cruise, or even 2 different cruise lines.

 

If you're lucky enough to be able to take 2 wks off and have the money for a nice vacation, you have a lot of options.

 

The baby boomers generations between 1940 and 1950 are the ones that can sail these 14 days cruises. They have the money and the time to cruise 14 days or more..

[grandgeezer]

The baby boomers generations between 1940 and 1950 are the ones that can sail these 14 days cruises. They have the money and the time to cruise 14 days or more..

 

This isn't the age group they are targeting anymore. Maybe these people voted with their wallet and moved on.

[Baron Barracuda]

We've done the Eclipse 14 night itinerary twice in the past couple of years. It remains my favorite. So relaxing to settle in knowing you have two full weeks of sun and sea ahead of you.

 

Very much disagree with those who say it's easier to fill two 7 day sailings than one 14 day. Looked at a variety of future sailings and saw cost per day is quite similar. Would have expected 14 days to be cheaper if they were harder to fill. Also during the Nov - Apr season that Eclipse sails 14 nights she is pretty much the only ship doing so. Meanwhile there are a plethora of ships doing 7 night itineraries competing against each other. Better to occupy a unique market position.

[EatonDoolittle]

That is really 2 7 days done B2B.

 

!

 

No it's not - recommend you take another look at the itinerary.

Edited September 4, 2017 by EatonDoolittle

[CruisingUS]

This isn't the age group they are targeting anymore. Maybe these people voted with their wallet and moved on.

How do you know that? What makes you say that?

 

 

I am not in that group. just curious

[AtlantaCruiser72]

The cut of the 14 day cruise itineraries is purely profit driven - the shorter the average cruise length, the lower the average passenger age, which means the higher the average spend per day on ancillary items - shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty dining, photos, shop purchases, drink packages, etc, etc, etc ..... The longer cruises attract more experienced passengers who simply do no "splurge" as much (in general) on these extras. Most cruise lines would rather sell at a slightly lower per day rate on the cruise fare to have higher per passenger spends (on average) on all the extras ..... Passenger itinerary preference is not a consideration in this equation sadly.

 

The cruise lines are chasing the Gen-X and Millennial market now in many cases more so than the Baby Boomers primarily for the above reasons. They tend to take shorter vacations, but spend more per day total on average. Yes I know boomers may theoretically have more financial resources and more free time, but on the whole they tend to spend less freely than the younger age demographics do.

 

In short it's all about the $$$$$ and the cruise lines are chasing it!

[CruisingUS]

The cut of the 14 day cruise itineraries is purely profit driven - the shorter the average cruise length, the lower the average passenger age, which means the higher the average spend per day on ancillary items - shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty dining, photos, shop purchases, drink packages, etc, etc, etc ..... The longer cruises attract more experienced passengers who simply do no "splurge" as much (in general) on these extras. Most cruise lines would rather sell at a slightly lower per day rate on the cruise fare to have higher per passenger spends (on average) on all the extras ..... Passenger itinerary preference is not a consideration in this equation sadly.

 

The cruise lines are chasing the Gen-X and Millennial market now in many cases more so than the Baby Boomers primarily for the above reasons. They tend to take shorter vacations, but spend more per day total on average. Yes I know boomers may theoretically have more financial resources and more free time, but on the whole they tend to spend less freely than the younger age demographics do.

 

In short it's all about the $$$$$ and the cruise lines are chasing it!

:') Millennials with money? :')

 

idk who spends more. it'd be interesting to see a graph. my gut would lead me to believe it would be gen x, but you never know

[florence11]

I always look for 14 days cruising in the Caribbean as coming from the UK its along way to travel. I did do 14 days in April last year on the Eclipse from Miami we were lucky and had a week 1st in Cape Coral which was lovely. I do agree that with 14 days you do get further into the Caribbean, the last 2 we did with P&O we went to Bonaire, Aruba and across to Costa Maya Mexico we did have to fly to Barbados which was lovely.

[grandgeezer]

How do you know that? What makes you say that?

 

 

I am not in that group. just curious

 

I am in that group and have several friends who are in the same boat, and we've all moved on. For all of us, time and money is not a problem, quality of the product offered is.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

:') Millennials with money? :')

 

idk who spends more. it'd be interesting to see a graph. my gut would lead me to believe it would be gen x, but you never know

 

I wasn't implying that Millennials have more disposable income than Boomers, just that they (and even to a larger extent Gen-x'ers) are more likely to spend more, on a per day basis, for the extras that are important to cruise lines profit margins - cruise fares that include "perks" like bev packages, photos, shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty dining, etc

 

Many cruise line execs will frankly admit that the more experienced the cruise traveler the less likely they are to spend on the "extras". Longer cruises attract more of that demographic, which is why the cruise fares on longer cruises are often more, on a per day basis, than for shorter cruises. They are making up for lower onboard revenue in higher fares. This is also why we see cruise lines offering more cruises of 7-10 nights than 14 nights. Simply more profit to be made off the shorter cruises.

[Baron Barracuda]

The Eclipse 14 day southern caribbean itineraries are all between November and April. At that time of year the Caribbean is overflowing with cruise ships doing 7 night itineraries. That younger clientele is less likely to burn their few precious vacation days at that time of year, and even if they are would expect them to gravitate to competitors who offer more gee-whiz attractions and active nightlife. How does X compete against that? Better to leverage their core customer base of boomers who are looking for a relaxing cruise with good food. The 14 day sailings have provided an attractive niche for several years at per diem prices equal to or exceeding comparable 7 day sailings. Yes, veteran cruisers might not buy photos or book shore excursions however they are as likely to purchase internet and use the casino, might use the spa more than youngsters (wrinkles, yike !!!!) and definitely book lots of specialty restaurants.

[jandlbudde]

Hmmm..my guess is it doesn't have as much to do with what younger cruisers spend on board as it has to do with longevity.. myself in my 30s with 20+ cruises under my belt who now only stays in suites and still cruises at least twice a year is a more appealing customer.. I have the possibility (God wiling) of having decades more of cruising.. so financially a great investment..and a 14 day would be too long for me for 1 trip ( I have 4 was vacay each yr) but I do love a 10 or 11 night

[lovemylab]

I loved those 14-night cruises! You can't replicate the experience on two 7-nighters. For one thing, the menu repeats. And usually the ports repeat and are the same old, same old, because they can't get deep enough in the Caribbean to do anything interesting.

 

A B2B out of San Juan will allow you to get further into the Caribbean and usually doesn't offer repeat ports. The repeat menu for us is a non-factor. On most nights there are several items we'd like to try so a repeated menu doesn't mean having to eat the same thing on both cruises. The only drawback we experienced was some of the entertainment repeated itself (but again, there is so much to do on the ship that we just opted for different activities the following week).

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Hubby and I are actually "Pre-Baby boomers," in our mid-seventies. There are plenty of us on cruises. In fact there are folks even older than we are--true "Greatest Generation" folks. They do fill longer cruises. We just did the eight-night President's Cruise. There were plenty of folks who are older than Baby Boomers on board.

 

I don't see where Celebrity is reaching out to Millennials in a big way because their ships just don't have the zip-lines, surf pools, scary water slides, ice rinks, parades, and so on that attract millennials and young families. The entertainment (in terms of music and theater shows are not very youth-oriented.) I'm not even sure the highly innovative Edge Class ships will be a major draw to Millennials. It still isn't designed for the young, active cruiser so much as for the luxury cruiser.

 

To me it seems as if what Celebrity is courting is passengers who can spend on suites and luxurious accommodations with many attractive perks such as exclusive restaurants, lounges and pools exemplified by the design of Edge.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

FWIW - Celebrity are offering (2) 14 night cruises on the Reflection in Winter 2018/19 - one on 12/7/18 and one on 1/7/19

[jagoffee]

FWIW - Celebrity are offering (2) 14 night cruises on the Reflection in Winter 2018/19 - one on 12/7/18 and one on 1/7/19

 

Yes. If the 1/7/19 would have been on 1/21/19 instead I would have booked it. I booked a B2B for 21 days total on the Silhouette for 2019.

[GStonelake]

The one in Jan 2019, departs on the 4th. I booked it a few months ago, as it was the only 14 Day Caribbean showing. Love the longer 14 Day cruises. Both significant other and myself are in our mid/late 50s and feel that in order to get a really relaxing vacation, 14 Day is a must (and have been doing this for years). We tend to spend the first couple days worrying about what we didn't get to at work, and the last couple days worrying about what we will need to do when we get back to work ... that means we have about 10 worry free days in the middle.

 

Once on the ship we don't tend to spend much. We usually go AQ or CC class and tend to go "off grid" ... no phone, internet, etc. We don't spend money in speciality restaurants (Blu or MDR fine for us) nor in the Casino (just not our thing) or spend very much on drinks (maybe a cocktail or two a day), but we do spend money on excursions (some ship, some private).

 

Guess it is all about the bottom line. Really hope Celebrity brings back the 14 Day cruises.

[Shadow9612]

in order to get a really relaxing vacation, 14 Day is a must (and have been doing this for years). We tend to spend the first couple days worrying about what we didn't get to at work, and the last couple days worrying about what we will need to do when we get back to work... that means we have about 10 worry free days in the middle.

 

This part about work so made me laugh - I can totally relate!

 

Here's hoping for more 14d options.