Would YOU Do It???

[awestover89]

If i were hopping on a plane and only taking a three night trip, I would just fly straight to a resort and not even bother with a cruise. From a monetary standpoint, the value simply isn't there.

 

Curious, what would make a resort financially valuable but not a cruise? Even the shorter cruises are usually only around $100 per person night. An all-inclusive resort is easily more expensive than that, and even if you find a hotel cheaper, the cost of restaurants and entertainment/activities would make it more expensive.

 

In our experience cruises are by far the better value, from a monetary standpoint.

[3monkeys4me]

Unpack on day 1 and pack the morning of disembarkation. It's only a 3 day cruise, how much could you possibly have to pack? If it's too much, you over-packed. Even on 7 day cruises, we wake up at 6am, pack, carry our bag off the ship, jump in the car and arrive home by 9am.

 

Honestly I don't even unpack for short trips like that. I just hang my toiletry bag and pretty much everything stays in the suitcase. Sometimes one of us will have a shirt or something that needs to be hung up, but not usually too much since short trips are usually casual trips for us (unless we are traveling for a wedding or something).

 

And I keep a toiletry packed for all 5 of us all the time. We have a large bin full of our travel stuff- like adapters, toiletry bags, changing cords, etc... that we just use for travel. A day or so before we go on a trip I grab the suitcases out, throw in whatever clothes we need and visit the bin for whatever we may need for that trip. Easy Peasy. It generally takes me about 2 hours to pack for the 5 of us for a 10-14 day trip which is our usual trip length. I think I could do a 3-4 day trip in about 20-30 mins.

[ReneeFLL]

I wouldn't do it and I'm about 5 miles from PE. 5 days is the shortest that I have taken and it was to short. It would also be more exhausting than it's worth. All the travel for a short cruise and I'm guessing you have to be back at work on Tuesday?

[dogs4fun]

Way too short for me to put up with the associated hassles of flying. The shortest cruise for me has been 9 days (Baltic).

[Panda3]

I vote yes, because you will still be on vacation at whatever hotel you choose before and after...(and make it a fun one)

 

Emjoy!

[paradise4me]

Definately yes. The flights and travel are all part of the experience. Ive gone way farther away than that for a few days. It would be awesome!

[crookedhalo]

We've done quite a few 3 or 4 day trips. While it's true they seem more rushed because you're trying to squeeze it all in, they are still wonderful. Don't let the 'booze cruise' comments deter you - we didn't even notice them. And we were flying from the DC area. If you can arrive late the night before and find a nice hotel near the port it makes it feel longer :D

[DonnaK]

I would do it, but not on an old ship. Mariner is doing the 3/4 day sailings, and from your signature, it appears that you spent your honeymoon on Mariner, so there is added sentimental value!

 

Taking a short cruise is the same effort as going away for the weekend on a land trip. I've flown to Vegas, Florida, LA, etc, for short weekend getaways, so why wouldn't I consider flying for a short cruise getaway?

[dbarton02]

I would do it, but not on an old ship. Mariner is doing the 3/4 day sailings, and from your signature, it appears that you spent your honeymoon on Mariner, so there is added sentimental value!

 

Taking a short cruise is the same effort as going away for the weekend on a land trip. I've flown to Vegas, Florida, LA, etc, for short weekend getaways, so why wouldn't I consider flying for a short cruise getaway?

 

We both really enjoy the cruising experience - and miss the pre-kids freedom to book a nice dinner, hang out at the wine bar, see the late night shows - and really do all the things that hooked us to cruising in the first place.

Don't get me wrong - our first sailing with the kids was a blast too.

 

Yes, the Mariner has some sentimental value as well, and we'd love to see it after drydock.

 

I've priced out the all-inclusives and different weekend getaways, and oddly enough, the cruise comes in at about the same cost, or less (definitely less when you factor in the food).

 

2-3 days in Las Vegas would run about $800-900 for a nice hotel and airfare, plus your dinners, shows, etc. so I have it in around a total spend of $1,400 - give or take a bit (I always plan high).

 

2-3 days in San Francisco / Napa (something else we've wanted to do) would cost about $700 for airfare, $300 or so for a car, another $300 or so for a hotel, then the meals, etc, so we're probably around $1,400-$1,500 there at a minimum.

 

3 night cruise would cost us about $650.00 plus $500 in airfare, one night in a hotel for $100, and another couple hundred bucks on board for specialty dining, drinks, and tips. $1,400 right there. Add in the free shows and entertainment on board, and it's a deal no matter how you slice it.

 

Those are quick numbers I've been tossing in my head - but yeah. Cruising wins out most of the time - and yes, on the longer sailings, there is no way you can visit as many locations as the ships can take you for the cost of trying to do it all yourself in the same 7 days.

 

Perspective though... First world problems... :) love and appreciate all the input!

[sjb317]

The tipping point for me would be having to fly.:D Flying has become such a joyous, fun-filled experience:rolleyes: that I would not do it for a three day cruise. Not even sure I would fly for a 7 day!:D

[JAMESCC]

The tipping point for me would be having to fly.:D Flying has become such a joyous, fun-filled experience:rolleyes: that I would not do it for a three day cruise. Not even sure I would fly for a 7 day!:D

I don't fly at all anymore! [emoji23] Yes it limits me to cruises from NJ/NYC but I'm ok with it. Drive 30 minutes to Cape Liberty, get on Anthem, vacation started. Get back to Cape Liberty, drive 30 minutes and we are home. Can't beat it.

 

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[KmomChicago]

Have not done exactly what you have in mind but I would say OH HECK YES!!!! DH and I booked a 2 night, non-refundable, non-cruise getaway via Orbitz (Friday-Sunday) to Jacksonville, FL for this past February. 12 year old daughter stayed with grandma.

 

He was supposed to be an usher in a no-kids-invited wedding that got CANCELLED!!!!!!!!! For about $1,000 we had gotten airfare, car rental, and hotel, and we decided to just go ahead and take a mini-vac anyway (Oddly, the runaway bride was out of town so we did not see her at all).

 

Well we had a really great time and it was like an anniversary getaway, even though we had little real idea of what there was to do and enjoy in the city ahead of time. The first night we ended up walking up to the old downtown theatre and paying half price for great seats to see Paula Poundstone (we literally decided 30 minutes before showtime to walk over and check it out), had great pizza and played old time video games at the Landing, next day enjoyed their little science museum, took a short sightseeing cruise on the river taxi, walked around the old Treaty Oak and had a cheap tasty lunch at the Southern Grill which were both next to our hotel, walked around the outside of the baseball stadium peeking in at where DH had built some of the grandstands back in his construction days, and like the dorks we are, constantly joked to each other about running in to Jason Mendoza (either ya get that one or ya don't).

 

So yeah, in a heartbeat if we could swing it cost and timewise I would surprise him with a flight down for a quick 3-night cruise and I am certain he would love it. Back in the day I was on 3 night cruises several times and never ran into a big problem with rowdy booze cruisers. We just did a 4 day on Carnival Sensation and the other passengers were exactly the same as on longer cruises we have done.

[SheehanDJ]

Like all things flight related anymore, it depends on SouthWest Airlines. You being in Chicago, wait for the real cheap fares to get down to FLL. We have done short cruises out of Indianapolis via SouthWest Airlines when we can get a cheap fare.

[FLACRUISER99]

I say try it as only you will know if it's worth it. I have taken cruises from 1 day to 40 days and enjoyed every one. Let me add the shorter the cruise the less you have to pack/unpack.

[luvabargain]

I've never been to the midwest, so don't exactly know the times and distance involved, but I would say go for it. If it's worth it to you and you can afford it, why not? Spend a few days away and just enjoy yourselves, don't let others here dictate if it will be right for you or not. I know a lot of ppl here where I live who fly to Dallas just for the weekend for shopping and fun, so I don't see how it's any different.

[JaiOfChi]

Another YES from another Chicagoan! It's fun to be impetuous and do quick trips like this. We did a three day on Celebrity and loved it. Like others have said - a short vacation is better than no vacation at all. GO FOR IT!

[sjb317]

Like all things flight related anymore, it depends on SouthWest Airlines. You being in Chicago, wait for the real cheap fares to get down to FLL. We have done short cruises out of Indianapolis via SouthWest Airlines when we can get a cheap fare.

 

 

But my short flight on SW last week turned into a 5 hour delay in airport. Fun times!

 

Sherri

[KG1924]

I absolutely would!!! I'm assuming you'd be flying to Florida which is not that bad of a flight. Personally, I would take a late flight Thursday night (kiddos asleep) That way you guys can sleep in a bit on Friday, have a nice breakfast and then board the ship. It'll make the short weekend seem just a little longer. Even if you guys literally get on the ship and do nothing but relax, a couple days away from reality can never be a bad thing!

[estebofarr]

I’ve done it. It’s worth it.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Had a blast on the sailing to Bermuda with DW and the kids, though her and I reminisced a bit on our past trips with formal night dinners, specialty restaurants, and being able to float as we pleased without the kids (trying not to make it sound horrible!).

 

Anniversary is coming up in September and I wanted to surprise her with a quick trip - just the two of us.

 

In Laws have no problem watching our boys for an extended weekend (Friday - Monday).

 

I'm sure we can find some cheap airfare, and I'm having our TA look into it.

 

The question I have is - has anyone that lived in the Midwest (or far enough away from a port) found it worth a quick 3 night cruise just to get away? (I know that a lot of it is subjective, and it's all on what you want to spend... but I'm still curious about others' input!)

 

Nah - for me it is just a terrible travel/vacation ratio. In a similar situation I just booked an upgraded hotel room in Denver, reservations at a couple of great restaurants, tickets to the local improv club, and brunch at a jazz club. Great little vacation with less than an hour of travel time. And way cheaper than plane fare and a cruise fare - even with all of our activities in Denver being top shelf.

[friendly old broad]

Have you thought of doing something a little different? How about a cruise on the great lakes. Late September thru Mid October has beautiful fall color cruises and if you're nearer the port, you wouldn't have to fly.

[dplusd]

No way I would put myself through two flights for a 3-night cruise. Only if I had a short drive to port would I do a short cruise like that.

[CruisingNole]

Curious, what would make a resort financially valuable but not a cruise? Even the shorter cruises are usually only around $100 per person night. An all-inclusive resort is easily more expensive than that, and even if you find a hotel cheaper, the cost of restaurants and entertainment/activities would make it more expensive.

 

In our experience cruises are by far the better value, from a monetary standpoint.

 

I'm actually scoping out vacations for May of 2019 as we speak. Prices current, I'm staring at the screen:

 

Mariner May 17, 2019

2 adults, interior cabin

 

Fare - $882 ($25 OBC)

Grats = $87 (assuming you pay only the bare minimum and tip no one in cash)

Drink package w/ grats = $315 (rough)

 

Rough total on board expense (not including specialty dining or anything extra) = $1,284

 

If I lived far from port:

 

Airfare + checked bags + transportation to and from port = $500 (rough)

Hotel, cheapest you can find (May 16) = $100 (rough)

Food and drink day/night before cruise and lunch before getting on the plane = $100 (rough)

 

You're looking at about $2,000 for a 3 day getaway to Bahamas, hands down the least exciting destination for a cruise.

 

On the other hand, you could do a 3 night in Mexico, Jamaica or Dominican Republic, all-inclusive (booze, food, entertainment, tips) with airfare for about $1,000 - $1,200. And you're flying straight to the party, not wasting a day beforehand in a hotel just so you can stay the night to then begin your vacation.

 

But it's whatever floats your boat (no pun intended). I'm just not seeing the value in the cruise (unless you can drive to port, but even that is still pushing it, IMO).

[Travelling2Some]

Personally I'd go to the nicest resort or "fun" destination within easy driving distance of your home and make the most of that with such limited time. Air travel has just become too much of a pain in the neck.

[emory2001]

I live within driving distance of 5 ports in Florida, and I won't do less than 4 days. Not worth it IMO. If I had to pay for air fare too, no less than 5 days.