Why are most cruises 1 week or 2 weeks

[Windsurfboy]

Looking at the itinaries from Southampton  most cruises are 1 week or 2 weeks Sunday to Sunday. This limits  itineraries   Why don't they try 11 or 12 day cruises , or for the med more 18, 19 day cruises   The same applies to fly cruises.

 

What do people think?

[shopaholic6]

15 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Looking at the itinaries from Southampton  most cruises are 1 week or 2 weeks Sunday to Sunday. This limits  itineraries   Why don't they try 11 or 12 day cruises , or for the med more 18, 19 day cruises   The same applies to fly cruises.

 

What do people think?

 

I have done a 12 night Baltic before from Southampton, but I agree, an 18 / 19 nighter would be brilliant - I wonder if it could reach the Greek Islands and back in that time? 🙂

[BrianI]

On the P&O website there are 49 cruises listed for 15-24 days, some of which include the Greek islands.

There are a number of 11-12 day cruises listed, mainly to the Canary Islands.

 

Brian

[Harry Peterson]

I've done various lengths (they are available) but I suppose many (most?) working people find it easier to book leave over standard Monday-Friday weeks.

 

12 is a bit too short for me, anything 14-20 ideal, but 14+ isn't, I agree, that common.

[World Traveller 2008]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Looking at the itinaries from Southampton  most cruises are 1 week or 2 weeks Sunday to Sunday. This limits  itineraries   Why don't they try 11 or 12 day cruises , or for the med more 18, 19 day cruises   The same applies to fly cruises.

 

What do people think?

We're going on a 19-night cruise onboard Azura departing 2nd September, going to the Greek islands, can't wait! 

[daiB]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Looking at the itinaries from Southampton  most cruises are 1 week or 2 weeks Sunday to Sunday. This limits  itineraries   Why don't they try 11 or 12 day cruises , or for the med more 18, 19 day cruises   The same applies to fly cruises.

 

What do people think?

 

You need to look at Aurora and Arcadia. They have the none 1/2 week cruises. Actually you set me doing some research and as it happens you are only half correct. Half the fleet are doing 7/14 night cruises most of the time the other half are not. Arcadia this and next summer has 9, 16 to 19 day cruises and no 14 night ones. It also has 5 with 11/12 nights.

Aurora has a wide mix of lengths 11 at 12/13 nights, 7 at 16/19 nights 4 at 14 nights and 4 at 7 nights. She also has 5 cruises over 28 nights.

 

So to get your non 7 or 14 night cruises you have to look at Aurora or Arcadia.

 

As it happens Ventura only has 2, 14 night cruises in the next 2 years.

[Goosebear Mum]

Why?

 

Because most of us work. Most of us take 1 or 2 week holidays. Taking longer is often not easy with a lot of employers, in fact impossible with some of my previous employers. Going away for longer uses up a lot of our precious holiday entitlement.  Going away for 11 days is a waste of a 2 week holiday from work. 

 

Aurora and Arcadia are both now adult only, and with this comes a generally older passenger, ones which can travel mid week and for longer.

 

P&O now cater for the majority and those they wish to gain more of, and that means families and couples in work. 

[happy v]

19 hours ago, Goosebear Mum said:

Why?

 

Because most of us work. Most of us take 1 or 2 week holidays. Taking longer is often not easy with a lot of employers, in fact impossible with some of my previous employers. Going away for longer uses up a lot of our precious holiday entitlement.  Going away for 11 days is a waste of a 2 week holiday from work. 

 

Aurora and Arcadia are both now adult only, and with this comes a generally older passenger, ones which can travel mid week and for longer.

 

P&O now cater for the majority and those they wish to gain more of, and that means families and couples in work. 

While this may be true it only works in school holidays.

In term time most of the ships are child free.

Therefore even though we may not be their new target audience P&O still has to rely on us retirees for their bread and butter. Otherwise they would 'sink', (I do apologise I had to put that in 🙂).

[tartanexile81]

Until the last 3 years I'd say there used to be a much wider variety of cruises of varying lengths, and I think the increasing number of 7/14 day cruises reflects the shift in P&O's target audience

[Goosebear Mum]

13 minutes ago, happy v said:

While this may be true it only works in school holidays.

In term time most of the ships are child free.

Therefore even though we may not be their new target audience P&O still has to rely on us retirees for their bread and butter. Otherwise they would 'sink', (I do apologise I had to put that in 🙂).

 

True, but we’re a couple (just) in our 50s, no children, work, but holiday out of the school holidays (except Christmas, when we do go on a cruise to benefit from all the bank holidays)

 

I would say we’re not in the minority (age wise) when we’ve been onboard in May/June/September. Also there are still families (younger than school age, home educated, foreign, private educated with different term times, removed from school and paying the fine, etc) sometimes I am surprised at the number of them. They liven it up 🐵

 

Retirees are still important (and will remain so) but I think they’re trying to cater for those of us who are not.  

 

Once we finally retire (too far away) we’ll probably not be able to afford longer cruises anyway ;o)