Thoughts on Long Sailings?

[zepp914]

I feel like 7 to 9 days is the sweet spot.  Five days left me wanting more.  Usually by day 8, I am just completely done eating cruise ship food.  

 

I don't care if I am in an inside room or balcony in the Caribbean.  We paid for an inside balcony on HOS so my claustrophobic mother wouldn't go crazy.  I really liked people watching from it.  I can't imagine watching the ocean all day, but anything is better than the Royal Caribbean TV options.  We always bring little board games to play to pass the time on sea days.  

[Baron Barracuda]

3 hours ago, boscobeans said:

I love the longer 12-14 day cruises and wish Royal and Celebrity would offer more cruises with a little more variety in the itineraries.

We now almost always cruise from Cape Liberty or Baltimore. Now the 2021 Anthem sailings (during Jan.) are reduced to 11 nights. We do prefer voyages in the first 3 months of the year.  

 

 

We sail a lot from Cape Liberty for same reason.  Even in winter prefer two chilly days at sea over two days in airports.  The 9-11 night sailings are fine.  Our favorite Bayonne itinerary is the 14 night to Quebec and back on Summit.  The longer itineraries on Grandeur out of Baltimore aren't bad either.  Last year we did 15 night Viking repo from NY to Miami.  Not too expensive and much higher quality experience.

[bonsai3s]

Love long cruises.

Since we have to fly to all our cruises...it just makes sense to do b2b2b's or more.

We were on the Vision...Venice to Dubai...thru the Suez Canal....over 40 days.

Small ship without the "bells and whistles" but absolutely great crew and met tons of wonderful people.  (We were in an aft JS, just below the spa.)

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, Baron Barracuda said:

 

We sail a lot from Cape Liberty for same reason.  Even in winter prefer two chilly days at sea over two days in airports.  The 9-11 night sailings are fine.  Our favorite Bayonne itinerary is the 14 night to Quebec and back on Summit.  The longer itineraries on Grandeur out of Baltimore aren't bad either.  Last year we did 15 night Viking repo from NY to Miami.  Not too expensive and much higher quality experience.

I understand totally. Why people would want to spend 2 days in airports and possibly a day in a hotel pre-cruise when they could spend the time on a ship even if it's cold outside for those 2 - 3 days.

 

We sailed from Baltimore, NY and NJ many times on Celebrity, Royal and HAL when they sailed out of the NYC terminal. ONCE and only ONCE on NCL..

 

We have been going the Caribbean once or twice each year for about 20 years now during the cold first months of the year and will continue to do so until we can't.

 

Now however we have decided to fly only if we must but don't want to as long as we can do at least 12 nights from somewhere in the Northeast. 

 

Baltimore right now seems to be the one since RC has dropped their NJ sailings to 11 nights. 

Whatever, we have 2 lined up and are waiting IMpatiently to get on board..  LOL

 

[CharmCity2000]

My kids will be 10 and 13 next Dec.  We have slowly been increasing the number of days we spend on the ships.  We started with 7 nights.  Then we did an 8 night.  This Dec we’re on the Explorer for 9 nights.  Kids are already complaining that it’s too short:)

 

I like the Vision itinerary next Dec but a number of TAs including the RC PCP cautioned me about booking the Vision for that long with kids that age.  The ship just doesn’t have a lot of the amenities.  When my kids see the RC commercials on TV, it’s not the Vision that they are showcasing and it’s hard for kids to understand that every ship in the fleet is not what they see in TV.

 

I did some more research and found that X has 2 ships doing just about the same itinerary over the same dates.  The Vision is 11 nights and the 2 X are 12 nights.

 

Even though the Celebrity ships don’t have the rock walls, the flowriders, and the water slides etc, they seem to have a remarkable kids/teen program.  My kids don’t like kids programs as they usually focused on games and arts&crafts.  The X teen/kids program has more hands on type activities.

 

I priced the Vision itinerary and the X Constellation was less but Reflection was higher.  Connie will been revolutionized by then but not Reflection.  Connie has an overnight in Cartagena though.  I struggled with what I would do with the kids for 2 days in Cartagena so I ended up book the Reflection.  It’s a good mix of sea days and port days with a nice schedule that allows for relaxing one day, sightseeing the next day, relaxing, then maybe a thrill activity, relaxing etc.

[davekathy]

14 night cruises are perfect for us. 

[Samanthac25]

1 hour ago, CharmCity2000 said:

My kids will be 10 and 13 next Dec.  We have slowly been increasing the number of days we spend on the ships.  We started with 7 nights.  Then we did an 8 night.  This Dec we’re on the Explorer for 9 nights.  Kids are already complaining that it’s too short:)

 

I like the Vision itinerary next Dec but a number of TAs including the RC PCP cautioned me about booking the Vision for that long with kids that age.  The ship just doesn’t have a lot of the amenities.  When my kids see the RC commercials on TV, it’s not the Vision that they are showcasing and it’s hard for kids to understand that every ship in the fleet is not what they see in TV.

 

I did some more research and found that X has 2 ships doing just about the same itinerary over the same dates.  The Vision is 11 nights and the 2 X are 12 nights.

 

Even though the Celebrity ships don’t have the rock walls, the flowriders, and the water slides etc, they seem to have a remarkable kids/teen program.  My kids don’t like kids programs as they usually focused on games and arts&crafts.  The X teen/kids program has more hands on type activities.

 

I priced the Vision itinerary and the X Constellation was less but Reflection was higher.  Connie will been revolutionized by then but not Reflection.  Connie has an overnight in Cartagena though.  I struggled with what I would do with the kids for 2 days in Cartagena so I ended up book the Reflection.  It’s a good mix of sea days and port days with a nice schedule that allows for relaxing one day, sightseeing the next day, relaxing, then maybe a thrill activity, relaxing etc.

 

Thanks so much for all of this info! I will definitely look at those X ships/itineraries 😊

[xpcdoojk]

8 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

@Samanthac25 - if you can afford the fare for that cruise*, definitely do it.  Cruising over the holidays is WONDERFUL, and that is a great itinerary.

 

11 days is a SHORT cruise to me.  I just got home a few minutes ago from a 21 night cruise.  It was glorious.

 

🙂  🙂 🙂

 

 

* holiday cruises are always the most expensive.  One that includes both holidays even more so.  🙂 

Agree, as usual, we have done more cruises longer than 11 day than shorter.

 

there is nothing bad about being stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean.  There are shows, restaurants, tv, movies, activities.

 

Enjoy

 

jc

[Baron Barracuda]

21 hours ago, CharmCity2000 said:

My kids will be 10 and 13 next Dec.  We have slowly been increasing the number of days we spend on the ships.  We started with 7 nights.  Then we did an 8 night.  This Dec we’re on the Explorer for 9 nights.  Kids are already complaining that it’s too short:)

 

I like the Vision itinerary next Dec but a number of TAs including the RC PCP cautioned me about booking the Vision for that long with kids that age.  The ship just doesn’t have a lot of the amenities.  When my kids see the RC commercials on TV, it’s not the Vision that they are showcasing and it’s hard for kids to understand that every ship in the fleet is not what they see in TV.

 

I did some more research and found that X has 2 ships doing just about the same itinerary over the same dates.  The Vision is 11 nights and the 2 X are 12 nights.

 

Even though the Celebrity ships don’t have the rock walls, the flowriders, and the water slides etc, they seem to have a remarkable kids/teen program.  My kids don’t like kids programs as they usually focused on games and arts&crafts.  The X teen/kids program has more hands on type activities.

 

I priced the Vision itinerary and the X Constellation was less but Reflection was higher.  Connie will been revolutionized by then but not Reflection.  Connie has an overnight in Cartagena though.  I struggled with what I would do with the kids for 2 days in Cartagena so I ended up book the Reflection.  It’s a good mix of sea days and port days with a nice schedule that allows for relaxing one day, sightseeing the next day, relaxing, then maybe a thrill activity, relaxing etc.

 

Reflection is actually our least favorite X ship.  She's a little larger than the other S class ships but carries 3600 passengers compared to roughly 2800 on Silhouette.  Common areas are about the same size so the extra people make her feel more crowded.  

 

Be careful when comparing Royal vs X.  Celebrity's prices are usually higher but they contain "free" perks.  If you go to their web site though you can get a quote without perks which you can comparison shop vs Royal.  Once you see what the "free" perks actually cost you can make a value judgement on whether they are worth it to you

[Artemus]

Here’s my little story. The longest I have ever done has been 7 nights until a few weeks ago when our 7 nighter on Harmony got extended to 11 nights because of Dorian. Neither my wife nor I wanted to get off after the 11 nights. It was our best cruise ever. Being on a great ship helped.

[jayne62]

we prefer longer cruises, 21-28 days are great - I'd do longer if I could spare the time. We get inside cabins as we're only in the cabin to sleep and there is plenty to do - or not do- around the ship on sea days.  the longer the better for me!

[frank808]

On 9/27/2019 at 7:11 AM, Samanthac25 said:

I’ll start by saying we love cruising but the longest sailing we’ve been on is 7 nights. Im considering the 11 night cruise on Vision of the Seas that leaves on 12/24/2020 for the holidays next year because of the more exotic itinerary (Labadee, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Aruba) and because it’s over both Christmas and New Years. It’s a smaller ship without all the bells and whistles and I travel with my 14 year old (she’ll be 15 at the time of this cruise). We always book inside rooms because we choose to spend the extra money on the fun stuff.... What are your thoughts on longer cruises, especially when staying in an inside room? Does anyone ever get sick of being on a boat that doesn’t have much to do on it after a week? Or am I just worrying for nothing and going to love it regardless? 😜

Wife and I spend 21 nights on Serenade the past couple of February's.   We will be on her again for another 3 weeks this coming January.   It is very enjoyable and relaxing for wife and I.  We just sailed 7 nights on Radiance for Alsksa cruise and my son was itching to have cruise over with.  Although his favorite is Oasis class and he has done 14 nights on those big ships and he is fine.  I would say it depends on your daughter but i would say she should be fine.  

[island lady]

On 9/27/2019 at 9:26 PM, davekathy said:

14 night cruises are perfect for us. 

 

Got that right 🙂 ...though I am bummed if I have to changed cabins, and since I have a few booked that I added on legs...I have to do that.  😞  

 

But the 14 nights might be a bit short for us now. 😉 

Edited September 29, 2019 by island lady

[island lady]

5 hours ago, frank808 said:

Wife and I spend 21 nights on Serenade the past couple of February's.   We will be on her again for another 3 weeks this coming January.   It is very enjoyable and relaxing for wife and I.  We just sailed 7 nights on Radiance for Alsksa cruise and my son was itching to have cruise over with.  Although his favorite is Oasis class and he has done 14 nights on those big ships and he is fine.  I would say it depends on your daughter but i would say she should be fine.  

 

Frank...join us in Australia on Serenade!  We end up docked at your home town on the way back up.  🙂 

Edited September 29, 2019 by island lady

[ONECRUISER]

Did 10 niters with my kids when Vision Class was new, they always had good time. Single parent, Dad, and my kids were 4, 8, and 11 at the time. Over Holidays should have few more kids on board. Younger loved the shows and Karaoke would hang with Dad. Other 2 loved hanging kids program at nite and with Friends they'd met

[frank808]

4 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Frank...join us in Australia on Serenade!  We end up docked at your home town on the way back up.  🙂 

Thanks for the invite.  Unfortunately I still have a business to attend to for the next 4 years.  Our first TA or TP wont be till then.  When you guys stop here I would love to meet you at the dock or whever you sightseeing.  Maybe I can even play tour guide for you next year in april.

 

Next year will be our last feb sailing on Serenade.  She is being replaced with Vision out of Port Everglades.   

[vacationlover_mn]

We did a 12 night med cruise, and definitely NOT too long.  We did have a balcony, but that is mostly because I wake up too early and love sitting out there to read, while the DH sleeps in like a normal person 🙂

[cruisequeen4ever]

Book it! The longer, the better! Holiday sailings naturally have more children on them, and Royal Caribbean is still known to be a family line no matter what ship you sail on, so your teen should find plenty of friends and have plenty of activities to stay entertained. We did a 12 day in an Inside and were fine. You just don’t spend as much time in your stateroom. 

[island lady]

1 hour ago, frank808 said:

Thanks for the invite.  Unfortunately I still have a business to attend to for the next 4 years.  Our first TA or TP wont be till then.  When you guys stop here I would love to meet you at the dock or whever you sightseeing.  Maybe I can even play tour guide for you next year in april.

 

Next year will be our last feb sailing on Serenade.  She is being replaced with Vision out of Port Everglades.   

 

Aww...thanks!  That's very sweet!  🙂

 

We actually are not on Serenade Aussie/NZ/South Pacific/TA until 2021.   Retired life is good to us so far.  We will be on Serenade from Feb. 10th to mid May.  😮 

Edited September 29, 2019 by island lady

[cruiselvr04]

First in answer to your question.  Longer is always better especially if you’re flying.  We’ve never done more then 14 nights.  We are not always ready to come home yet....except in June after a river cruise.  14 days extremely port intensive was enough and 18 nights away and we were ready.

 

We’re looking at that 80 night cruise AS/NZ / SP but can’t do it in 2021.  Maybe 2022 or 2023....Cheaper then a world cruise and areas we really want to see.  Too many stops on a World cruise don’t interest us as much. I do wish if you book that long you’d get a bit of a break in pricing.  

[Ukigirl]

Most have been 7 days but did a 12 night repositioning cruise on Serenade two years ago and at first was stressed about being away from home and adult responsibilities for that length of time and never being on a smaller ship BUT turned out to be one of our favorite cruises ever. Met so many wonderful people and for the first time I realized that there is life outside of work and family and it’s ok to relax and unwind 😊

[CruisinCons]

We love 10-12 nights.  We did 12 last year on Serenade for her repo, and by day 11 we were basically in a food coma and were tired of eating.  But never hit drink fatigue with that darn drink package...LOL 

[frank808]

5 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Aww...thanks!  That's very sweet!  🙂

 

We actually are not on Serenade Aussie/NZ/South Pacific/TA until 2021.   Retired life is good to us so far.  We will be on Serenade from Feb. 10th to mid May.  😮 

Will just miss the two of you as we get off on Jan 31st.  We will keep her safe and sound for you.  Enjoy your cruise and see you in 2021 at the latest.

[GUT2407]

I think of 11 as about the norm, our longest to date is 34 and another 34 booked in 2021, looking longingly at the 77 night Circle Pacific with Princess and one day a WC. 

[NMTraveller]

Eleven days is not a long cruise.  I have been on longer.  For me it is all about the cruise ports.  There is normally enough activities on board to keep you from getting bored.  I have never been bored on a cruise ship.  We have been on several Holiday cruises.  They are all very nice with mass and Christmas celebrations.