For people that do 3 and 4 night cruises from Florida? Always wondered this?

[TravelGirlinDallas]

We occasionally do 4-night cruises out of Galveston because it's within driving distance for a little getaway. I don't think I'd go through the hassle of flying for a 4-night. Most of the folks on those cruises are from Texas or at least within driving distance (OK or LA).

[DukeASUGirl]

I've done a 3-night out of Miami when I lived in DC, a 3-night out of LA now that I live in Phoenix, and a 4-night out of LA.

 

We drove to LA (6 hr drive), but flew to Miami. We have never lived in-state.

 

I prefer longer cruises, but sometimes all you have is a long weekend. Sometimes it's hard to take time off from work, especially when you're newer in your career and can't pawn work off on people who are junior to you. Sometimes you just don't have the vacation time available, either from your job or from your kids' school. Sometimes it's a destination wedding for a friend. Sometimes you pair a 3-nighter with a couple of days at Disneyland, including the nighttime Halloween party. It also works nicely for when you're not sure if your kids will do well on a cruise ship, so it's better not to discover they get bad seasickness when you "strand" them in the ocean for a full week - easier to deal with a 3-night cruise as a test. 

 

There are lots of reasons why you might take a short cruise, even if you have to travel to get there.

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by DukeASUGirl

[jcarter4551]

One word: party!! The 3 night cruises offer a different crowd than the 4 night or longer cruises. If you enjoy letting loose on a quick getaway at a reasonable cost the 3 nighters are an excellent option. 
If our kids are with us, we opt for the 4 night or longer cruises for a more relaxed atmosphere where we have ample time to enjoy all the activities and excursions. 
But yea, despite coming from Ohio, love the 3 night cruises for the crowd and vibe. Let’s just say perfect day on 3 night cruises is far more lit up than longer cruises. Going on 3 night Oasis April 7 as matter of fact. Come party Jimbo! 

[Eddie Wilson]

On 3/27/2022 at 3:45 PM, twangster said:

I think too there are a lot of new to cruise on the short FL cruises.  People want to try a cruise to see if they'll like it so a short cruise is perfect for that.  That's why (in part) Royal put amped ships, then Freedom class and now Allure into the short cruise market. 

 

Do you want a new to cruise guest experiencing an old run down ship or a newer or bigger ship that is more likely to create a positive first cruise experience and a return guest booking a longer cruise? 

 

That is exactly what we did for our first cruise, in 1990.  

We weren't sure if we would get seasick, if we would like the food and I had this expectation that I would be bored during the day.  

So we did not want to commit to a full week long cruise.

 

That year was when Nordic Empress was brand spanking new, we flew in Monday morning, flew home Friday afternoon, 4 nights on board.

 

Eddie

[RCCL Fan]

some of us also travel without stress.

 

I fly often and easy and live in a major airline hub.

 

driving to the airport and hoping on a flight for 2 hours is nothing...  I've never done a 3-4 day out of florida, but have done several 5 days.   Honestly a flight to florida is really no big deal to me, as I fly quite a bit anyway.

 

just food for thought.

[daninwi]

I had the pleasure of taking my son on a father son / trip back in October, 2018 on a three day cruise out of Miami on the Mariner of the Seas.  It was his first cruise.  It was good experience all the way along.  He got his sea legs.  It was great experience.  We enjoyed the food, enjoyed swimming, enjoyed the pools.  Got some rest and relaxation in as well! 

 

Fast forward, there are two grandchildren in the mix now and we planning an extended family cruise in April 2023 for four days on the Independence.  

 

I'm actively looking for a decent three / four day cruise for my wife and I to get away.  

 

IMHO, you can't beat the value of well priced cruise on Royal.

 

[neverbeenhere]

B2b2b2b…

 

Hang out in the port city many times in a couple weeks, load up on wine…

[Crazy4Cruisin225]

We fly down from NJ to do a quick 4 night cruise every year. No Disney/Universal. We just fly down Sunday, spend a day and night in Miami, then go on the cruise. And we fly back home Friday afternoon. We get the weekend at home instead of rushing straight back to work on Monday morning. 

[dseres]

While I agree I wouldn't fly in for a 3 night cruise, we actually enjoy the 4 nights.  That combined with a night or two in Florida is just right.  Sometimes 7 days of indulgence is too much lol.

[parrotfeathers]

Love 4 and 5 night cruises and that's all I really do now.  It's hard to be away from home longer than that.  And of course one day is spent in the air flying beforehand.  

I read last week Oasis is going to move to 3 and 4 day cruises in the near future.

[lynnber]

I gotta say that as one of those Floridians the three night works for me - I take off a half day on Friday afternoon, and show up for work about an hour late on Monday. (Yes, I live and work that close to the ports). I would guess that it's easily 75% Florida on these cruises, and there are quite a bit of partiers because, hey, it's the weekend. But it's nothing like a Carnival cruise. 

Look, with all we have to put up with living in Florida (hurricanes, crazy prices, 11 months of summer), quick and easy cruising is a perk.

 

[nancy2vues]

Michigan couple here--we have flown a few times to Florida for 3-4 day cruises.  As previous posters have said, sometimes it is what works for the schedule.  I think that there is a mix of local FL people, not just retirees, along with families and international tourists on these cruises.  

[Extra Kim]

We did a 3 nts cruise on Majesty back in 2016, before a 11nts on Celebrity Equinox. 

It wasn't for us, feelt like a booze cruise and that the pressure for the crew to sell was very high. 

The only time I would consider doing a 3nts again would be if it's between two longer cruises (doing a S2S2S) or if we need some extra days in the U.S due to flights.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Extra Kim

[aphrodite6528]

We're in Wisconsin and did a 4 night last week, during my son's spring break to use up cruise credit. Previously, we did a 4 night British Columbia to utilize a free cruise with RC Visa rewards points. Beyond circumstances like this, the longer the better.  The short ones feel incomplete.

[SNJCruisers]

Have never been on a three day cruise out of my 39, but I will be on the Liberty or the Freedom on November 11 coming off of an 11 day  cruise of the NCL Prima from Galveston to Miami.  Have just under 200 in FCC money to burn, so a 3 day adventure with an extra 100 in OBC from Royal was just the incentive I needed to book the add on instead of just letting the FCC go.

[thomasale]

We have a 4 night booked out of Miami for the end of April. When it is just my wife and myself cruising, usually by day 5 we're ready to get back to dogs and rest of family. when we have other friends or family on board the 7 day or longer are great. Just depends on who wants to go. For we are always ready to go!

 

[danp2482]

We've done a handful of them and we're from Massachusetts. My job is flexible but my wife works Mon-Fri. Her time off policies are pretty lenient though so taking a Friday off here and a Monday off there isn't an issue. Also, my MIL lives in just outside of Fort Lauderdale so we fly in Thursday, stay the night, down to Miami Friday for the 3 day and fly home Monday. They're nice little weekend getaways to fill the gaps between longer vacations! I will say, the 3 day is short, always wishing for one more day! Sometimes flying to FL and taking a weekend cruise would prove to be cheaper than going away to somewhere like New York for a weekend!

Edited March 31, 2022 by danp2482