Why are a lot of people so negative toward the "short" cruises?

[FirstTimeCruiser2009]

I'm fairly new here, and I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I'm baffled by something. I have read SO MUCH negativity about the 3 and 4 day cruises, and the ships who do them. (And not just on these boards) I've read posts where people say they wouldn't be caught dead on a "short cruise", making references to the "kinds of people who sail on the short cruises", and making remarks that since the cruises are so "cheap", lower class people are usually on the boats. (In so many words.) First of all, my husband and I, like many, many Americans, are quite busy. We have two young children--5 and 18 months--, he works full time as a teacher, I work about 10 hours a week and homeschool my son. We feel lucky that we can even squeeze in this weekend trip for our anniversary. My husband teaches, and can't just take 10 days off in the middle of the school year. We are by no means "low class". We are not partiers, drinkers, or trouble makers, like supposedly so many of the people who sail the short cruises are supposed to be. We aren't trying to sneak booze onboard. We aren't there to try to get laid and be loud. We're going to enjoy the ship, enjoy being alone, enjoy the ports. Yeah, we can only squeeze a weekend for our first cruise, but hey, we're busy, and at least we're getting to get away for a short time. So we're looked down upon because we're "short" cruisers? We're less classy than those cruising on the longer cruises? Hardly. We just have responsibilities that we cannot leave for that long. And as far as the cruise being "cheap"--we're paying about $2000 for being on that ship in a cat 12 room. Add flight, excursions, and souvenirs, and we'll be out of pocket well over $3500. Doesn't sound like a cheap weekend getaway for me. Maybe we're paying too much, but we'll be together, without our precious babies, for a few days, enjoying each other and some new experiences. That, to us, is priceless.

 

Anyway, I don't mean to offend anyone. But please, don't judge someone by something as petty as what ship they are cruising on and how long their cruise is! And this isn't great PR for Carnival. Someone coming on here may happen by a post trashing a certain cruise or ship, and may decide against going with Carnival. I'm sure some people don't care about that, but some might.

 

Anyway, just looking for others' opinions on why so much negativity toward the shorter cruises and ships.

[BrendaB1]

Nothing wrong with short cruises. I wish I lived closer to a port & could cruise more often. For most of us a 3 day cruise is not worth it when you are having to pay for airfare & hotel. It just dosn't feel like we are getting out moneys worth.

 

3 or 4 day cruises are great for a quick getaway or for a first timer wanting to try the cruise experience & see if it's for them.

 

Go, relax & have a good time. It's your vacation so enjoy it. :)

[orlandofl]

I'm fairly new here, and I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I'm baffled by something. I have read SO MUCH negativity about the 3 and 4 day cruises, and the ships who do them. (And not just on these boards) I've read posts where people say they wouldn't be caught dead on a "short cruise", making references to the "kinds of people who sail on the short cruises", and making remarks that since the cruises are so "cheap", lower class people are usually on the boats. (In so many words.) First of all, my husband and I, like many, many Americans, are quite busy. We have two young children--5 and 18 months--, he works full time as a teacher, I work about 10 hours a week and homeschool my son. We feel lucky that we can even squeeze in this weekend trip for our anniversary. My husband teaches, and can't just take 10 days off in the middle of the school year. We are by no means "low class". We are not partiers, drinkers, or trouble makers, like supposedly so many of the people who sail the short cruises are supposed to be. We aren't trying to sneak booze onboard. We aren't there to try to get laid and be loud. We're going to enjoy the ship, enjoy being alone, enjoy the ports. Yeah, we can only squeeze a weekend for our first cruise, but hey, we're busy, and at least we're getting to get away for a short time. So we're looked down upon because we're "short" cruisers? We're less classy than those cruising on the longer cruises? Hardly. We just have responsibilities that we cannot leave for that long. And as far as the cruise being "cheap"--we're paying about $2000 for being on that ship in a cat 12 room. Add flight, excursions, and souvenirs, and we'll be out of pocket well over $3500. Doesn't sound like a cheap weekend getaway for me. Maybe we're paying too much, but we'll be together, without our precious babies, for a few days, enjoying each other and some new experiences. That, to us, is priceless.

 

Anyway, I don't mean to offend anyone. But please, don't judge someone by something as petty as what ship they are cruising on and how long their cruise is! And this isn't great PR for Carnival. Someone coming on here may happen by a post trashing a certain cruise or ship, and may decide against going with Carnival. I'm sure some people don't care about that, but some might.

 

Anyway, just looking for others' opinions on why so much negativity toward the shorter cruises and ships.

Living only 25 minutes away from the port gives us a great advantage,i love short crusies expecially when it cost less than $500.00 for 2 people,it's a nice getaway for the weekend,i spend more than that when i drive down to Miami or the Keys,(hotel,gas,tolls,food).

[ClerkPatsy]

The biggest problem I have with short 3-4 day cruises is .... They are too short:D .

 

Most of your shorter cruises are on the older ships and the majority (not all) of the passengers are there for a quick get away to party. I'm not saying this in a negative way, because I believe everyone has their own way of releasing built up energy.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and you take home great memories.

[chrismch]

Our first 3 cruises were the 3 & 4 day cruises and we loved them. It's a great way to find out if you like cruising. Yes, the mix of pax will be different due to the affordability factor. However, for us 1 day on a cruise ship is like 2 days on a land vacation. We relax so much quicker and love the pampering. We also do longer cruises now but we don't do them in a suite! You will still be the envy of your friends that you cruised at all. And you find that the others on your cruise won't look down on you because you only chose a short cruise.

[momofzeke]

The biggest problem I have with short 3-4 day cruises is .... They are too short:D .

 

That's exactly how I feel too! :D

 

I've only done 7-day cruises. There is NO WAY I would be anywhere near ready to get off the ship after only 3 or 4 days. I am usually kind of ready by the morning of the 7th day, but just barely. ;)

 

BUT, if the only cruise I could swing were a 3-4 day one, I guess a short cruise would be better than NO cruise.

 

I get your point, OP, but don't worry too much about it. You will have a wonderful time, and who cares what anybody else thinks? Enjoy! :)

[DqALEX]

Nothing wrong with short cruises. I wish I lived closer to a port & could cruise more often. For most of us a 3 day cruise is not worth it when you are having to pay for airfare & hotel. It just dosn't feel like we are getting out moneys worth.

 

3 or 4 day cruises are great for a quick getaway or for a first timer wanting to try the cruise experience & see if it's for them.

 

Go, relax & have a good time. It's your vacation so enjoy it. :)

I feel the same way. If I lived close to a port I would cruise once a month on a 3 day cruise. To far for me to travel for only 3 days.

[firefly333]

Im not sure folks said it was because the cruises were cheap that folks were a certain class or however you put it.

 

Weekend cruises which are cheaper and folks can take off fewer days from work do often attract more folks who are younger and more drinking. Same goes for cruises longer than 7 days, the 10 day panama cruise I heard someone complain about how dead it was and how many really old people. It costs more and takes more days off from work, so the majority of folks on those longer cruises are often retired. I think you are taking it wrong that folks saying this mean it in a mean way, they dont, they are offering their observations, often based on many cruises.

 

Some who are retired I know have told me its too much work to get things together for less than 7 days, they wouldnt drive to the port for a shorter cruise anymore, been there and done that.

 

Me, I like driving and like the shorter cruises, but I try and take the 5 day during the week when its quieter than the 4 day that would be over a weekend, just me. I will take a shorter cruise, but have to admit the last 4 day one, I was going from Texas to Florida, so I was either doing several days in Orlando at the major theme parks then my sister broke her wrist, so I signed up for a 3 day B2B, otherwise it wouldnt have been worth travelling so far, its expensive to go to a port that far away, so I wouldnt just go that far to do a short 3/4 day cruise and nothing else.

[Cotton]

Actually, I haven't seen a lot off negativity about shorter cruises.:confused:

 

Most everyone on here is fairly positive about cruises of any length. I didn't care too much for my 2 night CTN; otherwise, I've never had one shorter than five nights. No biggie though. If they'd just put a ship in Gulfport, I'd be glad to take 3 or 4 nighters.:)

[CruizinMom2c]

Our first cruise was a 7 day...and I admit I loved that we had so much time on the ship..especially since we had an extra sea day since one port was canceled.

 

 

Our last one was a 3 day...mainly in part since this was the first time cruising with our baby who was 9 months...and we weren't sure how he would do. Actually...he was perfect and never once fussed the whole trip. Another reason was due to days off work...since my dh doesn't have the flexibility like I have at my job. Plus we are within driving distance to a lot of ports..

 

 

 

Next week is a 4 day cruise....due to days off too...we were not planning this cruise at all..it was last minute, so we are glad to only take off 3 days of work instead of 5.

 

 

 

 

although, we do plan on doing a 7 day next year..once we get all our vacation time back at work. and I am definitely looking forward to a longer cruise again.

[*Mach*]

I did a four day on the Inspiration about two weeks ago and it was fantastic! The only obnoxious drunk I saw happened to be the groom from one of the three wedding parties on board...

Normally I do seven days but I've got two short cruises booked... The Blogger's Cruise with John Heald and a four day on the Ecstasy this November.

Like someone said previously, the ONLY problem with a short cruise is that it's short!!!

[terri910]

Hubby and I have done 3-day, 4-day, 7-day, 8-day, and 12-day cruises.

 

We love them all. But, it is true that our favorites have been the 8- and 12-day cruises for several reasons. Mostly, because it just more time on our favorite type of vacation! But also because of the variety of ports of call, etc.

 

Living in southern California, however, we've now sort of gotten into the habit of trying to fit in a weekend cruise out of Long Beach or Los Angeles every 2 or 3 months. They only go as far as Ensenada, but we've found them to be unbelievably relaxing and helps us to "survive" until our next "big" cruise.

 

We are trying RCI for the first time over Memorial Day weekend, and have booked Carnival's Paradise again for the 4th of July weekend. We may just make it until our 12-day Vancouver-to-Hawaii cruise at the end of September!

 

We wouldn't be able to do it, I'm sure, if we didn't live close enough to these ports.

[clgcrusier]

I definitely agree with most of the above posters. Nothing wrong with them, it's just not worth the cost of airfare, etc., when you live far away from the ports. Otherwise I would definitely be jumping on more of them! I would guess that for families with children they are probably more affordable, but I would find a 3-4 day much to short! :D They would be dragging me off by my feet screaming. . .:p

[southbayer]

Short cruises, particularily three day ones have the reputation of being wild and free.... Mostly because, "they say", that young people take off for the weekend and pArTy!!! But the ones I have taken, didn't seem at all like that - Granted I didn't cruise during spring break, or the hight of summer. Also three day cruises for example will be more expensive per se 4 day cruises.... But there is nothing wrong with short cruises at all....

 

For those who have cruised on 7 days or longer like I have, may have a different preference..... I for example, choose to mostly take 7 day cruises because the 3 days and 4 days just aren't enough time to really relax. But for those who have never cruised before, after your first cruise is over, you will want to take a longer cruise next time, IF time permits YOU to.

I think thats just all of what people mean, not that they're being "mean" about it. But, we all don't have the same amount of vacation time to enjoy, so its a good thing that carnival does have more flexible days for cruising.

I'm fairly new here, and I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I'm baffled by something. I have read SO MUCH negativity about the 3 and 4 day cruises, and the ships who do them. (And not just on these boards) I've read posts where people say they wouldn't be caught dead on a "short cruise", making references to the "kinds of people who sail on the short cruises", and making remarks that since the cruises are so "cheap", lower class people are usually on the boats. (In so many words.) First of all, my husband and I, like many, many Americans, are quite busy. We have two young children--5 and 18 months--, he works full time as a teacher, I work about 10 hours a week and homeschool my son. We feel lucky that we can even squeeze in this weekend trip for our anniversary. My husband teaches, and can't just take 10 days off in the middle of the school year. We are by no means "low class". We are not partiers, drinkers, or trouble makers, like supposedly so many of the people who sail the short cruises are supposed to be. We aren't trying to sneak booze onboard. We aren't there to try to get laid and be loud. We're going to enjoy the ship, enjoy being alone, enjoy the ports. Yeah, we can only squeeze a weekend for our first cruise, but hey, we're busy, and at least we're getting to get away for a short time. So we're looked down upon because we're "short" cruisers? We're less classy than those cruising on the longer cruises? Hardly. We just have responsibilities that we cannot leave for that long. And as far as the cruise being "cheap"--we're paying about $2000 for being on that ship in a cat 12 room. Add flight, excursions, and souvenirs, and we'll be out of pocket well over $3500. Doesn't sound like a cheap weekend getaway for me. Maybe we're paying too much, but we'll be together, without our precious babies, for a few days, enjoying each other and some new experiences. That, to us, is priceless.

 

Anyway, I don't mean to offend anyone. But please, don't judge someone by something as petty as what ship they are cruising on and how long their cruise is! And this isn't great PR for Carnival. Someone coming on here may happen by a post trashing a certain cruise or ship, and may decide against going with Carnival. I'm sure some people don't care about that, but some might.

 

Anyway, just looking for others' opinions on why so much negativity toward the shorter cruises and ships.

[oceanbreezer]

Echoing everybody's comments....air fare and hotel costs would triple the price of a 3-4 day or even 5 day cruise for us here in middle Canada. I think anywhere from 10-14 days on a cruise is a great holiday.:D

 

If I lived close to a departure port I would take shorter ones at the last minute. Anytime spent cruising is a slice of heaven.

[terri910]

Anytime spent cruising is a slice of heaven.

Amen!!!

[halos]

The biggest problem I have with short 3-4 day cruises is .... They are too short:D .

 

 

Yup. And that's a BIG problem, too. :p

I loved the 2 shorts cruises I've taken but was miserable having to get off the dang ship.

 

I think the difference on the long & the short is that on the short, people tend to try to cram a week's worth of fun into the 3 days which can make for some crazy cruisers.:D Not that there's anything wrong with that. On a longer cruise people pace themselves better.

[aprildream]

I'm looking forward to my short cruise in June although my last cruise was a 19 dayTA B2B with 13day Baltic cruise. I splurged for the 4 day and have a balcony. (No way could I have a balcony for the longer ones.) They may have to drag me off the ship though.:rolleyes:

[iluvdoxies]

Living in the Orlando area, we've done a couple of 3/4 day cruises.

 

The only thing I dont like is that they are over too fast.

[lilbit]

They use all of the OLD ships for the short cruises. I guess if your not paying for airfare its ok, but for me, why pay the same amount of money to go on an old ship when you can go on a newer one for the same price.

[terri910]

They use all of the OLD ships for the short cruises. I guess if your not paying for airfare its ok, but for me, why pay the same amount of money to go on an old ship when you can go on a newer one for the same price.

If Carnival still had her, I'd pay to go on the first cruise ship we ever sailed on: the Carnivale.

[dan40]

I've done a 2 day CTN [free, including bar tab and tips, otherwise wouldn't even think of it as a cruise]

A few 3 day cruises

and some 4 day. A 5 day,

no 6 day.

Many, many 7 days,

couple of 8 days.

10 days, an 11 day

a number of 12 and 14 day cruises.

3 or 4 15 day, and a 17 day cruise.

 

The 3 day cruises were terrific, but the 17 day was terrific plus 14.

If I was looking at a 3 day or NO cruises, then a 3 day would be terrific again,

 

Dan

[H82seaUgo]

I've done 2 to 12 day cruises.

 

I just hate anything shorter than 7 days because they are over so fast.

 

And the 2 day? Too much hassle embarking and debarking to make it worth it, regardless if you know the tricks. I might reconsider now that I'm platinum.

 

I've yet to notice a different clientele between any of them.

[popsec]

We've found that it will depend alot on the time of year you cruise as to the crowd onboard. We went on a 4 day on the Fascination in Jan. and it was a MUCH older crowd. Last year we were on the Fascination in Feb and it was much more of a "party" boat. Since we have to fly, it's not worth it to us to just take a 3 or 4 day cruise so we tend to book either an 8 day or a couple back to back cruises.

[nolaAlive]

They tend not to use the newest ships, but Carnival is actively pursuing the short cruise market, spending many $$$ to do major updates to Fantasy class ships. After the update, these ships are more modern than many of the newer ships.

 

If you have never cruised before, they are a great way to get your feet wet.

 

It still counts as a cruise toward your Platinum status!

 

You still get lobster on at least one night.

 

It's a great way to bridge the gap between longer vacations.