First 7 day cruise....

[Michuck]

Hubby and I have taken upwards of 20 cruises, the longest of which was 5 days (and that was only 1 time). We had to work around being able to leave elderly ill parents, and some other issues that kept us from being able to get away for more than just a few days. We will be taking our first 7 day cruise this November on the Radiance. We always felt so rushed on the shorter cruises, trying to get everything in in a very short period of time. Do y'all feel rushed on the 7 dayers too? Are there nice, quiet hide-away places you can recommend we go on board ship to get away from 'it all'? We are so looking forward to relaxing, romancing and pina coladas!! Can you recommend things that are available to do on a longer cruise that are not available on the shorter ones?

 

Thanks!!

 

Michele

[TBRay]

Might not be a fair assessment from my last cruise, because I was was on the 7-day Mariner cruise that was "extended" by Hurricane Jeanne into a nine day one. :D

 

But honestly, I really enjoy the 7-day trips as compared to the 3 and 4 day getaways. With some additional "at sea" days you get time to unwind or relax any of 20 different ways (I can relax in the fitness center with my MP3 player or just walking laps around the pool deck).

 

For this cruiser I find my stress level is a lot lower after a 7-day trip than the shorter ones. Even travel experts have said that 7-days is the threshold for breaking out of those "phone calling, paging, emailing, deadline" tension situations into a more of "what day is printed on the elevator floor today?" mode.

 

No problems Mon.

 

Enjoy.

[VACruiseAddict]

HI, If your crusing Radiance, be sure to book at least one dinner at Chops or Potofino (Chops is like a Mortons Steakhouse in terms of menu, Portofino is Italian). Make sure you check out the Colony club, if only to play Pool at sea, my wife and I find the Solarium to be a nice retreat from the noisier middle pool (but on our last Alaskan sailing that wasn't the case). I like the Schooner bar on Radiance.

 

As for activities - I can't think of any that are offered on the longer, 7 day sailings, that aren't offered on shorter cruises. You'll have at least one extra sea day in there, so maybe more Bingo..lol.. Check out the mini-golf course on Radiance, lots of fun and kind of novel. Also, check out the Sea View Cafe - it has a good menu, and the food is pretty good.

 

Hope that helps. We'll have been on Radiance three times by the end of October, and it's our favorite RCCL ship.

 

The VA Cruise Addict

[emilygrace]

Don't know if the shorter cruises have them, but the 7 day ones usually have a midnight chocolate buffet, and a midnight gala buffet. These are nice, even if you just go to look and take pictures.

[kevin priestley]

When we first cruised in 2001 I fell in love with it, and went on two 7 day cruises a year for two years then had to give in and admit that 7 days was not long enough , now we are on the 9,10, 11 or 14 day ones. ENJOY:D

[critterchick]

We've also done more short cruises, but just finished a 7-day on Radiance. What a ship - you will love her! There are all kinds of hideaways on board, especially during the day. The Champagne Bar has a wonderful view and is usually empty (and no bartender) during the day. Same with the Viking Crown Lounge & Colony Club (which has some really comfy chairs). We liked both Chops and Portofino (also open for lunch on sea days for $10 instead of $20). The bartender in the Colony Club made a wicked good lemon drop martini, the Schooner Bar made a great apple martini.

 

We were incredibly relaxed by day 4, and had to be dragged off the ship at the end. I can't wait to go back!

[BaumD]

The 3-4 day cruises tend to be on the older ships. The newer ships do the 7+ day cruises and they usually have some of the features that didn't exist in the early 90's when Monarch, Majesty and Sovereign were built.