Offering a combination of convenience and affordability, shorter, more frequent vacations are more popular than ever. And short cruises from three to five days are perfect for relaxing, recharging, and having fun.

In addition to meeting the needs of busy singles and couples, short cruises are popular with families as well as with first-time cruisers who want to experience what cruising has to offer before investing in longer voyages.

Because cruise lines want to entice people onboard and get them hooked on cruising, you can often find great bargains on 3-, 4-, and 5-night cruises. Short cruises generally have a higher energy level than you’ll find on a longer cruise, but there are always places to slip away and settle in with a good book or simply gaze at the passing scenery.

To capitalize on this growing trend, both Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Lines are offering more short cruises than ever before in 2007. Carnival is deploying about half its fleet on short cruises, offering more voyages of five days or less in length than any other cruise operator. These cruises include visits to the Bahamas, western Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada.

Carnival’s 2007 sailing schedule features 32 different short cruise itinerary choices for 12 “close-to-home” departure points, including the first year-round cruise program from San Diego aboard the 2,052-passenger Elation beginning in June.

In addition, Carnival is offering three one-time only short cruises on ships that will normally sail longer itineraries in 2007. The Carnival Freedom sails a four-night western Caribbean voyage on November 12, the Carnival Triumph sails a five-night western Caribbean voyage on August 28, and the Carnival Miracle sails a two-night cruise to nowhere on October 18.

Royal Caribbean also has a variety of short cruises. Three- to 5-night voyages to the Bahamas and the Caribbean depart from Miami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, and Tampa. Ports of call, depending on the length of the cruise, include Nassau, CocoCay in the Bahamas (Royal Caribbean’s private island), Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Belize City. For those on the West Coast, Royal Caribbean offers 3- and 4-night vacations sailing year-round out of Los Angeles, stopping in Ensenada, San Diego (4-night cruises), and Catalina Island.

So when you want it short and sweet—and often close to home—it’s hard to beat the numerous cruise options available today.

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Janeen said:

Short cruises are fun especially during the Spring Week period!

May 06, 2007

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