Fall 2013 and 2014 Caribbean...4 and 5 night sailings

[jeffstew]

I don't remember seeing anywhere whee these new 4- and 5-night cruises will be open for sale. Anyone know?

 

It looks like these cruises and the rest of the 2013-2014 schedule will open for booking on May 3rd.

[RebelSoul]

I don't remember seeing anywhere whee these new 4- and 5-night cruises will be open for sale. Anyone know?

 

May 3rd.

 

 

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[Iamcruzin]

I agree. Those cruises cater to those living near the port. Not worth the trouble or expense.

As a fellow Long Islander I agree 100%. Plus there are plenty of booze cruises here if that's what you are looking for. Not quit the same experience but if all you are looking to do is drink and gamble it's available. Maybe Princess can do a short Island sampler here during the summer. Long Island, Staten Island and Manhattan.;) The port charges and taxes would probably be more than the crusie.

[dmwnc1959]

It looks like these cruises and the rest of the 2013-2014 schedule will open for booking on May 3rd.

 

May 3rd.

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THANKS! :D

 

Like I have said before I did a 10-nt B2B last year (as did a large number of people from Vermont to Kansas to Canada) on Celebrity Millennium by combining two 5-night cruises (some did longer B2B's) and it was FAR from a 'booze cruise'. It was a very well mannered and very adult group. It was very nice. Can't wait to do the same on Princess! :D

 

And unless Princess is going to become a magnet for closet alcoholics I can't see the short cruises on Ruby Princess turning into drunk-fests.

 

I do think some of you are over reacting quite a bit. :eek:

[Ldyandrea]

THANKS! :D

 

Like I have said before I did a 10-nt B2B last year (as did a large number of people from Vermont to Kansas to Canada) on Celebrity Millennium by combining two 5-night cruises (some did longer B2B's) and it was FAR from a 'booze cruise'. It was a very well mannered and very adult group. It was very nice. Can't wait to do the same on Princess! :D

 

And unless Princess is going to become a magnet for closet alcoholics I can't see the short cruises on Ruby Princess turning into drunk-fests.

 

I do think some of you are over reacting quite a bit. :eek:

 

I tend to agree. I haven't yet done Celebrity, but have done a few 3 & 4 night cruises on RCI's Majesty of the Seas, and did not find them to be major party cruises either. Carnival markets itself as a party boat experience on purpose & most folks who I've talked to that go for that type of trip don't even have Princess on their radar screen.

 

As for the concerns about people getting Elite status left and right, I don't think that's something that would have any kid of real effect for several years at least. I've only just made Platinum myself and it's been 6+ years to get there. Elite is still quite a ways off, even with adding a few short cruises that may happen going forward.

[roe2ship]

Plus there are plenty of booze cruises here if that's what you are looking for.

There are?? Besides the NCL 1 and 2 night cruises that are offered 2 or 3 times a year, there are only 2 ships, maybe 3 that have 4 & 5 night sailings from our area and that is only seasonal.

 

I do think some of you are over reacting quite a bit. :eek:

Ya think?? Here on CC?? Impossible!:D

[caribill]

THANKS! :D

 

Like I have said before I did a 10-nt B2B last year (as did a large number of people from Vermont to Kansas to Canada) on Celebrity Millennium by combining two 5-night cruises (some did longer B2B's) and it was FAR from a 'booze cruise'. It was a very well mannered and very adult group. It was very nice. Can't wait to do the same on Princess! :D

 

 

Celebrity pricing, for any length voyage, does not attract the booze cruize crowd.

[roudy1]

Personally I am glad to see the shorter Princess cruises especially here on the West Coast...right now we only have Carnival doing them. Sometimes we just like to have a quick last minute cruise that we don't have to fly to get to. We did a few four day cruises several years ago on Carnival, RCCL and Celebrity the last one of course was the best...but RCCL was definately NOT a booze cruise either and we enjoyed it a lot.

[dmwnc1959]

Celebrity pricing, for any length voyage, does not attract the booze cruize crowd.

 

Another fiction that Celebrity Cruises are always priced high. My 10-night B2B on the Celebrity Millennium in an ocean view cabin single occupancy fare including all port charges and taxes was $1233.

 

Two years ago I got a 9-nt cruise in a balcony for less than $900 single occupancy total cost out the door.

 

Quite a few of the 5-night cruises from Oct 2011-Feb 2012 were priced starting at $349 or less.

 

And the Tuesday specials are a pretty good deal for those who don't have to book their cruises 18 months in advance. :cool:

[Ldyandrea]

Another fiction that Celebrity Cruises are always priced high. My 10-night B2B on the Celebrity Millennium in an ocean view cabin single occupancy fare including all port charges and taxes was $1233.

 

Two years ago I got a 9-nt cruise in a balcony for less than $900 single occupancy total cost out the door.

 

Quite a few of the 5-night cruises from Oct 2011-Feb 2012 were priced starting at $349 or less.

 

I think, however, that the perception in the marketplace is that anything except Carnival is going to be too expensive for the "casual" cruiser, particularly for the younger crowd. By most working class folks who haven't been on cruises before, they seem to feel it's a luxury beyond their means. These are the folks who are surprised at how many cruises I've been on, as I'm certainly not wealthy.

[reney313]

I'm very happy to see they are offering 4 and 5 day cruises. My DH does not like 7 day cruises. You should have heard his whining when I made him go to Alaska for both a 7 day cruise and 4 day land prior to Denali. LOL! While I prefer the longer cruises, I'm just happy to be onboard, even if it is for 5 days instead. We fly in from the Midwest, but we generally spend a couple days pre and post cruise. This allows for a full week vacation. Princess adding this option now allows me to look at their sailings out of Florida.

[fishin' musician]

I'm sorry to see this trend for shorter and shorter cruises. Celebrity is doing the same. Fourteen day itineraries will soon be a thing of the past :(

 

Celebrity has been offering 5 day western cruises for many years.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I guess that means we can't hope for another ship to be doing 8+ night cruises. I had kind of hoped that, with the addition of the Royal Princess, that a second ship would be doing longer itineraries, but obviously that's not going to happen. It seem that Princess is adopting the Carnival business model of shorter, party cruises. I'm certain that they are more profitable on a per diem basis than the 10 night cruises.

 

gotta love it. Princess party cruises.:p

 

Bill

[patterson3]

2 things about the new California Coastals:

 

1) I'm glad to see them offering 7 day coastal cruises from SF (Clearly the coastal offerings have been a success fro Princess to expand the itineraries)

 

2) I'm dissapointed that the 7 day Sapphire Princess coastal cruises have returned to the previous coastal itineraries and not stopping at Catalina Island.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Celebrity pricing, for any length voyage, does not attract the booze cruize crowd.

 

Not sure I can agree with that. I once took a 3 night and a 4 night cruise B2B on the Mercury out of Seattle. I love Celebrity, and certainly loved that ship, but those cruises....not favorites!! It was perhaps due in part to the constant rain that limited outdoor options, but most people seemed content to stay on the ship and drink. I'm certain they were hugely profitable cruises.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

There are?? Besides the NCL 1 and 2 night cruises that are offered 2 or 3 times a year, there are only 2 ships, maybe 3 that have 4 & 5 night sailings from our area and that is only seasonal.

 

Ya think?? Here on CC?? Impossible!:D

 

too funny Roe!

 

Hope all is well.:)

 

Bill

[dmwnc1959]

I think, however, that the perception in the marketplace...

 

I think that 'perception' also extends to short-market cruises. Those who just don't know, have no idea, and have not been on one recently, perceive that these 4- and 5-night cruises are 'geared towards the locals' or are 'party cruises'. And they couldn't be more wrong.

 

Having followed the reports and reviews of the Celebrity Millennium for nearly six months (Oct2011-Mar2012) very, very few if any of them reported problems with passengers binge drinking pool side, yelling and screaming, throwing furniture off the ship, and roaming the corridors and public spaces at 2am like packs of college frat boys.

 

I also read reviews of people who had come from all over the country (and Canada) that cruised Celebrity Millennium (as well as Celebrity Century the year before) doing these short cruises and have had an excellent time, some of them repeat guests with Elite membership status that have also cruised Cunard, Princess, RCI, Azamara, Holland-America, Carnival, and Oceania.

 

Short cruises are wonderful for families (and anyone else) that want to combine it with a land package; be it Walt Disney World, a 7-nt cruise on another line, a week in Naples, or a stay in Miami Beach or the Keys.

 

And yes, there were people on my cruise that had come down from The Villages, and at 75+ years of age they were definitely not party animals.

 

It is a shame that those who equate shorter cruises and those who cruise them as just 'party cruisers'. It is insulting and offensive, just as if I had said that those people who want only 12-night or longer cruises elitist and rich snobs. Neither analogy makes sense. :cool:

[Stu K]

Mixed feeling shame you can not do b2b but could do 2 different ships on one vacation or holiday!

 

Thanks for all the info no dates on the royal yet. Is it straight back out after transatlantic? Read some where there maybe a 2 day gap. Also called princess to see when royal was released in Carabien they said June sometime.

 

Stu K

[dmwnc1959]

Mixed feeling shame you can not do b2b but could do 2 different ships on one vacation or holiday! Stu K

 

Your can do a B2B or a B2B2B or a B2B2B2B with the new Ruby Princess short cruises. You may be repeating Princess Cays, Grand Turk, or Grand Cayman but that wouldn't kill me either. ;)

 

Maybe someone cruising RCI wants to try Princess? They can do a longer cruise with RCI and tack on a 4-nt with Princess that hits each cruise lines Private Island. Or someone can do a 5-night cruise going to the Western Caribbean before/after doing a 7-nt Eastern Caribbean.

 

Some people actually cruise just to be on a ship and relax, enjoy the amenities and features of the ship, and not get off at the ports of call. That's easily done by combining a couple of short cruises that may be going to places you don't care if you get off the ship or not. I did this last year by doing two 5-night cruises on Celebrity Millennium. Just enjoyed the ship for ten nights and didn't worry about what to do at the ports.

 

And if you think one sail away from Port Everglades (or Miami in my case) is fun, try two or three in the 'same cruise' when you do a B2B or B2B2B.

[Ldyandrea]

I think that 'perception' also extends to short-market cruises. Those who just don't know, have no idea, and have not been on one recently, perceive that these 4- and 5-night cruises are 'geared towards the locals' or are 'party cruises'. And they couldn't be more wrong.

 

I think you're absolutely correct. I've done short cruises on Royal's Majesty of the Seas a couple of times, and it was a completely different experience from the one short one I did on Carnival. Still a lot of local folks on the Majesty, but also LOTS of folks from other parts of the U.S. & Canada, and a bunch of folks from South America on my last trip out. Certainly there were groups of folks there to "party", but it never got obnoxious or out of hand. Also, while there were kids and teenagers, I didn't witness packs of them roaming around and causing trouble at all hours the way I recall on my last Carnival cruise.

 

I put Princess very much on par with the experience I've had on Majesty of the Seas (though that ship is quite a bit older than the Princess ships I've been on). I don't think there's a danger that they're going to turn into party boats anytime soon. :p

[LARGIN]

Wondering if the 4-5 dayer will have a lunch or cocktail party for the most traveled passengers like on the longer cruises. :confused::confused:

[dmwnc1959]

Wondering if the 4-5 dayer will have a lunch or cocktail party for the most traveled passengers like on the longer cruises. :confused::confused:

 

I don't see why not. On both segments of my B2B on Celebrity Millennium they had the big Captains Club cocktail reception as well as honoring the Most Traveled guest. They also had the daily Elite breakfast and nightly Elite Cocktail (pre-dinner) function. They also had a special brunch on one sea day, something I don't think Princess does. All this was offered on both the 4-night and 5-night short cruises on Celebrity. I can't see Princess offering any less.

 

It was the same as a seven night cruise just shorter. ;)

[LARGIN]

I don't see why not. On both segments of my B2B on Celebrity Millennium they had the big Captains Club cocktail reception as well as honoring the Most Traveled guest. They also had the daily Elite breakfast and nightly Elite Cocktail (pre-dinner) function. They also had a special brunch on one sea day, something I don't think Princess does. All this was offered on both the 4-night and 5-night short cruises on Celebrity. I can't see Princess offering any less.

 

It was the same as a seven night cruise just shorter. ;)

 

Princess will have the Captains Circle cocktail party honoring the most traveled guest I am sure. What I am talking about is the private party for the top 20 passengers.

[dmwnc1959]

Princess will have the Captains Circle cocktail party honoring the most traveled guest I am sure. What I am talking about is the private party for the top 20 passengers.

 

Celebrity Cruises doesn't have a similar function to where only/just the Top 20 (why not the Top 25?) are honored in a 'Private Party'. Do they have this same function on Pacific coastal cruises (pre- and post-Alaska sailings) that are 3-5 days long? And would they normally also have it on the 4-night Bermuda cruse this coming October out of NYC?

 

I cannot imagine that Princess would do away with one of it's recognition parties just because a cruise is shorter unless it is one of the 1- or 2-night pre- or post-Alaska repositioning sailings that might sail between Seattle and Vancouver.

[Orangefan]

5 night Western sailing: FT. LAUDERDALE, Grand Cayman, Island of Cozumel, FT. LAUDERDALE

 

5 night Eastern sailing: FT. LAUDERDALE, Princess Cays, Grand Turk, FT. LAUDERDALE

 

4 night Western sailing: FT. LAUDERDALE, Grand Cayman, FT. LAUDERDALE

 

4 night Eastern sailing: FT. LAUDERDALE, Grand Turk, FT. LAUDERDALE

 

 

I was wondering if the 4 night sailings will be back to back western and back to back eastern. Also if they will be mid week. I would love mid week to avoid the very high prices to fly to FLL for me. In November I took a 10 day cruise because it was midweek both ways. Will you get the same credit from Princess for a 4 day cruise as you do for a 7 day cruise?

Sali