Can Anyone Tell me about 3 or 4 day cruises?

[Lerin]

We are seasoned cruisers, having been on several ships for lengths of time ranging from 6-15 days.

Due to scheduling conflicts our next cruise will either be in several years...or it will be short.

 

So we're currently looking at the Crown Princess 3 night out of LA.

 

On some lines, short weekend cruises are nothing but parties. We aren't partiers and are eyeing Princess specifically because it doesn't generally cater to that crowd. We want to relax, read, have a few peaceful meals, and maybe even learn something new. We are unsure if this is to be found on a short cruise. :confused:

 

Can anyone tell me about the vibe on Princess shorter cruises? Also is there a formal night and will Chefs Table be an option? Any other hints or advice are appreciated as well.

 

Thanks in advance :)

[Pam in CA]

The vibe is different than longer Princess cruises but it's definitely not a party atmosphere. Princess probably thought they were going to attract a younger cruiser cruising for the first time but on the short cruises last January, for instance, lots of experienced cruisers booked B2B, B2B2B, etc. There were tons of Platinum and Elite.

 

No formal night on a 3-day nor Chef's Table.

 

So, book it and enjoy.

[Lerin]

The vibe is different than longer Princess cruises but it's definitely not a party atmosphere. Princess probably thought they were going to attract a younger cruiser cruising for the first time but on the short cruises last January, for instance, lots of experienced cruisers booked B2B, B2B2B, etc. There were tons of Platinum and Elite.

 

No formal night on a 3-day nor Chef's Table.

 

So, book it and enjoy.

Perfect, though short, sounds like exactly what we're looking for.

Thanks for the reply.

[shredie]

Perfect, though short, sounds like exactly what we're looking for.

Thanks for the reply.

 

I've done a couple of these. Just like any other Princess cruise but shorter (and no formal night.) I've also done Carnival's short ones, and there is no comparison. Princess is the way to go.

[Thrak]

I've only done one shortie cruise. It was a 4 day SF to Vancouver cruise. Definitely not what one would call a party cruise. :rolleyes:

 

Your 3 day out of LA sounds like a round trip. Far more potential for a party cruise but pretty doubtful on Princess.

[SadieN]

What day of the week is the 3 day starting on? Makes a big difference in the crowd.

A weekend cruise will be rowdier than a week day cruise.

[geoherb]

We took two four-day cruises back to back on the Ruby last December. It's a more relaxed atmosphere. The maître d' relaxed the dress code in the dining room--almost anything was acceptable. Instead of a Captains Circle party for past passengers, we received a voucher for a drink good at any bar. They still held the Platinum/Elite/Suite event each night in Skywalkers.

[Daniel1313]

We took two four-day cruises back to back on the Ruby last December. It's a more relaxed atmosphere. The maître d' relaxed the dress code in the dining room--almost anything was acceptable. Instead of a Captains Circle party for past passengers, we received a voucher for a drink good at any bar. They still held the Platinum/Elite/Suite event each night in Skywalkers.

 

Even shorts????

[onefine89]

We're going to try the short cruises for the first time in 2015 to celebrate birthdays.....a 3-dayer on the Golden in March and a 4-dayer on the Ruby in September.......both out of San Pedro. We like the longer cruises but thought give the shorties a try..........and we just drive to the port:)

 

2016 is a big 40th anniversary so looking at a 2-week or longer celebration cruise;)

[FritzG]

It also depends on what time of year you go. WE were on 3 short cruises in January and March. The first was one of the "free" 5 day Ruby Caribbean in January, and the demographics didn't seem much different than any of the longer cruises we usually take.

 

In March we took a 4 day and a 5 day b2b on the Ruby again; they were last minute cruises, and we got a great price, but it was spring break time. On the first one there were lots of college age passengers, but it seemed like they slept late, laid in the sun all day, didn't eat in the dining room or go to shows. We rarely saw them, and except for the pool areas the ship seemed very empty although I heard that there were long lines for pizza and the Trident Grill.

On the 5 day the next week there were lots of families with lots of kids, and it felt very crowded. The mdr was noisy with kids running around and people coming up to half an hour late with no dress code enforced. There were lots of people wearing shorts in the mdr every night. There was also lots of noise in the halls and twice our breakfast card was taken off our door during the night. Passengers two cabins down from us were playing loud music on their balcony and dropping the f-bomb every other word, and after more than 30 min. we had to call Passenger Services to complain. We've had that happen in all of the cruises we've taken.

 

Three short cruises gave us three very different experiences. We'll watch the calendar before we book short ones for this winter.

[taxatty]

Even shorts????

Yes, on a 3 day Caribbean Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale last May. First time in 27 cruises I've seen shorts in the MDR on any ship, except in the Galapagos with 90 on board.

[azgrandmax3]

Most of our many cruises have been Princess. We tried the short cruise last Oct. Was so disappointed!! It was one drunk after another. The clothing excepted and behavior was a disgrace. A dog (non-service) was eating from the table in main dining room. Saw several "Muscle shirts" and T-shirts with nasty wording. A real downer for dining pleasure. When I asked the Matri D why was this tolerated his reasoning was "We have to lower standards to meet the passengers". We had a future cruise (17 day) and cancelled when we returned home. Since then we have cruised with Princess (7 day) and all was as expected. Just be prepared for less then otherwise expected.

[Lerin]

Thank you for everyone's insight. Really appreciate the stories and opinions.

 

We're actually possibly taking 2 short cruises about 6 months apart. One leaves during the week, the other is a weekend. Dates aren't flexible because we are working around many schedules. They are both for family celebrations(50 year wedding anniversary and a cousins meet up)

 

Little concerned about the dining dress code, but won't let it ruin our good time.

[CamCruiser]

We have done the 4 day out of LA, to San Diego, Ensenada. We weren't sure about the 4 day either, but we loved it. I certainly wouldn't call it a party cruise, but it was a lively cruise. Cruisers were enjoying the ship activities, dancing, sunbathing, drinking and of course eating! We had a great time and will look for more 4 day cruises.

[sdnich]

We are doing a four day out of Long Beach in October and was wondering if there will be a formal night?

[caribill]

We are doing a four day out of Long Beach in October and was wondering if there will be a formal night?

 

What does it say in the Personalizer on the itinerary page?

[dad2my3]

My wife and I took a four day Princess cruise to Ensenada last fall and I tried the same itinerary on Carnival last week with the kids. I will not return to Carnival. Lots of younger party people. Lots of parents at the bars and clubs leaving their kids to noisily roam the ship unsupervised, late into the night. People cutting right in front of you in various lines. Staff absolutely everywhere intrusively trying to sell you drinks or take your picture.

 

My kids wanted to swim in the pool (the only one on board) on the sea day and they were having a hairy chest contest at the time. Then they had the hairy chested men take a "sexy shower" by the pool with the female judges rubbing them, and then the three finalists had a cross dressing competition. Lots of alcohol and loud music was involved. It was not an atmosphere that I enjoyed, nor one that I wanted for my kids. We would leave and come back a few minutes later just to find that the competition was not only still going on, but getting worse, lol.

 

My experience on Princess was pretty much the total opposite, in the best way. A relaxed, fun and friendly atmosphere that still had a sense of class and respectability about it. I was surprised at how the two ships had such different personalities. I will be happy to return to Princess for our future cruises.

[RickEk]

Most of our many cruises have been Princess. We tried the short cruise last Oct. Was so disappointed!! It was one drunk after another. The clothing excepted and behavior was a disgrace. A dog (non-service) was eating from the table in main dining room. Saw several "Muscle shirts" and T-shirts with nasty wording. A real downer for dining pleasure. When I asked the Matri D why was this tolerated his reasoning was "We have to lower standards to meet the passengers". We had a future cruise (17 day) and cancelled when we returned home. Since then we have cruised with Princess (7 day) and all was as expected. Just be prepared for less then otherwise expected.

 

I took two 3-day cruises B2B last year in November on Golden Princess. It certainly was more relaxed than longer cruises, but certainly more sedate than short Carnival cruises. And BTW, if there was a dog on board, it was a service animal (or at least it had papers designating it as one...). :rolleyes: