Are short cruises party boats?

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

Due to air prices this year and a smaller travel budget I'm considering a weekend pacific northwest cruise that I can drive to to meet the ship. I've done 7 day cruises and found them to be very relaxing and tranquil. But short cruises are new to me. I know people that do them every year and have a wonderful time. I have three questions about it.

 

Will a weekend cruise be an all out party til the wee hours crowd?

Would booking suite accomodations help me avoid that crowd?

 

And my last question is related to the suites themselves. I've heard that ship crews view 3 day cruises as nothing special, will Celebrity still go out of their way to make suite guests comfortable on any length cruise whether its 3 days or 30?

[leoandhugh]

There can be no definitive answers to the questions you pose. In general, the shorter the cruise, the younger the passengers and therefore more prone to party. But even if that is the case, there is no reason to let it get you out of joint. Just simply retire to your cabin and avoid the parties. I would think that a suite area might be quieter in general, but there again, you could end up with partying neighbors. Just go - don't worry about it, and enjoy your cruise:) you will certainly not find a 3day weekend cruise as relaxing as 7days; you barely get on board and settle in than it is time to pack and disembark.

[Eeyoregon]

We did the 3 night PNW last fall and have rebooked for October 3 this year. It was not a party ship at all. Very quiet except in the clubs at night and even then it was pretty mellow and I would guess the average age on board to be 40+.

 

I will say that there were some highly intoxicated 50 somethings at the muster drill that were beyond obnoxious and I was annoyed that the staff did not ask them to shut up! Apparently drunken idiots find orange life vests to be quite amusing but I am sure all ships have a few of those!

 

It really is a great weekend getaway. We met lots of folks that did the 3 and 4 night back-to-back.

[jt1120]

We did the Century 4-day in early March and found it to be about the same demographically than any of the other =X= cruises we've enjoyed. Definitely not a "party cruise" atmosphere.

[caviargal]

We found the 4 night on Century to be markedly different from the longer cruises. A different demographic, more casual atmosphere, no dress code enforcement, crowded feel, worst food of any X cruise so far. It was noisy and there were lots of kids aboard.

[Jade13]

We found the 4 night on Century to be markedly different from the longer cruises. A different demographic, more casual atmosphere, no dress code enforcement, crowded feel, worst food of any X cruise so far. It was noisy and there were lots of kids aboard.

 

Our 5 night wasn't that bad, and it was during a school vacation week. We were in a CC, not a Suite, and did not receive any special invitations as listed as CC perks. The food was very average (lido very cafeteria). They did not have some activities that they would on a longer cruise such as no Midnight Buffet. For Bingo they did not play for a free cruise. I asked an was told they only did that on 7 nights or longer.

[caviargal]

. We were in a CC, not a Suite, and did not receive any special invitations as listed as CC perks. The food was very average (lido very cafeteria).

 

We were in a CC as well and did not get any of the perks except the inedible canapes each day.:(

 

My comment about food was based on past X cruises where both the food and service were much better than on Century.

[Fang]

I would think that the short cruises in the Pacific Northwest would draw a very different crowd than the short cruises out of Florida or LA.

 

I normally try to stay away from short 3 or 4 night cruises. However, I did take a four night cruise on RCI last year on the EOS. It was very much a party crowd. I do not know if the Century short cruises are like this or not.

[Lois R]

I would think that the short cruises in the Pacific Northwest would draw a very different crowd than the short cruises out of Florida or LA.

 

I normally try to stay away from short 3 or 4 night cruises. However, I did take a four night cruise on RCI last year on the EOS. It was very much a party crowd. I do not know if the Century short cruises are like this or not.

 

You are correct in your assumption. I sailed 2 short b2bs on

Mercury back in October and then in December was on a 4

nighter on Century out of Miami.

(Mercury sailed from Seattle). The crowds were much different,

the PNW itinerary was new for me and I enjoyed it immensley

and the crowd was definitely different than that of a short

Caribbean Cruise.

The 4 nighter (and it was right before Christmas) was not

really what I consider a "party crowd" but it certainly

had a much more casual feel to it. And maybe because

of the week it was packed with many, many families.

Not a critisizm of families, but just an observation on my part.

[bububr]

Hi Lois!

 

John and I have been a on a few shorties. However we prefer the 10 night or longer cruises.

 

The best shortie is the 2 nighter on Century in January if you are looking to go out of FL. For the past few years it has been mostly professional people looking to get away for a weekend, and play in the casino as it is VERY crowded. We really haven't seen any children or families that stand out on this one. Also the pool area is a party atmosphere, but the rest of the ship is not.

 

The next best shorties are the 3 and 4 night PNW cruises. TOTALLY different demographic, atmosphere, feeling. WE have experienced few partiers or families with small children. We find these short trips to be really relaxing and refreshing. We have another booked for our 12 year anniversary in September, this time on Millenium.

 

The worse shorties and its a tie.........The 3 night Monarch of the Seas to Ensenada....the 4 night Century to the Caribbean. IMHO...PARTY boats, however it could have been the time of year we cruised. But in saying that there were TONS of families, TONS of unruly children, the dress code was almost nonexistant...forget using the hot tubs or the pools, if they are not filled with children, they are shut down because some parent let their kid in with a diaper and they crapped in the pool and have to be cleaned. For us, we are done with these sailings and the demographics they attract. Being said, there are usually some great people onboard, however they seem to be in the minority.

 

We do look forward to the PNW in September, and we are thinking about doing the 2 nighter on Century in January ( we skipped this year to try the Quest )......Both options have given us that quick vacation feeling without spending a week away from home, or coming back with a migraine.

 

Dave:eek:

[dogsrule]

As Caviargal has stated, different demographics is an understatement...:(

[Eeyoregon]

I would think that the short cruises in the Pacific Northwest would draw a very different crowd than the short cruises out of Florida or LA.

 

You are right. Night and Day different. On our 3 night PNW last September there were VERY little children or young adults. At 36 I was definitely one of the younger passengers.

 

I will say that the food on board the Mercury on a 3 night was as good if not better than most 7 nights that I have been on. Service was a notch better on the 3 nighter probably because the servers/staff have to give it all they got as they only have 3 days to win your over and earn your gratuity.

[jt1120]

We found the 4 night on Century to be markedly different from the longer cruises. A different demographic, more casual atmosphere, no dress code enforcement, crowded feel, worst food of any X cruise so far. It was noisy and there were lots of kids aboard.

 

Totally the opposite of our experience on the four-nighter on February 28th. Of course that is not a date when lots of kids have time off. The age demo was the same as our other =X= cruises, and there were the usual dress code infringers, but not a marked difference, and our ship was overrun by Microsoft gamers having a conference. Food was its usual excellence.

[Sky Sweet]

I think it is almost impossible to give a definitive answer to this question because there are so many different reasons why people take short cruises.

 

Some people take short cruises because they can't afford to take longer ones

 

Some people take them because they have demanding careers and it is difficult for them to get away from work.

 

Some people use them as a venue for family reunions when it is not easy to find dates that will work for everyone in the group.

 

Some people use them as an add on to a land based vacation in the area.

 

With this in mind, I think the per diem rate, as well as the itinerary, is a bigger factor, than the length of the cruise itself, in determining demographics.

[excitedofharpenden]

I'm with Lois too. I haven't experienced a short PNW cruise, but the crowd is surely different to those on a short Caribbean getaway?

 

Phil

[Lois R]

I definitely noticed a difference and it was easy for me to see

since the cruises were only 2 months apart.

My biggest problem was I really had a good time on both;)

(overall).

Yes the Caribbean shorty was very, very casual but I was

glad to sail Century again anyway.:)

[excitedofharpenden]

Lois, I've done the short Caribbean trip on Century too and there was a capacity ship during Spring Break with 500 kids I was led to believe (younger as it was toward the end of the holiday season). Strangely enough the dress code adherence, if you want to use that as a measure, was better than on Constellation the week or so before. Some of those young kids on formal night definitely gave one an "aaah" moment.:) In general the ship was a spot on place to be and those on board were great. We had a a really nice time on Century:cool:

 

Phil