3 night cruise - worth it or just too short?

[tommygunn]

Hi y'all. Have been on 2 Disney cruises. Both were for 7 nights (Caribbean) and were amazing. Debating on booking a 3 night Bahamas but man it seems so short. Like by the time you get your sea legs and are relaxing you are getting kicked off the boat at 7am. Anyone have experience with 3 night sailings that can offer any advice? Thanks!!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi y'all. Have been on 2 Disney cruises. Both were for 7 nights (Caribbean) and were amazing. Debating on booking a 3 night Bahamas but man it seems so short. Like by the time you get your sea legs and are relaxing you are getting kicked off the boat at 7am. Anyone have experience with 3 night sailings that can offer any advice? Thanks!!!

I haven't done a 3 night, but I've done a couple of 4 nights. Yes, they are "too short" (we're usually booking 7 night and longer cruises), but if that's all the time I have to take a cruise, I'd do it. I just wouldn't plan on doing very much more than enjoying the shows/meals. And relaxing.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I think it depends on why you're considering a 3-night. DS and I took one when we needed a weekend away. We didn't get off the ship in Nassau and used that day to do things on board. We knew what we wanted to do going into it and we had a great time. If I was with a larger group where I would feel the need to split my attention among the various groups (e.g., kids vs adults), I don't know that it would be as enjoyable. It would feel very rushed and I would likely feel as though I missed out on a lot. On our trip, the whole point was that my son and I could get away and play for a few days. For that purpose, the short cruise was perfect.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Do you need to travel very far to get to the ship? If you spend all day getting there, then another day getting home, that's almost as much travel time as ship time, so that wouldn't be worth it to me. If you live near Port Canaveral, then a quick cruise is better than none.

 

[Frozen2014]

Subscribing as we have booked a 4 nights cruise (i.e. so also short). For us, its between a land holiday and a cruise. Either way, it will be a few packed days where we will enjoy it to the max. We love cruising...the many available activities , the entertainment, and all while at sea. So even though it will go super short, it's better than nothing and will not go wasted.
P.S. - Our alternative is a city type holiday...so more museums, walking...so think our kids will much prefer a cruise.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

3 night would be too short for us, yes. We took a 3 night cruise as our first one because we wanted to "try" cruising and of course wished we had more time. By the time you board it's afternoon, with lunch and the muster drill - the first afternoon onboard flies by. To me it's really 2 days on a 3 night cruise... I would do a 4 night maybe combined with something else like Disney World, but 3 is too short. For us anyway.

 

[mousefan73]

we planned a 4 nite and will IF we get off the ship only spend a few hours in Nassau.. seems short but for us it's a time and money thing. we are also doing wdw 6 nights before and one after... so we cant complain..

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We have done a couple of 3 nights. They are short. A long weekend getaway is what we call them. If you don't have the need to jam pack your day with alot of activities, the days seem long enough and you relax. We don't mind them. For a short cruise I prefer 4 nights, but sometimes with everyone's schedule, it is just not doable.

 

[lanejudy]

I do think the 3-night cruises are too short, if I have a choice. But if that's all that fits the schedule or budget, it's better than none. I'd much rather be on a short 3-night cruise than sitting at home or work.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Rabb it]

Sure if you can go on a longer cruise that would be ideal, but sometimes it's not in the cards. I'd rather do a 3 night than not go at all

 

[xQuizx]

We did a 3 night on our first Disney cruise and new it was a mistake the first night, it was too short.

The second time around we went on a 4 night and new it was a mistake the second night, it was too short.

Our last cruise was a 7 night and that was the right length for us. It gives you enough time to get into cruise mode. Even on a 7 night we weren't able to explore the ship.

But I do agree with other posters that it's better to be on a cruise then no cruise. If you pair it with a land vacation it will make the days of travel more worth it.

 

[Belleofthehouse]

My one and only cruise was a three night on DCL. I wanted to see if I liked cruising. Just DH and me, so I did not have kids to contend with. While short, it was enjoyable (we spent the previous evening at food and wine). I never felt rushed. We did not go into Nassau so we spent the entire afternoon enjoying the ship. I would do it again but I would stay on property AFTER the cruise rather than going straight to the airport. That felt rushed

 

[Trera]

We have done a few 3 nighters because we only miss one day of work and still get a quick fix of Disney Magic and a wonderful day at Castaway Cay. Palo brunch is a bonus also.

 

[dcassetta]

We are sailing the Dream this spring primarily to see Beauty and the Beast, otherwise, a 3-night cruise would not be my preference.

 

[dvcgirl1]

My DH and I thought the same thing when we were looking to get away for a few days, a few years ago. We had, at that time, been on one 4-night (first cruise back when sons were small to see if we all liked it), and several 7-night cruises (turns out everyone loved it) with the kids for our family vacation. With the kids, we were active all day, going from activity to activity, movies, pool, games, etc Wonderful trips, but not a lot of rest time for us. When we saw an opportunity to get away for our first "alone" trip in years, we decided on a 3-night Disney cruise. We went thinking it would be ridiculously short, and that we would feel like it was over in a blink. Turned out, we stayed on the boat during Nassau day, went to Serenity Bay on CC, relaxed, actually talked to each other, saw movies, ordered room service, even skipped the shows that we had previously seen. Dressed up for dinner each night, and acted like adults. We were shocked at how leisurely it was, and how long it felt, considering it was only 3 days. If you are travelling with your kids, then, I would definitely suggest to try to make it a 4-night, though. Its a big difference when you are wanting to do many activities, and with the kiddos, you dont want to skip anything.

 

[Keterrill]

We have done 3 day cruises 3 times......that's just what fit into our schedules. It is very packed and sort of rushed. I have always felt pressured to do and see everything. We are doing a five day (this week!!!!) and I am excited about those extra two days.

 

[daisyx3]

I have done 2 four nights (Wonder in 2003 and Dream in 2016) and one 7 night (Magic in 2004). The only reason I'm doing a 3 night this summer is because it is my chance to go on the Fantasy (they have an odd 3 night in July) and that's my grand slam. It's just me and DH now; we don't plan to get off in Nassau at all, and our splurge will be a rainforest pass on that day and maybe a Palo brunch. Castaway Cay is a plus since we got rained out last time, and that's my birthday.

 

[Trera]

My DH and I thought the same thing when we were looking to get away for a few days, a few years ago. We had, at that time, been on one 4-night (first cruise back when sons were small to see if we all liked it), and several 7-night cruises (turns out everyone loved it) with the kids for our family vacation. With the kids, we were active all day, going from activity to activity, movies, pool, games, etc Wonderful trips, but not a lot of rest time for us. When we saw an opportunity to get away for our first "alone" trip in years, we decided on a 3-night Disney cruise. We went thinking it would be ridiculously short, and that we would feel like it was over in a blink. Turned out, we stayed on the boat during Nassau day, went to Serenity Bay on CC, relaxed, actually talked to each other, saw movies, ordered room service, even skipped the shows that we had previously seen. Dressed up for dinner each night, and acted like adults. We were shocked at how leisurely it was, and how long it felt, considering it was only 3 days. If you are travelling with your kids, then, I would definitely suggest to try to make it a 4-night, though. Its a big difference when you are wanting to do many activities, and with the kiddos, you dont want to skip anything.

Agree with you. Also, since we live an hour from the port..............we dont have long travel too and from the port before and after the cruise. We can litterally get off the ship at 7, be at the car by 7:20 or so and them home by 8:30. We drop our DD off at school and head to work.

If I had to fly in the day before and then spend all day getting home..........I might feel differently about 3 night cruises.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Too short. I did one with DS a few years ago because we got a very good price and we were going to be in Orlando around the time anyway. By the time we got to PC (from WDW), checked in, got settled in, etc. I felt like it was time to leave. It just wasn't worth the hassle. After that, we've done nothing less than 7 nights and we usually try to do more.

 

[kiford]

Compared to what?

A 4-day? No.
A 7-day? Definitely not.
A longer-than-seven-day cruise? Absolutely not.
Not doing a cruise at all? YES.​

Depends on your time and reason. Our first one was four days sandwiched in between days at WDW just to see how we handled sailing and whether we were bored. It was a good idea. We learned what we needed to without worrying. We could also have done a 3-day one for the same reason but the scheduling worked better with the four day. Our only 3-day one was part of a 3/4 day B2B so it's hard to say exactly what a 3-day feels like in isolation. We are considering getting APs so I'm now thinking of doing a 3-day cruise with 2-5 days at WDW a couple of times a year just for a relaxation interlude with WDW days. So, yes, it can be worth it IMO. YMMV. [If I lived closer, I might do it for the odd long weekend].