3-night Cruise: Worth It or Waste of Time?

Imagine taking a 3-night getaway cruise for the weekend. Sounds way better than your usual weekend, but is it worth the cost and effort?

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[Keither]

A three-night cruise will always be better than no cruise at all! 😎 (My personal favorite is the four-night or five-night cruises.)

[ACKelly]

Looking forward to three days on Navigator tomorrow!

[travelwithdebandnick]

were going on a 3 night cruise november next year from sydney aus with our port stop being eden :) On ovation of the seas :) Itll be our very first royal caribbean cruise, were so super excited for it :) vwish that we could have a longer cruise, as it will go by so fast, but itll give us, im sure an urge to do many more royal caribeean cruises :)

[sammyboy]

So just to point out a few differences, I’d like to share my recent experiences on a 8 night cruise compared to 3 nights. Just for reference, we are in our early 30’s.

In February 2022 we went on a 8 night cruise on allure of the seas with a group of 6. It was great! Even though allure hasn’t been amplified yet, it’s still a great ship. Not sure if this was due to the capacity restrictions at the time, but we were sailing at around 40-50 percent. Of those passengers, it tended to be on the older side, even though there were still some people around our age. It was a lot more relaxing, and it was more of a vacation where all of us primarily just got to enjoy our company, instead of a party/adventure type of trip. I do have to admit that since we all purchased the drinks package, we all forced ourselves to get our money’s worth, which by the last day we were kinda out of it and ready to go home.

In April 2022 my fiancé and I went on a 3 night cruise on freedom of the seas. Talk about a completely different atmosphere. This time, I’d say we were close to full capacity, and it was during spring break, so it was a complete party trip. The average age was in the 20’s-30’s, accompanied by the “spring break” mentality. We had a blast! We’re not the party type as much anymore, but the energy was definitely entertaining. Weekend trips definitely goes by way too fast. You really have to use all your time wisely, cause before you realize it, it’s already Monday.

If I had to make an educated guess, I’d say that simply because week long cruises are more expensive, it’ll probably filter out a good chunk of the “party” crowd, which leads to a more relaxing type of trip. Even though my weekend cruise was a bit unique, since I do realize I went during spring break, I still believe the cheaper the cruise, the more chances of having that young “party” crowd, which is not a good or bad thing, just a preference.

We enjoyed both trips tremendously, and already booked another cruise in May 2023!

[markmay]

Shorter cruises give us a chance to make our bucket list items.. doing b2b on Freedom in Oct & Feb. Adding a 4 night with the 3 night. 🙂 Plus dont have the expense of a wifi package since we are diamond.

[cruisingwithkristen]

Weekend or shorter cruises are also great if you want to try cruising for the first time. I did NYC to Bermuda as my first cruise and loved it so much I did it 5 more times!

[markp.]

Just did a 3 night cruise out of Miami last month and we really enjoyed it. For 3 nights we just did carry on luggage while flying down to Fla. which was nice but did take your advice and checked our bags with the porters at the port. That worked out great as we had a early boarding time so it was like an extra day on the ship without the crowd. Did the wave rider several times (No Line) along with the slides etc.... Lots of fun!!! Would do it again and would consider combining it with a longer stay in say Orlando or some other resort city.

[escritora]

3-4 night cruises are also great if you want to try solo cruising. I did the Navigator out of LA a few months back, and it was my first solo cruise, I had a blast and met some really cool people. I think 4-5 nights is a good sweet spot for people who need a quick-ish getaway but don't want to get too homesick or can't do a 7 night cruise.

[mamasann]

I live in Orlando and just started doing weekend cruises. My husband and I just like to get away and just enjoy being out on the water. I start work late so I just take a few hours off on Friday and back to work by Monday morning.

[jadi]

I might do this since I will be at 79 points after cruise in oct and nov so by my family group cruise in feb I would be diamond. I hope Royal will change it to when you hit 80 you hit diamond on that same cruise and not have to wait till the one after that.

[jefflimp]

Moving to FL soon and a 3 night is on my to do list once we get settled in. Love not having to fly down from IL. Really looking forward to trying out an Oasis class. Thx for the video.

[janderson]

We did a 4 night on Navigator and loved it however I just feel like going on any ship of any size you need more along the 7 night to really experience the whole ship. Wonder of the Seas I felt like I couldn't even see everything in one 7 night cruise because there was so much. I guess this gives us reasons to keep booking cruises so eventually we can see and try everything.

[leilacierva]

I do miss those short cruises out of San Juan! Bring it back Royal!! Yeah I shout out that haha! ❤️

[antowanthomas]

Going on a 3 night cruise in a August on Independence. I’m looking forward to it!

[bobturmell]

If I lived in Florida, definitely would be interested.

[apeamc]

3 or 4 nighters really are for those who live close and can drive.

[webgal]

It depends on the circumstances. I used to say it was a waste of time but that was before my husband got dementia. The Pro Points for me: 1. Port Canaveral is only one hour from my home hence no flying trials and tribulations. 2. A three-day cruise gives me a much-needed break i.e. Nine meals I don't have to cook, nine pots of coffee I don't have to brew, three days of ocean views, wonderful shows (music is excellent for dementia).

[ashleyhughes]

P&O Australia has an extensive array of 3 night theme cruises. Comedy, 80s Elvis, County etc... They are very popular.

[pb]

RC offers 4 or 5 day cruises out of Galveston. 4 day cruises just go to Cozumel. 5 day cruise includes Costa Maya or Progreso, plus Cozumel.

[stevek]

Thanks for another great video. I steer clear of 3 and 4 night cruises. I live near Galveston, so a 3 night cruise would mean travelling a pretty long distance. Just not worth it for a weekend getaway.

Galveston does have 4 nighters, but they are priced such that you might as well take 5 nights. Further, the vacation time required, actually pushes my family to the 7 nighters in Galveston.