Plenty of Royal Holiday members would agree that few getaways are as fun and relaxing as an ocean cruise. Unfortunately, a typical seven-or-more day sailing can be difficult to plan because of school and work obligations. For this reason, lots of people who might be interested in taking a cruise often dismiss an ocean voyage as a viable vacation option.
To help out these potential passengers, cruise lines are offering more and more two- and three-day itineraries. These short sailings make it much easier for a family to squeeze in a quick vacation, or for a couple to escape for a long weekend. They are also the perfect way for a curious traveler to experience cruise life for the first time without committing to the time and expense of a longer trip.
Of course, the convenience of scheduling a short cruise comes with one obvious drawback: not enough time!
When planning for a short cruise, the most important thing to remember is that it is impossible to see or do everything, especially on board today’s huge cruise ships. A savvy cruiser will identify what they want to get out of their trip, and make plans specifically for that activity. Remember to make any necessary reservations as far in advance as possible. This includes fine dining, concerts, shore excursions, and so forth. With a handful of special experiences neatly scheduled, all the other exciting stuff that happens on the cruise is just icing on the cake!
A cruiser on a short itinerary can also save quite a lot of time simply by looking over deck plans and event calendars before boarding. In this way, a passenger can get right to the fun without wandering around lost, or showing up for a canceled event. It also helps to have a few backup plans, so when something does get rescheduled, a vacationer can go straight to “plan B” without wasting time figuring out what to do.
In addition, remember that most ports of embarkation are fantastic destinations. One can easily schedule an extra half day or full day into a short cruise vacation just by planning to arrive early or stay late. Often, a few extra hours can be more than enough time to check out an attraction right before or after the cruise.
