Weekend Cruises: Two to Four Nights, and Who They Suit

Where weekend cruises actually sail

Florida dominates. Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral run two, three and four-night sailings to Nassau and the cruise line private islands almost every week of the year.

On the West Coast, Long Beach and Los Angeles run three and four-night Baja sailings to Ensenada and sometimes Catalina Island, at the lowest fares in North American cruising.

Elsewhere, short sailings appear seasonally from New York to Bermuda or Canada, and occasionally from Galveston and Tampa. Europe has almost no equivalent product; short Mediterranean sailings are rare.

• Florida: Nassau and private islands, two to four nights, year round.
• California: Ensenada and Catalina, three to four nights, cheapest fares anywhere.
• New York: seasonal short sailings to Bermuda and Canada.
• Europe has almost no short cruise product.

The maths of a very short cruise

On a three-night sailing departing Friday at 4pm and returning Monday at 7am, you have roughly 63 hours aboard. Subtract boarding, muster, the final morning and sleeping, and you have about 30 waking hours of actual holiday.

That is fine if you know it going in. It is a bad surprise if you expected a compressed version of a week at sea.

The corollary is that fixed costs matter disproportionately. A $250 drinks package on a three-night cruise costs more per usable hour than the same package over seven nights, and a $189 water park ticket on your only port day is a large share of the total trip cost.

Who weekend cruises genuinely suit

First-time cruisers testing the format. This is the strongest case, and it is a good one. Spending $400 to learn you get seasick is much better than spending $4,000.

Celebrations. A bachelor party, a milestone birthday or a group who want a contained event with everything included works well over three nights.

Drive-in travellers. If you live two hours from Port Canaveral, a three-night cruise is a legitimate weekend break in a way it is not if you are flying from Chicago.

They suit less well anyone flying a long way, anyone who wants to see a destination properly, and anyone who finds a party atmosphere tiring.

• First-time cruisers testing whether they get seasick and whether they like the format.
• Celebration groups wanting a contained, all-included weekend.
• Drive-in travellers within a few hours of a Florida or California port.
• Poor fit for anyone flying long-haul, since the flight dominates the trip.
• Poor fit for anyone wanting to see a destination rather than a ship.

Getting value out of a short cruise

Skip the drinks package unless you genuinely drink heavily. On three nights, with one of them being a boarding evening, the break-even is harder to hit than on a week.

Choose an itinerary with a private island rather than two Nassau calls. The private islands are the better day by a wide margin.

Board early. On a three-night cruise, two extra hours aboard on day one is a meaningful percentage of your holiday.

Avoid booking a spa or specialty dining on the only port day; you will resent it.

• Skip the drinks package; the break-even is harder on three nights.
• Choose a private island itinerary over two Nassau calls.
• Board as early as your window allows; two hours matters on a short cruise.
• Do not book onboard activities that clash with your only port day.
• Check whether the sailing coincides with a large celebration group.