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I’ve often wondered whether short cruises (5 days or less) are a good representation of what cruising is all about. Furthermore, I’ve also questioned if short cruises can deliver the same quality of service, food and onboard experience that can usually be found on ships sailing longer itineraries of seven days or more.

In my opinion, the answer is “no.”  

Short cruises are a great way for newbies to discover if vacations at sea are to their liking. They get to discover what life at sea is all about, whether there’s enough to do, if the food is to their liking, and how convivial the staff and fellow passengers can be on a sea voyage. And the vast majority of newbies quickly become cruise aficionados as soon as they walk down the gangplank.

However, as good as short cruises may be, it’s hard to take them seriously once you’ve discovered how much better a longer cruise can be.  In fact, I find that ships sailing on itineraries of 7 days or more usually outperform vessels doing short cruises in almost every dimension.

 First of all, ships sailing regularly on short itineraries tend to be older vessels. As a result, they can sometimes look a bit worn around the edges or simply lack many of the modern amenities found on newer ships.

Second, the crew working on vessels sailing shorter itineraries seem to be less experienced or motivated than staff sailing longer voyages. It may be that they have less time to form a relationship with passengers, or that they can’t tell this week’s cruise from the last. Or maybe they just don’t have enough time to shine. But whatever the reason, they seem to be more harried and less experienced.

Third, passengers on shorter cruises miss out on some of the best sea-going traditions. For example, short cruises usually skip formal nights, Captain’s welcome cocktail parties, the champagne waterfall party, and other standard events found on longer cruises. 

Fourth, it’s harder to meet fellow passengers and form friendships with them. With just 3 to 5 days at sea, you may not even see your tablemates more than once, particularly if one or more passengers decide to try an alternative restaurant.

Fifth, the food on short cruises doesn’t always measure up to the standard found on vessels sailing longer itineraries. It may be that the galley crew is less experienced, or that there isn’t the same level of quality control on ships that have more transient passengers. But whatever the reason, I have never found the food on short cruises to be as good as I’ve had on longer voyages on the same cruise line.

Sixth, short cruises are very limited in terms of where the ship can sail to. As a result, itineraries tend to be pretty mundane or in some cases, include no ports at all as in “Cruises to Nowhere.”

Seven, it’s hard enough to relax and forget about work in 7 days of vacation, never mind just 3 or 5 days.

Eight, it’s much easier to justify the cost of a vacation when you can amortize the cost of the trip over 7 days as opposed to just half a week. That’s why short cruises tend to attract a lot of people from local markets who can drive to the port.

Nine, on short cruises you haven’t even found your way around the ship before it’s over.

And ten, on short cruises it seems you have no sooner unpacked your bags when the room steward starts handing out  instructions on how to disembark the ship at the end of the voyage.

So as I start my second day at sea on our 5-day cruise to the Western Caribbean aboard Holland America’s Veendam, I’ll be looking to see if anything has changed since our last short cruise three years ago. While short cruises are certainly better than no cruise at all, it’s going to take a lot to change my view that when it comes to vacations at sea, longer is better. After all, taking a cruise is like buying a sailboat – you always wish it was just a little bit longer.

When it comes to cruise vacations, good things do come in small packages. At least, that’s what almost four million passengers discovered last year when they took a short cruise.

According to the Cruise Line International Association, two-to-five night cruises are the fastest growing segment of the cruise industry. In fact, some 3.8 million people sailed away on short cruises in 2007.

Short cruises provide a mini-break from the hectic pace of work, they’re inexpensive, and they’re a great way to try out a new destination. They’re also a great way for cruise “newbies” to test the waters before committing to a longer, more expensive voyage.

There are plenty of short cruise itineraries to choose from, and they depart from easy-to-reach cities on both coasts like New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Vancouver. As an example, here are some of the best short cruises available from North American ports over the next year (prices listed below are in US dollars and are for cruise fare only on a per person, double occupancy basis for an inside cabin):

·         Royal Caribbean International offers a wide selection of short cruises including two, three, four and five-night itineraries from Miami and Port Canaveral to the Bahamas starting at $129. They also have four and five-night voyages from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa to the western Caribbean starting at $249, and from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera from $429.

·         Celebrity Cruises has two, four and five-night cruises from Miami to the Bahamas and the western Caribbean starting at just $99. They also have a couple of three and four-night coastal cruises from Seattle, Washington to Nanaimo and Victoria in British Columbia starting at $269.

·         Cunard has a pair of short cruises aboard the Queen Mary 2 departing from New York this summer and fall. The first is a five-night cruise departing on July 1 for Halifax, Nova Scotia and Boston, Massachusetts with fares starting at $1,340. The second is a four-night cruise to St. John, New Brunswick starting at $931.

·         Disney Cruise Line offers a three, four and seven-night sailings from Cape Canaveral to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, plus the opportunity to combine a cruise with a land package at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Fares start at $323 for a three-night cruise, $441 for a four-night cruise, and $955 for a seven-night cruise.

·         Carnival has three, four and five-night cruises to the Bahamas, western Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera. Cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas depart from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana: and Galveston, Texas, with fares starting at $199. The Mexican Riviera voyages depart from San Diego and Los Angeles, and prices start at $179.

·         Princess offers a series of two, three and four-night cruises along the Pacific coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco and Vancouver, British Columbia starting at just $149. In addition, Princess has one night cruises between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver from $99, and a four-night cruise from Vancouver to Ketchikan, Alaska starting at $485.

With so many options, it’s not surprising that millions of people are choosing a short cruise for a quick getaway.