3 Day Merrytime

[TestingH2O]

We've been doing 7 day cruises and really enjoying them. I'd like to do a Merrytime, but since I'm an educator, time off then is tough.

Any thoughts on a quick 3 day after longer trips? Our focus would obviously be the ship not ports.

 

[tlprice]

We've been doing 7 day cruises and really enjoying them. I'd like to do a Merrytime, but since I'm an educator, time off then is tough.

Any thoughts on a quick 3 day after longer trips? Our focus would obviously be the ship not ports.

We just did a quick 3 day Merrytime cruise Dec. 15-18. I was worried about the short cruise since we have previously done a 4 day and a 7 day. We got on the ship much earlier than we usually do on the first day to maximize our time. We also decided right away on the things that we HAD to do: Beauty and the Beast, mini-golf, Aquaduck, and detective agency (since our next two cruises are on the Wonder and Magic and don't have those). Other than that, we just decided to be very laid back and relaxed about what we did. The cruise actually ended up feeling much longer than 3 days and we really enjoyed it. We did a short 2 hour excursion in Nassau and didn't plan anything for Castaway Cay except enjoying the beach.

We didn't end up finishing the detective agency because we just decided not to spend the time on it. That was okay. We ended up with Gingerbread House making tickets the morning of Castaway Cay so we got there a little later than we would have liked, but we got to sleep in which was nice.

Overall, I was also worried about doing a 3 day, but I would definitely do one again. I am also an educator so I understand your dilemma.

 

[Shanti]

We've been doing 7 day cruises and really enjoying them. I'd like to do a Merrytime, but since I'm an educator, time off then is tough.

Any thoughts on a quick 3 day after longer trips? Our focus would obviously be the ship not ports.

I'm a teacher & have to travel during school holidays. We just disembarked from a 3-night Dream cruise today & loved it. I'm planning to write a trip report, & booked another 3-night Dream cruise for next December.

 

[ElenaRN]

We have only done 3 & 4 day cruises. So I have nothing really to compare it to, but we did a 3 day Merrytime in November.
There are so many fun Christmas activities for the kids. We did the Gingerbread making, storytime with Mrs Claus, the tree lighting, Winter Wonder Ball & did a meet & greet with Santa. I think there was some other things but I can't remember right now
We have been to Nassau before so we didn't get off the ship there. That really maximized our time for all the things that were available.
I didn't think anything could get better than WDW @ Christmas but DCL really topped it.
It did feel a little rushed and I wish we could've done a 4 day but it didn't fit into our work/school schedule.
I would highly recommend a Merrytime cruise, even only 3 days.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

We prefer the 7 night cruises, but back in March DS6 and I needed a getaway and a 3 night on the Dream fit the bill. We had an awesome time! We had planned to stay on the ship at Nassau, so that was our ship day. We met the princesses, played with Goofy, Pluto and Mickey in the kids club during OH, played mini-golf, did Midship Detective Agency, swam, made a craft, went to the pirate party and had a wonderful day. On CC, we met characters, rode bikes, swam, did Pelican Plunge, played in the sand, did a whale dig with Mickey and got back on the ship in time for more swim time. We even found time for shuffleboard and another MDA. We never missed an MDR for dinner or a show (though I might consider skipping an MDR if we ever do a 3-night again). Characters seemed to be everywhere all the time - it was great. I thought we'd be rushed or we'd miss a lot. I can't think of anything we wanted to do that we missed and we never felt rushed. It was perfect for a quick getaway and I'm sure a Merrytime cruise would be that much more fun. I'm very glad we did it and would consider it again. I'm a solo parent and our lives are very scheduled. It was wonderful to be able to play for a few days.

 

[angelinaxox]

We've been doing 7 day cruises and really enjoying them. I'd like to do a Merrytime, but since I'm an educator, time off then is tough.

Any thoughts on a quick 3 day after longer trips? Our focus would obviously be the ship not ports.

I am also an educator so most of my cruises are during the summer or spring break time. Most of my cruises over the years have been seven or more days, including cruises up to 14 days. However, I have previously done four 3 day cruises on DCL (my first DCL cruise and then the past three spring breaks).

In the summer of 2016, I did the 12 day Iceland and Norway DCL cruise. This was followed in 2017, with a three day DCL cruise in conjunction with a trip to Disney World for my spring break and then I was on a nine day Anthem cruise over the summer. So it is possible to bounce around from longer cruises to shorter cruises. I just go in knowing it is a short cruise but it is a chance to refresh. If a three day is all I can fit in, I have no trouble enjoying my three day cruises. I love them!

Having done two great cruises this year, I wasn't planning on doing any more cruises. But then, the Disney Dream started the Beauty and the Beast show. And I kept reading about the Merrytime cruises. And my husband had two vacation days left to use in 2017. And my niece turned 18 and will graduate this year. And the airfare was cheap. And a VGT rate was available. And it was the fifth anniversary of when I got engaged on my way to Disney World. And so on. I think you can get the picture that I felt I was meant to do a Merrytime cruise.

I very rarely miss a day of school as it is a lot of work for me to prepare for a sub. However, I really wanted to experience a Merrytime cruise. Since, I am given three personal days a year and am allowed to use two together, I requested and both were approved. So on November 29th, I booked the December 15th Dream sailing for my husband, my niece and myself. I had never planned a last minute cruise before and I was nervous about flying in that morning, but it all worked out well. We had such a magical cruise. We loved all the Christmas touches. We did the gingerbread house making and the rainforest room instead of Nassau. This cruise was worth all the hard work and late nights I did preparing for my sub in the classroom. I have to be honest, it was my favorite of the three cruises I did this year.

Hopefully, what I posted helps you in deciding if a three day cruise is right for you. Best wishes to you in whatever you decide.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Not in a derogatory way, but at the end of the CC day of my December 4 night Merry Time cruise, I said to DH., that IF it were the last day, I would still be very happy we took the cruise. The fact that we Did have the extra day extra wonderful!

 

[TestingH2O]

I very rarely miss a day of school as it is a lot of work for me to prepare for a sub.

So much this. People not in education don't understand this at all